May 8th, 1997
Diana flounced away, leaving Mariah dumbfounded. Mariah couldn't believe what Diana said to her or what she meant by any of it. She also didn't know what having kids had to do with anything at all.
She must be drunk, gotta be drunk.
She felt fingers lightly trickle down the small of her back.
"What did you ladies talk about?" Michael asked.
With a distracted look on her face, she shrugged. "Just some girl talk."
"About what?" He asked, glancing back in Diana's direction.
Mariah looked him up and down. "You."
She turned and walked over to her mother. "Mom?"
Her mother turned away from Smokey Robinson and grinned. "Yes, dear?"
Mariah suddenly faltered, wondering if she should tell her mother about what Diana said or if she should keep it to herself.
"Um, I was just trying to tell you we're about to leave."
Pat nodded. "Okay, I'll be ready."
Mariah turned around and saw Michael staring at Diana. She rolled her eyes, picked up a mysterious half-empty glass of champagne and downed it before slamming the glass on a nearby waiter's tray.
May 8th, 1997
As she sat in her hotel room, turning the events of the night in her mind, Katherine grew desperate for any contact with her superstar son. Michael had successfully avoided his mother the entire night--and it didn't go unnoticed. Earlier that night, Katherine sat at her table silently begging her son to come speak with her, but he didn't. Instead, he flaunted around his 'other mother' like she was the one who suffered through Joseph's wrath anytime Michael would act out. The mere fact that Pat had the audacity to introduce herself as "Michael's mother" showed Katherine just how much influence Mariah had over Michael. It's not even like this was even the first time Katherine lost her son to another woman, but it would certainly be the last if she had anything to do with it.
Soon, Katherine found herself dialing Michael's cellphone number, hoping he would answer.
She heard a click and opened her mouth to speak until an operator told her to either hang up and try again or leave a message.
"Michael," She began, allowing her voice to quiver. "It's your mother speaking. You need to call me. I don't understand why you're doing this. All I want is the best for you and I just really need you to call me so we can talk. Please Michael."
Katherine hung up the phone, shaking her head. Mariah had to go.
May 10th, 1997
Mariah was walking down a long, unknown, sidewalk. It certainly wasn't in New York and it didn't feel like Southern California. She looked up and noticed a street sign: Jackson St.
She walked into a tiny, white house. Inside the house, there was nothing but a small chair, about the size of an elementary school desk chair, in the middle of the living room floor. The paint in the house was a cream color that had slowly chipped over the years.
When she stepped in the house, the door slammed behind her and she heard a child screaming from the bedroom. As she ran towards the scream, her heart hammered in her chest. Soon everything was a bright white.
That's when she saw Michael.
He couldn't have been much older than nine years old, cowering in fear from a much older woman. She couldn't see the woman's face, but the fear on Michael's face broke her heart.
"Mariah!" He whimpered, holding his hands out to her. He was down on his knees. "Why she doin this Mariah, why she doin this?"
She tried to grab him but he was just out of reach.
The unknown woman on the other side of him snatched him off the floor. The two disappeared with Michael kicking and screaming for her to stop. They were completely out of Mariah's line of vision when a deathly silence fell over the room. For a moment she felt nothing. No heaviness, no emptiness, no regret nor sorrow.
Soon, a bloodcurdling scream filled the room with anguish and anxiety. Her stomach turned and her head pounded. The friendly dark escaped her as the whites of her eyes overtook her sockets.
Mariah's head flew up off the pillow and her eyes snapped open. There was a heaviness on her torso blocking the rest of her body from jerking up. She looked down to see Michael sleeping on her chest.
She closed her eyes and sighed, taking a lock of his hair and pushing it behind his ear. She sat up in bed and contemplated the meaning of her dream.
She thought on it and thought on it, and nothing came to mind. It made no sense for her to have dreamed about a younger version of her husband in such vivid detail, she hadn't even known him as a child.
Eventually she gave up--there was no reason to try to make sense of something that was inherently nonsensical.
She glanced back down at Michael and instinctively threw a protective arm around him.
I need to stop drinking.
May 16th, 1997
Mariah didn't know what to do. It was five in the morning and she was on edge after another nightmare, so she decided on some tea to calm her nerves.
She sipped her piping hot tea, trying to figure out who she could tell about her dreams. She didn't want to tell Janet, she was already going through her own problems. She didn't want to tell her mother, she'd probably be no help anyway. And she certainly didn't want to tell Michael, it would be too much for his vulnerable psyche to cope with.
She sighed and quickly decided to call her father. She hadn't spoken to him since she made up with her mother, so he didn't even know about the events that preceded her nightmares.
The phone rang only once before there was an answer.
"Hello?"
"Hi Dad."
"Mariah? You're up early." Alfred responded.
"Yeah, I have a lot on my mind with mom, my in-laws, Michael." She sighed. "Dad, I've even started to have nightmares again."
"What kind of nightmares?"
"About Michael. Like in the nightmares there's someone trying to hurt him. I always try to get to him, but I can't. And it's hard to talk to him because I'm afraid of hurting him."
She decided to keep Michael's childlike state a secret.
"That's sounds just like with Alison." Alfred started. "But you need to realize your job isn't to save him, your job is to support him. Help him up when he's down, but don't do all the lifting. You're not gonna hurt him if you do that."
Mariah stood at the floor, considering his wise words.
Alfred continued. "You can't make nobody do nothing they don't want to. I mean, he's not doing drugs is he?"
"Oh no. He's just-" Mariah stopped abruptly. "It's hard to explain. I guess I'd say vulnerable? That fight with his mom is really messing with his head."
"I remember you told me about that. Is he still not eating and stuff?"
"Well, he's getting better, but I'm worried about him. He'll be leaving soon and I won't be there to keep an eye on him. If I don't do it nobody else will, those people don't care about him as long as he can perform."
"Well, the best you can do is pray."
"I've been praying for a lot of things." She sighed again. "I feel like the family I had in my mind just doesn't exist."
Her father chuckled. "We always want things to be better than what they are, but if you want to bring your family together, bring it together. Including your sister."
Mariah couldn't see him, but she could tell he had a cunning grin on his face. She rolled her eyes.
"You really think I should try to find Alison, dad? I mean what good is gonna-"
"Mariah, it couldn't hurt." Alfred said. "Hopefully she's ready to act right now."
Mariah shrugged. "I guess you're right."
"I always am." Alfred chuckled. "Alright baby girl I gotta let you go. I'm heading out soon."
"Alright, bye dad."
"Okay, Mariah, do what I said!" Alfred exclaimed, chidingly.
Mariah smiled. "I will!"
May 16th, 1997
After his earlier conversation with Mariah, Alfred thought it would be good idea to call Michael. He dialed and re-dialed Michael's cellphone number until it finally went through.
"Hello," said a soft voice.
"Mike?" Alfred knew Michael had a quiet voice, but there was something off.
"Oh, hi Alfred. How are you?"
"I'm fine. But what about you? You don't sound so good."
Even though he knew Alfred couldn't see him, Michael smirked to make himself appear better than how he felt. "I've been alright I guess. Just been thinking a lot about things."
"Yeah, I remember Mariah telling me that you had an album coming out?"
"Yeah, my album comes out in four days so I'm thinking of having a dinner here at a vineyard in Santa Barbara. It would be nice if you could come. " Michael answered.
"On the 20th?"
"Yeah."
Alfred stroked his beard in cogitation. "Sounds good to me. I should be able to make it out there."
"Okay, that sounds good! It'll be nice to see everyone before I leave again ." Michael said, wistfully.
"You sound like you don't wanna go."
"I don't. Touring is so stressful for me, I can't sleep, time zones constantly changing, if it weren't for the fans I wouldn't do it." Michael explained.
"Well how long are you going to be gone?"
"Last show's in October."
"Oh you're gonna be on the road for a while. Is Mariah going with you or are you going alone?"
"She's gotta stay and work on her album. I wish she was coming though, she makes it a lot better for me."
"So I assume things are good between you two?"
"Well, I mean..." Michael went quiet for a moment before starting back up. "She seems a little distant lately. I'm starting to think she's having second thoughts to be honest."
"Well all I know is that she's worried about you, really worried. She's afraid of hurting you and stuff. And I don't know what's going on, but Mariah tends to take responsibility for things that aren't really her fault. She wants to save everybody and I'll tell her, 'Mariah you can't save people, you can only help them as much as they'll let you'."
Alfred explained to Michael how Mariah had taken responsibility for Alison and warned him that a marriage was supposed to be balanced. And Michael soaked up everything, though he wasn't exactly sure what to do with it.
Before long, the men said their goodbyes and hung up from each other.
After they hung up the phone Alfred sat down in his chair and thought about what could be going on with Michael. Michael was even acting different with him: he barely spoke, and when he did speak he hesitated to elaborate on even basic things.
Alfred sucked in a deep breath.
Lord help 'em.
May 20th, 1997
It was album release day for Michael's remix album, Blood on the Dancefloor, and he and Mariah had invited Pat, Alfred, Morgan, Joseph, Randy, Janet, and Marlon out to celebrate with them. The pair tried to reach out to Alison, to no avail.
Dinner was just starting when Mariah tapped her fork to her glass and stood up from her chair. She was wearing short, white, sundress that she bought earlier in the year when Michael took her on a lofty shopping spree. The dress didn't quite fit and Mariah chalked it up to her love of fine wines and decadent chocolates.
"Hi everyone. I just wanted to thank you all for coming out to support my husband in the release of 'Blood on the Dancefloor'! We love and appreciate every single one of you and want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you all have done for us." Mariah stood there next to her husband, facing their dinner guests, beaming with a power only known to supernovae. She was proud of her husband for creating yet another incredible work of art, especially in light of recent events.
She continued. "And I want to also take this time out to simply congratulate my baby for such great accomplishments." She turned to Michael who was sitting right next to her. "I'm so proud of you sweetheart." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
After finishing their meals, everyone mingled for a bit while waiting on dessert. Joseph, at the chair opposite Michael, stood up from his seat and approached his son.
"Son, I want to let you know that I think you did good work. You have always been work work work and you keep on putting out good stuff." He explained. "Now I know we been through a lot but I want you to know that I'm proud of ya and I'm really really just overjoyed with your constant success."
Michael put on a large smile and stood up to hug his father. Mariah watched from the side, smiling the whole way through.
May 20th, 1997
Janet sat there picking through her dessert. She ordered a New York style cheesecake but was absolutely stuffed from her dinner. Plus, she was in deep thought about the situation between Michael and her mother. She recently spoke with her oldest sister and found out why they were being so rude to Mariah and Michael.
Ahem.
Janet cleared her throat, hoping to get her brother's attention.
AHEHEHEHEMMMMM
She started again. Soon, Mariah looked up at her.
"Girl what's wrong with you?" Mariah asked, laughing. Janet waited all evening to finally bring up the issue. She didn't want to rain on anyone's parade but she knew it had to be said.
"I gotta tell him somethin." Janet explained, whispering.
Mariah looked at her, puzzled, and whispered back. "Mike?"
"Yeah."
"Tell him what?" Mariah asked, maintaining a low voice.
Janet glanced over at Michael who was staring at them. She stood up, grabbed him, and walked him over to the bathroom area.
"I know why mother was behaving that way."
Michael tensed up and looked down at his feet. "Why?"
"Well, she saw all those stories that were in the press-"
"Are you serious?" Michael asked.
"Yes. Anyway, she saw all those stories and knew they were coming from Mariah's camp. Add that to the fact that she had that abortion and now mother thinks she 'accidentally' miscarried. Basically, she thinks that she's just using you and dangles babies in front of your face because she knows that's what you want. Mother thinks she uses it like as a hold over you or something."
Michael's eyes glossed over as Janet continued. "I know it sounds crazy but mother rationalizes it in her head. I think she got too caught up in all the tabloid talk and that big fight you guys had. Plus Rebbie started to really dislike her when she found out Mariah had no real interest in being Jehovah's Witness after they had that talk about it."
Michael put his hand over his face. Janet could tell that it was all too much for him. She tried to grab his forearm to look into his eyes but he snatched it back. He turned away from her and walked inside the Men's restroom.
Janet inhaled and rubbed her stinging eyes. She was already starting to regret telling him.
May 27th, 1997
Michael sat in his office making hot dog people. He poked out eyeballs with a toothpick and squirted a thin layer of ketchup directly under the 'eyeballs'
He turned the hot dog around and smiled at it.
Ring
Michael ignored the phone, concentrating on his hot dog people.
Ring
He glanced over at the phone, silently cursing its annoying allure.
Ring
He huffed and threw his hot dog baby down on his desk.
"Hello?" Michael answered the phone, slightly annoyed.
"Hey Michael. I've got great news."
It was Michael's manager Dieter Wiesner.
"Mike, the album is a hit!"
Michael's face opened up a bit. He was pleased to hear the good news, especially since the whole thing felt rushed in an effort to meet Tommy's deadline.
"That's great Dieter." Michael replied, picking one of his hot dog people back up and placing it into a bun.
"So I hope you're packed up and ready to go on tour."
Michael put his hot dog down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I am."
"Well good, I'll see you tomorrow in Bremen then?"
"Yeah, I'll be there tomorrow evening."
Michael hung up the phone and got up to go to his bedroom, leaving his hot dog village behind. He was surprised to see Mariah sleeping on her notebook. He walked over to her and lightly tapped her. "Baby, wake up."
She jolted awake. "Huh?"
He chuckled as she rubbed her face.
She yawned. "Sorry baby, I've been so out of it lately. There's just so much going on." She explained.
"Well you've been working really hard too." He pointed out. "Maybe you need a break."
"I don't need a break, I need a drink." She yawned again, this time with a mischievous grin on her face.
He shook his head. "No, you don't."
Michael leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips. "You know I'm leaving tomorrow."
Mariah frowned. "I know. Are you sure you're gonna be okay by yourself?"
His face twisted up. "I don't know, but we don't have a choice."
May 27th, 1997
Michael returned to his office to finish placing with his hot dog citizens into bun coffins before he decided to get down to business. He started with listening to his voicemails. Other than a couple from Vicki, and one from Denise, he had a message from from his mother.
He sighed, listening to her heartbreaking plea. All she wanted was for him to call and he felt guilty for ignoring her for so long.
He picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number to Hayvenhurst. It was a few seconds before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
He frowned when Jermaine answered the phone. "Put Mother on the phone."
"Okay, hold on."
Michael was surprised Jermaine didn't try to instigate some petty argument. A few moments later he heard his mother's gentle voice.
"Michael? Did you get my message?"
"Yes, Mother. I got your message. I'm sorry I haven't called, I just needed some space."
"Well how are you sweetheart?" Katherine asked.
"I'm...fine."
Katherine didn't seem convinced. "Well that's good. You're leaving tomorrow, right."
"Yeah, I'm leaving at six in the morning." Michael replied.
"Do you think you could come over tonight? I wanna see you before you leave."
"Umm," He hesitated. "I should be able to make it this evening. I'll see you later."
May 27th, 1997
Michael walked into Hayvenhurst with Mariah reluctantly following behind.
"Michael?" Katherine called out at the sound of the front door closing.
"It's me Mother."
"We're in the living room."
'We'?
They made their way into the livingroom where Jermaine, Jackie, Tito, Katherine, and Rebbie sat on the couch.
Mariah laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand to support him. Michael took a step back, confused.
"What's everybody doing here?" He asked nervously.
Jackie rubbed his hands together. "Look, I know y'all had your differences, but Mike, we really need to talk to you man."
Tito nodded his head.
Jackie started again. "We all really care about you." He looked back at Jermaine, so as to nudge him into speaking.
Jermaine nodded, hesitantly.
Jackie reached his arms out to Michael. "And what it really comes down to is: we miss you around."
Michael stared at the ground. He didn't really know what to say so he stayed silent.
Tito shared a look with Jermaine, who opened his mouth to speak. "Mike."
Michael looked at Jermaine dead in the eye, his demeanor cold.
Jermaine continued. "Listen, I apologize if your feelings got hurt from anything I said. But I think it's important that we all stick together and really go back to the core of what brings us together and that is the music."
Mariah raised an eyebrow, glancing at Michael while he remained deadpan.
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked, monotonously.
"I'm saying we should all get together and maybe do a nice little reunion style concert or something. You know for the fans and all that."
Mariah shook her head. "Oh hell naw. You can't even apologize right and you trying to drag him into some scheme?" She turned to Michael. "Michael, baby, don't let them do this to you."
Jermaine narrowed his eyes. "Umm with all disrespect who told you you could speak?"
"I'll speak whenever the hell I want to." Mariah shot back.
Michael shook his head, pulling Mariah back. He remained silent for a second longer. "I'm not interested. Mother, thanks for having us but we're leaving."
"But Mike-" Jackie started.
"He said 'no'." Mariah snapped.
Michael hurried out of the living room with Mariah at his side.