June 14th, 1999
“This is so childish.” Mariah commented, staring at the Save The Date for Tommy and his fiancé Thália. “Why the fuck would he send this to the office?”
“Maybe he knew Michael would be upset if it came to Neverland?” Mary suggested.
Mariah and Mary were out to lunch betwixt running errands. A twin sat next to each woman, enjoying their juice boxes.
“I mean like, in general though. Why would I care about you getting married? I am a happily married woman, I don't care about that!” Mariah exclaimed.
Mary twisted her pasta up her fork, focused on Mariah.
“Yeah that is interesting. I mean- maybe he just wants to genuinely invite you guys?” Mary suggested.
“Oh, trust me, after he and Michael’s big blow out he wouldn't want my husband anywhere near him.”
Mary flashed her eyebrows in agreement.
“Well maybe there's another reason?”
Mariah grinded her teeth. I'm sure.
“Honestly, fuck him!” Mariah exclaimed as she helped Nicole eat her Macaroni and Cheese. “I just feel bad for that poor woman. She doesn't know what he's capable of.”
“What do you mean?” Mary asked.
Mariah tilted her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows.
“Do you think that divorce was a lie?” Mariah lowered her voice to a whisper. “He beat my ass, Mary. I thought he was so nice and so good at first. He was just so friendly and so kind to me. And then, suddenly, when we got married it was like he was just through with me. He kicked me and slapped me and threw me up against the wall, girl. And as if that wasn't enough he'd force me to-” Mariah suddenly paused, taking a deep breath. Mary, on the other hand, sat there with her eyes wide open. She didn’t know what to think.
“He's not a good man, okay? I wouldn't be surprised if we saw her limping out of that house before it was all said and done.”
“Why do you still work for him?” Mary asked.
“Because I'm locked in a contract. I still have to play nice even if I don't want to.”
Mary started again. “But how is he still even keeping you on after what Michael did.”
“Because girl!” Mariah interrupted. “That's how he tries to control us. He thinks that if he keeps me on the label, instead of coming to an agreement to break the deal, me and Michael would have to give in to whatever bullshit he throws at us. He's a smart man, Mary. He wants to try and make me and Michael financially dependent on him. He thinks we’re dumb. And we really can't do anything about leaving right now.”
Mary nodded. “Damn, that's crazy. But you would still think he wouldn't want Michael around-”
“Oh he doesn't! He tries to stay as far away from Mike as possible. He just manipulates the situation from a legal standpoint. He's trying to go after Michael’s catalog too. It's pathetic. He's too much of a bitch to fight a man so he has to try and fuck with our money.”
“But it's not working though, right?”
“Well, no. But things could change at any second.” Mariah replied, absently rubbing her bump.
“Mommy, look!” Nicole shouted from her high chair.
Mariah glanced at her daughter, who'd been doing more drawing than eating.
“That's nice baby. Eat your food.” Mariah turned her attention back to her assistant. “I'm honestly so done with the bullshit. I'm ready to sign to somebody else. My career just can't keep taking the creative dictatorship that Sony is.”
Mariah sighed, she hadn't even touched her own food with all the craziness surrounding her label taking over. But she couldn't focus on much of anything, anyway. Tommy was creeping his way back into her life and she couldn't really do anything to stop it.
June 18th, 1999
Mariah was sitting in her room working on lyrics for a song while the twins were taking a nap.
“After tonight will you still love me baby…” No.
She scratched the line out. “After tonight will you return to love me, after the night begins to-”
Ring.
Ring.
She rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi Mariah. Did you get my invitation?”
She gritted her teeth. “Yes I did.”
“Don't forget to RSVP.” He chuckled. “Thália and I would love to see you there.”
“Tommy cut the shit.” Mariah snapped. “What did you call me for?”
“Woah, woah, woah no need to get snappy. Do you need me to relieve some tension?” Tommy taunted.
“I didn't fuck you because I wanted to, I fucked you so you'd leave my husband alone.” She retorted. “Don't act like it was anything else.”
“Well, you should've done it for your own album since he's not even releasing the album you were so desperate to fund.”
What?
“I'm sorry, come again?”
“Oh you don't know?” Tommy questioned.
Mariah furrowed her eyebrows--slightly bewildered.
Tommy chuckled. “What else is he keeping from you, baby?”
Mariah rolled her eyes. “We talked about it.”
She could hear Tommy’s faint snickering in the background.
“We did! I just wasn't sure when he was gonna announce it is all.” Mariah explained.
Tommy chuckled heartily. “You better hope he does something with it. Or else you just look like a dumb whore.”
Mariah squeezed the phone before slamming it down.
“I can't fucking believe him!” She shouted. “He didn't even think to mention that shit knowing we have a baby coming and-”
She covered her face and let out a frustrated scream.
Then: something inside her clicked.
She ran from the bedroom to Michael's shrine to Diana Ross. She paused for a moment, looking around the room that Michael so gently cared for. The painting of Diana seemed to be staring her down, daring her to do something.
She tore posters from the wall, carelessly tossing them to the side. She threw the candles from their holders, knocking over a few bottles of perfume and scattering incense ashes on the floor.
She stopped to catch her breath, staring the extra large portrait in the face.
“All I do for that man and he treats me like trash. For you.” She screamed, tears streaming down her face. “What do you have that I don’t?”
“Mommy!” Noelle cried out from the play room.
Mariah took a deep breath, turning away from the picture and walking out of the room.
“Coming baby!”
She wiped her nose and took one final glance at the portrait.
“Bitch.”
June 21st, 1999
“Them damn cows are scaring Nicki.” Mariah commented. Michael made his daily call to Mariah a few minutes earlier to get updates on everything going on back at Neverland. With Mariah pregnant, he couldn't help but worry about his babies.
He sighed. “Nicole is scared of everything. She be bullying those cows then get mad when they moo at her.”
Mariah giggled on the other end. For a moment he just savored it. Mariah hadn't been the nicest person lately, so it was refreshing just to hear something that wasn't an insult. Still, he found it difficult to properly show her his appreciation.
She started again. “Did I tell you I'm heading to LA soon?”
Michael pulled back. “For what?”
He could almost hear her exasperation.
What's wrong?
“Mariah.”
“Huh? Yeah- yeah baby! I just- I'm working on my album.” Mariah explained.
“Album? Are you taking care of yourself?”
“The baby’s fine, Michael.” She replied, a bit fed up.
“I'm just saying. You know how you can get-”
“Daddy!” A child shouted in the background.
“Is that Noni?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. Noni be quiet!”
“It's okay. Let me talk to my baby.” He requested.
The phone sounded like it was being tossed around in the background while Mariah struggled to get Noelle on the phone.
“Hi daddy!” Noni started, breathing audibly into the phone.
“Hey baby! What you doin?”
“Nothing.” Noelle said.
“Nothing, baby?” He asked. “You being good for mommy?”
“Be good daddy!” Noelle shouted.
Michael smiled. “No, I said are you being good?”
“No!”
He howled. At least she's honest.
“What's wrong baby?” He asked. “Why you not being good?”
“Coz dat baby scare me, daddy. He gonna eat my mom-”
“Okay, okay, that's enough, Noni.” Mariah shouted, clearly taking the phone out of Noelle’s hand.
He?
Michael could hear Noelle going on about something in the background while he contemplated her words.
“Michael?” Mariah exclaimed.
“Yeah! Hey, what did Noni mean by he gonna eat you?” He asked.
“Nothing, Noni just be talking.”
Michael narrowed his eyes. “Mariah don't lie to me. Do you know the baby’s sex?”
“What? Michael- No! Why would you even think that?” Mariah exclaimed.
“Okay, good.”
“Yeah, so, about my album. I'm just gonna be in LA for a few. I'm taking the girls with me so it should all work out.”
Of course you're taking them with you, where else would they be?
Michael chewed his lip. “Okay, well look-”
“Baby can we-”
“Oh god Mariah, no.” He interrupted, irritated with Mariah. He figured she was gonna try to ask for something they didn't need so he stopped her before she was ahead.
“But baby I wanna talk.” Mariah whined.
So do I.
“We are talking.”
She started again. “Michael, I- we need money.”
“We need what? Mariah, what are you talking about? How do you figure that?”
He could tell she was just saying things just to talk.
“Well I'm planning a vacation.” Mariah replied, clearly lying.
Since when?
“Look, we don't have time for that. Like literally what are you talking about, Mariah?”
“I love you, that's it. That's all I mean.” She said, her tone increasingly whiny.
I love you too.
“Okay.”
Why the fuck did I just say that! What the hell is wrong with me?
“...Okay?” She said, shocked.
“Yeah.”
Michael raised an eyebrow at himself.
‘Yeah?’ What the fuck? Why won't my mouth say the right shit?
“Uh...okay baby. Are you gonna think about the vacation?” She asked.
“I'm about to head out to rehearsal. You need to lay down. Tell Noni I love her, Nicole too.”
And you, I love you Mariah.
He could tell his wife felt deflated by his actions.
“Okay. And maybe we can-”
“I gotta go.” He interrupted. He couldn't continue the conversation knowing what he was putting her through.
“Oh- okay. Well. I'll talk to you later, bye.”
“Bye.”
June 27th, 1999
MichaeI was in the middle of performing Earth Song in Munich. He was onstage waiting for the dancers to get off the bridge so he could go up and be extra, as usual.
As the dancers left the bridge, he ran up and started to dance, feeling the music overtake his body.
He stomped on the bridge as it shot into the air.
That wasn't supposed to happen yet.
He kept performing, trying to figure out what was going on. He noticed that the technicians were all scrambling around the controls before-
Snap!
The bridge went hurtling toward the ground.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Michael gripped the railing, bracing himself for impact.
The bridge hit the ground, nearly knocking the wind out of Michael's chest. Climbing back onstage, Michael continued his performance.
Okay, that wasn't so bad.
After finishing You Are Not Alone, he walked backstage. He could feel himself growing weaker and weaker with each step.
Bearden was waiting for him backstage, wearing a concerned expression. Or so Michael thought, his vision growing fuzzier by the second.
“Mike!” Bearden shouted. “Man you good?”
“Yeah I'm-”
Thump.
June 27th, 1999
“Stop it Nick!” Mariah giggled. “You gotta wait.”
Mariah moved the plate away from Nicole and started putting jelly on a slice of bread.
“Eat!” Nicole exclaimed, pointing at the sandwich. “Noni, eat.”
Noelle was sitting in her high chair happily eating her lunch while Nicole was waiting rather impatiently for her mother to finish making hers.
“That's because Noni is younger than you.” Mariah explained as she pressed two slices of bread together. “Here. All done.”
She set the plate in front of Nicole just as Fallon came into the kitchen.
“Phone.”
“Thanks Fallon.” Mariah said, taking the phone. “Hello?”
“Uh yes...Hi Mrs. Jackson,” came a nervous male voice.
Mariah raised an eyebrow. “Phil? What's going on? Shouldn’t you be with Michael right now?”
Phil took a deep breath. “Mrs. Jackson try to stay calm...but there's been an accident.”