Jasmine's POV
"Thank you." He'd said to me.
Have you ever had that feeling where you feel like you're back in high school and your dreams were finally coming true because you were getting noticed by the popular guy, who also happens to be your crush?
Well, that was what it felt like with Mr. Hollen; but I had to be very professional with and around him now that I was going to be working even closer to him and may have to accompany him to meetings and on business trips. I didn't know how I was going to contain and control myself, but I had to. Losing my job was not an option.
I arrived at my apartment. I pushed the key into the lock and opened the door to find my mother sitting at the couch, reading one of those gossip magazines.
"Hi Mom," I greeted, shutting the door behind me and taking my handbag off my shoulder.
"Hi Jassy, how was your day?"
"It was great. My boss is promoting me to be his Personal Assistant. I'm starting on Monday. Someone else will take over my previous position," I explained with some excitement in my voice.
"That's great. Congrats."
"Thanks Mom. Is Zenia home from school yet?"
Zenia was my younger sister and my best friend. She attended a community college since I couldn't afford to put her through an Ivy League college and still pay the bills and put groceries on the table and take care of Mom. It wasn't a burden to me, but, at times, we did not have enough, especially when Mom's lungs started acting up. I was still paying the medical bills from the last treatments.
I went to my bedroom and sat down on the bed, exhausted and hungry. I had walked all the way home from work to budget on cab fare; however, I was so grateful Hollen Tower was approximately one mile away from my home.
I changed from my work attire and went to the kitchen to get dinner started. I was going to make lasagna, potato salad, green vegetables, and rice with red beans in it.
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"Hi Mommy."
I heard Zenia's voice greet our mother when she walked through the front door.
"Hey baby. How was school?"
"It was all good. I have an assignment I need to complete. Is Jassy home yet?"
"In here!" I called to her.
"Hi sis," she said to me as she came up and hugged me from behind. "What you're cooking already smells delicious. I'll get changed and come back to help you."
"Don't you have an assignment to do?"
"Yeah, but I already completed most of it between classes. I took your advice."
"Always advance when you can," we said together with a laugh.
Zenia was twenty years old, four years younger than me. It was easy to tell that we were sisters because she looked like me. We both possessed long black 4a type hair, dark brown eyes with naturally long lashes, and a chocolate complexion. Our mother was African American but she told us that our father was from Mexico. That bastard.
When dinner was finished, I set the table and Zenia poured us some drinks. We sat down around the three seat dinner table and started eating.
"Mommy, how are you feeling?" Zenia asked her.
Mom looked pale and flushed like she hadn't been eating properly.
"I'm fine," she replied in very low whisper.
"You don't look fine," I said, studying her.
Sweat was pouring down her face and she made attempts to dry it off with a kitchen towel.
"Zenia, Call 911."
"No! I'm fine. I don't want to go to a hospital again. I'm fine. It's just hot in here, that's all. Lets eat," she briskly responded and dismissed our concerns.
Zenia got up, closed in the windows and doors and turned on the air conditioning unit.
"That better mom?" she asked.
"Thank you sweetheart."
We ate in an awkward silence after that-- Zenia and I glancing, ever so often, at her. There had been occurrences where she fainted in front of us and that always scared the shit out of me.
We finished dinner and I went to do the dishes while Zenia went to her room to complete her assignment. Mom went back to the couch and watched television, one of her favorite shows Sanford and Son. I heard her laughing and it made me smile.
After the dishes, I was completely drained. I went and sat down next to my mother on the couch and watched the television with her. The comedy was almost over when suddenly she started gasping for oxygen and holding her throat as if something was caught in it.
"Mom! MOM!" I yelled.
She rolled off the couch and fell onto the floor with a crash. I retrieved my phone from my pocket, dialed 911 and relayed the situation to the dispatcher.
"An ambulance is on its way, ma'am," he assured me.
"Please hurry. She's not moving. She's... not... breathing!"
"Can you administer CPR?"
Zenia appeared and began screaming with fright. "Mom! Please, not again!"
"Zen, she'll be okay. She always pulls through. She'll pull through this one. She'll be ...alright," I said to my little sister, my voice already breaking.
"Ma'am?" the dispatcher's voice came again.
"Yes, I'm here," I answered with tears streaming down my face like rain on a rooftop.
I hated seeing my mother like this, looking like she was close to her grave.
I pushed Zenia aside and got to work. I tilted her head gently and lift her chin up with two fingers to open her airways. I quickly rolled her to her side to prevent her from choking in case something was lodged.
When emergency help arrived, I pulled Zenia into my arms and comforted her as we looked on. They placed an oxygen mask on mom's face, which was connected to an air cylinder to put air to her lungs until she managed to fully breathe on her own again. They placed her on a stretcher and carried her out to the back of the ambulance. We went with her.
She was rushed into an Intensive Care Unit, but my sister and I were not allowed into the room. We sat down on the chairs in the waiting area, lingering until a doctor would see us about her condition. We knew she had end stage COPD but Mom never smoked or did drugs. Her lungs should have been healthy, but they just weren't.
I hugged my little sister tightly.
After two long hours and a half, a doctor came up to us.

It was Doctor Summers. We recognized him from previous admittance and he recognized us ."Miss Blackman's daughters, I'm afraid I have some bad news," he began.
My heart stopped. My body went numb and I couldn't even stand on my own two feet. His facial expression was sad and full of pity as he looked down at us.
Zenia looked up at him, tears flowing down her face.
"Oh God, what's wrong with our mother?" I asked, fearing the worst but hoping that it wasn't.
His mouth trembled to let the words fall out.
Jasmine's POVMy sister and I waited for the midnight bus to take us back home. The night was still, calm and quiet. Well, at least that was what it felt like to me because I became numb."Your mother's health is at a critical stage. There's nothing more we can do unless she gets that lung transplant. Without it she'll only have three months to live, or less. I'm sorry."Those words were haunting me and hung on my shoulders like a piece of clothing I couldn't shake off. I had absolutely no idea on how I was going to be able to pay for my mother's lung transplant. The given total was over half a million dollars, and I wasn't sure what her Medicaid would cover. Regardless, I would have to hit the lottery to obtain that kind of money.I had to pay the bills and the rent at my apartment, support and provide for my sister's education, put food on the table and provided for myself as well. It was all too much. I didn't know what to do or where to turn t
Evan's POVI watched her standing at my desk in my office. I was antagonized by her behavior. She had already arrived late and when she eventually arrived I called her desk and she wasn't answering the line. I had to put an applicant in her place because Miss Blackman was nowhere to be found. She, of all people, should know better. I hated slackers and she was becoming one, which was very disappointing. She was one of the best employees I'd ever hired and I really didn't want to regret hiring her."Miss Blackman, what's the meaning of this?" I asked, referring to her absence a while ago from her desk.She hesitated to answer. I looked at her carefully and noticed her makeup had be smudged.She was crying. Maybe because of her mom. What's really wrong with her mom anyway?"I'm... very sorry Mr. Hollen," she stuttered and lowered her head in trepidation.She was trembling, sending all the signs of fear from being in such a po
Jasmine's POVOh my goodness, he actually fired her. He actually fired Miss Rhino, his COO and second in command. I counted my lucky stars that I hadn't been previously fired as well.After the meeting and the firing of Miss Rhino, I went back to my desk and found a tall, blonde haired woman standing there. She had bright blue eyes, cream skin and wore an expensive suit. She had to be one of Mr. Hollen's girlfriends because she was not wearing a company name tag or a badge. She was also too overly dressed to be an employee."Hello, can I help you?" I asked her."Yes. Is Evan in?" she asked.I knew Evan was Mr. Hollen's first name. His father and mother called all the time asking to speak to Evan-- their son."Yes he is, but he's not in his office. He should be here any minute now.""That's fine. I'll wait in his office.""No, you can't," I said."Excuse me?" she asked, turning around at m
Evan's POVAfter work, I went to a local pub to meet up with Zack. I desperately needed a drink to digest the unforeseen feelings and situations popping up in my life and in my mind-- Jessica Hills' return and an unexplained lustful feeling for my personal assistant."Well you look like hell," Zack greeted as I walked over to him."You have no idea man." I snatched the extra beer he held in his hand."What's going on?""Remember Jessica from high school?""Yeah, umm, her sister is Regina, right?""Right.""Well what about her? Isn't she in Canada?""No. She's back and wants us to reconnect.""Dude. No.""And that's not the half of it," I went on."What else?"I knew Zack and the way he can get when told new information about my personal life and affairs so I let it go.I heavily exhaled a breath and raked my hand through my hair. A beer wasn't cut
Jasmine's POVI received a phone call from my little sister right after I stepped out from my place of employment. She needed me to come get her and take her home from a bar-- she'd had a few drinks. And by a few drinks, I mean she'd been heavily drinking and now she was intoxicated.I found the bar after walking for half an hour. She was sitting at a table surrounded by beer bottles. Her eyes were slightly closed and she was holding onto a beer bottle like she was holding on for dear life.What the hell?"Zen, what are you doing?" I asked furiously, embarrassed to see her in such an unusual state."Hi *hiccup* Jassy," she answered."Come on, get up. I'm taking you home!""No, I'm not ready yet anymore. I need to finish drinking this beer.""What the hell are you doing Zenia?" I asked angrily."Drinking this beer. I just told you that. Duh!""Zenia, listen to me. You need to s
Jasmine's POVMonday came like a blur. It took everything in me to get over what happened between my boss and I Friday evening. I wished he would have at least listened to what I had to say.What did I expect? He was Evan Hollen. One of most powerful and successful twenty five year old males in all of America. People paid homage to this man-- loved by many, hated by few, but respected by everyone.I, on the other hand, was a mediocre black woman who could only afford an apartment and couldn't save her mother's life, now that she was depending on it.I heaved a frustrated sigh as I walked up to the elevator at my work place. I gathered myself together and erased my emotions and feelings. I had to act professional and forget about what happened with Mr. Hollen.I walked out of the elevator and slowly headed to my desk. Once there, I started my desktop computer and began checking emails so I could respond to them.The doors to
Evan's POVAs the clock struck twelve, I was out of my office and into my Lamborghini and driving towards my mansion. Apart from the mansions I owned in Paris, Italy, London, Indonesia, Canada and Bora Bora, I loved the one in Brooklyn the most. I never called it home though. To me, a home was having someone or a family to go to, and I didn't.Mom had already called me three times to ask if I was ready for the trip to the Cayman Islands.Jessica roamed around the house and I headed straight for my shower. I shampooed my hair, took a long shower, and changed into a simple T-shirt and pants with sneakers.Afterwards, I dropped Jessica off at her work place. She wanted me to be intimate with her but I wasn't into her like that anymore. The feelings had faded and I was only tolerating her presence to get rid of the feelings that were building for Jasmine.I did not want to be involved with any of my employees.As I arrived at my p
Jasmine's POVAfter work on Tuesday, I went to the hospital to see my mom. I walked slowly to the room she was in. I hated hospitals. The scent of antibacterial cleaning products lingered in the halls and it always felt like the cold hands of death were reaching for me.I pushed in room fourteen and saw my mother lying down on the bed with machines attached to her to help her breathe, a mask over her nostril area to flow oxygen to her lungs, and a monitor beeping to indicate her heart rate. She looked like she was asleep. Or dead."Mom, I'm here. I know you're slipping away from me and Zenia as the days go by, but I'll do something to get that money so you can have a successful lung transplant. I can't let you die knowing I've done absolutely nothing to save you. I don't care if I have to sell my body to make that money, I'll do it for you Mommy."I buried my face at the side of my mother and I began crying bitterly. I hated seeing her like