Underneath the Stars

Chapter 2

May 15th, 1990

Mariah hurried up to her apartment before her landlord could see her. She wanted to go just a day without being told that she could be staying in the building for free.

When she made it into the tiny studio, she flipped on the lights and flounced down on the couch she had found in the back alley with her Wendy's bag.

Shit- My water.

She pushed up from the couch and walked over to the kitchenette for a glass of water. Overhead, rats scurried around, probably in search of their next room at the upstairs neighbors' apartment.

After taking a few sips of lukewarm water, Mariah grabbed her salad out of the Wendy's bag, walked over to the air mattress and plopped down on it. She ate her salad in silence, still hearing the rats running back and forth overhead.

What can you do that hasn't already been done? Mariah thought.

She sighed. Michael thought I was good. He would know, look at his success. And Brenda should be more successful, but she's not, now is she?

Outside of the window, sirens wailed loudly. A few gunshots rang and Mariah prayed it wasn't coming from the men outside of her building.

She took an anxious bite of her salad.

I gotta get the hell out of here...

When she finished her salad, Mariah picked up the telephone to call her former employer, and good friend, Brenda K. Starr.

"Hello?"

"Hey Brenda, it's Mariah."

Brenda did a mock gasp. "Uh-oh, I've got the hottest new artist on my line, how you doing? Better be ecstatic."

Mariah laughed. "I'm flying right now, girl."

"Good. Hopefully, you'll be able to get out of that rank apartment soon."

"Hell, I just hope I can afford food on a regular basis by then," Mariah said, glancing at her refrigerator.

"You out of food again? You know I can take you to get groceries."

"That's okay, Brenda. I'm not a charity case." Mariah replied in a joyous sing-song tone.

She could hear Brenda roll her eyes and quickly changed the subject.

"So how was your day?"

"I didn't do much of anything. I went to the spa and got pampered, that's what I did." Brenda replied.

"I know that's right. You deserve it."

"Yeah, I do. All these hours I'm putting in. But what about you? How did you do?"

Mariah grinned.

"I met Michael Jackson on my way out and he drove me home."

Brenda squealed on the other line. "You met the Michael Jackson and got him to drive you home? Girl, why didn't you start there? I want all the details."

Mariah giggled. "So I was walking out and I bumped into him-"

"Typical Mariah."

Mariah rolled her eyes. "Like I was saying...I didn't know it was him at first so I'm just apologizing and then I look up, he's trying to help me up. I'm like 'You're Michael Jackson' so I started apologizing even more. So he helps me up, but he's all cool about it. Then he asked for my name and I tell him. He goes 'You're Mariah Carey?' and I'm like 'How does he know who I am?' He said he heard my song on the way there. I wanted to faint right then and there, but he had to go to his meeting, so he left. Then, like thirty minutes later he comes back out and we keep talking, then he offers to take me home. At first, I said no-"