Jasmine

7. 'So Many!'

Saturday morning Jasmine receives a call from Brandon asking if they can spend the late afternoon and evening together.

"Where are we going?" Jasmine poses curiously.

"I'm just gonna find a spot to park so we can talk."

"Until when?"

"I don't know. Do you have a curfew or something?"

"I prefer to be home by 8."

"Is that when your carriage turns into a pumpkin?"

"Sweet. Love the wit."

"But seriously if that's not imposed by your mother I'm ignoring it."

"You will not!" Jasmine utters after a gasp.

"Relax. I'm only kidding. Is your mother strict? I think you may have tacitly learned you need to be home at a particular time."

"She is, and I think you may be right."

"Alright then, till 8 it is."

"Thanks. I think we can have you park at the lot of a shopping centre, to be around security, so we can feel safe."

"Okay, I have no qualms with that...

... So listen," he then commands, "I need to be off now. See you later?"

"Oh, sure. Can't wait?"

"Same here. Bye?"

"Bye Brandon."

When Jasmine drops the call it's around 08h30. She does her chores in a furious speed, takes a shower, and then eats before working on her creative writing assignment. After two non-fictional inserts, they now moved on to fictional narratives. Jasmine is excited about this, and if not that relieved she no longer has to share on her personal life. To make things worse her readers, the other students, always had one thing or another to complain about with her writing. The lecturer is no different: it seems far-fetched; there's no overarching point to the story... blah blah blah, blah blah. The sooner this semester can be over with, the better.

At minutes to 14h00 Jasmine gets a message from Brandon reading "I'm here". Jasmine salutes her mother and paces to the parking lot. Brandon gives her a hug coming in. He pulls away, a smile on his face, asking Jasmine which shopping centre she had in mind this morning.

"Brightwater Commons".

"Where's that?"

"It's now called 'The Fern'. It's on Republic Road, about a five minute drive away?"

"Great," Brandon says putting on Jasmine's seat belt first, then his own. The lady blushes. Brandon definitely knows how to make her heart race.

With a few directives from Jasmine, they make it to 'The Fern', parking under some shade. Brandon reclines her seat, then his, and they stare out the window taking in their surroundings.

"Did you enjoy your morning then?" Jasmine probes not knowing how else to get a conversation going.

"I was running some errands with my father."

"Oh? Are you close to him?"

"My father? Yes. But I'm closer to my mother.

"So am I...closer to my mother that is."

"Is your father still in the picture, if I may ask?"

"He is, but isn't."

"Okay?"

"He pays maintenance and we see him every June and December."

"Oh."

"He works in Cape Town and lives in PE.

"Why?"

''The company he works for migrated to Cape town. Oh, and my parents are divorced. We all used to live in PE at some point."

"I see."

"And that's about it. Do you have any siblings Brandon?" Jasmine asks shifting focus.

"I do. There's 5 of us. We're all brothers."

"Wow. Okay."

"5 seems too many, right?"

"It does. But then again, who are we to dictate how many children one must have? This area of our lives should be left to God to decide and to Him alone."

"Okay? It's sounding like you're against contraceptives?"

"I am, yes."

"Good Lord!"

"I know. But the thing is God nowhere condones such a thing. And in fact in Onan's case, Judah's second born who was given to Tamar, we see it more plainly that God has such disdain towards it.

"I remember that yes, but I thought the issue with that was that he was not having any descendants on his late brother's behalf, not that he prevented conception."

"I thinks it's clear in that God's people always had so many children."

"I guess."

"We need to let nature take its course."

"I get it. Children are a gift from God. But then how many of them will you have? Let's say you get pregnant once a year. Given that women are menopausal at 50 we are left with something like 20, or what?" Brandon surmises worriedly and Jasmine teasingly laughs. 

"None of them had that many!" She exclaims and throws in: "Apparently breastfeeding your child until they are 3 acts as a natural contraceptive."

"So you're into family planning then?" He grasps. 

"I'm not against it but it will be a pain if we- I mean if a couple denies themselves just to avoid having another precious child-

"It's not really denying, it's just choosing when to..."

"Okay."

"...at a time when you're least fertile."

"I hear you."

"Gosh!" Brandon utters with a sigh. Closing his eyes he sits back in his reclined chair reflecting.

"You're not gonna run away now are you?" Jasmine half jokes at him.

"I have no idea."

"Oh?" Jasmine expresses, her gut dropping.

"I'm kidding. But you've given me a lot to think about..."

"Okay," Jasmine says disconcerted.

"How about we take a drive?" Brandon suggests after some silence.

"Around Randburg?"

"And Sandton. I'll drive by where I live."

"You'll show me where you live?" Jasmine parrots excitedly. Brandon beams at her and starts the car.