August 17th, 1998
“Your account is in shambles.”
Mariah and Michael exchanged a glance as Denise frowned at the papers in front of her.
“It can't be that bad.” Michael said.
Denise raised a maternal eyebrow at him. “Oh, it's that bad.”
Mariah leaned back. “Well what can we do?”
“Well, for starters, you two could sell one of your homes. With Neverland, do you really need the other four?”
“We got seven houses worth of stuff thanks to this one.” Mariah said, pointing at Michael.
Michael rolled his eyes. “What else?”
“You guys could have an auction and get rid of some things sin-”
“No.” Michael said, folding his arms. “I need that stuff.”
No you don't.
Denise sighed. “Well how about you two rent out the Aspen home?”
Mariah sat back to consider the idea. “Rent it out?”
“Yeah, you guys could rent it out and have a steady income.” Denise said. “Like you guys do with the Vegas home.”
Michael nodded slowly. “I like that idea.”
“If you rented it out you guys would finally get returns on some of your non-music related assets.” Denise warned.
Mariah nodded.
Denise smiled. “Alright, I'll speak with your lawyer it should be all good to go.”
Michael smiled back. “Thanks Denise.”
He got up to hug her. “I’d be working at the steel mill if it weren’t for you.”
August 17th, 1998
Michael reclined in his seat on his private jet, Noelle on his chest and Nicole in the seat opposite him in her car seat. He rested his eyes and rubbed his baby’s back. Soon, he began to sing to her.
“You are the sun.
You make me shine.
What comes after this?
I don’t even know.
Because I haven’t wrote it yet.”
Michael chuckled to himself. He’d been playing around with different songs but hadn’t yet come up with the exact lyrics for a few he really wanted on the next album.
“I should probably finish the song at some point.” He commented, peeking down at his little one.
Noelle looked at him in confusion.
“Noni, look at my hand.” He instructed, waving a finger in her face. She followed him but kept trying to focus. “Hold on, let me get your eyes.” He said, shuffling through her baby bag. When he found the miniature Ray-Ban case, he pulled out a sleek pair of goggle-like eyeglasses with lenses specially crafted for Noelle.
“Here you go, baby.” He said as he fastened the glasses around her head.
She reached up at the lenses, grabbing at them.
“No, no, no. You can’t take them off.”
She struggled with her father for awhile before giving up.
“I’m sorry Noni, but you have to. We just want you to see better.” Michael explained, stroking her cheek.
Noelle stared at him, confused and fascinated all at once. It seemed almost as if she couldn’t understand the concept of her father.
Michael giggled. “Stop looking at me like that, you make me think there’s something on me.”
Noelle laid back down on his chest.
Michael went back to working out the kinks of the melody.
“You are the sun
You are the-”
Plop.
“Uh-baby are you?”
Michael felt a tiny drop in Noelle’s diaper. And before long, the scent came along with it.
He felt around her baby bag for diapers and…
Nothing.
He stood up, placing Noelle down in her car seat and strapping her in, and went toward the back of the aircraft.
“Vicki.” Michael said, trying to awaken his assistant. “Vicki!”
Vicki jumped up. “Yeah?”
“Did you bring extra diapers?”
Vicki raised an eyebrow, wiping her dry eyes. “No, I thought you got them.”
Michael sighed. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
Shit.
“Well do you think there’s anything else on here we can use?” He asked.
“I’m pretty sure there would be nothing on a jet plane that you could use to suffocate a baby’s poop stench Michael.”
Michael frowned at her. “I’m serious, can’t you- Oh god. Do you smell that?”
Vicki nodded, covering her nose.
“That is… that is my baby.” Michael continued, theatrically.
“What do you guys feed her?” Vicki joked. “Go check on her. Make sure her stomach isn’t bubbling or anything.”
Michael went to go check on his baby. Upon returning to her, he noticed her diaper looked unusually full.
“Baby, I’m asking you, whatever you do, do not go number two anymore. You will break your diaper and we don’t have anything else for you.” Michael pleaded.
Noelle didn’t care. She had to go.
Michael could tell she was trying to push more out. “Noni! Stop! You’re gonna get doo doo everywhere.”
She kept pushing and pushing, causing her diaper to come apart.
“Oh god! Vicki get something to catch this stuff!” Michael shouted, dangling Noelle away from his body.
Vicki ran into the lavatory and came back with a bunch of balled up paper towels.
“Really? What am I supposed to do with that?” Michael shouted, exasperated.
Vicki, wide-eyed and terrified, shrugged at him. “Do you have a better idea?”
Michael huffed. “You know what, get that newspaper out of my bag.”
Vicki handed him the newspaper and watched as he carefully removed the soiled diaper from his daughter, wiped her, and wrapped her in newspaper. He slowly slid the soiled diaper into a plastic bag and placed gave it to Vicki to throw in the wastebasket. When he was done, he sanitized his hands.
“What is going on with you Noni? That was- Uh oh.”
Noelle started pushing again.
“Noni, please, this one time. I am begging you. I have nothing else, I can’t do this anymore.”
Michael said.
She promptly stopped.
Vicki laughed at him. “Michael, I think she might have a little tummy ache.”
Oh no.
“Noni, are you okay baby? Tell daddy if you’re hurting.”
She didn’t bat an eyelash.
Michael broke eye contact with his daughter for a brief moment.
“Do you think I should take her to the pediatrician?” He asked.
“I’d say so. I mean if she’s going like this, it’s definitely diarrhea. But you wanna make sure it’s not worse.” Vicki responded.
Michael sighed, looking down at Noelle.
“We gotta get you some medicine.”
August 21st, 1998
Mariah brought a basket of laundry into the bedroom and started folding up the babies’ clothes.
They're getting so big.
She folded a few more shirts when she felt a hand press against the small of her back. Soon, Michael started helping fold the clothes.
“I'm gonna miss this.” He said quietly.
Mariah observed his forlorn expression for a while before turning back to the pile of clothes she'd already folded. She remained quiet and focused.
He stopped and looked over at her. “I just didn't think you'd never want more kids.”
“You really want another baby?” She asked.
Michael turned to face her. “Why would you even-”
She gripped his hands. “Baby, I really don't want to bring another kid into this world without my family around.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Your mother-”
“Not her.” Mariah said. “I mean Morgan.”
He rubbed her arms. “Mariah, I don't know what you want me to do. I'm not a judge or anything.”
“No, but I know you know lawyers. Just help me find somebody to get him off or something.”
“I still don't think we should get involved.” Michael said.
Mariah stepped forward, closing the space between them, and placed his hand on her stomach. “If you help me with this I'll give you another baby.”
Michael stepped back, shaking his head. “Don't make promises you're not gonna keep.”
“Who said I wasn't? I will give you another kid if you help me with my brother.” Mariah said.
Noticing Michael's conflicted face, she moved away and went back to folding clothes.
“I'll let you think about it.”
August 27th, 1998
Mariah was in the studio recording a cover of Brenda's song I Still Believe as a way of thanking her friend for jump-starting her career. Walter was producing the new arrangement of the song.
Shawntae dropped by the studio, and Nick managed to tag along.
“Hey Mariah.” Nick said, holding his arms out for a hug.
Mariah hesitated before accepting the hug. Nick pulled her in for a tight squeeze, his hands sliding slowly down her back.
“H-hi.” She said, quickly pulling away and then hugging Shawntae.
“Hey girl, how you been?” Mariah asked.
Shawntae rolled her eyes. “I just talked to you yesterday.”
Mariah giggled. “And? How are you today?”
“Well I'm doing great now that I'm around you.” Nick interjected.
Mariah playfully rolled her eyes. “So if you guys wanna have a seat, we’re just trying to get the chorus right.
Nick sent a sneaky grin. “I’m sure it’s beautiful, just like you.”
Walter glared up at the trio. “You guys done? We have work to do.”
Mariah gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded at the man.
She walked into the booth and began to sing again. Everytime she looked out, she noticed Nick grinning at her. Sometimes, she’d smile back, others she’d pretend not to notice. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Nick was kind of cute. She enjoyed the attention he gave her and even entertained it every now and again.
“Alright Ms. Carey, I see you!” Nick shouted as Mariah belted out a note. Mariah couldn’t hear him but she could read his lips.
He made her giggle through the end of the note.
Walter shot his head around and scolded Nick, who looked to promptly apologize.
Mariah redid the take a few times before stepping outside of the booth to listen to the playback. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a good vibe for the playback since Nick and Shawntae would clap whenever her vocals impressed them.
“See, this is why they call you the AOR.” Nick said.
Mariah giggled. “What’s that?”
“Angel of R&B.” He said, gleaning at her.
Shawntae pursed her lips and smacked Nick upside the head. “Shut up, fool. Can’t take yo ass nowhere.”
Behind them, Walter leered. “Listen, we’ve gotta get back to work. I can’t get a good read on the track if you’re gonna talk all over it.”
Nick nodded, and they went back to listening to the track.
Once Walter got a final read on it, he told Mariah they’d probably have to do the whole thing over again.
“Aw, come on man.” Nick complained. “Aye, I thought it was good, Mariah.”
Walter rolled his eyes. “Well that’s your opinion.”
Shawntae spoke up. “Nah, that’s just the facts. Shit’s dope.”
Mariah smiled at her friends. “Guys, that’s really sweet of you. I’ve been working on this one for a few weeks so I’m trying to get it perfect.”
“As perfect as you?” Nick said, flirtatiously.
Mariah giggled, bashfully. “You’re very kind Nick.”
Nick kissed her hand. “My pleasure, beautiful.”
Shawntae rolled her eyes. “Michael gone kick yo ass, Nick.”
Walter raised an eyebrow.
Nick and Shawntae bantered back and forth a bit, Mariah laughing from the sideline.
Before long, Walter huffed and scolded the three. “Mariah! We need to work! I don’t mind you bringing your friends in, but time is money. Tommy wants a perfect song. You’re already in hot water with him, you need to get down to business!”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Aight, relax man. We just havin a lil fun, that’s all.”
“Okay well you and sista-girl over here can have fun on your own time.” Walter snapped.
Shawntae jumped up out of her seat. “What was that?”
“I said that you and Tyrone can take it somewhere else.”
Mariah furrowed her eyebrows in shock.
Did he just-
Shawntae approached Walter. “I don't know who you think I am, but you ain't about to be in here talking out the side of your neck-”
Walter turned to Mariah. “Get your friend.”
Mariah turned her head as if she didn't see what was going on.
“She ain't gotta get me. I'm saying all things she wants to say and the words she’s thinking of right now are 'you’re fired.’”
Walter's head snapped to Mariah as if he expected her to defend him. When she didn't, Walter backed away from Shawntae and started packing his things.
He started towards the door, stopping to glare at Mariah. “Hope you have fun. You won't last a day without me or Tommy.”
August 29th, 1998
Michael was in the backseat of a stretch limo with his brother Marlon, bodyguard Bill, and his friends Brett Ratner, Chris Tucker, and Frank Cascio. They were out in Las Vegas celebrating his fortieth birthday. Mariah was still in LA working on her album and his mother agreed to watch the twins for the night, leaving him free to spend some time with the boys. They were on their way to Janet's concert, which was to be the first event of their evening.
“We still going to the strip club after this right?” Chris asked.
Michael shook his head. “Chris!”
Chris looked confused. “What? All I'm saying is Marlon said we was gonna be seeing some ass and titties so I'm just making sure we going to see some strippers after this.”
“I wanna see some strippers.” Frank said.
Marlon laughed. “Boy, you still got milk on your tongue talking about seeing some strippers.”
Frank appeared offended. “I'm eighteen. I'm old enough to vote, I'm an adult.”
“You can't pick up a case of beer from the store. Adult my ass.” Chris shot back.
“Aye, chill out.” Michael interjected. “We're here.”
“Jesus H. Christ.” Michael professed, slamming his face into his palms. “Where the damn Windex? Where. Is. The. Windex.”
Brett chuckled heartily.
“Baby Janet’s all grown up man. And she turned out mighty good, if I do say so myself.” Chris said, high-fiving Brett.
Michael leered at the man. “That’s my sister, man.”
Chris slapped his knee. “I’m just saying-”
“You ain’t saying nothing. You bouta take yo ole googly eyes off her before I snatch ‘em out yo damn face.”
Chris screeched out a laugh. “Damn, man!”
Michael looked back at the stage, his little sister approaching the breakdown of I Get So Lonely.
“There she go tryna be like me again.” Michael noted as she snapped her fingers out, reminiscent of his opening routine to Billie Jean.
Janet began to beatbox while dancing a short routine. She started unsnapping the cufflinks on her costume.
“It’s hot in here,” she said before--
Whoosh.
“Oh hell nawl!” Michael shouted, quickly averting his eyes.
“I’ma whoop her ass!” Marlon screamed, his hand over his eyes.
Janet had taken her shirt off, revealing a silky black bra.
“Janet, put your damn clothes back on!” Michael shouted from the balcony. He accidentally caught the attention of some rabid Jackson family fans. The fans shouted his name and a small group formed, looking up at his booth.
Michael went into panic mode and walked all the way to the back of the booth. The fans chanted his name louder and louder, begging to see him one time.
“Shit, I can’t do the fans like that.” He said. “I’m just gonna wave and tell them to watch Janet.”
Janet, now giving a lapdance, looked out in the audience to see what was going on. Before long, she glanced up and saw Michael and Marlon staring down at her disapprovingly. She rolled her eyes mid-routine.
“Shit, we gotta go.” Michael said. “She’s gonna start doing whatever the hell to that poor guy. We need to go now before I cry.”
“But the best part is just about to start.” Brett said, eyes glued to Janet who’d just tied her own hands up in rope for her performance of Rope Burn.
Michael and Marlon gave Brett the overprotective brother look.
“Y’all really wanna die today, huh?” Marlon said, eyes shooting bullets into Brett’s.
“I mean come on. If Janet wasn’t your sister you would-”
“Brett I will shove my foot so far up yo ass you’ll be throwing up toe jam.” Marlon threatened.
Frank, standing right next to Marlon, quickly moved away.
Michael interrupted their little altercation. “Listen, I need to get the hell up out of here so I can get this image out of my head. Please, can we just go?”
Frank nodded. “I agree. Janet’s like a big sister to me, I can’t get with this.”
“Bill?” Michael said. “Can you take us to a nice place? I wanna enjoy my birthday.”
When Michael said he wanted to enjoy his birthday, this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. The guys decided that the best way to wash Janet out of his mind was to see a show he’d actually be turned on by.
“Oh!- Wow. These are very nice.” Michael said, his hesitant voice muffled from being smothered under a pair of bodacious boobies. The woman backed away from him and danced for him in nothing but her booty shorts and platform heels.
“Mike I need a refill.” Marlon said, holding his hands out for more bills.
Michael glanced over to his brother who had his tongue almost in the stripper’s ass.
“You knew you wanted to come here and you didn’t bring enough damn money?”
Marlon side-eyed him before simply shoo-ing him off and diving his head back into the stripper’s booty.
Michael chuckled to himself. “You gone go home smelling like ass and Carol gone run yo ass over. You gone end up like Jackie.”
Marlon flicked his brother off and continued with the stripper.
Michael, on the other hand, couldn’t really get into his dancer. She was gorgeous--about 5’ 4’, big hair, deep brown eyes, and nice handfuls of C-cups. She was just Michael’s type, but he couldn’t seem to shake the mental image of his baby sister in nothing but a bra.
“Shit, man, I can’t do this.” Michael said, speaking generally to his birthday guests.
Frank, Brett, and Chris walked over to Michael from the other end of the stage.
Chris, smiling, slapped Michael’s arm. “What’s wrong, man?”
“I can’t believe we saw lil Dunkie like that. My lil baby doing all that nasty shit.” Michael folded his arms like an angry toddler. “Now all I wanna do is go home to my mother and my babies and make sure they don’t turn out like Janet.”
Frank snickered at him. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. They’re just babies.”
“God- Just- Why?” Michael asked, rhetorically. He’d completely ignored the comments from his friends. “I just didn’t need to see her like that. It saddens me that she would do something like that.”
Chris, trying to contain his laughter, patted Michael on the back. “I mean it ain’t like you ain’t know she was fuckin and suckin and-” Chris paused, noticing Michael’s cutting glare. “I- I mean. My condolences man. This is a real loss.”
Brett chuckled, shaking his head.
Frank, so surprised at the fact that Marlon had his face five inches deep inside a stripper’s anus, didn’t even acknowledge the situation.
“I just- Can we-”
Ring.
Michael took his phone out of his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby, where are you?”
It was Mariah.
“Uh, I’m at- uh…”
Chris looked at Michael, eyes popping out of his head, and motioned cutting his throat.
“Don’t say shit!” Marlon mouthed.
“Huh? I can’t hear you?” Mariah said.
In a panic, Michael quickly pushed out, “I’m at 2300 Jackson.”
Brett burst out laughing.
Michael giggled as well.
“How are you baby?” Michael asked.
“I can’t- Are you at Janet’s concert? Are you still there?” Mariah asked, sounding confused.
“Uh, it’s not important. What’s up?”
“I just- Can you walk outside for a second?” Mariah requested.
“Okay. Hold on.” Michael motioned for Bill to follow him as he walked out the VIP exit of the club.
“So what were you saying?”
“Okay, wow I can hear you much better.” She giggled. “I’m in Vegas. My flight just landed and I’m taking a car to the house. I wanted to see if you wanted to properly celebrate. Maybe get some food or something?”
Michael smiled. “Yeah, actually, that sounds good right about now.”
“Okay, well where do you want to go? Maybe I can meet you somewhere?”
“Yeah. We can meet at Caesar’s Palace, I could use a drink.” Michael joked.
Mariah giggled. “Okay baby. I’ll see you in 15?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
August 29th, 1998
“So she started giving the guy a lapdance on stage?”
Michael nodded, still clearly traumatized. He and his wife were sitting out on the rooftop of Caesar’s Palace, waiting for their entrees to be delivered. They’d already finished an appetizer of Lobster Risotto when Michael decided to tell her about Janet’s concert to kill time.
Mariah giggled. “That’s so Janet.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s such a Janet thing to do. She’s a little undercover freak!” Mariah exclaimed.
“Don’t say that! My baby is a good girl. She would never-”
“But she did.” Mariah noted. “And she does. Put it like this: She’s like girl you when it comes to sex.”
Michael’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Baby please don’t do this to me. I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Mariah fell out laughing at him. “It’s because you’ve had three beers already and we’ve only been here half an hour.”
“No. It’s because I can’t erase that picture out of my head now.”
Mariah smiled as she took a sip of her wine.
“You know, it’s nice to do this.” Mariah said.
“What?”
“Date.” She replied. “You know we never really did that. It’s making me feel all warm inside.”
Michael stared at her like a deer in headlights. He didn’t know what she was talking about. “I took you out on dates.”
“Well I mean you did but it was never normal like this. You know how regular people do it. It was always at Neverland. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it wasn’t what I was used to.”
Michael slowly nodded. “Other guys did it better, huh?”
Mariah frowned at him. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just- I feel like things moved oddly for us. And here we are, eight years later, my mother driving us insane and our baby girl wearing glasses.”
“Mariah, none of those things are related.” Michael noted, facetiously.
“You know what I mean, Michael.”
Michael sighed, wiggling his beer bottle around. He looked out in the night’s sky, thinking about his wife’s words. Their lives had turned completely upside down from the moment he met her. Sometimes he felt like he was living in another world--their good times a million years away.
“You okay?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He said. “You know I love you, right?”
She smiled, a gust of wind blowing her hair.
“I know.”
The nearly drunken couple stumbled up to the front door of their extravagant Vegas mansion.
“Shhh.” Michael said, his index finger on his lips. “The babies are sleeping.”
Mariah giggled at him and whispered, “Okay, open the door.”
Michael slowly opened the door--Mariah nearly falling in.
The two crept up the stairs toward the guest room, where Katherine, Nicole, and Noelle were supposed to be staying. When they made it to the top of the stairs, however, Michael noticed his bedroom door was wide open. The twins were lying sound asleep in cribs Michael had shipped in from Aspen a few days prior.
Michael turned around towards his wife, who stood behind him, quickly sobering up.
“Where’s Mother?”
Thud.
“Oh!” A voice called out from the guest room.
Michael raised an eyebrow, tip-toeing over to the guest room. He rested his hand on the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open.
“Michael!” Katherine hollered in startle.
Michael jumped back, shielding his eyes.
“Oh my god.” Mariah said. “Daddy?”
“Mariah!” Alfred called out. “It’s not what it looks like!”
“Oh my god, what are you guys- Are you- Oh no daddy, please don’t be-”
Michael screamed at the top of his lungs.
He couldn’t believe he’d just walked in on his mother and father-in-law having sex.