Remember the Time

Chapter 22

He grasped her throat. "You gon learn to keep your damn hands to yourself."

She struggled against him, managing to scratch his face. He grabbed her hands again, pinning her down on the seat to restrain her. Mariah turned her head and bit his wrist.

"What the fuck Mariah?" He yelped, jumping back.

She tried to kick him in the chest, but he grabbed her leg, pulling her off the seat. He then straddled her, holding her down. She looked up at him, her eyes cold and vacant.

"Get off of me."

He shook his head, tightening his grip. "No, you gon get enough of putting your hands on me and throwing shit."

She struggled. "Stop, you're hurting me."

He pressed her wrists harder against the floor of the car. "You manipulative tramp. You steady running your mouth, don't even know what the fuck you're talking about." Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Stop trying to blame me for you marrying Tommy and killing our baby." The tears came streaming down his face. "You did that shit, Mariah. That was all you."

"Michael, stop." She whimpered.

"Look at me!" He shouted. She reluctantly turned her head. "I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but it's not me. You got all these problems and wanna blame everybody but yourself." His voice was grating and his throat felt singed from screaming at her. "Any other man would've left your ass on Janet's doorstep, but I took you back like an idiot. You ungrateful little-"

Michael felt himself being being pulled out of the car by his arms before he could finish. "Stop, it - Bill?"

Bill looked at him, then shot a glance at Mariah who was sitting on the floor of the car rubbing her wrists. Michael broke his gaze from Mariah and looked up at Bill. Noticing Bill's sad and worried expression, Michael turned his attention back to Mariah. A stark realization hit him and he looked down at his feet, absolutely humiliated and disgusted with himself.

"Mike, come sit up front with me. We need to talk." Bill said.

Michael watched as Bill helped Mariah back onto the seat and whispered something in her ear, to which she nodded. He closed the door and Michael walked around to the passenger's seat. Bill returned to the driver's seat and rolled up the partition so that Mariah couldn't hear them.

"Mike, what just happened?"

Michael shook his head slowly, trying to find the words. "I-I don't know. She just- I'm frustrated with this whole situation."

Bill nodded, eyes focused on the road. "I can tell. I've never seen you get violent with a woman like that, except Jermaine."

Michael wanted to laugh but he couldn't. "I don't know. There's just something...she pisses me off like no other."

"Because you care."

"I just fought her in the back of a car. I'm no better than her ex now." He frowned. "I can't believe I did that."

Bill made a turn, then responded. "I can't either, and I suggest you don't do it again. Ya'll gon fuck around and hurt each other one day."

"I don't want to hurt her." Michael mumbled. "Can't say the same for her though."

"Yeah, I told her when ya'll were in Japan she needed to cut that shit out. Ya'll hurt each other."

"Not before today. I just respond to the shit she does." Michael pointed out.

"You don't think you do, but you do. Remember when she showed up to your set a couple days ago?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "That was so unnecessary."