2000
Rochelle Davis-Nelson
When I opened that apartment door, by an unexpected miracle, Prince was napping on the living room couch.
"Starr?" I gently whispered a nickname, knowing that he would wake up in one way or another.
"Hey, Mama." His usually low voice kicked up a little.
My man looked so cute, wearing a scarf to cover perfect hair again.
"Baby, I'm so sorry to wake you up, but look…" I lit up this room with a side table lamp, handing over Mayte's quick note.
"What the…" Prince avoided his chance to curse. "Matye pulled this line from my own dramatic breakup song."
"She wants power back." I spoke up before long. "Attention."
"That book did enough. I'm not messing with her anymore." Prince cleared his throat and looked at me.
______
While visiting Dr. Lewis again, sometime later, we finally tried to address more skeletons.
This session turned out rough.
"Prince, are you afraid to be alone?" Dr. Lewis questioned him after taking a few notes.
"No, not at all. I just don't feel happy when Rochelle isn't around." Prince avoided tears. "I feel…almost…hollow…"
"Rochelle, even before you realized the infidelity, what's bothered you during this relationship?" Dr. Lewis continued.
"In all honesty, Prince has never trusted me around other men." I revealed. "Jealousy emerges right away."
"Why don't you trust Rochelle around other men, Prince?" Dr. Lewis continued with notes, but offered another question.
"I don't know. Genuinely. It's been years and I still can't figure out why. She's literally all I could want from a lifetime partner." Prince shook his head.
"How far did you go in the past?" Dr. Lewis hadn't even cringed while facing my husband.
"Oh, I wanted to fight." Prince cleared his throat once more. "I'm not proud, but I would've squared up with certain industry people, too."
I knew exactly who Prince mentioned without a name-drop.
El.
"Why resort to violence at all?" Slight worry reached Dr. Lewis.
"Because anger is difficult for me. Always has been. Though, to be absolutely clear, I would never raise my hand towards women." Prince assured, despite many frustrating moments over the years.
Purple Rain aside, I knew.
Despite how much we bickered or argued in real life, Prince never even allowed himself to spiral through violence near me.
"Any thoughts, Rochelle? You've been quiet." Dr. Lewis encouraged me to speak up this time around.
"I just don't want to run away anymore. We've been through too much." I sighed. Exhaustion outright fell over Prince.
"Where did problems truly start in the relationship?" Dr. Lewis asked.
"1992." Prince and I both answered without hesitation.
'I'm familiar with the contract from some reports, Prince, but what happened?" Dr. Lewis took more notes.
"My workload nearly crushed our marriage not long after signing off. It was extremely stressful because I never enjoyed working backwards." Prince shook his head once more. "Even before my infidelity, I was scared to lose her."
"We'll go into more detail next time, but do you believe that your marriage will actually last now?" Dr. Lewis offered one final question to my husband.
"Yes." Prince looked at me and held hands, smoothing my knuckle.
_____
Coming home from another Raptors game to unwind after that session, we returned to Los Angeles with smiles on our faces.
I'm tangled with Prince on the living room couch when a television broadcast catches my eye.
"Uh-uh." Prince shook his head and I gasped while watching the screen.
Interviewed by Diane Sawyer, Mayte promoted the book.
Diane Sawyer: "Controversy surrounds this book because you insist on describing so much. Why?"
Mayte García: "Because I'm tired of waiting in the shadows, especially while he
Prince is married again."
Diane Sawyer: "Can you even justify the animosity towards Rochelle at this point?
Mayte Garcia: "I shouldn't have to justify anything. That time with Prince is so special to me no matter what else happened."
Diane Sawyer: "I've read reports that you've tried to end Rochelle's career on many occasions."
Mayte Garcia: "I don't know about the headlines, but she needs to retire anyway."
What the hell? I thought to myself, turning off the television.
_____
Just before Christmas, we filed a defamation lawsuit…
And won.
Not only did Mayte need to pay up big-time, but she shelved the book entirely, stopping sales for good.
I never saw Garcia up close again, or at least not for several years at this point.
****
After New Year's Eve, to celebrate our anniversary, Prince spent much-needed quality time with my family.
Of course, pictures weren't leaked to the media outlets, but my mother hung up favorites instead.
We shared a quiet lunch with everyone smiling together. No large-scale parties.
"Guess what? Your father doesn't hate me anymore." Prince spoke up one night as we packed our bags to leave.
"Good." I smiled, not even laughing this time.
He kissed my cheek and we headed downstairs for the limo outside.
_____
"When was the first time you saw Mike's music video for Thriller?" I asked this question while eating midnight pancakes with my husband.
"Denise insisted. She pulled me out of rehearsal all because MTV would show the world premiere." Prince laughed.
"And…" I beamed, wanting Prince to go on.
"Almost twenty minutes later, we're both sitting there flabbergasted. Like: What did we just watch?" Prince is smiling again, not even disappointed. "It was remarkable."
"What happened next?" I still encouraged Prince.
"I called Michael sometime later and we just talked for hours. I was trying to figure out how he actually pulled this off, y'know?" Memories reached Prince's eyes and he looked so joyful.
"Did you get answers?" I chuckled once more, handing over plates to his chef.
"Remember that Making Of home video from back in the day? I got the very first copy." Prince revealed. I almost shrieked like a kid.
"Are you serious?" I couldn't help beaming again.
"Cause I wouldn't shut up from a creative perspective." Prince jokingly rolled his eyes. "Almost ran the tape out and I brainstormed ideas for Purple Rain shortly after."
"You came up with screenplays?" I didn't want to believe him now.
"I'll say this: the rivalry was nonsense. We just liked competition." Prince stood from one chair and left that kitchen with me, looping his arm around my shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
The Price of Fame || Prince/MJ
Fanfiction"Everyone has story, but what about mine?" - Rochelle Davis
