The Labors of Love: Short Stories

The Jennifer Hudson Show

Genevieve stood happily across from Jennifer Hudson preparing for their interview. Genevieve has loved her since her season of American Idol and has supported every aspect of her life since. Prince often encouraged her to take artists under her wing and she never did until her. Jennifer came over for holidays some years and she was always part of the family. Genevieve picked Jennifer to sing Purple Rain when Prince ascended because she's the only person she trusted to do it well.

"Mama G, it's so good to see you! You look amazing!" Jennifer smiles leaning over to hug Genevieve.

"It's good to see you too." Genevieve smiles coyly. She's changed a lot since the last time they spoke. The nearly 64 year old woman has completely changed her appearance. Long gone are the  curls and afros of her past. She now sits across from her friend with her hair tightly wrapped in cloth. Her clothes have gotten looser. Her tight dresses replaced with flowing matching sets or sweat suits she refuses to wear without proper styling. Even her eyes have changed, the gold growing more evident each year. Some things remain the same though. She still loves simple jewelry and prefers a six inch heel. 

"Go ahead and have a seat. There's tea and water on your table and we'll get started here soon." Genevieve smiles and takes her seat as Jennifer is pulled away by production. Anxiously, she looks down at her wedding ring and thinks of her husband. Interviews aren't the same without him. He was the only person who could tell her how well it went. She breathed deeply, twisting her wedding ring around her finger to calm her nerves.

"You've got this, mama."

The air whispers blowing by.  Genevieve smiles feeling his spirit watching her. Jennifer takes her seat and they begin to test the camera. The lights and mics get adjusted. Then, they begin to film.

"I'm not going to be shy about this one y'all. My favorite person in all of Hollywood is here with me. Genevieve it's so good to see you."

"Ooh my first name." Genevieve teases, smiling.

"Genevieve is- oh wow. I don't think I've ever told this story on camera. Genevieve was the first person to call me after Idol. She reached out to congratulate me and told me if I ever needed anything I could call her."

"And I'm so glad that you did."

"Tell me. What're you up to these days?"

"Mostly behind the scenes work. A few music videos, some movies, a tour or two, and my dance company."

"How do you juggle it all? You're a singer, a dancer, an actress, a teacher, a mom"

"And a grandmother."

"A grandmother?? Who had a baby?"

"Junior and his wife."

"Aww congratulations. Now people have been asking this for a while and I already know the answer but I thought you would like to answer this. Why do you all call him Junior?"

"Well I want to start by saying his name is not Prince, it's Elijah but when he was in middle school he met someone that was named after his father and it led to a conversation about legacies. He asked his father why he wasn't a Junior and Prince told him the truth. We wanted our children to be their own people so we gave them their own names. He felt sad about it for a little while then they talked again. He told his father that even though their names are different he still wants to live up to Prince's legacy but in his own way and he's been Junior ever since." Jennifer smiles hearing the story again before checking her cards again.