Anniversary

Chapter One

The wind whistled through the car windows whipping Jasmine's raven black hair around her head and periodically getting in her eyes. She gracefully tucked a strand behind her ear and turned up the radio. Nothing could bring her spirits down today, she thought of what she had planned, and her heart raced with excitement. Of all the things Jazz loved to do, she loved giving gifts and planning surprises the most. She had this knack for picking out the perfect gift that would make someone tear up because of all the thought she put into it, and she loved making other people happy. She thought back to her friend Maxwell's engagement party last month and grinned. She had painted a picture of a unicorn galloping in the stars heading towards a mirrored version of itself with the phrase "Soul mates" written at the bottom. The card had read, "There is one twin flame meant for us in all of time and space. You have finally found yours in Gaven. Love you always, Jazz" It made her well up with tears thinking about Max's reaction. He had burst into tears and hugged her tightly.

That was the best part; seeing how happy she made others made her heart feel warm and fuzzy. Her favorite thing was to plan anything for her husband, Terry. They had known each other for a long time, growing up on the same street together. She never really noticed him, though, until his senior year in high school when he had grown into his face and began to shave. Something about a man's beard just acted like a push-up bra. He let it grow out, and it had made him seem older and mysterious. She fell head over heels for him, and once her best friend and Terry's sister, Bettie, found out, it was all over. She received relentless teasing until one day, during lunch, he overheard what Bettie said; Jasmine thought she would die of embarrassment. He had asked her out the next day, and the rest is history. They were married a year after Jasmine graduated.

She loved throwing parties for him or giving him gifts because she knew him the best. They were in perfect sync, and she knew that they would be the quiet old couple sitting on the porch thinking about how great their lives had been and die peacefully of old age, holding each other to the end. She let out a sigh of contentment and started singing along with Burnin' it Down by Jason Aldean. She knew every word to this album and loved the feeling the air gave off when music was played at full blast. A smile on her face spread from ear to ear; it would be perfect.

When she arrived home, she grabbed the brown paper bag containing the contents of this evening's plans and hurried into the house. She had taken the day off to get everything ready and began the preparations. She hooked her phone up to her Bluetooth speaker and started playing "you make it easy." by Jason Aldean, dancing and singing along; she imagined his face when he saw the picnic she was planning. The picnic was reminiscent of their first anniversary when Terry asked her to marry him under a weeping willow on the outskirts of town. He had planned a picnic and brought diet coke because they were both too young to drink, and since then, it had been a tradition to drink diet coke on their anniversary. The difference this time was that he would find a little pink and white stick telling him he was going to be a Father.

She was bursting to the rim and almost slipped twice, but she had managed to keep it quiet until tonight. This was their first child, and she wanted this moment to be memorable. She thought about the baby and secretly hoped for a boy. She imagined Terry's big blue eyes and her dark hair and rose complexion. Jasmine had just finished putting the meal in the picnic basket when she heard the door open and shut. Terry was home.

"Hi, babe! I'm in the kitchen!" she said, picking up the basket and realizing how heavy it was. She stumbled, trying to hide it behind her. "You won't guess what I have planned today!" She clumsily got it behind her and faced him smiling; then, she stopped dead in her tracks. He was standing with his shoulders curled forward, avoiding eye contact. "Babe? What is it?"

He meandered toward the couch and took a seat without removing his shoes or Coveralls. He rested his elbows on his legs and crossed his fingers. After a minute, Jasmine put the basket down, hurried over to him, and sat down. "Are you okay?"

He sighed and looked at her sideways. "I'm not okay. I haven't been okay for a long time, and I need to tell you something. I just wish it wasn't today."

Jazz pulled back and looked at him straight on. "What is it?"

"I want a divorce." His voice trembled slightly.

She felt her eyes widen as she looked at him; her heartbeat rapidly increased alongside her breathing. Questions ran around her head until she just heard a buzzing noise fill her ears. She was able to listen to him in pieces.

"I'm sorry I fell in love with someone else...You're my best friend, Jazz...I don't want to lose our friendship, please."

"I- uh, I have to go. I can't do this right now." Jazz was in her car driving. Her mind spun, unable to focus; she wasn't sure where she would go. "It's just a bad dream." She thought. "This can't be happening." She stopped the car at a field of yellow grass and hopped out of the vehicle. She had to keep moving, so she ran into the area as far as possible before she lost her breath. Jasmine covered her face with both hands and collapsed to her knees. She barely felt the rocks digging into her side as an agonized scream ripped itself free from her chest. That was all it took for her to lose all sense of composure. No longer holding back the tears, she began hysterically screaming and tearing the grass up by the roots. She sobbed and rocked herself back and forth until she was so exhausted all she could do was stare at the field with puffy eyes and a runny nose.

His words rang back in her mind. "I'm in love with someone else...." But who could he possibly mean? She thought of the possibilities, and the thought of him making love to someone else made her nauseous. She felt so violated by the concept she wretched in the grass until she was dry-heaving. "Oh, god. Has he been making love to this person the whole time?" She heard her name being called in the distance by someone familiar. Jasmine curled up on her side and just waited for them to come.

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