My Lost Love

Chapter 1 - A Wish Come True

     "I've always wanted to be able to tell stories, you know, stories that came from my soul. I'd like to sit by a fire and tell people stories-make them see pictures, make them cry and laugh, take them anywhere emotionally with something as deceptively simple as words. I'd like to tell tales to move their souls and transform them. I've always wanted to be able to do that."  -Moonwalk, 1988

     And now I shall attempt by telling you this love story that's haunted me from its existence to its painful termination.

This story is dedicated to the love of my life.

     It all started way back when my brothers and I, then known as the Jackson 5, moved to California in the late 60's. There was a woman and a man that lived on our street Hayvenhurst Avenue that my father Joseph quickly got acquainted with.  My mother Katherine became very friendly with the woman.

     The couple had a young daughter who I'll refer to as Maya or Ya-Ya in this tale. She had plenty of other nicknames. She went by Sweetie most commonly but also names like Honey, Baby Doll, Princess, but after my brothers and I got to know her, we'd just call her spoiled! She was the only child so her mother and father treated her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world and they let her get away with everything. She was really cute though. She spent a lot of time at my house when we first moved to Encino because her mother was always over to see my mother. Maya loved my youngest sibling Janet and used to treat her like a little sister. And with my other sister Latoya, she was like the big sister Maya always wanted I think. She always wanted to be around her. And with us boys, she was very playful and kind of mean and pushy like girls are with boys when they're younger. She thought boys were "stinky" and "meanies." But as she got older she had more fun with us. She would sing and dance with us. She wasn't shy at all. She was a young free spirit.

     All that changed though the day her father died when she was only 8 years old. It was really sad. My whole family attended the funeral.

     Maya stayed in the house, her and her mother, after that traumatizing event. My mother and sisters would go visit them from time to time but it took Maya and her mother awhile to really come out again.

     A few years later, I heard that Miss Wanda, as I'll refer to Maya's mom for this story, had gotten re-married and her new husband already was moved in with his daughter.

    Miss Wanda's late husband was a successful, wealthy white man and her new husband was told to me by my mother, "Nothing like Ya-Ya's father." This new guy on the block was a black man, just as Miss Wanda was a black woman, but my mother said he seemed too pushy for her liking and he didn't have a lot of money in his wallet before marrying Miss Wanda. So Mother thought he was a suspect gold-digger.

    I saw Miss Wanda again though one day and she seemed to be herself again. She was very happy and cheerful so I didn't see a problem with her marrying this man. He made her happy again. And when I met his daughter, I definitely couldn't see the problem in having him around.

    I was walking down the street in my neighborhood, the one place I could be free to roam without craziness running after me. It was still very lonely though. No one was ever out and around this time Christmas was coming, a holiday my family doesn't celebrate, so everyone was in their homes spending time together or maybe out shopping for the perfect gifts for their loved ones.

    As I was walking, a girl was across from me on the other side of the road walking her little dog. We looked at each other and exchanged friendly smirks.

    It was kind of dark out, the sun was setting, so I figured either she wasn't a big fan or she didn't see who I really was. I had never seen her around before though so I wondered who she could be.