Living With The Enemy

Chapter Seven

The other man chuckled sarcastically over on his end of the phone. Michael put the phone's cord between his thumb and palm, moving it up and down as bit the corner of his lip in a timid manner. What was Joseph calling for; to ridicule him or his decision, to give him a verbal lashing of why he should not have went public with everything, or because he just wanted to touch on the past with his son until he could take it no longer?   

      Just like when he was younger.

      "Well, well, well, boy. You sure did it now, and don't even think about trying to call Katherine's phone, because...boy, she is pissed to her maximum degree," Joseph spoke while lighting his cigar. On the other end, Michael grew cold and weak add he thought of his poor mother, just screaming her heart out. His mouth began to quiver as his speech was wiggly and wobbly and uneven.

      His breath started to get quicker and his mouth just rambled, "Look...I--things, like al--uh..." He could practically feel his father's frown on his ear from him failing to form one simple sentence; his mind was running like a madman and one of the things he couldn't do was think properly to even consider talking to the monster on the other end. Joseph was tapping his finger on the base of the phone while he listened to a pitiful Michael.

      "Listen, boy, your mama isn't too proud of what she saw and heard yesterday, and neither am I," he admitted. Michael sighed and looked off into the distance, seeing the giraffes tugging at the leaves of of tree with their teeth. "I know you think I called you to give you a tongue lashing through the phone, but I didn't. I just wanted to ask you...why? Why would you decide to move in with this man, knowing that he is as sneaky as a damn snake? He'll find something and give it to the media. I mean, damn, couldn't you have made a song or two together, instead of doing all this?"

    Sighing, he said, "No, Joseph, I couldn't; they would've suspected something was up. And I know that he wouldn't sell me out like that. He's sneaky, no doubt, but he's no traitor."

     "Who's to say no one will suspect anything now? Michael, you are about to be living with a man. A man! Does that not mean anything to you. Other than that, he's a man that doesn't give a damn about anyone's reputation and feelings but his own." Michael took his eyes from the animals and sat on the couch of the room. "I tell you this as a warning, steer clear of him, Michael. I won't have any son of mine being tainted by some scum like him."

      "Stop it! He's not like that, and you know it. From what it sounds, I think you were trying to call me gay. You think I'll play for the other team, is that it? Well, Joe, I'm here to tell ya that I won't and I never will." This conversation was taking a turn for the worst, and it'd been that way ever sine Joesph said hello. The line went dead silent like a cemetery at midnight: not a word or sound was audible. Then, Michael heard a thud through the phone, scaring him to the max. "Joes-"

      "Who in the hell do you think you're talking to like that?! I'm your damn father, boy! Don't you know that I'll reach through this phone and choke you to death?" Michael widened his eyes at his father's tone of voice. His colorful vocabulary had grew as he cursed and cursed at Michael, but didn't leave a mark on his heart at all.

~~~

P

"Listen, X, I don't exactly need any advicw on how to live with someone, alright? It's just Michael-fucking-Jackson, the biggest show off the world's ever seen. All he thinks about is his baby hairs and a damned cartoon mouse." The pair were still in Prince's living room and were going back and forth over Michael, him, and Neverland.

      So I'm not really worried about anything," he thought.

      Xendrea chuckled and crossed her leg over the other. "That's not nice, boss," she teased. "Besides, what if you need an ice breaker for when you get there? Those still exist, you know."

      "An ice breaker? Really, Xendrea?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She nodded and saw how he tapped his foot against the wood of the floor in a rhythm that was annoyingly familiar to the both of them. "Please, the only ice he wants to break is the Disney on Ice," he joked.

      "Be nice," she scolded. "Anyway, you could ask his favorite color."

      "Don't care," he responded almost immediately. She blinked out her shock and kept going.

      "Okay...er...you can ask him what his favorite movie is."

      "Peter Pan; said it in an interview. Anyway, why do I have to ask the stupid questions? I'm the guest, not him," he complained like a child. He crossed his arms and leaned his head back, but kept his eyes on Xendrea.

      Wow, he actually pays attention to Michael? What a shocker, she said in her head.

      "Because, he may not want to talk to you, and this way, you can show him how nice you are." Prince put his head back to level and shot her a bored look. "What? I'm just trying to give you a way to show him that you have a good side," she rushed as a defense.

      Chuckling, he told her, "I don't give a damn about what that man thinks of me, okay. Yes, I'm nice when I wanna be, but when it comes to him, he can go to hell. And if he wants to be petty, I can be a petty bastard, too. I'm not Jermaine, and he isn't going to treat me like gum under a seat. And if he wants to try, oh, he had better be ready."

      Pettiness is close to prettiness: with either one, you get positive and negative results. There'll be lovers, and there'll haters.

              -JJH