Under the Jasmine Flowers

Chapter 2-2

Adam watched as Pete and Roger teed off first, but they lost their golf balls in the trees. Jojo swung, making it look easy. Adam tried to mimic Jojo’s fluid motion and at the first tee, the ball sailed straight more than one hundred yards.

“Nice,” Jojo said. “You sure you don’t play a lot of golf?”

“This is probably the third or fourth time playing, ever.”

“You must be a natural then.” Jojo got back in the golf cart and slowly drove down to the area where Roger and Pete were still searching for their balls. “So what made you join the Marines?”

“I sorta ran out of money for school. I’d been going to community college in San Diego. I knew I didn’t want to do construction for the rest of my life. I liked accounting, so I figured, why not join the Marines and access the GI bill when I get out? My dad was in the Navy, and I lived in San Diego for a long time after moving from Bakersfield, so I was exposed to the Corps. I liked how everything was purposeful.”

Jojo sat there for a moment before he fired off another question. “So why did you want to leave the Marines in six months?”

Adam expected this question after last night’s inquiries by Tiny. “I want to finish getting my degree in accounting. And, I think being in the Marines almost four years is enough.” Adam searched for the right phrasing. “The military is good to me. It taught me structure, how to be more focused. It teaches all of us teamwork. But, I long for the days when I have freedom to do what I want, and when I want.”

Jojo moved the golf cart forward, closer to Pete and Roger. Since both Adam and Jojo’s balls were farther down in the fairway, they were waiting for Pete and Roger to go next.

“So, why’d you study engineering? And in California?”

“I liked civil engineering because you’re building things. You can take materials and construct something out of it. You can make things from the simplest building materials into something much bigger. And since the family’s in commercial construction, it was an easy fit.”

Jojo and Adam lingered under the shade until Pete, then Roger hit their shots. Adam concentrated on moving his ball closer to the putting green, but missed it by hitting his ball too hard. After waving Roger and Pete to the putting green, Jojo went on to finish the first hole at par.

Pete and Roger waved Jojo and Adam to start on the second hole before they did since Jojo had the lowest score, but Jojo told them to play ahead of them.

“You miss California? Jojo asked.

“I do. I didn’t think I’d be homesick, but I do miss Cali. I miss the Mexican food. No offense, but it’s hard to find a good quality Mexican restaurant around here. I miss the beaches and coastline.”

“We have some of the best beaches in the world here in the Philippines,” Jojo said.

“I know. I’ve been to a couple.”

“A couple? You need to see more than two beaches and what the country has to offer before you leave for the states.” Jojo paused. “You’ve got to take advantage of the wonders of the countryside. That’s where the true beauty of this country is, not in the congested, polluted, honk-crazy streets of Manila.”

“I know. Pete’s been promising to take me to different places. I like his mother’s town. Very Spanish colonial with its churches, cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages.”

“Calesas.”

“Yes, calesas.” Adam paused for a moment as Roger went to swing, proud he could say at least one word in Spanish that the Filipinos used. After Roger hit the golf ball, Adam continued. “But between the different conflicting shifts we have, and his girlfriend, we really haven’t been able to do much.”

“Well, I can show you around,” Jojo said.

Adam smiled. “I’d like that, but I know you’re probably very busy.”

“Well, I am off Saturday evenings and Sundays. But I have thought about taking off more than a weekend or two. My sister keeps saying I should take some time off.”

Adam faced Jojo. “So since you spent your time in Cali, is there anything about it that you miss?”

“A lot of things. I miss California Fresh Tacos.” Jojo stopped as Adam laughed. “That funny?” Jojo laughed, too.

“I just didn’t expect that.”

“There’s one near the Madonna Shopping Center where I used to work in San Luis Obispo,” Jojo said. “Best fish tacos! Just thinking of them makes me hungry.”

“Say what?” Adam laughed.

“I went to school, Monday through Thursday, who goes to school on Fridays, anyway? And on the weekends I worked at Banana Republic. There was a California Fresh nearby.” Jojo paused. “You don’t believe me.”

Adam sat back against the chair. Is he f*****g with me? But Jojo’s furrowed eyebrows and raised eyebrows signaled that he was telling the truth. “Yeah, I believe you.”

“I wanted the Californian, American existence, so I lived like anyone else. I stayed in a dorm the first year, then an apartment for the remaining years. I worked at the mall, sold chinos. Believe it or not, some of the best times were just getting in my Honda Civic and driving around and—”

“And? And what?”

Jojo stared off in the distance for a moment, then scratched his chin, took off his sunglasses and cleaned the lens with the edge of his polo shirt. “And being anonymous. I felt free.” Jojo’s voice cracked at the last sentence.

Adam moved closer. Jojo did, too, so their noses were just a few inches away from touching. In the direct sunlight, Adam saw small green flecks in Jojo’s eyes. The colors shocked Adam, as did the note of sadness that they conveyed. Adam crooked his neck and moved in to kiss him, but Jojo pulled away.

“I can’t.” Jojo’s voice was low, and Adam’s heart broke to hear the sadness in Jojo.

“I’m sorry. It’s rude, what I just did. You just broke up with your ex.”

“No, it’s not that,” Jojo whispered. “And it’s not that I don’t want to.”

Adam wasn’t sure what Jojo meant until he followed Jojo’s line of sight. In the distance he could see the club, and in the fairway behind them, other golfers in golf carts waiting to move on to the second hole where their foursome was, and off in the distance a groundskeeper making his rounds with his lawnmower.

Oh.

“I’m sorry. I want to, I really do,” Jojo said as he faced Adam. Jojo had put on his Ray Bans so Adam couldn’t see his eyes anymore. “I’m not sure what compelled me to you. You’re a nice guy.”

“You’re not giving me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ speech are you?” Adam’s voice cracked.

Jojo hung his head and shook it. “No, that’s not it.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. We can just enjoy the golf.”

They didn’t say anything else as Jojo moved the cart up, stepped out to tee as Roger and Pete headed off to the side. Jojo took a couple of practice swings, then teed up the ball and hit the golf ball with a perfect smack. The ball sliced through the air, making a beautiful arc toward the green before it plopped on the grass, just a few yards away from the hole.

Adam watched Jojo for a moment. Maybe he was mistaken, but Jojo always appeared to know who was around him. And then Jojo’s words, and the way he had said it soaked in: Jojo was lonely, like a single Joshua tree in a desert, standing straight up amongst the brush and sand, starving for rain. And Adam immediately remembered not that long ago how it felt to be different, how it felt to be lonely, being the tallest teenager in high school, and wanting to want to be with guys when his friends wanted to be with girls.

Jojo beckoned Adam to take his turn. Adam stood, practiced a swing, bent his knees slightly, and hit the ball, but not before he under-rotated his swing, and his golf ball headed off to the trees.

Shit.

Pete laughed. “I’m glad I’m not the only one making horrible shots.” Pete wiped his brow with a golf towel that came with the cart.

Adam studied Jojo for a second. Jojo glanced up and smiled. Adam wanted to see that smile more, whatever it took to see that a few more times today, but be damned if he was going to sweat his ass off to do it.

Adam headed back to the golf cart and motioned Jojo to move to the passenger seat. Jojo slid without saying a word.

Adam got behind the steering wheel, turned the cart around, and headed straight back to the country club. Pete and Roger shouted and asked where they were going.

“To the pool! It’s too hot! You guys keep playing if you want!” As Adam drove, Jojo hung on to the safety handle when they hit a dip in the grass. “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought maybe you and I can have more fun at the pool.”

“You’re a very spontaneous guy, I have to give you that.”

Adam took it as a sign that Jojo didn’t insist they go back and play golf. “And pretty soon, I’ll have you give me that kiss.” Adam zoomed past some golfers near the first hole,

“Your driving is horrible! Look out!” Jojo yelled as they hit the sidewalk, and cut through the putting green. “You are one definitely crazy Americano.” Jojo laughed.

“True, but I got you to smile and laugh,” Adam said. “You’re very cute when you smile, you know that? But you probably already know this.”

“Is that what hooked you last night? My smile?”

“I would walk barefoot in broken glass for that smile,” Adam sang out.

“Hah,” Jojo whispered, as he edged closer to Adam, “keep talking like that and maybe you’ll get a kiss after all.”