"Excuse me, who gave you permission to look that good?" I beamed despite my folded arms. Prince had just emerged from his limousine and rang my doorbell. At that time, this man promoted the "Musicology" album, but snuck away to visit me.
"No one." Prince teased back and propped sunglasses on top of his dark hair now. There'd only be a matter of time before I'd jack those shades for myself. Anyway, Prince let his short yet powerful self lean in the door. Lavender wafted from him.
I could only imagine what his own entourage actually thought of us both right now. We were two ageless souls who beamed about each other like teens in love. Butterflies returned to my stomach. There was still no better feeling in the world.
"All right, then. Jamie's not here, though. She's got school band rehearsal." I said. Time zipped by too fast because right now, my little princess grew up and reached Junior High. Once Prince found out that my daughter even chose percussion lessons, his dramatic self cried like a proud Auntie. I quickly laughed my ass off that night.
"Okay. She's growing up too fast. Before you know it, she might ask Shelia for mentoring and I'm not ready for it." Prince faked his tears once more, but I then rolled my eyes towards him and we soon headed into my house together.
_____
"Angel, can I ask you something?" Prince cleared his throat once we finished lunch together. His own rehearsal would start again quite soon and I still needed to pick up Jamie from band rehearsal later. If it wasn't for current scheduling, I would've seen my husband longer and Jamie could visit with one of her favorite people.
"Sure, what's up?" I wanted to gather our dishes and clean up, but Prince already took me to task. Before I could really turn my head and face him, he'd turn on the faucet and started working again. I sat in my chair, but let him ask the question.
"Did you shelve your autobiography? I set up meetings years ago to help you out, but something must've changed." Prince offered the one question that I hadn't thought about again. Quite some time had passed since I wrote something down.
"I guess so, baby. Ever since Jamie was born, I stopped writing because motherhood was so important." I sighed, resting my hand in my chin. Prince continued washing dishes for me and wiped his hands with a paper towel, done.
"That I understand, but you don't need to change diapers anymore. Maybe you could start writing again." Prince suggested. I shook my head, knowing full-well that there'd be no point in someone like me actually publishing my thoughts.
Even when Mike released his "Moonwalk" book in 1988, most people only wanted details on his relationships. If anything, Prince would have written something more interesting than me. At this point, I was just another washed-up musician now.
"Babe, no. Right now, nobody would care. I'm not that special, at least not anymore." I offered my truth, revealing some hidden emotion that had been suppressed for decades. I'd rarely broken down, not even in front Prince.
"Uh, uh." Prince shook his head and asked me to stand up from the kitchen table. I stood when asked and walked towards him, following the slow motion of his gesturing finger. I'd lost myself, but knew that this moment wasn't about lust.
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying not to cry this time. I could even remember the last time we were this close to each other without interruptions. My heart skipped a beat just facing him now. My current feelings now proved to be surreal.
"Look at me. With or without the project, you're still special. Your opinion matters, Angel, no matter what happens. If you do release that book someday, I'd trust you more than anyone else. Some folks out here just make up nonsense and lie for money, but you actually know the business better than most." Prince affirmed.
"Thank you, baby. I look back into it." I pecked his cheek and Prince kissed my back. Of course, we'd stopped anything steamy before anything distractions would arise. As much as I'd love to forget our responsibilities, I still knew so much better.
As long as we had each other, my mind would be at peace.
_____
Months soon passed after our personal talk in the kitchen occurred. I still pondered that book idea within the depths of my mind, but of course focused on motherhood. Jamie already considered learning more instruments and I had to prepare myself.
Scoring tickets to kick off my night away from motherhood, I wanted to surprise Prince after the gig. Crew members and bandmates, including Sheila, beamed with joy to see me once again. Still, I couldn't pinpoint my husband, at least not yet.
It wasn't until later that night that we finally noticed each other. Prince walked backstage and now faced me with this terrified expression. I didn't know what to think, but for the first time in quite a while since converting to Jehovah, he cursed.
"Shit." Prince whispered. Silence fell between us. My mind jumbled with too many questions. My heart leaped more and more with dread. Something definitely wasn't right, especially this man kept a damn swear jar for everyone else around him.
"What's wrong? That was a great show, but I've been looking for you all night." I found myself panicking, but somehow kept it together. There was no other choice. Anything could've taken place, but I still needed to offer my brave face right now.
"Angel, I love you so much." Prince lied, dodging our reality with each passing moment. Now, anger fueled my thoughts. Spewing adorable shit or acting cute wouldn't change our current problem. I needed answers and enough was enough.
"No nicknames! What did you do?" I finally yelled, not even caring if bodyguards and crew members heard. Tears spilled from my eyes. I could've choked right now and wouldn't care. My best friend kept another secret, breaking another promise.
As if planned, Manuela stood in the doorway.
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