Book 4- 1968 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 11- Alpha Dog

                Chapter 11- Alpha Dog

                Date: Monday, June 24, 1968

                Time: 10:43AM

                KAYLA'S POV

"Yeah, I'm off to Michael's house. I'll be back to make lunch in an hour. Love you, Elijah." I buried a miniature bag of gummy worms into my skirt pocket, hoping that Charles wouldn't notice.

There was no response on my Dad's end; rather, my Grandma piped up. "Love you, hun! Could you please pick up some apples at the corner store?"

Sighing, I replied with, "I'll try. It isn't like I've got myself bread to just spend as I please, though!"

"Can you pwease get some, some Cheew-ios?" Charles plead, rushing to me on his semi-stable legs. "Pwease, Kayla? Pwease?"

I couldn't help but grin as pat his little baby head. "Alright-y, I'll try getting some for you. Hey, do you know just how cute you are?"

He pat his mini-Afro, nodding. "Very cute. Very."

"Yes, very cute, you are. Alright, I'm headed out. I'll catch you later!" I turned around, ready to go and play with the brothers and La Toya, and maybe even little Squirrel.

I gradually made my way up to the Jacksons' house and welcomed myself in. Once I had set foot inside, a strange, almost soapy smell inhabited my sensitive nose. I covered all of my facial orifices, as if the scent was too much for my entire head to bear.

Marlon happened to notice me covering my head. He walked over, an excited expression plastered to his head, and shrieked, "Kayla, you gotta see this. Look what Mike did... I told him about it."

Furrowing my brows, I questioned, "What's going on? The house smells like burnt soap."

"Just go in the kitchen! We're trying to conduct an experiment." Marlon was googly-eyed, as if he had spotted the largest glazed donut known to man. He ushered me along, his dazed expression becoming more and more suspicious.

As I entered the kitchen, the scent became unbearable. I pinched my nose, desperately attempting the block out the horrendous smell. Michael was knelt by the stove, intently watching what was going on inside. He noticed me and waved slightly, a widespread grin on his face. He motioned for me to come over, which I grudgingly obliged to.

"C'mere, Kayla," he whispered, still watching the stove. "It's magic." He pointed at the dingy wooden stove, where the awful burning sensation was emanating from. As I got closer, I saw an outline of a broken-down, decimated object.

"Umm... What is that?"

"Here, lemme get it." Michael put on an oven mitt and pulled out the pan in which the soapy object burned. The block-like object had brown burn marks where it had been in the oven, and the smell was unbearable. It was obviously a piece of soap.

"Ohhhhh," Michael said, his mouth agape. "I guess we need a microwave to do this right."

"That's what I told you," Marlon retorted, crossing his arms loosely. "I told you, I told you, I told you..."

"What were you trying to do?" I interrogated, trying to sniffle through my now-stuffy nose.

"Well," Michael began, "You see, Marlon told me that if you put soap in a microwave, it'll expand. I said, 'well, what if I put it in the oven?' and tried it out.... By the way, it didn't work."

"I can see that," I stifled. "Yep..."

"You can see what?" Jermaine entered the room, crossing his arms in the same manner as Marlon did. 

"Um, we can see that-"

Michael was cut off by a loud crackling sound, followed by an angry voice. "I told you, YOU'RE NOT MARRYING HIM. THAT'S FINAL!"

I was compelled to move towards Joseph and his angry outburst. He was most likely lashing out at Rebbie, I knew that. She told everyone a couple days ago that she got engaged to Nathaniel, and it seemed as though Joseph was not taking the news well.

I crept out of the kitchen and into the living room, where I discreetly listened to their conversation. Michael crawled under the new couch and barely opened the slit of the new leathery lining to see what was about to go down. Marlon stood in the clear, his mouth gaping wide open, kind of like a fish.

"I love him... You can't stop me! I'm eighteen, Dad. I'm not your little princess anymore. I can't and won't take you orders. There's no way that you're going to control me now, no way." She defiantly humphed and stood her ground solidly.

"I'm your father. You listen to me!" He was seriously agitated.

"You cannot control me!"

"You're in my house. I can and will control you as long as you stay here. I'm the alpha, and no one back-talks to me."

Rebbie was about to open her mouth for the inevitable response, but Katherine interrupted the fight in the nick of time. "No one is fighting over this. Joseph, Rebbie is a legal adult. She can do what she pleases. Rebbie, let's not talk about this in front of your father." She took Rebbie clenched fist in her soft hand.

"No, we are talking about this. Right here, right now! We're not going to let this one go, Rebbie. I'm not losing you to some scumbag of a boy." He glared angrily, both of his hands forming into powerful fists.

"Joseph, stop it!" 

Rebbie stepped up. "Dad, you may as well drop it. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not. I love him, he loves me, there's no way you;re going to stop us! As much as you may want to debate, that's the end of the matter!"

His eye twitched, as if he was trying, trying to fight the urge to charge at her. "Rebbie, I'm older than you. You're not going to win this. I'll do what I can to stop it. We're keeping this family together as long as I can."

"This is the end of the road, Dad," she huffed, about ready to lose it. "You've kept me as long as you could. It's time to let me go."

"I'm NOT! You better let go of your fantasies, because-"

Rebbie and Katherine walked away as calmly as they could. None of them batted an eye at us, and no one dared look at fuming Joseph.

Joe stood in place, obviously cussing everyone out in his mind. His eyes were red and bloodshot, as if he had been crying. Of course, everyone knew better than that. He just stayed, his expression as stolid as could be, his hands still formed into tight fists, his eyes still locked on the door that Rebbie and Katherine exited.

No one had the courage or the stupidity to utter a single word in his presence.