Book 4- 1968 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 20- Monopoly Champions

                Chapter 20- Monopoly Champions

                Date: Sunday, September 15, 1968

                Time: 1:49PM

                MICHAEL'S POV

"I'm gonna win, I know it! Michael, you can't beat me this time around! I've got it, I feel good about this." Marlon added a chuckle as he wildly shook the dice in his hands.

I sat back, enjoying the moment. "Well, we better wait and see, huh? You're only three spots away from Free Parking."

"Don't pressure me!!" He dropped the dice out of frustration. He rolled four, in doubles. I stifled back a bubble of laughter, hoping that he wouldn't be angry. 

I'll be honest, I felt bad for Marlon. He always had the worst luck when it came to playing games with me. Not to be a braggart, but I almost always won games when I played with him. It wasn't like he didn't try, either. I suppose that Heaven gave me a better hand at games.

"Aw, Michael, see what you did? That was my chance to win money..." He grumpily moved his shoe gamepiece to Kentucky Avenue. "And now it's been ruined."

"Hey, hey," I said, holding my hands up. "It's not like I planned this."

"Or did you?" he questioned, waggling his eyebrows.

"Watch this time, Michael. Mark my words, I'll win this time and get something real good. Hey, I might get lucky and score a big number. Maybe I can get one of the green properties," he said, hope empowering every one of his words. With a quick glance at the dice, he rolled them out on the gameboard.

He scored a four and a five, which equaled nine. Nine spaces from Kentucky Avenue was- I guessed it- Go To Jail.  I held back my snickers.

Marlon's happy, wishful face twisted into a frown. He knew what was coming, and didn't even bother to slide his little metal shoe to the block. Rather, he grudgingly placed it on the Jail spot. "Can't believe this... I hit Jail for the second time in this game."

"And we're only forty minutes in," I added, sneaking a peek at the clock to the right of me.

"And we're only forty minutes in! Michael, I swear, if you roll a five and hit Free Parking, I will strangle you..." He folded his arms childishly.

"C'mon, Marlon, you're actin' like you're five years old again."

"Well, I guess that makes you four years-"

"Enough." Joseph stood in front of the two of us. "I'm not in the mood to fight with anyone today. Just go get Kayla and let's get this work over and done with today."

I groaned. Joseph was in one of his bad moods. I guessed that meant we'd have to wait another couple days for the nice Joseph to come out and purchase us some donuts. My spirits suddenly dropped and weighed down upon the depressing thought.

Marlon took Joseph's words as a command. "Alright, I'm going over." Before hopping off of the stool to walk away, he whispered into my ear, "Imma beat you one of these days. Just wait and see." Marlon sauntered away from the game board and out of the house like that.

I decided that it was my duty to snap some sense into Joseph. "Why're you so grumpy, hmm?"

Joe gave me the death stare. "You can blame Motown for that. Tell Motown to finally respod to us, and then I might be happy. Speaking of which," he threw some papers onto the kitchen counter, "I've got mail."

"Oh... joy," I said, not sure of how to correctly respond to that question. "Well, are they all bills?"

"Nah," he admitted. "Some are bills, others are for taxes, another's for the confirmation for our upcoming performance at the Guys and Gals Club in October... there's a mix of everything." He sighed, sitting himself down in the seat I was in before my Monopoly game was interrupted.