Book 4- 1968 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 18- Behavioral Issues

                Chapter 18- Behavioral Issues

                Date: Friday, August 9, 1968

                Time: 9:18PM

                JOSEPH'S POV

Motown better be getting back to responding pretty soon. It's been nearly a month already... I rubbed my nail in deep thought. 

The deadline for a response was drawing near, and yet Motown had still not come back with any results. Of course, I should have probably expected that. We were asking a lot from the company, with Kayla and the age of the kids. But I needed to know what was going to happen, and fast. I was growing impatient with all of this waiting, not to mention everyone else that were depending on me.

"Marlon," I started, plopping myself on the new couch, "do you think Motown will ever come back with a result?"

He eyed the beer bottle in my hand disapprovingly, but answered my question... with a response I did not like. "I dunno, Joseph. It's all up to Motown and Mr. Gordy."

I closed my eyes. "Yeah... I know, I know it's all up to them, but what do you feel? Do you think we've got it?"

"Do you think we've got it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But I figured they woulld've called back by now if they wanted us."

Rebbie interrupted our conversation. "Maybe the waiting is a blessing in disguise. You never know, Joe. Hey, maybe he's waiting just to give you a hard time. Based on what everyone's said, you sounded real tense when you were there." She took a pause before adding, "I'll bet that's it."

I didn't look Rebbie's way. I had barely talked to her since that one fight, and there was no way she could get me to speak directly to her unless she changed her mind about the marriage. I knew it wasn't going to happen, but I thought that there was that 1% chance that I would get lucky in this situation.

Odds weren't in my favor. In fact, they already scheduled a date for the ceremony- November 30th. She asked me if I would walk her down that aisle. I never answered back. She should know that it's an obvious no.

After a moment of waiting for me, she put her hands to her hips. "Are you going to be that immature, Dad? You know, I thought you were much more responsible, more grown up than this." A huff could be heard from her direction. "I guess I was wrong to think of you that highly."

That was it. I flew to my feet and cornered her in the side of the house. The only sound in the whole house was my breath and the whimpering of Marlon, who was still comfortably seated in the couch.

She should have known better than to downgrade me to the equivalent of pond scum. She didn't know how hard it was to be me, to have to deal with all of this crap from everyone in my family. I knew one thing, though, and that was that she was going to learn how it was to be me quickly.

However, before I could utter a single syllable, I heard the warning ahem from the kitchen. I didn't even have to look the way to know that it was Kate, who had probably been protectively watching over Rebbie since she began speaking. Knowing that I had been defeated, I backed away from the corner- very slowly, I might add- and settled myself back on the couch.

Rebbie shot me a devilish smirk reminiscent of Michael. Oh, how I wanted to beat the look off of her face... but I let her idle away, as though absolutely nothing happened and the Jacksons were just one big jolly family that we always pretended that we were.

When Kate came hobbling into the room, ready to chew me out, I feigned a pretty little smile and acted as though nothing happened. "Hey, hon, what did you think of the boys' performance tonight? Thinking that Tito's able to administer that high C, at last?" My hands folded themselves in my lap on default.