Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know.” She thought for a second. “Actually, I also kind of hope hewastelling the truth. Because that means my mother had a lot more power at the end of her life than I realized. I hope she threw the garbage out herself.”
“Exactly,” Jasmine said. “What was your father like? I mean before her diagnosis. What kind of parent and husband was he?”
Ruby thought for several moments before answering, the warm mug of chai in her hand helping clear her thoughts. “He was angry. Short-tempered. He was always stressed withhis business, and he took it out on us. He wasn’t abusive—I mean, not physically, but he was a yeller.” She swallowed. “I used to be afraid of him. I… I never really spoke much at home because he would tell me I was rambling, and I needed to stop talking nonsense all the time. He said anything I liked—clothes, makeup—was frivolous and that I was irresponsible.” She viscerally remembered forcing herself to be silent so her father wouldn’t snap at her. And asking to eat dinner at friends’ houses so he wouldn’t yell at her not to speak at the dinner table. She always suspected that the reason her mother would take her to malls and stores every weekend even though they couldn’t afford to buy anything was so they would be out of the house when he was home.
“Jasmine,” Rashid said. “We can… I mean, if this is hard for you, Ruby and I can go somewhere else.”
Ruby looked at Jasmine. Her eyes were glassy, but she had a determined look in her jaw. “No, it’s okay.” She exhaled, then smiled sadly at Ruby. “You could be talking about Derek. My husband.”
“Soon-to-be ex-husband,” Rashid clarified.
Ruby blinked. She’d had no idea why Jasmine and her husband had separated. But now it made sense. Especially the girls and their quietness. Their fear of talking when Ruby met them. Ruby realized that one of the reasons she was so drawn to those little girls was because they reminded Ruby so much of herself as a kid, being afraid to talk even though they had so much to say. Ruby’s eyes filled with tears again. Those poor girls.
Jasmine nodded. “It’s fine. People have said that they don’t understand how I could leave him. He never laid a hand on meor the girls. We seemed like a perfect family. He was a yeller. I mean, he had a stressful job. I get it.”
“It’s no excuse,” Rashid said, almost through gritted teeth. “The whole fucking world is a big ball of stress. He wasabusive. He tried to isolate you from your family.”
“I know,” Jasmine said. She looked at Ruby. “I moved to Calgary after Rashid did and met Derek there. We moved here after I finished med school. Derrick’s family is all in Ontario, but I realized that we came here because he didn’t want me to live close to any of my family.” She suddenly smiled apologetically at Ruby. “Sorry. You came here to talk about your issues, not mine. Don’t worry about me.”
Ruby shook her head. “Don’t apologize. So, he didn’t like how close you were to your parents and siblings?”
Jasmine nodded. “It was so gradual. Like a look of irritation when I was on the phone, or complaining about the cost of flights, until I didn’t see my family for a whole year.” She exhaled. “It was a big wake-up call when Noor told me she didn’t like to talk near her daddy. I realized the girls were holding back who they were because of him.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I called Ayesha and Rashid and told them everything, and they were here within a few days. Anyway, enough about me. I should be telling my therapist this, not you. Should we take up Rashid’s offer and watch a holiday rom-com? We both need it.”
Ruby smiled. “Yeah, let’s do that. And Jasmine, one thing…” Ruby exhaled. “If your husbandwaslike my father, then thank you for leaving. For not letting your girls grow up like that. You gave them a huge, huge gift.”
Jasmine looked at Ruby, speechless for a few seconds, then reached over and hugged her tightly. “You don’t know how much that means to me,” she said in Ruby’s ear. Ruby hugged back—a little uncomfortable with the affection, but so happy she could make Jasmine feel better.
After she let Ruby go, Jasmine smiled. “Okay. My vote isLove, ActuallyorSerendipity.”
Ruby grinned. She loved both those movies. She looked over to Rashid, expecting to see him scowling about having to watch a rom-com, but he had a small smile on his lips and, if Ruby wasn’t mistaken, actual tears in his eyes. She smiled right back at him.
They decided onLove, Actually, because Jasmine and Ruby thought it was more likely Rashid would find something he liked about it since there were so many storylines and characters.
But they were wrong. Rashid hated everyone and everything in it.
“I mean, they may as well call thisWorkplace Sexual Harassment, Actually,” he said. “Two of the supposedromancesare boss/employee. The prime minister and the murder writer want to bang their staff! How is this heartwarming?”
“I mean, the catering manager doesn’t actually work for the prime minister, does she?” Ruby asked. She frowned. Technically, there werethreequestionable employee/employer relationships—he hadn’t mentioned Alan Rickman, who maybe slept with his secretary and made poor Emma Thompson cry to the Joni Mitchell song.
“That’s what’s charming about the movie,” Jasmine said. “It’s showcasing all the different kinds of love, not just healthy relationships. Sometimes love starts out messy.”
He was quiet for a while, but Ruby could see him scowling as he continued to watch.
“The woman doesn’t even speak English,” he finally said. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but did her father first try tosellhis other daughter or not?”
Ruby couldn’t help it—she laughed. He was getting so worked up, and it was adorable.
“Don’t mind my brother,” Jasmine said. “I’ll watch Christmas movies with you anytime. What are your thoughts onThe Holiday?”
Ruby squealed. The Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black, and Kate Winslet movie was her second favorite Christmas movie afterLove, Actually. “Young Jude Law… I’d move across an ocean for him.”
Which made Rashid roll his eyes.
After the movie, Jasmine said she was tired and said goodnight. Rashid ranted a bit more about the movie—about the stereotypes of American college girls and how terrible the guy who stalked his best friend’s bride was. While he was ranting, Ruby called an Uber to take her home.
“Okay, lesson learned. Rashid only likes Victorian Christmas movies with heavy-handed lessons,” she said, taking her mug to the kitchen. “My car will be here in five minutes.”
“I can drive you,” Rashid said.
