August 10th, 2000
I need some more of this shit. Mariah thought as she sat on the couch sipping her Pink Moscato.
It was the middle of the day in sunny Los Olivos and the Twizzie were out with their father. Mariah decided it was the perfect time to sneak in her daily glass of wine, and figure out more details on Katherine's connection with Tommy. She started with the Jackson family photo albums.
Let's see...
She flipped through a large photo album that held hundreds of images of the pre-international stardom Jacksons.
Is that Michael? She thought, looking at a polaroid with Janet and Latoya '70 written on the bottom.
They know they wrong for calling him Latoya.
She continued to flip through the photo album, until she landed on a curious picture. It was one with baby Michael in the early 60's. He was standing in the middle of the floor reaching out for Katherine, but Katherine was posing for the picture.
Very telling. She thought.
There was something about the way Michael's eyes expressed emotion that was captured in this photo. His mood was always readily visible through the sparkle of his eyes. And in this picture, in particular, they showed longing--at least to Mariah.
She took a sip of her wine and closed the photo album, going for her Powerbook G3. She figured she may be able to do some research on the web to find some answers.
She logged in to the computer and signed onto her AOL account. She was still getting used to using a computer, so she wasn't that fast at typing. Luckily, for her, Michael switched their package with AOL from dial-up to broadband a few months prior.
Mariah waited patiently for the screen to load.
"Welcome. You've Got Mail." The AI voice notified. Her eyes widened. She clicked on the large mailbox that flashed across the screen, only to be bombarded with mail from a Nigerian Prince who'd been relentlessly pursuing her.
Jesus Christ dude, I'm married! I don't wanna open a joint bank account with you!
She closed out of her email and clicked on the Netscape icon. As she waited for the browser to load, she considered what she should search to get the best information on her husband. She remembered her computer class tutor telling her to avoid typing questions into the search bar, something that made the task of researching her husband all the more difficult.
When it finally loaded, she typed in: http://www.yahoo.com. There, she typed in: Michael Jackson family in the search bar.
She read through a couple of the links before deciding 'Michael Jackson family' wasn't the right search term.
With her cursor hovering over the search bar, she erased her query and typed in: Katherine Jackson bad. That search term produced less results than the first, but she still looked through the links until she found one that looked salacious enough.
Is Katherine Jackson a bad mother? The link read.
Mariah clicked it and it brought her to a new webpage on an unofficial Michael Jackson fan forum.
She downed the rest of her Moscato, prepping herself for what she was about to read.
She read through numerous replies calling the 'OP', original poster, an idiot for asking such a question. Then, she stumbled onto a post that looked to confirm her thoughts about the woman.
i am alone on dis 1 but i agree wit OP. the Jackson fam is a hot azz mess. there's so many secrets in that fam, it's no wonder Mikey ran away. u got Joseph beating the hell outta his wife + kids and lettin the gordys do whatever to dem. dem Jacksons let their kids get walked all ova just 4 a dolla. i will nvr 4get toya doin playboy bcuz she was wit an abusive as !!!!! and kate sat bake n watched it all happen!! only time she said anything is wen she wanted to use mikey up n spit him out!
Woah there... Mariah started to wonder that maybe Katherine was more than complicit in Michael's abuse. Maybe she was the one setting it up all along.
Her eyes widened in realization.
That's exactly why she'd work with Tommy: she worked with Berry to keep Michael in her pocket. Mariah figured.
That witch...
Ring. Ring.
Mariah picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hi, Mariah. You got a second?"
It was Mariah's Film Producer for her new movie, All That Glitters, Lawrence Mark.
"Um, yeah." She said, scrolling through the page.
"Alright, so we've secured our locations. Production is set to begin on the 4th. Does that sound good?"
Mariah, zoned out, nodded her head.
"Hello...?" He asked.
"Uh- Yeah. Mhm."
"Okay...and we're gonna do callbacks this week so that we can give the actors enough time to study their roles." He explained.
She heard what he said but wasn't listening.
"Mariah?"
"Yes! Yeah- Sure, sounds good." She replied, scrolling down to the next comment.
"Uhh, well, okay. Do you want me to just call you back or something? You seem distracted."
Mariah's eyes glued to the screen, though her ears tuned back in. "Yeah, actually, can I call you later?"
"I just- ...Sure." He replied, sounding defeated.
"Alright, buh-bye."
August 10th, 2000
Mariah was sitting on the couch writing songs for her soundtrack while the twins played on the floor. Elizabeth was sleeping on the opposite end of the couch, worn out from trying to keep up with her older sisters.
The twins were talking to their imaginary friend again, but she paid it no mind.
"Mommy!" Noelle shouted.
Mariah didn't look up from her notebook. "Yes baby?"
"My friend say hi."
Mariah nodded slowly. "Tell the prince I said hi."
"No!!" Nicole said. "Iss not prince!"
Mariah looked up from her song. "You guys got a new friend?"
Noelle nodded.
Shit.
"Say 'hi' mommy." Nicole pressed.
Mariah threw her notebook down and stormed out of the room. She was beginning to get frustrated with her children. She just couldn't understand why they were having these 'friends'.
She nearly ran into the kitchen and pulled out a wine glass.
"Woah there!" Janet said, grabbing her arm. "What's wrong?"
Mariah took a deep breath. "I can't take this shit Janet! These 'friends' gotta go."
Janet rubbed her arm. "What happened?"
"There's another one." Mariah explained. "Where are these 'friends' even coming from?"
"I don't know, but maybe Michael is right and it's just a phase." Janet reasoned. She huffed, clearly unsure of what to say to Mariah. "Come on, let's just- Have a seat."
Janet guided her to the table and sat her down. Mariah folded her arms, her eyes shut.
"What do you want to do?" Mariah asked, trying to change the subject for Janet's sake.
Janet sighed. "Um...Mike's birthday is coming up. What are we doing for it?"
"Um, that's a good question." Mariah said, twisting her hair around her finger. "What do you think?"
Janet shrugged. "Something like...low-key?"
"Maybe we could do like a surprise party." Mariah suggested. "Then we could invite your siblings and some friends."
Janet nodded slowly. "What day is Mike's birthday?"
Mariah frowned. "The 29th."
Janet deadpanned. "Girl, I know that. What day?"
"Oh! It's a Tuesday." Mariah said. "So we should do it that Sunday."
"Alright cool." Janet said, reaching out to stroke Mariah's hand.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but held it in.
"What, Janet?" Mariah asked.
Janet moved away, her eyes downcast. "It's-"
She glanced up into Mariah's worried eyes.
"...Nothing."
August 25th, 2000
"Daddy, I got ice cream." Noelle, dressed in day clothes and a face mask, said to her father. Michael, Mariah, and Twizzie met up with the Arvizos at Gill's Ice Cream Parlor in Los Angeles. It was a few weeks until Gavin's surgery and he'd begged his mother and Michael to take him out for one last hoo-rah, and once Michael got word from the doctor that it would be okay, he decided on a trip to his favorite ice cream parlor. And this time, he brought his family to distract him from the Arvizos' monkey business.
Michael smiled. "Can I have some?"
The child shoved the ice cream in her dad's face, brushing his temporarily exposed lips with it. As usual when Michael went out, he was dressed inconspicuously--his hair pulled back in a snapback baseball cap, large Aviator shades to hide his eyes, a dark black hoodie on, a surgical mask to obscure his face, and bulky blue jeans. Mariah wore an equally obscuring outfit--her hair pulled back in a bun, a gray sweatsuit, and black Wayfarers.
"Daddy, where my ice cream?" Nicole asked, scratching under her mask.
"Mommy's coming with it, give her a second."
Gavin and Davellin sat across from Michael and Twizzie, Star at home on punishment. Gavin dug into his ice cream sundae--piled high with cherries, strawberries, candies, and crushed Oreos.
Davellin dipped her spoon in Gavin's ice cream.
"Hey, stop it!" Gavin exclaimed. She'd been sneaking scoops of his ice cream ever since he sat down with it. Michael didn't understand why, considering she had her own.
"Alright, who else needs ice cream?" Mariah asked as she approached the table with Janet Arvizo. She somehow balanced three ice cream cones in her hand--two regular sized for herself and Michael, and one small for Nicole.
"Oh, me! Me! Me!" Michael spoke up.
Mariah chuckled. "You don't get any, bud."
Gavin grinned at their playful banter and watched as the woman passed two ice cream cones to her husband and child.
Michael turned to the side, and caught of glimpse of Nicole consistently failing to get the ice cream into her mouth.
"Nicki, you've got it all over your face." He commented. "You're gonna be all sticky and cold now."
Nicole stared at her dad out of the side of her eye and dove back into the ice cream--nose first.
He chuckled. "Is it good, mama?"
She nodded, her cheeks filled with brownie batter ice cream.
Michael reached out to wipe her face, eating his ice cream at the same time.
"Why don't sister have ice cream?" Noelle asked, staring at Elizabeth. Elizabeth laid back in her stroller, sipping on her juice, not a care in a world about the peasants that surrounded her.
"Lizzie's had enough sweets for the day." Mariah explained. "If we gave her ice cream, she'd be bouncing off the walls."
Janet burst in roaring laughter, and Michael wasn't sure why--Mariah wasn't that funny.
Mariah smiled, awkwardly.
"Gosh, I remember when I used to give these two sweets." Janet started, pointing her thumb back at her two children. "They would get so rowdy!"
So that's what you blame their delinquency on? The sweets? Sounds legit...
Michael gave a warm smile, never taking his attention off his ice cream.
"So Gavin, how are you feeling?" Mariah asked, changing the subject.
"I'm pretty excited to be able to go outside again. My mom said that after my surgery, we could move to the ranch and live with you guys!" Gavin exclaimed, ecstatic.
Michael and Mariah shared a confused glance.
"I don't understand..." Mariah started.
Janet gave a nervous laugh, but didn't say anything. It was like she was waiting on Michael or Mariah to confirm the claim, rather than question it.
"Daddy, that girl is bad!" Nicole shouted.
Michael shifted his attention to his daughter, who pointed at Davellin.
Davellin grimaced at the toddler.
"Don't do that!" Noelle shouted at the Arvizo girl. "Daddy, she being bad!"
Michael raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
"She take my ice cream!" Nicole exclaimed.
Michael looked down at Nicole's hand to see her ice cream cone was missing. He glanced over at Davellin, but she didn't have anything in her hand.
"I promise I don't have it! I think she's sleepy or something..."
Michael glanced back toward Nicole.
"Nicki, tell Daddy what happened."
As Nicole was about to start, Janet Arvizo butted in. "Mike- I mean Tyrone, are you going to answer Gavin?"
Michael held his finger up to the woman, continuing on his investigation of his baby's missing ice cream.
"Nicki. You have the floor, baby." Michael said.
"I was eating and then- and then- she take my ice cream, and then she stick out her tongue..." Nicole explained, accusingly.
Davellin pulled back, pointing at the toddler. "She's lying!"
"My child doesn't lie." Mariah bit.
Michael found some sort of irony in Mariah's reaction, but didn't say anything.
"Davellin, did you take Nicole's ice cream?" Michael asked.
"I'm telling you, I don't have it Mr. Jackson. Honest!"
Michael shushed her. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "What did I tell you my name was?"
Davellin quickly understood. "I'm sorry...Mr. Jenkins."
Michael could feel Mariah's playful eyeroll. "Okay. Now Nicki, do you remember what you did with your ice cream?"
"Iss in my hand." She replied.
"Okay, then what?"
Nicole continued, pointing at Davellin. "She take it."
Michael breathed out a frustrated air. This conversation was going nowhere.
"Noni, did you see what happened to your sister's ice cream?" He asked.
"Uh huh, she made a bad face at sister, then take her ice cream." Noelle explained.
Michael nodded. He trusted his girls.
"Davellin, why did you take my daughter's ice cream, then lie about it?"
"Well, hold on, Tyrone, shouldn't we consider that maybe, if Davellin took the ice cream, she had a good reason?" Janet asked.
"And what reason would be a good reason for a 12 year old to steal an ice cream cone from a toddler?" Mariah questioned.
"Maybe there was a bug in it, or something was wrong with it." Janet looked over to her daughter. "Davellin, was that the case?"
Davellin swallowed, slouching down in her chair. "Yah..."
"So then why did you lie and say you didn't take it?" Michael asked.
"I didn't want to get in trouble! I didn't want you to think I took it in a bad way or something. I was just trying to help." She replied.
Michael looked to Mariah for assistance, he didn't know exactly what to do in the situation.
Mariah leaned in for a whisper. "You gonna believe that?"
Michael glanced at Janet, who, in the meantime, looked to be comforting Gavin who'd been shivering a little from the unnatural feel of the outside weather. He looked back toward his wife.
"I'on know. Maybe." He shrugged, his eyes sympathetic.
Mariah rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Pathetic."
Michael ignored it and turned back to Davellin. "Well, thanks for being honest, Davellin. But next time, just tell the truth in the first place."
"There won't be a next time." Mariah noted. Michael couldn't argue with that. As bad as he felt for Gavin, he couldn't let his own kids play second fiddle.
"Well, sure." Janet reassured. "And Davellin, don't touch anyone else's things unless you have permission."
Davellin nodded.
"Why don't I go get Nicki another ice cream?" Mariah suggested.
Michael nodded her away, watching as she walked back up to the ice cream stand.
"So-" Janet started, calling Michael's attention. "About the living situation thing..."
Oh god...
"What situation?"
"What we were discussing earlier. I was thinking, ya know, since the hospital is right there in Santa Ynez, Gavin could recover at your place." Janet explained.
As much as he wanted to say something smart to Janet, Michael could sense Gavin eavesdropping to the side of them.
Michael cleared his throat. "When did we discuss this?"
"Well, we didn't decide on it. But I figured why not ask."
Michael finished eating his waffle cone, dusted his hands clean, and propped his elbows up on the table. "Well, Mariah and I don't know if that's possible. We live with three kids and have guests staying right now. I'm not sure if we'd have the space."
Janet gave a playful eyeroll. "Oh please, Michael-"
Michael flashed his eyebrows in warning.
"Tyrone. We know you guys have all those guest homes. Heck, one of them is practically the size of a four bedroom house."
Michael shrugged. "I don't think his doctor would even approve of that. We live around so many exotic-"
"He already okay'ed it."
Michael furrowed his eyebrows. "You already asked?"
"Sure. I figured you'd say that so I did you the work of performing my own research."
Michael made an uncomfortable face. He glanced at Gavin, who looked up at him with doe eyes.
"Gavin...do you think you'd feel better if you stayed with me?"
"Oh, most certainly!" He replied.
Most certainly? What kind of kid says 'most certainly!'?
Michael contemplated for a few moments. He didn't know exactly what to say.
Mariah came shuffling back over with Nicole's ice cream cone. "Here you go baby." She then sat back down to the left of Michael. "So, what are we talking about?"
Michael shot his eyes down, ignoring his wife.
He took a deep breath. "I guess..."
"Yes!" Gavin exclaimed. "Thank you Mr.- Jenkins!"
Mariah furrowed her eyebrows. "You guess what?"
Michael ignored her again, looking up at the Arvizos.
"But only you and Gavin." He said, pointing his head toward Janet. "We don't have space for everyone."
"Only her and Gavin what?" Mariah inquired.
Janet shot up and reached over the table to hug Michael.
"We're moving in!" Gavin exclaimed.
Jesus...don't say it like that.
Michael looked at Mariah under Janet's arm. The look of horror on his wife's face was enough to know that he was in deep trouble.
August 27th, 2000
"Mariah! Janet!" Michael closed the front door. "Nicki! Noni!"
No answer.
He walked into the foyer, looking around for his family. "Hello?"
He narrowed his eyes, walked into the living room, and flipped on the light switch.
"Surprise!"
He jerked back in surprise as his wife, children, and siblings jumped out at him.
"You guys didn't have to do this." Michael noted.
Mariah walked forward with Elizabeth on her hip. "But we did." She kissed his cheek.
"So enjoy it."
After sitting around catching up with his brothers and sisters for a few hours, Mariah went into the kitchen and brought out the cake. She set two candles on the cake, a '4' and a '2', and lit them.
"Alright, baby. Come on."
After the family sang the birthday song, Michael got up from the table and picked up Nicole and Noelle. "Girls, you gonna help Daddy blow out the candles?"
"Candles!" Nicole shouted.
He took a seat at the table with a twin on each leg. "Alright girls, let's do this."
Neither twin moved, instead they both looked behind them.
"Go ahead." Michael urged.
"We waiting." Nicole explained.
Janet raised an eyebrow "What are you waiting for?"
"My friend!" Noelle answered.
"Uh oh..." Janet commented.
Michael stroked his eyebrow. The girls went through phases with their imaginary friends. Sometimes they'd talk to them, sometimes they'd be away somewhere. And whenever they were away, the twins liked to call it 'sleeping'--the friends were 'sleeping' in their 'flower beds'.
"Noni, is your friend here?" He asked.
Noelle, grinning, gave Michael a hasty nod.
Michael smiled back.
"Say, 'hi', Daddy!" Nicole demanded.
Michael sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. "Who am I speaking with right now?"
"Roe Roe." Noelle responded.
"Uh uh!" Mariah shouted.
Michael pulled back, sending a concerned look to both Janet and his wife. The rest of the Jacksons stared on with curious looks.
"What's going on?" Marlon asked, walking into the room.
Michael stroked his bottom lip, his eyes fixed on his wife's confused expression.
"Daddy, say hi to Roe Roe!" Noelle demanded.
Michael glanced down at his daughter, hesitant to say anything. "Where is she?"
Nicole pointed to her right.
Michael took a deep breath.
What am I doing?
"Hello there, Roe Roe."
"Monroe, say, 'hi daddy!'" Nicole shouted.
Michael's mouth dropped open a little bit.
"Baby, where did you meet Monroe?" Marlon inquired, thoroughly creeped out by the scene in front of him.
"Outside."
"Why does she keep saying that?" Mariah questioned, downing the last bit of her Moscato. "She says that every time we ask her about these kids."
"Because it's probably true." Michael noted, resting his arms down on the table. His expression read anxious but knowing.
"How many of these 'friends' are there?" Marlon asked.
"At least two." Janet responded. "A boy, and this one."
Michael muttered a profound insight under his breath--something he realized awhile ago.
Mariah, frustrated, looked up in realization. "Say that again."
Michael took a deep breath, he didn't really want to repeat it.
When he wouldn't answer, Mariah turned to Noelle. "Noni, what's your friend's name again?"
"Monroe."
"Not that one, the other one--the boy." She clarified.
"He's a boy, Mommy!"
"I know, I know, he's a prince. What's his name?"
Michael swallowed. "He isn't a prince. His name is Prince."
Mariah froze.
Michael chewed his lips--his eyes distant.
"They're talking to our dead kids, Mariah."
"Aw hell naw!" Janet shouted.
Mariah shook her head, forcing herself away from the table before scurrying out of the room.
Janet's eyes just about popped out of her head. "Lemme go get my sage! Marlon light them-"
"TT, wann talk to Roe Roe?" Nicole asked.
"Aw shit, Marlon, hurry up! They tryna get me too!"
Michael rolled his eyes at his sister's antics. While Mariah was busy having an out of body experience and Janet was busy prepping for an exorcism, Michael could feel himself growing anxious at the thought of having to explain to the twins what was going on.
He sighed.
Damn, damn, damn.
The answer to the trivia last chapter: In chapter two of Human Nature, Mariah tells Michael that Alison's friends stole her toaster.
New trivia: In the media, is the pic of Mike or Latoya?