Book 1- 1965 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 11- Saturday Reminder

                                                                Chapter 11- The Tape

                                                   Date: Wednesday, September 22, 1965

                                                                     Time: 6:08AM

                                                                   MICHAEL'S POV

        Man, even at a day old, these still taste great.

        I was munching on one of the last glazed donuts from yesterday. I was actually wondering whether or not it really was Joseph who brought them home. It sure didn't seem to be like him.

        But the guy looked exactly like him...

        I shrugged a little. I guess I would never really know.... Maybe.

        I popped the last bit of donut in my mouth and got off of the living room loveseat. It was time for me to go brush my teeth for school.

        However, before I was able to go into the bathroom, Joseph hand motioned me over. I obeyed him, very reluctantly.

        "What?" I asked, trying to get him to the point as quick as I could.

       Joseph gave me a cruel look, but shrugged my behavior off. "Can you tell Kayla to come over this Saturday? I have something important that she needs to do with us."

        "Alright," I replied (in an intentionally bored tone). "I'll tell." I rolled my eyes to make it seem like I was extra-bored.

        Joseph slapped (okay, he patted. Hard-ish) me on the back, and told me to go brush my teeth.

        I did as told, and brushed my teeth. My hair was so short that there was nothing I could really do with it, so I didn't bother. I also didn't change out of my bed shirt, because I had nothing else that was clean.

        I yelled 'Goodbye!' to everyone from the living room. I never expected anything from Joseph, but I really wanted a response from Mommy.

        I think she was still asleep.

        I gave up after a couple seconds and walked out of the house.

        The second I was out of my house, I felt about a million times happier. Now all I had to do was wait for Kayla to go to school.

        Unfortunately, there was one thought on my mind that I just couldn't shake off of me, as hard as I tried.

        What's wrong with Mommy?

                                                                    KAYLA'S POV

                                                                  Time: 11:09AM

        "Hey, Michael!" I called.

        Michael turned his attention away from another girl he was talking to and asked, "What is it, Kayla?"

        "Did you notice anything... strange, per se, about, um... Kattie, your mom?"

        I really hoped that he wouldn't take that the wrong way.

        "Um, yeah, I did. She's been awful sleepy recently, and lately she said that she feels bloated," he answered.

        I tried to think of things she could have that would cause sleepiness and bloating. Maybe it was irregular digestion. Or maybe it's an early stage of mono (even though I really hoped not).

        I thought off a bunch of other things that she could possibly be getting: sleep apnea, IBS, depression (though I didn't think so), hypothyroidism...

        Gee, nothing seemed to really be matching up.

        "Hmm, I'm sure it will pass," I said as casually as I could bring out. I tried to hide the concerned look in my eyes.

        "Okay, as long as you say," Michael said, spooning out some yogurt. His eyes suddenly brightened up, as if he came up with an amazing idea.

        "What is it, Michael?" I questioned.

        After swallowing a spoonful of his yogurt, he cleared his throat, and exclaimed, "Oh, Kayla! Daddy- I mean, um, Joseph- wanted me to tell you that you need to come to our house on Saturday. Is that alright?"

        I groaned mentally. As much as I liked being around the Jackson siblings,  didn't particularly like Joseph that much. But, I knew I had to answer back with the response Joseph wanted.

        "Sure thing," I stifled.

        "Okay, I'll tell him," Michael said. "Are you ready to practice tonight?"

        "Yeah, I guess I am," I muttered.

        Michael gave me a sympathetic look, as if he knew what I was thinking, and didn't want to go, either.

         I decided to change the subject, to keep our minds off of practice tonight. "Well, um, say... have you seen 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'?"

        Michael shrugged. "Jermaine told me it was a sissy movie, so I haven't seen it yet."

        "Oh, but Michael, it's Audrey Hepburn! She's good!" I exclaimed. "This Sunday, when nothing is going on, how about you come next door, and I'll show you the movie. Okay?"

        "Well," Michael started. "I actually have practice everyday."

        I gave him an annoyed look. "You're telling me that you practice all of Sunday, with no break?"

        "Um..." Michael bit his lip and squinted his eyelids, "No. First, I go to church, with your family and mine. And then, I spend an hour preaching about Jehovah's goodness to the neighborhood. Then... I have an hour or two to myself. And then..."

        "Perfect!" I clapped my hands. "When you have your break, you can just come over and watch a movie. I'm sure Elijah won't mind."

        "You call your Dad, Elijah?" Michael asked.

        Not expecting him to ask such a question, I stuttered a little. "Um... Y-yeah, I do. Why?"

      For that matter, why do you call your Dad, Joseph? I thought. After a few seconds of considering, I chose to keep the thought to myself.

        Michael changed back to his happy-go-lucky self. "No reason. Yeah, I'll come over. You said the movie was 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'?"

        "Yep!" I replied jovially. "And so, then-"

        The second grade started filing in lines, to go back to class. Michael stood up.

        I scrambled to my feet, and then said (hurriedly), "I'll, uh, tell you on the way home."

        Michael mouthed an 'ah' to me, and smiled before walking off to the line.

        I staggered behind, trying to not think of this Saturday's meet.

        But, of course, it was no use. In fact, all that I could dwell on was this Saturday's meet.

        I think I could honestly say that I really did not like Joseph.