Page 15 of Horn in My Side
“The rice is ready.” The small rice cooker on the counter puffed out steam, the green “Keep Warm” light turned on. “But the sinigang needs a few more minutes.”
“Oh boy.” He rubbed his hands together as he lumbered over to the stove. “Yum. Just like home.”
“Home” for Kap was the suburbs of Chicago, where his grandparents had settled after they immigrated from the Philippines.
Kap was second generation American, as he and his parents were born in the US .
Friendly and affable, Jasmine had basically heard his entire life story ten minutes after they first met at Brew-tique, a few weeks after she’d first arrived in Dewberry Falls.
Jasmine had had to come into the shop at five a.m. to check on the makara eggs, so she had stopped to grab a coffee when Kap walked in after his night shift with the Dewberry Falls Police Department.
Though she recognized what he was—a kapre or tree giant—she’d been surprised to see one of his kind here.
Back home, they had neighbors who were tree giants, but they rarely mingled with humans.
They mostly kept to themselves, barely leaving their nesting grounds.
He must have realized she was staring at him, and though at first she was scared he would tell her off, he actually introduced himself and they’d been friends ever since.
“I think the okra’s done, so let me put in the water spinach then we can eat soon.
Could you please get the table ready?” As she began to drop handfuls of the leafy green vegetable into the pot, Kap busied himself with grabbing the plates, utensils and then scooping the rice into a serving bowl before sitting down.
“Here you go.” Jasmine placed the pot on the table and sat down, folding her hands together to give thanks to her ancestor spirits. “Let’s eat.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this since I woke up.” Kap’s eyes greedily took in the food as he served her some rice. “So, seems I’ve missed a lot in the last couple days. Who knew Vrig had a nephew?”
“Maybe if you were awake during the day, you’d hear all the gossip.”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Is there gossip?”
“What?” She hoped her tone didn’t sound too defensive. “No. No gossip.”
Kap scooped some soup into a bowl and then handed it to her. “So, tell me about this Mal.”
“There’s not much to tell.” But she did owe her friend a recap of what had happened the last couple of days, so she told him everything, including her agreement with Mal.
“Wait, you’re going to own Fantastic Tails?” He swallowed a mouthful of food. “That’s great, Jasmine. That means you’ll stay, right?”
“I don’t own it yet,” she reminded him. “And yes, if everything goes through—the loan, the sale, etc.—I’ll be able to stay here in Dewberry Falls.”
“Good. ’Cause you’re, like, my only friend around here.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I mean, the only friend who can cook adobo and sinigang,” he said with a chuckle. “But seriously, once you own the place, maybe your dad will stop harassing you about finishing your nursing degree or moving back to the east coast.”
While Kap had been quick to share his entire history with Jasmine, she had been more cautious, though after a couple of years, he had picked up on a lot of things.
“My dad doesn’t harass me,” she protested.
He took a hearty sip of the soup, tipping the bowl into his mouth before placing it back on the table with a loud plonk. “Look, I like Tito Jed.” Kap had met her dad last year when he’d come to Dewberry Falls for a visit. “But he’s gotta lay off. Nursing’s not for you, and he needs to accept that.”
“That’s easy for you to say—your parents have always supported you. I bet your grandparents were harsh on them.”
“Yeah, they were. My dad’s parents especially.
Their dream was for him to become a lawyer or doctor, but he wanted to run a business instead.
Then he got engaged to a tree giant—oh man, they nearly disinherited him.
But he loved my mom so much so he defied them again.
And see, now he and my mom own one of Chicago’s biggest Asian grocery stores.
Look, I’m sure your dad had good reasons to come here, but parents can’t impose their dreams on their children. ”
Talking about parents always brought up that one thing Jasmine hated to think about. But ever since the possibility of losing everything she’d built in Dewberry Falls came about, she had no choice, really. Even talking to Mal about finding that place where she belonged brought it to the forefront.
She always thought that her father had come to America to give her a better life. That’s what he’d told her and what everyone assumed. While partly true, she knew the real reason, and this was the secret that loomed over her head, casting a cloud over their relationship.
It was just after her grandfather’s funeral, when she was about eight or nine years old. She was helping clean up the kitchen when she’d overheard her father and uncle arguing outside the door.
“You know why you weren’t chosen, Jed.”
“It’s not fair,” Jed had said. “It’s because of Jasmine, isn’t it? The Inheritance should have been passed to me. I showed the most aptitude for it.”
“It’s not her fault, you know, but Papa had no choice.”
Yes, they left for America for a better life, but Jasmine knew it was also because Jed couldn’t accept that he had lost what was rightfully his.
And he’d lost it because of her.
Or rather, because of what she was not .
“Jasmine, are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” She swallowed hard. “I think I made the soup too sour.”
“What are you talking ’bout? It’s perfect. Just like Dad’s.” He poured himself another bowl. “I can take home the leftovers, right?”
She chuckled, glad Kap was here to keep her company for tonight. “Of course you can. Now, did you solve that case with Mrs. Palmer’s missing ring?”
Kap groaned. “Oh, right. Turns out, her pet crow had taken it.”
“Really?” She, too, poured herself another bowl, burying thoughts of the past deep inside. “Tell me what happened.”