A year on Venus

42: yellow jasmine

I hate to say that out but wallah that's the truth.

"Why not? It's not a big deal using the f word on them please. Besides who could tell you are black? You don't look like one."

"Definitely not a compliment to a black! It's not bad being black please. You whites make it sound like a big deal and often address us less of humans! That tiny bit of racism is always there, even if you don't intend to." I defended rolling my eyes.

He gently smiled at that.

"You know i'm black too." He added.

"You can't be black with a Scottish dad. Or did you lie to me Mr. Brown?" I said mimicking his Scottish accent. I could already pick some of their accents just in few days of being here. But I was sure I didn't get it right, because Adams scrunched up his nose at that.

"Why would I lie to you? I could lie to anyone but you. Heck I hate lying in the first place."

"In that case i'm sorry Mr. Brown."

"Why are you always apologising? And please it's Adams!" He looked quite sad at his last words. He ended up rubbing it on me. I started feeling sad too. Perhaps something was wrong. I just hoped nothing was.

"Do you mind being drove to nowhere and finding cops and telling them to go f**k themselves?"

With a slackened mouth I ended up widening my eyes at him. I had already finished my oatmeal by then, so he stood up, "common! It's gonna be fun! I'm so great at racing. I promise you I won't let them catch us!"

"Like right now?" I asked. Because we were having a lecture in a few and he was talking about unending drive.

"Yeah! Why not!"

"No, I can't risk my lectures to go away with a man."

"What?" He ended up laughing. "Only if you'll break up every little word in your sentence and meaningfully decode it." He finished.

I just looked back at him my face devoid of expression. We ended up being in class. Once the lecture finished he insisted he drive me to my house.
Once in the car I found him taking a different lane from my house, "where are we going?"

"Somewhere." He answered.

"Is it a nice place?" I asked back.

"Yeah!"

I released a sigh. "You could have dropped me off in my house and I would have bathed and change in to something nice."

He ignored me and kept driving. That gave me enough time to start being nostalgic but just then a gasp escaped my lips. "You aren't thinking of doing that, are you Adams?!" I asked in shock. "Ya Allah you're not keen on killing me or making me end up behind jail.

"Are you Adams?" I said a bit louder.

He started laughing hard at that.

"You can always count on me to never hurt you!"

"I hope that's true." I said and turned around taking the awesome view of Edinburgh.

Finally we arrived at some place, it's like a mall or something. "I'll grab a radio here, do you wanna come?"

I quickly shook my head at him, he got what I mean and ended up smirking. But buying a radio along with a picky shopping guy who would risk that? Definitely not me! I can't ever allow myself go shopping with him again.

"I'll be right back." He said and I nodded, once he was gone my mind drifted back home. What could be going on with my family. I've miss borno state. My calls not getting in, no one's replying to my emails. It has started making me feel worried. I hope everything is fine.

Suddenly I heard the door creaking ajar. He was back! Wow he's fast, unless I've been nostalgic for long! But who knows!

He pressed on the gas pedal and we zoomed off, we ended up stopping by a spa. "We're here!" I heard Adams said.

I took a view of the street and kept looking at the place. This could be my first day at a spa. Definitely my first. "It's beautiful." I said once he opened the car door for me and I alighted down.

Once we entered the place I kept taking in the view while Adams ignored the fact that I've been looking at the plaster of Paris, the chandeliers, the magnificent interior and all the amazing things in the place. It was marvellous. "It's so beautiful." I whispered out to Adams. I was so glad he brought me here, I inwardly told him a thank you, but no way he could hear me. But I was so grateful to Allah that I got to see a place like this.

We were walking as I kept following Adams behind, since I was looking at every single thing and him trying to ignore it, when I saw a beautiful calligraphy. But once I read it I found myself about to cry.

'Don't be a yellow Jasmine.' The calligraphy read.

"Why is my name written up there and telling people not to be me?"

Adams just looked at me, the sorta crazy look to give anyone that have lost it. When he realised I actually meant it, he finally said, "yellow Jasmine's a poisonous flower! That's an evening trumpet flower. It's actually a poisonous woody evergreen vine of southeastern united States having fragrant yellow funnel-shaped flowers."

Well, I've never heard of that. I just knew jasmine could be flower, like a yellow flower, but I never thought I could be poisonous — i mean it could be poisonous.

"You seem to think too much in to it." Adams lowered to my ear level and whispered. And I forced out a smile.

He took few steps ahead but I remained glued. "Hey," I finally called out, something been eating me up and on a normal day I wouldn't be saying this, but today I wanted to tell Adams. I took gentle steps to where he was, "just know I won't ever stab you in the back." I don't know what has gotten in to me, but I was so scared that I could turn out in to a yellow jasmine someday, and clearly the artistic drawing said to not be one, to not be a yellow jasmine. And whatever might happen I don't ever want to stab this guy in the back, he had done too much already, when I was feeling insecure and had no friend he showed up for me, he tried cheering me up and I know he's trying with that, especially when we are completely two different people that only got birth date in common.