Set Me Free (Michael Jackson Fanfiction) (Completed)

Chapter Nineteen

Katherine Jackson had taken her son and his girlfriend to one of her favorite coffee shops in her neighborhood. The gentle woman quietly sipped her cappuccino as Michael munched on a breakfast croissant.

Blair had a sandwich and cappuccino as well but hadn't bothered to touch any of it.

Mrs. Jackson peeked at her over the rim of her mug before setting it back down. "I love coming here," she hummed. "It's peaceful and the employees are always so nice. They take great pride in their expresso art too."

"Expresso art?" Blair asked curiously.

Mrs. Jackson gestured at Blair's cup. "Look down."

Blair then understood what she was talking about. The cream and spices in her mug had been designed in the form of a pretty rose. "Wow, I didn't even notice that."

Mrs. Jackson nodded. "You have a lot on your mind. Still, you should drink up before it gets cold."

Blair complied and took a sip. She didn't have an appetite for anything, but she didn't want to be rude to Michael's mother by not drinking it, since she was the one who paid for her meal. "It's good," Blair assured her.

Michael finished his sandwich and looked over at her. "You should try to eat your sandwich too. Having something in your stomach might help you."

"Or it might make me feel worse."

Michael asked delicately, "Will you at least try for me?"

Unable to resist his plea, Blair sighed helplessly before biting into her sandwich. She noticed Mrs. Jackson giving her son a smile of approval.

"You're a beautiful young lady, Blair," Mrs. Jackson told her.

"Thank you." Blair accepted the compliment, even though she didn't feel very pretty.

"But I hope you don't mind me saying that you can afford to put a little bit more meat on your bones. You shouldn't be afraid of food."

"My boss tells me that I should be," Blair stated.

Mrs. Jackson's face hardened. "Sweetie, do you like this man you work for?"

Blair shook her head. "I hate him," she murmured.

"Hate is a very powerful word."

"It's appropriate though."

"Then why are you still working for him?"

Blair sighed tiredly. "Michael askes me this all the time."

Michael then spoke up. "We're just trying to understand."

"I know."

"Honey..." Mrs. Jackson reached over to touch her hand. "Did your boss do that to your face?"

"No. It was someone else, but my boss still has his own ways of being cruel."

"Hmm, I can relate to having a cruel manager," Mrs. Jackson stated.

Blair frowned. "Really?"

The first lady's expression was saddened. "Right after Jermaine was born I took up a job to help Joseph with the bills. I worked in retail. The store's general manager was the one who hired me, but it was the assistant manager who supervised us daily. That lady never wanted me in that store and didn't bother hiding it either."

"What would she do to you?" Blair asked.

"The store mainly catered to white women in their early to mid-twenties. Not only was I the wrong color for my assistant manager, but I was also well over twenty and with a different fashion sense than everyone else who worked there. Each day she was verbally abusive to me, never able to greet me with anything positive. If I was in the front of the store doing a job before we opened, she would tell me there was something I need to do in the back, not wanting her first guest of the day to be greeted by her colored employee."