Human Nature

Chapter 39

February 3rd, 1993

Michael and Mariah had been in New York for two days when Tommy had called, requesting a meeting with both of them. Michael didn't care what Tommy had to say, but Mariah was nervous for one reason or another. He shrugged it off and walked into Tommy's office with a cool expression on his face. Mariah sat down in the other chair and glanced between the two of them as if they were going to fight. Michael wouldn't fight Tommy for Mariah, he had no reason to because he already had her.

"Michael, Mariah welcome." He started.

Michael nodded. "Hello, how are you today?"

"Oh, I'm great. You?"

"We're great. A little jet-lag, nothing serious."

Mariah nodded with a nervous smile on her face. 

"So, I've been watching the headlines since your engagement and some of them are good, but some are troubling." He pulled a few magazines from his desk to show them.

Michael shrugged. "Aren't they always? What exactly are we supposed to do about it?"

The covers were all using the same picture, which was taken with him down on one knee. Ebony and Jet had congratulatory titles while OK and Star seemed to be trying to sell the engagement as a cover up or a business deal.

Mariah picked up OK and read the title. "'Inside Michael and Mariah's fake relationship. Inside sources say they can barely stand to be in the same room...' okay, who are these inside sources?"

"Whoever wrote the article. They always say they have an inside source so they can sell the story as a fact." Michael explained.

He flipped through Star magazine and laughed. "'Michael and Mariah are both being paid twenty million dollars to keep up appearances until Mariah sells a hundred million records. Meanwhile, Wacko Jacko continues to be a closeted homosexual."

Mariah frowned. "They said that? Seriously?"

He showed her the article and pointed to the paragraph he read. "Right there."

"So what's the plan, Tommy?" Mariah asked.

Tommy looked Michael in the eye. "A joint interview might do it, nothing big. "

Mariah nodded. "That's it? I can do that."

"I know you can. I need Michael to agree to it." Tommy said.

Michael hadn't given an interview in fourteen years and he had little intention to give another one. Speaking to the public always went badly for him, he was always misinterpreted either intentionally or by his own bad choice of words. Mariah never had that problem, she made sure people wouldn't do it to her and there was no real reason to, she was a new artist. 

"Who's going to be doing the interview?" He asked.

"Oprah."

February 10th, 1993

"Are you two nervous?" Oprah asked.

Michael shook his head. "I don't get nervous."

Mariah glanced in between the two and shrugged. The joint interview was Tommy's idea and she knew Michael hated interviews because reporters tended to twist his words around. It was pretty easy, she had done it herself on several occasions since Michael wasn't always the best at communicating what he had to say. 

"Let me say congratulations on your engagement." Oprah said again.

Mariah grinned. "Thank you."