Stay the Night

Chapter 49

February 2nd, 2004

"What the hell do you mean you're dropping out!"

Michael leaned against the wall while Karrin shot him a glare, holding the phone away from her ear. 

Don't look at me like that.

Karrin attempted to break the news to her mother gently, but her mother wasn't having any of it.

"--this is your dream and you're going to throw it all away--"

"Mommy--" Karrin whined.

"--don't 'mommy' me! Karrin Marie Adams you'd better get your ass to New York or I'll drag you back--"

Michael's eyes widened at the threat. The one time he'd met Karrin's mother, she'd seemed so poised and cool, but at the same time, he could imagine having a similar reaction if his own daughter called him to tell him she was planning to drop out with no clear plan.

"-- do you think I pay for college for you because it's fun? Huh?"

Karrin rubbed her temples. "No, mommy I--"

"Have you lost your cotton-picking mind? Why the hell would you drop out in your last year? You have no plans, no job--"

"I do have a job!" Karrin shot back, starting to get fed up with her mother's screaming.

"You danced on one fucking tour! Karrin you are not a professional dancer!" Angelica snapped. "That man has you in his house and you can't leave? I'm calling the police--"

The police? It ain't that deep lady...

"Mom!" Karrin yelled back. "Stop it!"

"Stop it?" Her mother echoed, facetiously. "Oh, I'll stop alright. Stop my daughter from being brainwashed into whatever cult that man has going on over there."

Michael crossed his eyes. He could understand her mother being upset, but to accuse him of running a cult was excessive.

"Mom, a cult?" Karrin snickered, rolling her eyes.

"Must be something going for you to give up the one thing you've been dreaming of since you were a little girl."

"Yeah," Karrin looked to him, pleadingly. 

He knew instinctively what she was asking.

Michael nodded. "Go ahead."

"My plans have changed a bit." Karrin started. 

"How so?"

She pulled away from the phone, cringing.  "I'm...Michael and I are in a relationship."

"What!"

February 5th, 2004

"You know you two are going to have to talk eventually, right?"

Mariah glanced over at Jermaine pensively. He came by to visit her at the LA condo and with the kids still with their father, she appreciated the company.

Mariah sighed. "I know, it's just..."

Jermaine straightened up on the couch. "Just what?"

"It hurts." She admitted. "It hurts so much."

Her brother-in-law sucked his teeth, nodding slowly. "I can understand that, but he's your children's father."

"I know." She replied quietly, glancing out of the window. "I didn't want this for my kids. I grew up with divorced parents and it was hell. The last thing I wanted to do was raise my kids the way I grew up."