The Bad Tour(ture)

Chapter 13 - Things I Do For You

I was still in Missouri.  Before I left Michael, I left him with my demo tape.  He asked for it so I handed it over to him.  So I was supposed to give him a call to hear his thoughts about it.  He told me he had a lot of meeting to attend with his label so I thought maybe he wanted to give it to one of them.

I was staying at my parents' home where I still had my childhood room to run to.  My dad knocked on my door and walked inside.

"You want to talk about it some more?"

I looked up at him from my bed.  "No thank you, Papa."

I had to tell my parents about my divorce.  They had no idea me and Jose were going down that road.  I made him look like prince charming to them.  They didn't know about the infidelity or the abuse.  I didn't want them to know anything because if they did, my brother and father would end up in prison after they'd be through with him.

"I'm always here for you if you need me okay?"

I smiled at him and shook my head up and down. 

As soon as he left my room, I picked up the phone and dialed the number Michael wrote in my notebook, so I can reach him.

It rang and rang and I was convinced he wasn't going to answer.   But just as I was about to hang up the phone, I heard the ringing had stopped so I put it back to my ear.

"Helloooo?" A low raspy voice said, sounding a little frustrated.

"Hi, can I speak to Michael?"  I thought it was a private number he gave me.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Shakira," I said shyly.

"Oh.  Hey honey, it's Bill."

"Oh hi."  Bill was Michael's head of security. 

"Michael is in a meeting right now.  You want me to tell him to call you back?"

"Oh, no it's fine.  I'll call back later I guess."

"You want to talk to Frank?"

"No thank you.  I just wanted to ask Michael something.  It wasn't important."

"Hold on," I heard him say faintly with a giggle in his voice.  I also heard another man in the background.

"Hello?"

"Yup?" I asked not knowing who I was now talking to.

"Shakira, when you gonna let me take you out on a date?"

I laughed.  "Who's this?"

"It's Miko.  Michael's friend.  The good looking one."

Oh.  This was Marlon Brando's son.  He was part of Michael's personal security team too.  "You're silly."

"You calling for Michael?"

"Yes, I just wanted to ask him something but I'll call back later."  Out of nowhere I heard like fifty people in the background talking and laughing.  "Hello?"

Miko started laughing with the others.

"Hello?"  I thought maybe the meeting just got done.  I tried to see if I could depict Michael's sweet voice in the sea of all the others.  "Hello?!"

"Hello?"  It was now a female on the phone.

Who's freaking number did Michael give me?

"Who is this?"

I sighed.  "It's Shakira.  I'll call back for Michael later."

"No, wait hold on."  She started yelling for him.