He Saved Me

Part 41

Michael's POV
The aftermath of that family dinner was a whole ordeal. I asked Karen to come over and see if she could help me salvage Mia's curls. Let's just say that Mia is very upset with me at the moment. Her mid-back length curls have now transformed into a cute bob. However, she didn't think there was anything cute about it.
~~~
"Mia you can't keep your hair tangled like this forever," I said tiredly. It's been 2 hours since Karen came over, and we both came to the conclusion that a haircut was necessary.
"I don't wannnnnna cut it!" she screamed. Lord give me patience.
"Munchkin I promise I won't cut too much off," Karen lied. Karen and I both knew Mia would not be happy with the results. I pulled Mia on to my lap, away from the mirror in the bathroom.
"Baby it's just hair. It'll grow back," I reassured her. She turned towards me with her tear stained face. I felt bad, I didn't want to force her but if only you all could see "the nest". "I'll hold you while you get the haircut," I said.
"NO!" she screamed in my face.
"Mia please don't be difficult right now. It's late and way past your bedtime. I want to get this over with already," I said while caressing her cheek.
"I don't wannnna cut it!" she whined.
"Well if you listened to me every time I told you to brush your hair before going to bed, this wouldn't be happening right now," I said annoyed.
     "I don't wanna look like a boy," she complained.
     "Baby, I assure you it's not gonna be that short," I chuckled. After another hour of the going back and forth, we finally got her to agree to the haircut. I don't know why she was being so dramatic. She had her eyes shut tight during the entire haircut. When it was finally over, Karen held up a mirror to reveal her new look.
     "Do you like it?" I asked her excitedly. I thought it looked adorable on her. It was easier to see the studs on her ears now. Her big brown eyes stood out more too. But Mia instantly started crying. She stared at herself in the mirror, before turning towards me.
     "Even your hair is longer than mine Daddy," she sobbed.
"Aw baby, it'll grow back fast. But you have to take care of it. And just so you know, I think you look absolutely beautiful," I said before placing a kiss on her cheek.
~~~
Mia's POV
A few weeks have gone by since my "makeover". I was starting to get used to it I guess. Nobody knew this but, that haircut was actually my very first haircut ever. And it sort of felt like a new beginning. I know it sounds cliché but it's true. Getting rid of the damaged inches kind of felt like getting rid of my past. And it was proving to be true.
My nightmares weren't as frequent anymore. Some nights, I was able to get through without waking up even once. My therapy sessions were becoming more tolerable as well. Things were going great so far, I can't complain. Daddy wanted me to start sleeping in my room, but I wasn't ready for that yet. I still needed him by my side.
     As well as things were going, I couldn't imagine not being able to share our bed time routine together. Every night he would make it a point to read to me before bed. Even though my reading level was now chapter books, he didn't care. He would read them aloud and ask me questions about the plot, characters, and the theme. This was his way of checking if I was paying attention. Some nights I would doze off before even getting to the questions part. And during the more difficult nights, he would sing to me.
     Daddy's voice is angelic. He can make me feel better in seconds by just singing to me. My favorite songs to hear him sing are Smile and You Are Not Alone. It's like nothing else in this world mattered when he sang. Once the reading/music sessions were over, he would tuck me under the blanket, and run his fingers through my hair till I fell asleep. I can't possibly imagine not receiving that love every night. Daddy is my rock. I'm not ready to leave his side yet, even though he's pushing me to get used to the idea of my own room again. I guess you could say I'm attached.
     All of Daddy's family and friends were coming over tonight. There was some big party, I'm not really sure for what though. When it comes to Daddy's work, I don't ask many questions. He doesn't really talk about work at home either. Sometimes it's crazy to think that he's THE Michael Jackson. Just a few months ago, he was just any other celebrity to me that I would sometimes see on the cover of gossip magazines in grocery stores. Never in my life would I have thought, that one day he will become my dad. The best dad in the whole wide world.
     Grace helped me get ready for the party tonight. Apparently everyone was supposed to dress up in their favorite MJ attire. I was inspired by the Billie Jean look he does on stage. She helped me style my short hair into that same "wet curls" look. Although my hair was too short for a ponytail like Daddy usually does, the curls fell perfectly over my face like his does. I wore a black sequined dress, like the sequined sweater he wears. I decided to wear white sequined socks with my black flats. And we definitely can't forget that white sequined glove.
     When I was finally ready, I joined everybody else downstairs. Daddy helped me put my outfit together, but he was still astonished with my look overall. "Wow Mia, you look great!" he exclaimed. I hugged him tight as he gave me a kiss on the top of my head. He was dressed in his usual black slacks, military style jacket, black loafers, and a black fedora. It can't get more classic MJ than that. He was comfortable and happy, as everyone else emulated his "King of Pop" looks.
     Paris went for the Bad look, Prince went for the Smooth Criminal look, and while Blanket went for the Thriller look. Daddy forced all of us to cheese for several pictures. Soon, all the guests started to come in. All of his family was here too. Everybody in the party was decked out in Daddy's iconic looks. Everyone seemed to have a good time, but I was still unsure of what was going on. Why were we all here? After about an hour, Auntie Janet answered all my questions.
     The music lowered, and Auntie Janet got everybody's attention by taking the mic from the DJ. "I just wanted to say a few words for my brother Mike tonight. As you may all know by now from the billions of headlines all over the world, my brother, Michael Jackson, has once again broken records. This time being his own record. His new album, This Is It, has officially become the biggest selling record of all time, beating our beloved Thriller!" she yelled excitedly. Everyone cheered and clapped as Daddy stood there laughing shyly.
     I had no idea. I didn't even know Daddy had released his new album already. It really hit me how little of the outside world I'm exposed to. Daddy doesn't really allow me on the internet or watch regular cable. He supervises everything I do. I mean, I didn't even know my own Dad beat his own record after some 30 odd years. That was a huge deal. I clapped and cheered just as loudly as everybody else. I was so proud of him.
     "And I just want to say one thing before I let Mike take over," Auntie Janet began as she looked towards Daddy. "I just wanna say that I'm so proud of you. You inspire me everyday and I'm so proud and honored to be your sister," she said as her voice trembled. Daddy gave her big grin and pulled her into a tight hug. As I looked around, I saw a lot of tears and heard some sniffles.
     Auntie Janet handed over the mic to Daddy to say a few words. "Hehe God I'm so embarrassed," he began followed by many cheers. "I just want to thank God for blessing and allowing me to be his instrument of nature. With every album that I had created after Thriller, I constantly hoped to make something bigger and better. After all these years, I was finally coming to terms with the fact that it was never gonna happen," he giggled. Everyone chuckled at that comment.
     "But it's great feeling to know that I finally had outdone myself," he said with a smile. Everyone clapped and cheered to this. "And it would've never happened without the people in this room right now. Every single one of you have been there at some point in the making of Michael Jackson. Thank you... and especially to my parents, Katherine and Joseph," he beamed. "Thank you to my brothers, who I started this journey with. And to my lovely sisters for all their care, love, and support," he said to a round of applause.
     "I'm sorry I'm making this speech so long, but there's just so much to say", he giggled. "And thank you to my babies... without them I would be nothing. They have taught me the true meaning of love. They made me the man I am today. Everything I do is for you 4. Daddy loves you guys so much," he said with tears in his eyes. Everyone clapped and cheered to this the loudest. "I won't take up anymore of your time, please make yourselves comfortable and enjoy this evening. I love you all!" he said before coming over to us.
     All of 4 of us tackled Daddy to give him a giant hug. "We're so proud of you Daddy!" Paris exclaimed. We all gave him hugs and kisses. The night continued to be a blast. I mostly stayed with my cousins. Nothing in Neverland was off limits tonight. The rides were on, the movie theater and arcade were packed, and of course we all had to have a water balloon fight.

Michael's POV
     The party was wonderful. Janet and La Toya put everything together. But after several hours of being with adults, I stepped outside to watch all the children play. It was like a breath of fresh air. No fake smiles and small talk. Just pure happiness out here. All my nieces and nephews were came out here today. I laughed with joy as I watched all of them enjoy something I had created. I love seeing children and adults, completely lose themselves at Neverland.
     As nice as all of this was, there was this thought that kept creeping into my head. Breaking this record was truly a dream come true. And this has to be the biggest accomplishment of my career. But this also means that I'm on the top again. In my 20's, that was something I wanted. But at this age, all I really want is to be left alone with my children. I wanted to take them around the world and introduce them to new things. Be there for them, every step of the way and not worry about work.
     This album was just supposed to be something I owed the record company through my contract. Of course I gave it my all creativity wise, but this really was supposed to be it. I didn't think it was going to beat Thriller. Being on the top sure has its perks, but it's also lonely. You don't know who to trust. You don't know who really has your back, or who just wants to ride out the popularity of being in your circle. Will the media ever leave me alone now? I don't really want to be the King of Pop anymore, I just simply want to be Michael...