The Man - Ed Sheeran
Terence
I'd spent quite a few days moping around after reading Ophelia's letters. I treated it as a mourning period, but I wasn't actually mourning or wearing all black. I was just living, slower and sadder than usual.
My life had become monotonous and predictable. I ate the same thing, slept at the same time, watched the same thing and cried at the same time.
The only thing that was different was I'd pick a different One Direction album to listen to. I had a cycle, an album a day, starting chronologically; still taking the lyrics of Clouds to heart, still waiting for her to come back.
Until one day after a couple of days, or maybe even weeks after the news I felt a rush of adrenaline. I wanted to do something about the Jasmine situation. I was determined not to just lie down and let things pass me by. I knew that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just gave up with a fight. I wasn't talking about waging a war or anything, but there was something in my power that I could have done but never did.
I had to get in touch with Jasmine through an internal source.
Her parents were definitely out of the picture, they'd never posed for the picture. I'd never ever go to her parents for help on how to win her back, my relationship with them was not at that level and it may never be, but I had a relationship like that with her sisters.
Now Jasmine had two sisters: Juniper and Jade. They were all named after flowers because Mrs Kenward was crazy about flowers.
Juniper had always been closer to Jasmine, they were closer in age, she was only three years older than her and she probably knew more about her than anyone else in their family. However her closeness to Jasmine meant that she'd probably take her side in all of these kinds of affairs. I didn't want to contact her if I knew that she wouldn't help me, but I didn't know for sure, we'd only met about twice since our childhood affairs when she and Jasmine would come over to 'play' with Janet and I, but I've Skyped her with Jasmine and I'd say that she was secretly rooting for us.
Never the less I still sent her a message asking for her help. She had claimed to be busy with university work and said she couldn't help me; she then tried to convince me to leave her alone which is when I became sure that she had sided with Jasmine. But after shameless badgering and pestering she agreed to help me, not directly of course, because 'university work' wouldn't allow it, but she gave me the number of Jade, the oldest and last sister.
Jade was ten years older than Jasmine, eight years older than Juniper. Despite not being the middle person in the family, Jasmine had always told me that she had been a bit of the black sheep of the family. As the oldest child she often had to look after her younger siblings which she had resented at first. By the time she'd turned 17 herself she'd tried to run away from home countless times, but was either caught trying to run away or came back on her own.
She was unlike the rest of family and had an aura of mystery, to everyone myself included, I didn't really know her, but what I did know was that she was 27; she lived on the west coast and had been married for five years to a very wonderful man, I heard.
I was hesitant to reach out to her, I barely knew her, even in the days of my childhood she didn't come over to 'play' with Janet and I because she'd always had something on. She was a 'big kid' and did 'big kid' things.
I wasn't even sure if she knew who I was. I was certain she'd heard of me, but could she place a face to my name?
I tried anyhow and she responded almost immediately, seemingly very eager to help me win Jasmine back.
