Another Part Of Me: Tales From A Childhood Lover

6. The Motown Sound and Gun Shot Bound

August 7th, 1969 

2330 Jackson Street 

Gary, Indiana 12:00 p.m. 

In The Front Yard

Michelle's Point of View:

When I had you (When I had you)
I treated you bad and wrong, my dear
And girl since, since you went away
Don't you know I sit around
With my head hanging down
And I wonder who's lovin' you

Michael's breakout hit Who's Loving You is playing on the radio all the time here in Gary. I had our radio playing on the stoop loud enough for me to hear it. The Jacksons have already left for California, and I now sit around with my head hanging down like Michael sings about. My best friend is gone, and I don't really have anyone to hang with at school or after. Linda and I are still enemies as I continue to write letters to Michael about it.

Dear Shelly,

We really are stars now; Berry says that our real television appearance was last week. We were singing at the Miss Black America Pageant. We even made it in a magazine. I cut out the article and sent it to you in this letter. I miss you, Shelly, although hanging with my brothers is cool, I miss our adventures. I got a new pet a lizard we are calling Stripes. Did your parents ever get you that dog you were asking for?

Marlon and I share a room which is better than all of us brothers in one room. But he is still annoying using my things and snoring loudly. He thinks Stripes is a chameleon, but I think he is a regular lizard with stripes. Anyway, I know Linda and you are still enemies. I hope you got her back for putting Jello in your hair on the school trip to the zoo. I wish I could go to the zoo, but Joseph said we need to work on this new album and finish the tour first, and then maybe we can go. Well, I have to finish this letter up now. Today, we go on our first tour date, and I still hate flying and planes. I wish we didn't have to fly.... wish me luck, Shelly.

Your bestie,

Applehead, aka Michael the Star

I laugh at the last letter I got from Michael. He sent me this letter almost a month and a half ago and I sent him one back. I told him about actually getting Linda back for the Jello. I managed to get her to sit on a brownie during the last day of school, and they called her doodle butt till this day. I told him how I miss him too and how I now have no friends. I also told him about a plane flying trick that I read about at the library. I also told him I was still asking for a puppy and to no avail. No puppy has come yet.

I didn't tell him about my boobs coming in this summer. Nor did I tell him about Daddy's car getting stolen by a new gang out here in Gary. The gang is called The Westside Rebels, and a few of our old classmates got recruited into it. George Mccoy and Patrick Denson are the newest members of the gang. They also stole my father's car; I caught them just when they took off.

By ratting them out, they got arrested, and my dad started getting threatening messages about the ordeal. He took the responsibility of ratting them out to protect me, but I knew that Patrick and George knew. I sat in the yard waiting for the mailman, hoping I would get a new letter from Michael soon. His letters are the only thing I could look forward to. Daddy said we can't call them because they are busy, and he is not paying for long-distance service.