Things We Lost In the Fire

Sweet Baby

For the next six months I had not seen his face, at least in person. He made it a point to reach out to me at least once a week while on tour. He kept me on the phone for two hours after his show in Philly, us both hysterically laughing about the incident that happened that night. Apparently he invited some woman on stage who showed her ass, LITERALLY!

I hadn't realized that I had missed him until around the end of October. He called me one morning out of the blue while I was in class. I was upset that I missed his call because the tone in his voice was so somber like he had been depressed about something. When he called me back that night, I could hear the happiness in his voice coming off of that performance high, so when I asked him why he sounded sad that morning, he completely dismissed the question.

At the end of each conversation, he would always ask me to read him some of my poetry but I would only do it if he agreed to sing me a song.

As the holidays came and went, our family trip to Florida caused me to miss several of P's calls. When we touched down in Minnesota I tried calling his Paisley Park number, hoping he came home for the holidays but I had no such luck. The next day when the mail came, amongst all the christmas cards and junk mail we had received was a thin lavender envelope with the return address, "Paisley Park".

As I unfolded the two papers inside, a small rectangular piece of paper and a packet of jasmine incense fell out. Not looking at it, I placed the items on the counter. Reading the first letter, I was overjoyed that he even sent me something for Christmas since I wasn't expecting anything and he doesn't really celebrate holidays.

Dearest Jasmin,

By the time U receive this, U'll already be in the skies. But eye just wanted to send this letter to U as a token of my appreciation. Eye appreciate U dropping into my life as an understanding soul who eye can talk to. Though it has only been six months, eye can consider U a friend. As a friend, eye have written a small check. It's not much, but eye hope it benefits U and Noah.
Enclosed is a pack of Jasmine incense since U commented on how amazing they smelled burning in my studio. You asked why eye burned those? Well being in the presence of Jasmin can ease depression, bring happiness and be uplifting :)

See U in 1998,
Spud

"Oh he is too sweet," I uttered to no one in particular. P tends to speak in riddles a lot so last sentence really had my brain racking. Did he mean Jasmine the way my name is spelled? I'm just overthinking it.

Picking up the check, I damn near fainted when I saw the amount scribbled in black ink: $1,000. Has he lost his mind? I can't accept this money, I will never be able to pay him back! This was sweet of him, but the moment I see him, this little baby is going back to its papa.

January 30, 1998

Prince's Perspective

Sitting in her freshly shoveled driveway with the heat on high, I try and gather my thoughts before standing face to face with Jazz for the first time in 7 months. To say I missed her while on tour is an understatement. Seeing her that fateful day at Paisley Park was as if God was trying to shine a light down a deep trench. As hard as we are both trying to hold on, I can feel my marriage dwindling. We both try and convince ourselves that we are happy, but unfortunate events that have happened have drove us apart. Oddly enough, the moment Jasmin's effervescent aura was in my presence, she became a breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed.

Teetering my heels against the frosty cement, I made my way up the pavement and onto the porch with a gift bag in tow. The fabric on my puffy white coat crinkled as I rang the doorbell. As I waited for Jasmin to answer the door, I noticed a swift movement and a small figure peer out of one of the door sidelight windows. Gazing back at me was a tiny toddler with the brightest chestnut eyes. Eyes that mirrored Jasmin's perfectly. Caramel-toned skin that mirrored hers. As I bent down and waved at Noah, he immediately giggled, showing me his tiny teeth. The faint calling of Jasmin's voice prompted him to disappear out of my sight.