OMG YOU GUYS I SAW BEYONCÉ YESTERDAY!
An absolute goddess ✨
Honestly one of the best shows I've seen. Been dreaming of seeing her since I was 10 🥹 There were soooo many MJ samples/references in the dance it was amazing!
Hope your weekend was as great as mine! Enjoy this chapter, and don't worry, it's all planned out 😉
Love,
~ShoamEmily
~
28th of June, 2009
Michael is 50, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46
Angela: I was better in a couple of days, except for some headaches here and there, so it was back to rehearsals for Michael.
They were just working out the little details by now, because everything was already done.
It was astonishing to see how beautifully these shows came together. After today and tomorrow he has a week off before the shows begin.
We unconsciously decided not to bring up the conversation we had the other day, making things a bit tense. But it faded away, and we were back to normal.
Michael cleared his throat into the microphone, "Let's do 'Billie Jean' again..."
The stage went dark, and the spotlight was turned on. That too familiar baseline started playing.
Raymone Bain walked up to me, her heels clicking as she typed on her Blackberry.
"Hi, Angela." she barely looked at me when she sat down, her tone sweeter than usual.
"Hi..."
She sounds too nice. I wonder what she needs...
"Listen, did Michael talk to you?"
"About?"
"There's an interview he has to do before the shows start, on prime time TV. He wants you to join him."
"Join him?" I asked. "To do the interview?"
"Yes. It's a more extensive interview about his life during the last few years. So he insisted that you be a part of it." she answered, eyes glued to the phone in her hands.
"He didn't mention anything..."
She sighed, "Of course he didn't, why would he? Just think about it. It means a lot to him to have you there for some reason."
I had to roll my eyes at that. Yeah, still a bitch.
"I am his wife, you know. Makes sense he would want me there." I snapped.
"Right..." Bain mumbled, still paying attention to her phone.
I snickered loudly so she would hear and went back to watch Michael.
She finally looked up at me, "Are you feeling better?"
Is she actually making small talk?
"Yup." I kept my eyes on my husband.
"Look, Angela, I know it seems like I don't like you, and I honestly don't," she said bluntly. "But I am only looking out for Michael and his career. He has a difficult history with marriage and divorces, not to mention the reasons you got married in the first place, it's a disaster waiting to happen-"
I held up a finger to shut her up. She can't be serious.
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Bain. I have nothing to prove to you. Michael is my husband, no matter how our relationship started. I will love and support him until the day I die. His career, too," I turned to face her. She seemed taken aback, but I could care less. "So don't dare suggest that I would leave him. Not after everything we've been through. We have a family, and that's sacred to the both of us."
When Michael finished the song, I excused myself, to freshen up. "I won't tell him about this little conversation, so you could keep your job. Just seriously, back off."
With that, I made my way to the restrooms with Adam following me.
"God, she gets on my nerves..." I groaned.
"She gets on my nerves, too, Mrs. Jackson." he smirked.
"Right? It's not just me?"
"No, she's... A character."
I laughed a little, then we reached the restrooms. Adam waited outside for me.
After finishing my business and washing my hands, I checked myself in the mirror.
I've lost some weight during those three long days of almost not eating at all. I lifted my shirt up, examining my stomach.
It was definitely flatter; except for that tiny part on the bottom of my stomach which was bulged out just a bit, ever since the twins' pregnancy.
Touching it gently, I was surprised to find it wasn't soft like it usually is. My face fell almost immediately.
All that throwing up, the countless headaches... Could I...? No, there's no way. We have been so careful.
I started pacing, suddenly remembering I never got my period this month.
What do I do? Do I tell him? But I can't, not now, he has enough on his mind.
Then I realized I should probably take a test before starting to freak out. Glancing at my phone, it was only 11 AM.
Shit, I can't wait until we get home, I have to do this now.
So I went back to Adam. "Adam, I need a favor."
"Of course, ma'am. Anything." he nodded.
"I uh, need you to go to a pharmacy or something, and get me a test," I looked away from him, embarrassed. "A pregnancy test."
The blush made its way to his cheeks but he agreed, telling me to stay put.
~
Adam came back 20 minutes later, with a brown bag in his hands. I already drank more water so I could pee again.
"I got three, just in case." he informed.
I could still hear Michael rehearsing, letting me know I have enough time to do this before they would break for lunch.
"Thank you," I said as he handed me the bag. "I'll be out in a few."
I hurried to take two of the tests into a stall and sat down to do it as fast as I could.
It felt like time stood still for those three minutes to be up.
Just as I suspected, there they were, those two lines. "No, no, no."
Now that I had my answer, I had to decide whether to tell Michael or not.
This can't be happening again.
~
Michael: The entire crew clapped as we finished rehearsing. I thanked them, then made my way off the stage.
I was handed a towel and a water bottle when Angela came back, with Adam following her. She sat down, placing her bag next to her.
Taking a good look at her face, I could see the little wrinkles of worry on her forehead as she stared into the air.
Something is definitely bothering her.
"Let's all come back at 2, alright?" Kenny said, and thanked everyone as well.
"Sir," Adam called. "There's a lot of traffic today, I can go grab lunch for you and Mrs. Jackson, so you won't have to be stuck in the car."
I thanked him. "That would be great. Ange, what do you wanna eat?"
"Sorry, what?" she finally looked at me.
"What do you want for lunch?"
"Oh, I'm not really hungry... But you should eat, Mike. Adam, get him a good sandwich, something with chicken."
The bodyguard opened his mouth to say something but soon closed it, nodding instead. He excused himself and left.
Sitting next to my wife, I offered my water. She smiled gratefully and took it.
"Is it your stomach?" I asked as she took a sip. All of a sudden she coughed, almost choking on the water.
"Kinda." Angela averted her eyes from mine.
"Do you wanna go home? I'll come back as soon as I can."
"It's nothing, I swear I'm okay," she reassured. "Bain mentioned the interview."
"Right, that. Are you mad?"
"No, just disappointed I had to hear about it from her."
"I really don't wanna do it, but she insisted it'll be good press... I told her I'd do it only if you join me and if I can pick the interviewer. Do you remember that awful special I did with Bashir in 2003?"
Angela sighed, "Yeah."
"That's not gonna happen this time. I already talked to Geraldo Rivera, he gladly agreed to do it. There will be questions we'll agree on beforehand with him. It's gonna be like a TV special split into two parts, 90-minutes each, live. We'll film it at home and show our life together and the second part will be filmed here, during the general rehearsal. Just be prepared, there might be a lot of personal questions. But all you gotta do is follow my lead."
She intertwined our fingers and placed a kiss on the back of my hand.
"Sounds good, Mike. I'm in this with you. How are we spending your week off?"
"I have a few ideas..." I put my lips to hers as I let my other hand go to her knee. We kissed slowly, my hand finding its way up her thigh.
Angela pulled away from me too quickly. "Not here, Michael."
"You wanna go to my dressing room?" I leaned back in.
But she only let go of my hand, turning her head so my lips would kiss her cheek instead.
What is up with her? I hope it's nothing serious.
~
That evening, we were sitting with the children for dinner.
"Daddy, can I have some more mac and cheese please?" Blanket said, showing me his plate.
"Take some veggies, too." I gave him some. He made a face, rolling his eyes a little just like Angela does.
I bit my lip to hide my smile. A total mommy's boy.
Leo was sitting next to his mother in his high chair and begged for attention. But all Angela did was stare into space, just like she did during rehearsals.
"Babe," I called. "I think Leo wants something..."
She didn't budge. Gosh, what is going on with her?
"Mom? You okay?" Paris asked.
My wife blinked a couple times before coming back, "Huh? Oh, yeah, it's all good. What's wrong, baby boy?"
And just like that, she was in full mommy mode, like the last couple of minutes never happened.
Paris looked at me with a concerned look on her face. I shook my head, shrugging.
"I'll talk to her." I whispered in her ear.
~
AJ was the last one to fall asleep, and after she completely drifted off I left the nursery quietly, determined to talk to Angela.
I found her inside her closet room. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror, shirtless, her hands running over her stomach.
She didn't notice me at all as I leaned against the doorframe, just watching.
Angela pressed slightly on that tiny bulge, just underneath her belly button. Her blue eyes seemed glossy and she let out a small whimper.
Gently, I knocked on the door. Her hands dropped immediately.
"Oh, hey, Mike. I was just getting ready for bed," she removed her pants, then started looking for some pajamas to wear. "You kinda scared me. How long were you standing there?"
I came closer to her. "A couple minutes."
Nodding, she found a clean towel before saying she's taking a quick shower. But I blocked the door to stop her.
"Michael, let me through." my wife looked up at me.
"Not 'til you tell me what's going on. You've been off today."
"What are you talking about? It's all good."
Angela tried to go past me, failing once again. "Tell me, Angela."
"I was a bit nauseous today. Seriously, I'm fine." she murmured.
"I don't believe you."
She threw her hands up in frustration, "Gosh, why can't you just let it go?!"
With that, she finally pushed through me and closed the bathroom door angrily. Great, now she's never going to tell me.
~
4th of July, 2009
Michael is 50, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46
Angela: Michael was having the last touch ups done to his makeup, while the TV crew was getting everything set up in the living room.
I looked around and took in a deep breath. The fact that the entire world was basically going to watch this interview was definitely not helping my nerves.
"Angela," Raymone Bain called from behind me. "Could you come here for a second?"
"Sure." I said.
Michael looked at me, as if to say 'act nicely'. I rolled my eyes.
Ever since I went off on him a week ago, I didn't want to talk to him. I couldn't, because if I did, I would have to tell him the truth. And I couldn't do that, at lease not now.
So I've been trying to stay 'mad' at him on purpose. I was using that attitude he hates, giving him the silent treatment when necessary. All to avoid actually having a real conversation with him.
"Yeah, Bain?" I asked his manager.
"I just want to make sure we're on the same page about this interview," she forced a smile. "You know, not giving them anything to talk about, like we practiced. Geraldo might ask you about the custody battle, because Michael approved of it. Just make sure anything that was said in that courtroom isn't repeated. Especially the whole Jake situation."
"I know, Michael told me."
"Great."
She left quickly, her heels clicking loudly as she made her way to talk to one of the cameramen.
Even the way she walks is annoying.
"You ready?" Michael's hands were suddenly on my shoulders. His thumbs massaged the back of my neck.
"I think so," I turned to face him. "Bain made sure I am."
He smiled. "Good, the kids will join us for the last bit."
Right, the kids. The older children asked to stop wearing their masks lately. Michael was hesitant at first, but realized they were old enough to make that decision on their own.
"You think we're doing the right thing? Showing them to the world?" he asked me.
I nodded, and for the first time in a few days I glanced into his eyes.
"They want this, Mike. We can't hide them forever."
Immediately after that, I looked away.
He groaned loudly, took my hand, and pulled me into his study. Before I knew it, he was kissing me.
"I miss you, Angela," my husband said in between kisses. "The last few days have been torture. I miss my wife, who talks to me about everything..."
He started kissing my neck, pinning me against his desk. With his body pressed so close to mine, I could feel his chest go up and down as he breathed.
A loud sigh escaped my lips, "Michael, please..."
"Why are you shutting me out again?"
"I-"
I was cut off by a knock on the door. It was Bain.
"Michael, they want to start."
He sighed, "We'll be there in a second, Bain. Keep them busy for five minutes."
"Okay, but seriously, five minutes."
I had to roll my eyes at that.
"God, she's such a bit-" I started, but Michael gave me a look. "She is, though. Can you fire her already?"
"You want me to fire her? Because I will."
"What- No, I don't want you to fire her. I was kidding."
"I would have if you were serious," he came close again. "You know I'd do anything for you, Angie. Right?"
"I do..." my breath hitched as he leaned down to kiss me. His hands were quick to pull the bottom of my tight dress up a bit, so it reached just above my thighs.
"Then why don't you trust me? Talk to me, baby... Please, tell me what's wrong." Michael whispered against my lips.
He tried easing me into it by rubbing my exposed thighs, while he kissed me some more. His fingers traveled up to my panties, pulling them down to my knees.
I held onto him as he started rubbing me, gently at first.
"Mmhm, Michael, please-" my own moans cut me off.
These damn pregnancy hormones...
I kissed him harder and unbuckled his belt, "I need you, Mike."
My husband pulled away from me, then looked me straight in the eyes, while he continued pleasuring me.
"Tell me, Angela. Please." he begged.
The tears welled up in my eyes again. "I- I can't. Not right now. You have other things to worry about- It's not important."
"The last time you said that and pushed me away like this, Jake was alive. How bad can it be?"
Another knock on the door was heard and it opened. Bain burst in, making me bring Michael closer to hide my half naked body.
"Michael, Angela, they really want to start- Oh, sorry."
My cheeks burned as I hurried to pull up my underwear.
"Bain, out." Michael ordered with a low voice, his own cheeks red, too. She obliged instantly, closing the door behind her.
"We'll continue this later," he fixed his belt, then cleaned his fingers. "Follow my lead out there, okay? You're gonna do great. We're in this together."
My husband took my hand and gave me a long kiss, telling me he loves me.
"I love you more, Michael." I told him.
We walked out to the living room hand in hand. They applied some more makeup to the both of us before we sat on the loveseat in front of Geraldo Rivera.
I took in a shaky breath, making Michael give my hand a squeeze. "You got this."
The camera was turned to us and the director announced that we were starting.
"Three, two, one, and we're live..."
~
Jake: It was right after breakfast when Martinez and I joined everyone in the entertainment room.
Our unit was recently approved of a TV and a computer on base, so our base General had a room occupied especially for it.
The rest of the guys were huddled in front of the TV. I could hear 'Jam' blasting from it.
I looked down at my watch. Right, the interview is on.
There was some footage of Michael on stage, rehearsing.
It then cut to him and Angela as they sat in front of the interviewer, their fingers intertwined. Just by the look on Angela's face I could tell how nervous she was.
I noticed Michael was running his thumb over the back of her hand, to calm her down. He smiled slightly at the camera.
"Michael, Angela, thank you for sitting down with me," the interviewer said. "How are you doing tonight?"
"We're great, Geraldo. Excited to be here." Michael nodded.
"Angela, you look very lovely. You seem a bit nervous."
Angela laughed a little, "I honestly am. You know, first time on TV and all that..."
"Well, I promise I don't bite."
She let out a relieved giggle and they went on. Geraldo Rivera asked Michael a bunch of questions about his upcoming shows, along with showing some more of his rehearsals.
"Have you been enjoying watching Michael rehearse, Angela? I imagine it's an experience." the interviewer said.
"Oh, it is! He is so incredible, really. I'm glad I got to see it myself, everyone is gonna love these shows. But I am biased, so..." Angela beamed, and looked up at Michael.
"Thanks, Angie." he grinned.
Geraldo smiled, too, "So, one of the things we discussed prior to this interview, was your relationship. You've been married for four years now, right?"
"Four years and almost five months." my best friend bit his lip.
"Now I know we can't go into detail, since this was mentioned in court. It was revealed that you got married because of a legal issue, and some people have doubted how real your relationship is. From what I can see, there's nothing fake about you two."
Angela agreed. "Yes, we had a bit of an untraditional beginning to our marriage... We've known each other for 15 years, though. We first met in 1994, and we were friends-"
"If you want to call it that." Michael cut her off with a smirk. She nudged his arm in return.
I rolled my eyes slightly. Of course, why would they tell it like it actually was? Gotta keep up the image, I guess.
"So you were friends?" Geraldo chuckled at the two of them.
"We knew each other through a mutual friend, but we didn't really like one another," my ex-wife told him. "We would meet up quite often, and our kids grew up together. Then at the end of 2003 my first husband passed away, Michael just got the news about the allegations again... We found each other during times we both needed it, I guess."
"Right, Angie really helped out with my three children, and she supported me through it all. It was the natural thing to do, to ask her to marry me, even though it happened because of that, uh, legal thing. Still, our feelings for each other are very real and I honestly don't think I'd be here, talking to you, without having this amazing woman by my side." Michael continued.
Angela kissed his cheek, her lipstick leaving a bit of a mark. "Whoops."
But he only laughed it off, and went back to Geraldo who looked at his cards.
I accidentally let out a small snicker, not even realizing how much that little moment bothered me.
"Now help me out here- you have your shared children, the twins, Rose and Jared, Aubrey Jane or 'AJ', and Leo, correct? Then there are Michael's Prince, Paris, and Blanket... And Angela, you have Lily and Eric, also twins. How do you handle such a big family?"
"It was easy at first, to be honest, because we only had the older children and they already knew each other. When the twins were born we had so many sleepless nights... Luckily we have an amazing support system. Their nanny, their grandparents..." Angela told him.
"We love it, too. They keep us busy, you know?" my best friend added. "They're our blessings, truly. Each and every one of them."
"He's a great dad, isn't he, Angela?" Geraldo looked at her.
"The absolute best. There's nothing he wouldn't do to keep our kids happy and healthy. He makes sure they always come first." she beamed.
I zoned out as he kept asking about their family life, how they're adjusting to London. My mind instantly went to Lily and Eric, who called less now that Michael and Angela have been so busy.
If they only knew what's really going on...
All I could think about was all those beautiful moments they were talking about, that I was missing.
It also didn't help that it's been over a month since Kim talked to me. I really screwed up.
Martinez hit my shoulder lightly. "Look."
Angela, Michael, and Geraldo Rivera were now welcoming their children, along with Grace who had their baby. The younger kids' faces, including Blanket's, were blurred out. Prince, Paris, Lily, and Eric, however, showed their faces this time.
To say I was surprised to see my son and daughter's face on TV, so unprotected from the world, would be an understatement.
They're exposing them? What the hell?