Remember the Time

Chapter 69

Michael sighed, his mouth now full with large chunks of banana. “Nicki, stop it!”

“Are you eating? While I’m talking to you, Michael?” Rebbie screamed. At this point, she was beyond furious with her brother.

Michael rolled his eyes and put his feet up on the couch, watching his girls explore the living room in their walkers. He could vaguely hear Rebbie yelling at him in the background but decided to tune her out.

Everybodaaay, [this my part]: GET DOWN ON THE FLO! [And then the little background voices go]: get down on the flo! I like the waaaaaay you shake yo thang, you makin me want some mo babe! [Little fast voices]: make me want some mo!

“Michael!” Rebbie yelled, abruptly.

Michael jumped at attention. “Huh?”

“I am so tired of you.”

“Then why did you even call? So you could yell and not tell me what’s wrong. You’re on my label, Rebbie.” Michael responded.

“So treat me like it! You don’t have any respect for me-”

“You consistently debase me.” Michael interjected.

“Okay well, that’s because you shut me out.”

Michael narrowed his eyes and said, matter-of-factly, “You got into a fist-fight with my wife.”

“I don’t like her!”

Michael crossed his eyes. “Why don’t you like her, Rebbie?”

“She’s so rude and nasty! She sits there and talks about doing stuff to you and says inappropriate things. She got down on her damn knees in front of my kids and simulated fellatio on you, Michael.”

“She didn’t simulate it, that’s a bit of stretch.” Michael responded, condescendingly.

“I don’t care what you call it, no one needed to see that!”

“And you’re right, I agree that she was wrong for that. But don’t act like you didn’t provoke her.” He said.

“I don’t provoke her! You can’t provoke a hoe into being a hoe. Hoes are just hoes from birth. Her vagina is elast-”

Click.

Michael hung up and put the cordless the phone down on the table. He laid back and turned the TV on, chillingly unamused.

September 14th, 1998

Mariah finally had some free time in between studio sessions, and decided to get her house in order. After the move, they’d straightened up the twins’ room, but she and Michael still had things lying around everywhere in the master suite. She switched on some music, poured a glass of wine, and got down to business.

“Oh, I wanna dance with somebody! I wanna feel the heat with somebody! Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody, With somebody who loves me!” She sang as she danced around the room, separating papers into piles.

Once she got all of the random bits of paper organized, she placed them in boxes, and labelled the boxes accordingly. She then took a sip of her wine to cool her down.

“Hey baby-” Michael immediately noticed the glass in Mariah’s hand.

Clank.

He smacked the it right out of her hand, leaving shattered glass and expensive red wine on the floor.

“What the hell, Michael?” Mariah screamed.

“Why are you drinking?” Michael asked, cooly.