JASMINE
Chapter Two
Jasmine's Observation of Rose
It was upon sweeping the deck that I saw the
beautiful Rose walk by me, and let me tell you, she did make quite a picture.
She was dressed up in a very fine pink satin dress, with a red satin sash
around the waist. Sometimes, I wish I could wear such clothes and live a life
of leisure. I noticed by looking at her hands that she has never had to do any
hard labor in her life. What a lucky lady! I am really happy that she is very
fortunate! She was walking by with an older man. They were not holding hands,
and he appeared to be more interested in her than she in him. I mean, by
observing her mannerisms and behavior and actions around the man, I would swear
that she did not really love the man, and that she did not really want to be with
him. I guess, somehow, she must have been coerced--however mildly and
subtly--to be with him. My guess, since I have observed the behavior of so many
upper class people before, is that she is engaged to be married to him.
Anyway, the man was, I guess, in his late
twenties or early thirties. He reminds me of one of the heirs of a very wealthy
estate, as well as a very prosperous businessman. One look at him, and I
surmised that he belonged to one of the "captains of industry", one
of the noveau bourgeoisie who made his fortunes by building up America's
industry in the late nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century. He
was a very tall man, and I was impressed by his tailored black clothes. They
were very fine and aristocratic in nature. I noticed that there was not a
button loose on his fine black jacket, and that his trousers were perfectly,
neatly, and smartly ironed. Since I have the ability to transcend the
centuries, and I have the ability to travel in time, because I am spiritual in
nature, I have been to the twentieth century, and I have seen the Giorgio
Armani suits that sell in the fine department stores. When I saw this young
man's clothes, I was immediately reminded of Giorgio Armani. This young man was
quite confident in his demeanor, and quite arrogant as well. I mean, he
literally almost walked right over me, and he gave me a look that told me that,
as far as he was concerned, I was quite insignificant and unimportant as a
human being. I suppose that this is because I am a "lower class person who
sweeps the ship," and I suppose that this is partly because I am darker in
skin color. Well, I have always felt that you can't judge a book by its cover,
and I know that you don't really know someone by the type of job that they
perform, or the social class that they belong to. I mean, I have seen some very
intelligent, refined, genteel, and aristocratic people come from the lower
classes, and I have seen some people who were very spoiled, had no class or
grace, and thought that their status and wealth made them "above the
law," and gave them the license to flaunt the law egregiously, and to do
whatever they pleased regardless of who got hurt, come from the upper social
classes. But, since I do believe in treating everyone with decency and respect,
and I do believe in acting with manners and grace, I smile at him, look at him
with an amicable look in the eye, and say, "Sir, please, will you let me
mop the floor."
I had a hard time making out his garbled
talk, but I think he was saying, "Watch where you are going, you clumsy
wench!" Others might have gotten offended, but I know that if I don't like
how I'm being treated in a particular epoch of time, I can always escape to
another epoch of time. Sometimes, I can even escape into other dimensions. This
is the reason why I don't get irked by his comments.
His fiancée, however, was much more polite
and genteel in nature. She pulled on her fiancé's arm and said, "Cal,
please be polite. This girl was just trying to do her job." Then, she
extended her arm to me, and said, "Please forgive him. My name is Rose. I
am sorry we bumped into you."
I look at her and say, "Apology
accepted." I notice that Cal is quite upset that Rose is conversing with
the help. But for the time being, I am struck by her beauty. Her dress catches
the glow and gleam from the sun beams, and it brings out a very pretty pink hue
in her dress that serves to enhance the natural pink hue in her cheeks. Some
people may need blush, but she is not one of them. I also notice that her
golden red hair shines in the sun, and reminds me of golden honey. It is a
sight I will never forget. I look at her face, and I notice that she had a
perfect complexion. I mean, her face reminds me of a doll's face. It is so
beautiful and perfect. I note that her lips are a healthy shade of reddish
peach, and they accentuate her face even more, and make her pretty features
stand out. I notice that her free flying hair looks almost celestial in nature,
and as she is standing before the sun, I note that her hair frames her face,
and shines in such a way to make her look as though she were an angel. I don't
get more than a few seconds’ glimpse at her, but that is enough to record the
contours of her face and body, as well as her complexion and her looks in the
register of my mind forever.
Immediately, Cal gives Rose a look that says,
"Let's go now, and then we need to talk." Then jerks on her arm and
says, "Let’s go." He hurriedly walks away from me, nearly ignoring me
in the process. I sigh, because, for most of my multi-millennia long life, I
have been ignored. I have to admit that I am looking to escape from my present
lot, and I am wondering if the key to that lies in befriending Rose. I smile to
myself, as I make a note that, for all of Cal's money, he doesn't have the
spiritual grace, the confidence, or the physical, mental, and emotional beauty
and balance that Rose has.