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 | | Subject: Wandering Heart ( the story so far....) April 10th 2010, 10:37 am | |
| I have given up putting the story into pieces so here is all of what i have written to date:
CHAPTER 1
October, 1983
A cool breeze gently coaxed golden and red leaves along the sidewalk, sending tufts skittering frantically across the cold ground. The autumn wind picked up, causing Michael Jackson to fold his arms up across his body in an effort to ward off the impending chill as he slowly walked down the sidewalks path.
Michael had no particular destination set in mind, instead he merely allowed his feet to unconsciously dictate the path his body would follow. Or, in simpler terms he was wandering aimlessly around his Encino neighbourhood, looking and searching again.
But like all the other nights, he was finding that his attempts were fruitless at best, and completely humiliating at worst.
Even with all his success over the years, Michael still found it hard accepting the reality of his celebrity status. After his performance at Motown 25 earlier in the year, his fame had catapulted into a whole new realm of super stardom, and quite frankly Michael wasn't sure if he had been ready for it all.
Of course he was very happy with the success of his album Thriller; who wouldn't be? A lot of blood, sweat and tears had gone into its production and quite frankly Michael couldn't have been happier that his hard work had paid off on his album, an album that was surpassing all expectations and quickly making its way to being the Best Selling Album of All Time.
Michael sighed in exasperation as he sadly glanced up to look into the rapidly darkening horizon, not a breathing soul in sight.
He jammed his fists into the pockets of his sports coat as he once more turned his focus to the ground moving beneath his feet with each weary step.
Who was he kidding? Just what did he hope to accomplish coming out here every night, searching for something, someone that didn't exist?
No one wanted to be Michael Jackson’s friend.
Oh yeah sure, people loved him for his voice and his gracefully yet charged dancing, but when it came down to him, the real Michael Jackson, no one seemed to care.
Knowing that the world revered an image, a caricature of him, somehow made Michael feel like the loneliest person on Earth.
He didn’t know when he started taking to the streets of his neighbourhood. All he knew was that one summer night he found that he could no longer take the consuming feeling of isolation he felt and just up and left, easily slipping past the moderate security that guarded his home, and began roaming the familiar streets with the moon and streetlights as his backdrop as he searched for a friendly face to talk to.
Thus began the start of his fruitless endeavour to find someone to be his friend.
But alas, whenever he had gone up to someone asking if they would be his friend, they would suddenly get a good look at his face and exclaim “Oh my god, it’s Michael Jackson!”
And every time Michael’s face would fall and his heart would ache because he knew that they only saw Michael Jackson the entertainer, the celebrity. Not the real Michael Jackson.
And that’s not what he wanted.
For once Michael just wanted to be normal, to be another nameless face in the sea of humanity.
He didn’t want someone to be his friend because he was THE Michael Jackson. He wanted someone to be his friend because they liked him for who he was on the inside.
Someone to love him for him.
As much as he loved and respected his loyal fans, he still wanted someone who didn’t idolize him and put in on a pedestal. Someone who had no qualms about teasing him and not afraid to hurt his feelings. Someone who would share his love of drawing cartoons and for animals. Some who would treat him like a human being and not like a god on earth.
‘God… if you can hear me, I humbly pray that you would please send me a friend...’ He silently prayed in desperation.
The sky had darkened completely now, and Michael was so absorbed in his pleading prayer to the heavens that he didn’t hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching.
Michael briefly saw stars as the wind was promptly knocked out of him as he felt his body collide with another smaller form.
‘Ow…that really smarts…’ he thought as waves of dizziness and disorientation washed over his fallen form.
“Oh my god, I’m soo sorry!” cried out a feminine sounding voice, and the feeling of small hands frantically searching his body in alarm quickly brought Michael back to earth. “Are you okay?! Oh god… I did not see you at all!”
Wincing slightly, Michael slowing picked himself with some aid from the female stranger before he turned to face her, an apology resting on his lips.
“No, it’s my fault I should have been looking to see where I was…” his eyes widened as he suddenly found himself staring into the most beautiful golden brown eyes he had ever seen in his life “…Going…” he finished in a near whisper, his mouth going slightly agape at the sight before him.
In his lifetime Michael had most certainly seen pretty and beautiful women, but until now he had never laid eyes on any female as gorgeous as the young woman standing in front of him.
She couldn’t have been older than twenty two; long curly strands of dark brown hair delicately framed her caramel complexioned face, and she nervously bit her full lips as her eyes worriedly looked over his body.
“Still, I should have seen you; I guess I was too occupied carrying sleepyhead here and my groceries…OH MY GOD!” the girl exclaimed as she then noticed the contents of said groceries spilled all over the ground.
Michael then noticed the small sleeping boy she held in one arm as she struggled to balance his weight in order to bend down to pick up her items.
He immediately jolted into action.
“No, let me get those for you. “ he said as he began to place the packages back into the giant paper bag.
“Oh, no you don’t have to do that! I, I can get it…” she said hesitantly as Michael held up a hand, silencing her.
“Come on, it’s the least I can do after being such a clumsy oaf.”
He finished putting the undamaged food back into the bag before picking it up, surprised by the heavy weight. He was just about to suggest that he help her carry her groceries when he noticed the wide eyed horrified look on her face.
‘Oh great, she finally figured out who I am and is probably going to faint. Oh God why me..?’ Michael mentally braced himself.
“Oh my god, you’re bleeding!” she exclaimed indicating with her finger to a spot underneath his left eye.
Well, he hadn’t quite expected that.
He instantly brought up a hand to face and indeed felt the sticky warmness of his own blood oozing from a cut high on his cheek. He looked down to see a very sharp looking twig resting right where he had fallen.
Wonderful.
“I’m sooo sorry!” the girl wailed slightly as she winced at the sight of his blood.”Oh god, I just can’t do anything right can I?” she half sobbed, placing a hand to her forehead.
“It’s okay, it’s just a scratch.” He said dismissively, but she ignored him.
“Scratches don’t bleed; I think that’s more than a scratch…” she replied before she suddenly froze in thought.
“My house is only about a block away. I feel awful about this, I know I’m a total stranger and all but please… let me make it up to you. I have a first aid kit and I…I can patch that nasty cut up for you.” She boldly offered.
Michael eyes widened.
“Oh no, you don’t have to do anything like that…I’m fine it’s just—”
“—I insist.” She cut in, leaving no room for argument as she pinned him with a strangely determined look eyes that took Michael by surprise. It was because of this Michael found himself agreeing. Or at least that’s what he tried to convince himself.
If he were to be really honest, the girl in front of him really intrigued him, and not just physically. And there was also the fact that she really didn’t seem to know who he was; most girls would have tried to rip some of his hair out by now or fainted from just being in his presence.
Usually his voice was a dead giveaway with him being so soft spoken and all; surely she had an inkling of who he was going by that alone.
Either that or she didn’t care.
Then again he was also wearing a fedora hat that sat low over his face; maybe she couldn’t recognize him because of the dark.
All he knew was that this girl interested him.
A lot.
“Okay.” He conceded. “But only if you let me carry your bag for you.” He said with a timid, yet dazzling smile.
He watched as her eyes lit up at his acceptance and he felt his stomach lurch slightly as he saw her perfect lips curve into a small smile.
“Okay…it’s a deal.” she agreed before she switched the still sleeping boy in her arms to her other side.
“So um…where is your house…uh…” Michael trailed off as he realized that he didn’t know how to address this girl.
The girl blinked in slight confusion before she came to the same conclusion.
“Oh god, where are my manners? I practically blackmail you into carrying my groceries and I can’t even tell you my name. I’m so sorry…I’m Lydia. Lydia Fields.” She introduced as she turned in the direction of her home. “And my house is over the there; the green house with the blue shutters. Of course you can’t really tell at night.” She giggled nervously.
“I’m Michael.” He responded in kind.
Her lips quirked in a tiny smile.
“Just …Michael?” she asked teasingly and Michael responded by turning his head to avoid her eyes he felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment. He finally nodded before saying “Yeah” in a small voice.
Lydia giggled at his sudden bashfulness.
“Well, just Michael with no surname, I haven’t seen you around here before; what brings to my side of town?” she asked him in a slightly joking manner as they began walking in the direction of her home that was nearing in the distance.
“Oh, I um, just moved here not too long ago.” He answered as he studied the petite girl next to him.
That wasn’t that much of a lie. He had just gotten back from touring.
Lydia nodded in acknowledgement.
“Okay, I figured you were new here or else I would have seen you before.” They quickly approached the walkway leading up to the front door of her house.
Michael tried not let his eyes reveal too much as replied.
“Well, I’m a very busy person so I can see why we haven’t crossed paths before.” He said cryptically, as he studied the little boy she held in her arms. He looked to be around four or five and his small head was adorned with wild brown curls.
They reached the door and Lydia fished out a large set of keys from her purse and promptly opened the door. She walked in and called out to Michael who awkwardly stood in the doorway with her groceries.
“Come right in, um, the kitchen is straight ahead and to your left. You can just set that down on the counter.” She said as she switched on several lamps that immediately lit up the moderately large living room.
Michael did was he was told and found his way to the kitchen to set down the groceries before he started making his way back to the living room.
As Michael looked around, he felt a surprisingly comfortable aura surround him. The house had a cosy and homely feel to it, something his own home usually did not. It was nice.
When he came back into the living he saw Lydia gently laying down the little boy on the couch, lovingly smoothing back his curls before placing a tender kiss on his forehead. The display was so heartwarming to him it nearly brought tears to his eyes. It reminded him of when he lived back in Gary as a little boy; how his mother come and tuck him every night as well as his other siblings in bed, whispering that she loved him.
Oh how he missed that.
Michael found his curiosity getting the best of him.
“So is that your son?” he asked, and immediately he regretted it. It was none of his business if the girl he was finding himself attracted to had a kid or not.
But even so he couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved when Lydia gave him a incredulous look before replying, “No, no…Jakey here is my kid brother. “
“Oh okay….” He trailed off not really knowing how to phrase the questions forming in his mind.
The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile.
“You wanna why I’m the one taking care of my little brother and not my parents right?” she asked him, not missing a beat and stole the words right off of Michael’s tongue.
Michael raised a hand to scratch his head sheepishly.
“Um…”
Lydia looked down at the sleeping boy before a distant look came across her eyes.
“It’s simple really; my mum died about a month after he was born due to complications. And my dad, well, after she died he sunk into depression so he couldn’t really take care of himself let alone Jakey.”
Michael eyes softened.
“I’m sorry for your loss…” he said sincerely. She stood up as the distant look in her eyes faded and she walked over to Michael.
“No, don’t be…I’ve already accepted it. I had to in order to be strong for Jakey. Now mister, you sit right here as I go and get the first aid kit.” She demanded as she indicated towards a large blue armchair that sat a few feet away from him. Michael sat down and tried not to stare at the slight sway of her hips as she walked away to find the necessary supplies.
God what was wrong with him? This girl was going completely out of her way to patch up a cut for him that was really his own fault, and all he could do was ogle her!
Incredible.
Simply incredible.
Michael shook his head to clear it of the not so kosher thoughts that had been brewing, sighing as he took a moment to ponder his situation.
So wrapped up in his inner musings Michael did not hear the sound of rustling or the slight squeak that emitted from the sofa as a small body shifted, now awake. But he did hear the sharp intake of breath, and he turned to see wide brown eyes staring at him in a mixture of awe and shock.
“Am I dreaming…?” Jakey squeaked as he sat extremely still. “Are you really M-Michael J-Jac—“
So much for not being recognisable. Michael knew that he could never find it in his heart to lie to a child, or anyone for that matter.
“Yes, I am.” He responded quietly, and couldn’t resist the small smile that etched on his face as the boy hummed with excitement.
“Oh, wow I knew it was you!” Jakey exclaimed before his boyish features suddenly furrowed in slight confusion. “Mr. Jackson, what are you doing in my house?” he asked innocently and Michael chuckled at the boy’s expression.
“You can ask your sister.” He answered, and the boy just lit up like a Fourth of July evening sky.
“You know my sister?!”
“Well, actually…” he trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “ I kinda just met her today.”
At the sound of echoing footsteps from upstairs, Jakey froze before making a mad scramble for his blanket.
“Oh no, I forgot that I was sleeping! Lidi’s gonna be mad if she finds out I was pretending to sleep because I didn’t want to walk.” The boy confided to Michael who was having a hard time trying to keep a straight face. “When she comes back please don’t tell her that I was pretending, okay?” the boy pleaded and Michael finally let out a small giggle.
“You were pretending to sleep the whole time? Even when she almost fell over when we crashed into each other?”
“Yeah, I do it all the time. And I’m used to her bumping into things when she carries me. Lidi is very clumsy even thought she will never say it.” Jakey’s eyes suddenly widened in horror, before he began to vigorously rub his face with his hands, appearing slightly disgusted. “EWWW, she KISSED me! Yuck, Lidi geeerrrmmss!” he groaned as he continued with his theatrical removal of “big sister cooties”
Michael chuckled at the sight, and was very tempted to say ‘Hey kid, you really don’t have it that bad,’ but he didn’t.
He could hear Lydia’s footsteps now coming down the stairs, and Jakey immediately pulled up the covers to his nose.
“Remember, I’m SLEEP. Okay?” he said before closing his eyes and slumping over like he was in a deep slumber.
Man this kid was good. Michael supposed that he would probably make a great actor when he grew up.
Michael unconsciously sat up straighter as he heard the sound of Lydia’s footsteps from directly behind. “Okay,” she began as she walked over to where he was sitting and set down a white first aid container on a nearby table before she opened it and began to sift through the contents. “I got everything here to patch you up with from gauze to… Mickey Mouse Band-Aids.” She smirked as she held them up for him to see. “Now…let’s see what we can do to clean this gash on your face.”
As she got closer Michael began to get slightly nervous. Obviously the boy had been able to recognize him; surely his elder sister had some semblance of who he really was. Either that or she didn’t believe that he was really Michael Jackson. He had seen people before shake their head saying, “you can’t be Michael Jackson” or “your kidding” when he had met them because they had been so star struck they couldn’t fathom that the Michael Jackson was right in front of them. As she made to examine the cut on his face, Michael put his hands up in a stopping gesture.
“Wait, before you, uh, start doing whatever you’re going to my face I need to tell ya something.” He looked Lydia straight in the eyes before he began to remove his hat that had covered his distinctive jheri curled hair.”My name not just Michael; I got a last name too.” He took a deep breath. “I’m Michael Jackson.”
Michael heard a snort and he looked up to see Lydia with a slightly amused look on her face.
“Okay..?” She said before she gave a noncommittal shrug. “And I’m Lydia Fields.”
At the confused look on his face she burst out laughing. She laughed even harder as the look turned to one of slight annoyance.
“I’m sorry but the look on your face…just priceless!”
She soon calmed down, but her full lips were still curved up into a smile.
“I was wondering when you were going to say something.” She said, the small smile growing by the second. At his still baffled look she elaborated. “I knew who you were.” She admitted.
Well, this was news to Michael; however, he was still slightly taken aback by her nonchalant reaction to his admittance. Trying to make some semblance of his confusion he asked,”Why..why didn’t you—“
“—What? Scream and go completely ballistic at the sight of you?” she asked as she opened up a bottle of rubbing alcohol. “Well first of all, I’d like to think that I have a little more decorum in that respect. So you happen to be famous…so what. Your still a person and I believe that everyone should be treated as such.” She bent down slightly in order to get a good look at the long gash that went from almost the bridge of his nose to just below his cheekbone. “Wow, that is really a nasty cut. Luckily it’s not that deep or else you would need stitches.” Grabbing an alcohol soaked cotton ball, she began to dab lightly at the cut and Michael winced as the alcohol stung upon contact.
“Sorry, “She apologized. “I forgot warn you that it’s going to sting a bit.”
“Now you tell me…” Michael muttered as resisted the urge to wince again.
Lydia sighed before continuing. “Anyways, I figured that it gets annoying for you to always have to deal with people who only see a name, not a person.”
Michael eyes shot up to meet hers.
That’s exactly how he felt. Only he had never heard it coming from someone else before, let alone a stranger.
But yet somehow Lydia didn’t really feel like a stranger to him. He couldn’t explain it, but for some reason Michael felt like he had known her forever, and that he could tell her anything. He knew he had to be crazy to feel this way about someone he had just met, but with Lydia he couldn’t fight the feeling, nor did he want to.
He must’ve had a weird expression on his face because she laughed softly.
”Let’s just say I know what it’s like to have people not see you for who you really are.” She said with a somewhat distant look in her eyes and Michael felt that she was hinting at something. However he felt it was not his place to ask about what she truly meant by that.
“So, I figured you’d probably wouldn’t appreciate it more if I didn’t go all crazy fan girl on you. Unless…you actually want me to…? Cause I’d be more than willing to scream if that’s what you wanted.” She joked with a jovial glint in her eyes.
“I would prefer if you didn’t actually.” Michael quickly replied and defied the urge to shudder. If there was one sound that grated on his nerves, it was sound of a female screaming in close proximity. Or any other sound that carried the possibility of blowing his eardrums.
Lydia laughed.
“Okay.” She giggled before she went back to concentrating on the task at hand.
Michael resisted the urge to close his eyes in contentment as he felt her gently dab his face with dainty, yet precise movements.
Never had anyone taken such a effort to care for him in such a way before; it was a nice feeling and he wasn’t sure he wanted it to stop.
Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and she turned away, done with disinfecting.
“Okay, here comes the question of the century; it’s matter of life or death here.” She turned back to him holding up two wrapped band-aids. “Goofy or Donald Duck?” she asked, managing to maintain a straight face for ten whole seconds before the dam burst again. Michael found her laughter to be contagious and he soon joined her.
"No really, I’m serious… you choose the wrong one and you may find yourself forever DOOMED!” she said, completely deadpanning as she spoke which only served to only make it that much funnier.
She was killing him; his sides were beginning to ache from laughing so hard.
“Heh heh… okay then…I’ll take Donald Duck.” Michael said, and upon his answer Lydia unwrapped said band-aid and promptly stuck it on his face, taking care to smooth out any air bumps.
“You guys are really weird.” Finally came the fully awake voice of Jakey, who sat on the couch pinning them with an annoyed look.
“Hey, Jakey looks like you’re finally up.” Lydia noted, emphasizing her words with a knowing smirk. “So watcha dream about, Jakey?”
Michael looked between the two of them; with Jakey’s eyes widening marginally and Lydia’s smirk growing by the second.
Busted.
“Um… I had a dream that , uh, I met Michael Jackson…and…” he sudden made a show out of seeing Michael across the room, a goofy smile on his face as he gasped, “My dream came true!!!”
Lydia pinned Jakey with a pretend stern look.
“Then gigs up, egghead. You know you’re busted.” She turned to Michael “I could hear you two conspiring when I was coming downstairs. Besides, I know for a fact that Jakey always has vivid dreams when he sleeps and he always remembers them down to every detail. Don’t know why he does, but hey, it helps me to figure out when the little bugger is pretending.” Lydia turned to Jakey once more. “Hey since you’re up, do me a favor and take the first aid kit back up to the upstairs bathroom. And don’t complain because I carried you all the way here.” She clapped her hands twice. “Come on; get to it!” she ordered and the little boy grudgingly proceed to carry out the task.
When Jakey left the room, Michael turned to Lydia, a smile on his face.
“Cute kid.” He remarked. Lydia snorted in response.
“Nah, he’s a little monster most of the time. The only reason he’s even listening to me right is because you’re here. I swear, I don’t think anyone in the world is bigger fan of you than that kid.”
“What about you?” Michael suddenly asked her. “Are you a fan?”
At this a tiny, yet elusive smile appeared on her face.
“Of course, who wouldn’t be? You’re Michael Jackson.” She replied as she walked over to the nearby couch and sat down. “But the thing is with me is that with any celebrity, I always wonder what they are really like as a person, you know? I can’t really seem to look at them or any other person for just their talents alone. I don’t know why but I guess that’s the way I’ve always been. Maybe that why I wasn’t so star struck when I bumped into you. I was just trying to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”
Michael nodded in response, his breath catching in his throat as their eyes met and unlike most people he came into contact with, her eyes didn’t fall downcast, she maintained strong eye contact. It may have been unnerving to most people, but to Michael it was like a breath of fresh air.
Michael felt something in the air, like an electric current of sorts, coursing between the two of them. Michael felt that somehow they were inexplicably connected, and he had the feeling that Lydia felt it too.
“You know…” she began softly, her gaze steady as she spoke. “I can’t explain it but for some reason I feel like I’ve known you forever and that I could tell you anything.” She confessed, her words eerily echoing his earlier thoughts. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone about my parents, and yet here I am telling you of all people practically my life story…”
Lydia suddenly became aware of his scrutiny upon her, and she broke her gaze, slightly embarrassed.
“I know you probably think I’m absolutely insane, but, I just can’t help this feeling, that I know you from somewhere.”
“I feel the same way.” Michael finally confessed, and her eyes shot back up to his, trying to figure out what this could possibly mean for them.
“Wow, that is weird. I get maybe this is fate intervening on our behalf or something.” She finally said.
“Yeah.” Michael quietly agreed.
Lydia placed her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her clasped hands.
“I was wondering…why were you walking around outside at…” she looked at a clock hanging on the wall. “Ten o’clock at night?”
Michael sighed.
“You know, I don’t think I can even begin to tell you why.” He answered elusively, but when he saw the attentive yet gentle look in her face as she listened, he proceed to tell her. “Sometimes, I go out at night I guess to get away from it all.”
Lydia nodded in response.
“That sounds nice; I wish I could just up and go for a walk every now and then, but I’m just so busy with work and school and taking care of Jakey.” She sighed. “I think I can understand the need to get away from it all, from everyone and everything. To just have it be you and nature. That would be wonderful…”
“Yes, it would.” Michael agreed quietly, utterly captivated by the girl in front of him.
“Are you to kiss my sister Mr. Jackson? ‘Cause if you were that’d be reeeeallly gross.” Both Lydia and Michael jumped at the sound of Jakey’s voice, and Michael immediately blushed.
“Jakey!” Lydia scolded, slightly embarrassed.
“What?” he asked as if he said nothing wrong. He turned to Michael who managed to keep a blush off of his face. “Hey, do you think you can show me how do that back step slidey thing?”
“Jakey! ” Lydia shouted again this time looking aghast.
Michael laughed.
“You mean the “Moonwalk”? Yeah, I’ll show you sometime.” He replied.
“Can you show me now?” the boy asked as he literally squirmed in excitement, and Michael chuckled at the boy’s impatience.
“Sure. Why don’t we go over there and I show you how to do it.” Michael said referring to the wide expanse of floor in front of the living room fireplace.
“Okay!” Jakey agreed happily.
Lydia merely shook her head but couldn’t help but be fascinated as she watched Michael begin to glide across the floor. She as well as the rest of the county had been mesmerised when she had seen him dance on the Motown 25 television special, but there was nothing like seeing it in person.
His body brought literal value to the term “poetry in motion”, and the way he managed to move his body in a way that was ethereally graceful, yet utterly sensual was absolutely spellbinding to Lydia.
She giggled as she watched the small boy try to imitate his movements with little success and almost tripping when he began to move backwards.
“No, no, like this… As you slide this foot back you lift the other to slide and you just keep on doing that.” Michael coached patiently as he once again demonstrated the motion.
Jakey furrowed his brows in intense concentration as he worked out the movement with his feet.
“That’s it! You got it little guy..!” Michael praised as the boy began to slide backwards, an earsplitting grin on his face.
“Look, Lidi I’m doing the sunwalk!”
Michael laughed.
“It’s called the Moonwalk, Jakey.” He informed the boy who looked like he could care less.
“Well, I think sunwalk sounds cooler, besides, when I do this my feet are on fire!” Jakey remarked to which Lydia who had been observing, laughed.
“Okay Jakey, that’s enough excitement for tonight you silly boy. It’s way past your bedtime.”
Jakey pouted.
“Aw, do I have to?” he whined, begging his sister with his eyes to let him stay up.
“You know the answer to that question. Now, go get in your pj’s and brush your teeth.”
“Okay.” Jakey reluctantly agreed. But before he went upstairs, he turned around and surprised Michael by giving him a hug.
“Goodnight Mr. Jackson. Thank you for teaching me to dance.” He said.
“You're welcome.” Michael replied, awkwardly patting the kid on his back as he returned the unexpected hug.
“Goodnight Lidi.” Jakey called out to his sister before he went off to dart up the stairs like a human bullet.
Now that Jakey was out of the room Lydia turned to Michael.
“Thank you for putting up with him, he…can be a bit of a handful at times.” She thanked him.
“Oh it was nothing. I like kids.” Michael admitted.
A somewhat awkward silence filled the space between them and Michael cleared his throat.
“Um, well…thank you for the band-aid and fixing it up all of that. You didn’t have to do that; it was very nice of you and I appreciate it.”
“Oh, it really the least I could do after knocking you over. I do appreciate you carrying my groceries for me. I guess I’m lucky I bumped into when I did huh?” she remarked, chuckling slightly.
“Yeah.” He replied softly as he found himself drawn to Lydia’s warm honey eyes once again. “Well, I should probably get going…it’s late and—“
“—Oh yeah, sure. You probably have better things to do than to stand around talking to little ole me.” She interjected.
“But it was nice, though. Talking to you, I mean. I don’t really get to do that a lot, just having normal conversation with people. It was nice."
Lydia smiled softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly.
“Yeah, it was.”
As Michael stood there with Lydia in her living room, he found that really didn’t want to go back to his home. However it was getting late and he did have to get up early to go to the studio tomorrow; Quincy would not appreciate it he walked into the studio dog tired.
“Well, it was nice to meet you Lydia. Too bad we couldn’t have met without colliding into one another.”
Lydia laughed and Michael thought it sounded like music to his ears.
“Well, I suppose that’s how things work out sometimes, huh?”she agreed as they began to walk up to the front door.
“Well,” Lydia began as Michael made a motion to open the front door. “Maybe I’ll see you around some time?” she asked
Michael smiled.
“Yeah, that’d be nice.” He replied before opened the door and began to walk down the walk way. He walked about a block before he came to a stop as a realization hit him.
Several minutes later found Michael at the doorstep of a green house with blue shutters, shifting nervously as he raised his hand to knock on the door.
The door opened with several knocks and he found himself face to face with Lydia, who looked a little surprised to see him.
“Oh, hi Michael. Did you leave something here?” she asked him.
Michael shook his head in a negative fashion.
“No, I came back cause I wanted to uh…um…oh gosh I haven’t done this in forever. I really enjoyed talking with you and I…I uh wanted to know if I could possibly get your phone number. To you know, talk sometime.” He finally got out.
Lydia grinned widely.
“Sure; just wait here while I get a pen and some paper.” She replied before left him standing in the doorway as she went to acquire said items. She soon returned and handed him a small slip of paper scrawled with her name and her phone number.
“Okay, here you go.”Michael resisted the urge to shiver as their hands briefly touched.
“Okay, I’ll uh, call sometime, Lydia and we can talk.”
“Okay, Michael. Oh and just so you know, you can call me Lidi.”
“Alright.” Michael replied with a smile. “Well, goodnight Lidi.”
“Goodnight, Michael.” She said as well before she slowly shut the door.
Michael stood there for a moment, before he slowly began to walk away.
As he began make his way back home, a huge smile began to grow on his face.
For he knew that for once in his life, God had finally answered his prayers.
CHAPTER 2
For as long as Lydia could remember, people had always told her that she was special.
That she was different.
She had learned from a young age that for some reason her appearance had the uncanny ability to divert one’s attention. As a young girl she could never understand why when she would go out with her mother to the grocery store people would stop and stare unabashedly at her with looks varying from wonder to motherly adoration.
Her mother had always told her that she had some kind of glow, some kind of ethereal presence that just caused those around her to be stricken with awe.
Of course then with her being young she hadn’t had a clue as to what her mother had meant by that. But throughout her childhood certain moments stood to reinforce her mother’s statement.
When Lydia had been seven she had been at the mall with her mother on a shoe shopping trip as she then had been in the midst of a growth spurt and was in desperate need of new shoes. She remembered that day an elderly black woman had come up to her and her mother and said with tears in her eyes “Little girl, your eyes shine with the light of God.”
Now that had been on the extreme end of all the reactions she had gotten over the years but for some reason the words uttered by that woman had never left her and had stayed embedded in her psyche.
Lydia had always attracted attention, but for the most part she had shied away from it all.
She had always known, for lack of a better word, that she was inexplicably beautiful to the point of eeriness.
And she hated it.
In adolescence when all of her girlfriends had constantly complained about their blotchy complexions, Lydia had then found herself wishing for just one blemish, one mar to erupt on her skin just to prove to the world and herself, that she was not above human imperfection.
But like a reversed curse, Lydia emerged into adulthood without a physical hitch and with each passing day she continued to grow into an even more striking woman.
When Lydia looked into a mirror every day she somehow felt as if her reflection was a farce, that if she blinked she might suddenly be greeted with average skin, normal brown eyes and a slightly crooked smile. But no matter how much she wished it, her reflection would always reveal flawless caramel skin, golden eyes that were lushly framed by long dark lashes, and a perfect smile that a dentist would envy.
The plight of the beautiful was one that was often misunderstood.
She would often find herself asking “What is so special about me? I’m just another pretty face.”
She remembered asking that very question to her mother when she had been twelve and on the cusp of womanhood.
Her mother then had smiled that beautiful smile Lydia now regretfully found herself having a hard time remembering, and replied “Your special because your heart shines in your eyes, and the love you have for the world makes you beautiful, inside and out.”
And those words she would contemplate whenever she found herself feeling out of place amongst others.
Physical appearance aside, Lydia knew that she was different in the way that she felt about the world.
For one she was very forgiving, almost to the point of naivety, and she knew that her heart held no hatred for anyone or anything. She loved the world and everything in it.
Another thing that Lydia knew distinguished herself from other was that wherever she went could feel music, as if it were a tangible, living soul that breathed inspiration upon her spirit.
It was hard for her to explain, but ever since she was a little girl she would often times find herself swelling with intricate melodies and harmonies, symphonies whirling in her head as she would go about her daily rituals.
It was gift perhaps, that she had always had and it was most certainly from and of God.
Often times she would find herself stricken with melody upon hearing the sounds of nature, and the sound of children’s laughter would often times induce a song of euphoria in her soul.
To her life, living, found its self manifested in a chorus embedded in her heart.
Music was her soul.
Her mother had been a musician, a pianist, and Lydia’s fondest memories were of her mother sitting at her cherished Steinway piano, playing the second movement from Beethoven’s Pathetique; Adagio Cantabile. It had been her mother’s favourite song to play and Lydia had often found herself as a young girl moved to tears by the emotion and beauty her mother portrayed in that piece; every played note found itself forever imprinted in Lydia’s heart.
Lydia rapidly blinked away the wetness felt welling in her eyes as she recalled her late mother.
If anyone was beautiful, it was her mother. Lydia had gotten most of her looks from her father, but she and her mother had shared the same earth shattering smile.
For months after her mother’s passing she had found that she couldn’t bear to bring herself to smile. At least not where could see her reflection because it was too painful. When she smiled she would see her mothers face. She couldn’t bare it.
And neither could her father.
When her mother passed, her father changed completely and the kind hearted and fun loving man he used be had morphed into a vindictive and bitter man who spent his days in and out of an intoxicated state.
He would leave the room when she was in it because he couldn’t stand to see her face and many times she would be awoken in the dead of the night only to be witness to another one of his drunken rages that would inevitably end up in mass destruction.
Lydia had now idea where her father was right now; she hadn’t seen him in days. Her best guess was that he was at the one the few bars left in the area that he hadn’t been banned from yet.
Lydia worried constantly about her father but she knew that his drink was his way of coping with his loss, their loss.
But she really wished that he knew that she was afraid of losing him too.
If she hadn’t already.
But she had to be strong, not only for her young impressionable brother but for her own sanity as well.
Because if she allowed herself for one moment to succumb to her grief, she feared she wouldn’t be able to escape the pain that would come with it.
So with each day she would swallow away the bitter tang of pain she sometimes felt, and fill it up with the joy she felt when she was around her younger brother.
And what a joy he was. Jakey despite the hardship he had to endure upon his arrival into earth was such a happy and sweet child.
And brilliant as well… he had only just started kindergarten and already his teacher was trying to bump him up a grade, if not two because he was light years ahead of his peers, already reading at an sixth grade level.
He was her little smart guy.
And a very mischievous smart guy at that; this was third time this month he had pretended to be sleeping when bring him home from his afterschool daycare program.
Little brat.
And every time she would fall hook line and sinker for it, thus making her the fool.
If only he was this enthusiastic about sleep when it was his bed time.
Lydia sighed as her previous thoughts once again moved to the forefront of her mind.
Her existence sometimes was painfully lonely.
She had no real close friends; because of her physical appearance , wherever she went people always seemed to hold a certain expectation for her. Men were drawn to her flies and at the same time repelled by for the same reason; they expected her to be a diva; high maintenance.
And most women she came across would automatically assume that she was conceited and a snob.
When people found that she was none of these things they either wrote her off as weird or they would pretend to be her friend because for some reason, she had discovered through experience that people seemed to go out of their way to have beautiful friends.
Thus the reason why she didn’t have many close friends.
Of course as with anyone Lydia did have her issues with her body. She felt that her size 10 feet were too large for her 5’4 frame; her knees were too knobbly, and her hips were too large and her breasts too small in proportion to her frame. But these were things Lydia for the most part, could deal with.
In spite of her looks, Lydia was not conceited or vain in anyway; in fact she went out of her way to avoid attention as she was painfully shy in most social settings.
Which is why she found herself utterly dumbfounded by the way she had interacted with Michael Jackson just moment ago.
Michael Jackson.
A celebrity.
An extremely handsome male celebrity.
Lydia could feel her cheeks warming as she recalled the look they had exchanged after he had come back to ask for her number.
Oh god his eyes….
No wonder he always wore those shades whenever he went; if he went around baring those soulful eyes to the world on a daily basis, women left and right would be divesting themselves of their panties.
By keeping his shades on Michael was allowing the female population to remain law abiding citizens by not succumbing to the urge to commit spontaneous indecent exposure.
But anyways, Lydia soon found herself bubbling up with a giddiness she hadn’t felt in years.
Michael Jackson had asked for her number. Hers!
Meaning he had found her in some sort of way intriguing enough to warrant an interest in conversing in the future.
The mere thought was enough to make a somewhat rhythmically challenged Lydia want to bust out into a moon walk of her own.
Now what Lydia had told Michael earlier had been mostly true; she didn’t often find herself starstruck.
But now as she leaned against her closed front door, she couldn’t help but feel a slight awe in retrospect of their earlier interaction.
But the thing was, it wasn’t even the fact that he was a celebrity that sent her enamored mind reeling.
No, it was the discovery of a such a kind, yet painfully shy individual that set her heart racing.
Someone like herself.
Of course it was different with him being famous and in the spotlight, but at moments Lydia had found herself awed by the similarity of his awkward gesticulating to her own.
In fact it was upon the discovery of him just as clumsy as she was with their initial (and somewhat painful) meeting that had prompted her to be unusually intrepid in contrast to her typically introverted behavior towards others and especially towards members of the opposite sex.
Because she herself was often as shy as he had been with her tonight, Lydia had found herself being bolder than she normally would have because she knew herself just how hard it was to break out of your shell with a complete stranger.
When conversing with Michael she had found it utterly enamoring when he had spoken in that soft, but not overtly high pitched voice of his.
Lydia had always prided herself with her uncanny ability to be able to read people, from years of silent observation of people. In that aspect her reluctance towards social interaction with her peers had served her well.
She had always found herself to be content watching the world interact from her somewhat safe sidelines.
Just observing life to her, was utterly fascinating. The way people talked, the way people interacted with each other; it made her heart swell with joy at seeing life’s creations intermingle in cohabitation.
And if she were to go by first impressions alone she could say with utmost certainty that Michael Jackson was really a sweet and caring young man, who was extremely bashful but with a good heart.
They sure didn’t make ‘em like that anymore.
The harshly abrupt sound of a ringing telephone startled Lydia into suddenly letting out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
She walked the length of the living room to find the phone, figuring it was her father calling to have her pick him up again from the bar.
For a drunk her father sometimes apparently had enough sense not to drive intoxicated.
Sometimes.
Grumbling to herself she picked up the phone, answering with an abrupt “Hello?”
“Uh…h-hello…” replied a familiar soft voice that held a slight tremor to it.
Lydia was shocked nearly into a stupor and she found her jaw going agape.
“Michael? Is that you?” she asked disbelieving, her eyes wide.
“Um yeah… oh gosh…” She heard him say as he suddenly inhaled sharply. “ I’m so sorry…I don’t what I’m thinkin…I’m such an idiot for going and calling you up this late…but I….” he trailed off before replying,” I…just wanted to hear you voice again.”
Lydia felt her cheeks growing warm at the sound of his smooth tenor voice caressing her ears like soft velvet.
“Oh, I-It’s okay Michael…I wasn’t even close to getting to sleep. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon that’s all. “she assured him as she could sense his unease over the phone.
“Um… alright…well I didn’t want to keep you up, but I just called to, um, say uh…g-goodnight.”
Lydia could not stop the smile from spreading on her face if she tried. Could he be any cuter?
“Okay Michael, goodnight.”
“Yeah, uh good night Lidi.”
Almost as if were an after though he shyly added. “Sleep tight. And uh…dream of fairies and magical things tonight.”
Lydia could swear her heart was working overtime.
“You too, Michael.”
A slight awkward, yet expected pause ensued.
“Oh geez, I'm no good at this…”Michael groaned slightly.”Talking on the phone I mean.”
Lydia chuckled lightly.
“Well, Michael…this is the part where we both hang up.” Lydia offered, a smile etched on her lips.
“You first.” He suddenly demanded and it caught Lydia slightly off guard. However she found that she couldn’t resist the bait.
“No you.” She replied with a slightly flirtatious note in her tone.
“Nooooo,” Michael drawled out the syllable thoughtfully, causing a slight shiver to go down Lydia’s spine. “You.”
“Okay, how about this?” Lydia offered as she realized that this carried the possibility of continuing for a long time. As much as she enjoyed it, they both needed to get going to sleep.” On a count of three we hang up, alright?”
“Okay.” Michael agreed.
“Alright…1…2…3—”
“—Goodnight Lidi.”
“Michael!”
“Alright, alright…Imma hang up now.” Lydia smiled as she heard his high pitched giggling before she heard the click that indicated the end of their phone call.
Lydia let out a contended sigh.
He was so sweet and so thoughtful.
Who went around calling people they just met only to say “goodnight”?
Simply incredible.
Lydia found herself releasing another breath, and it escaped with a sudden whoosh. She felt a smile working its way unto her face as she felt a sudden elation fill her being.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy.
She found her mind suddenly filled with sounds that were ethereally beautiful and she found herself aching for melodic release for the first time in months.
With a start she once again found herself to her feet, only this time her feet had a destination in mind.
She rounded the corner at the end of the long hallway before she came across a room; a room she hadn’t set foot in over a year. She slowly opened the door and she briefly closed her eyes as her emotions began to wash over her. She then approached the object of desires, sitting down on the small bench before she found herself running her fingers across the black and white keys of her mother’s cherished Steinway, now her own.
Lydia fingers slowly began to coax the haunting, yet beautiful melody she felt coursing through her body out of the ivory keys.
Lydia eyes closed as she felt her body relax in an contentment she hadn’t felt in ages.
And as she continued to pour out her soul into an intricate balance of melody and harmony, she saw in her minds eye a pair of soulful brown eyes that caused her heart to stir.
She smiled as she allowed the ever increasingly passionate music overtake her.
CHAPTER 3
Michael was a complete mess.
After his impromptu (and somewhat idiotic) phone call to Lydia, Michael had found himself unable to sleep and he had lain wide awake in his bed, his mind replaying their minute long conversation over and over again like an overplayed song on the radio.
He had silently cursed himself for his stupidity right after he had impulsively punched in the digits for Lydia’s home number just minutes after arriving home, and had been about to hang up when he heard her sweet voice as she picked up on her end. He had sputtered like a fool, completely caught off guard; he hadn’t expected her to pick up as it had been kinda of late in the evening.
So he had nervously apologized for calling so late, thoroughly embarrassed for his lack of judgment that had been overridden by his need to hear her voice again.
And when he did hear her voice again, it was as if the gates of heaven opened up and allowed him get a glimpse at heavens finest angel.
And when he had hung up, he had fallen to his bed with a sigh and his body hummed with a giddiness he hadn’t felt in years.
He had been in such a state of inebriated euphoria that he had been unable to fall asleep.
So now as Michael hurried down the sidewalk that lead to the door of Quincy Jones’ studio five minutes late and his swollen eyelids heavy with drowsiness, Michael knew that his lack of sleep was somehow going to end up biting him the ass later.
But for once in his life Michael found that he didn’t give a shit.
And he walked right into the looming building with an extra spring in his step.
--
“Ever since his appearance on the Motown 25 special, sales have been exponentially high, much higher than expected. Even with that though I believe that we can greatly increase that revenue with more appearances, perhaps on the Today Show and maybe….”
Michael sighed in absolute boredom as he leaned back slightly in his seat, actively ignoring the droning voice of Epic’s marketing co-executive. He hated these kinds of meeting with the record labels executives; they always seemed to care only about milking money out of everything they could slap their name on: him included. And even with the unimaginable success they were finding with Thriller, they still weren’t happy unless they could exploit every single marketing opportunity they deemed necessary.
Once again Michael found his mind drifting off to his now favorite pastime: thinking about his new friend Lydia.
All day Michael’s attention had been somewhat diverted as he found himself often thinking about her smile, and the way her golden eyes lit right up when she laughed.
If Michael didn’t know any better he would say that he was smitten with a girl he had only just met the previous evening.
He was still floored at how kind and level headed she had been around him, somewhat of a rarity in most girls due to his fame.
Women just went absolutely bonkers around him and Michael found often times that it was very hard to have normal conversation with a woman who is either practically speaking in tongues from hysterics, or two seconds from ripping his clothes off.
Michael sighed again, only this time it was in contentment. His eyes closed briefly as he thought her beautiful and warm smile once more.
He wanted to see her again.
Michael suddenly felt himself being roughly shaken, and a familiar voice suddenly cut through his sleep induced haze.
He instantly jolted out of his brief daydream and saw producer and good friend Quincy Jones pinning Michael with a slightly amused look.
“Glad to see you’re still with us, smelly.” He quipped as Michael blinked stupidly.
“Huh…?”
“What’s on your mind, boy?” Quincy cut right to the chase and Michael resumed in precariously leaning back in his seat.
“Oh…nothin’ Quince…you know I get in these long, borin’ meetings.” Michael replied cryptically. Quincy shot him a look that told Michael that he could see right through him.
“Well this meeting will be wrapping up pretty soon so try not to fall asleep anytime soon alright?”
“Will do Quince.”
“What do you mean I’m late on last month’s payment? I clearly recall paying two weeks early on both that payment as well as the most recent one that you guys are charging me double for!!!” Lydia exclaimed over the phone at the female operator on the other end.
Lydia had been going through her mail early that afternoon when she had discovered that her electric company had charged her twice as much as they normally did. Immediately Lydia had been livid, and she had called up the company to get to the bottom of it.
Now Lydia was finding herself nearly at her wits end with this idiot of a women who sounded as if this were her first week on the job, arguing back and forth for the past fifteen minutes.
“I’m sorry Ms. Fields but it clearly indicates in our records that your payment was received three days after it was due, so according to our policy we added that amount to your next bill in reparation.”
“You have got to be kidding me! It was postmarked two freaking weeks ahead of time; I went to the post office and made sure of it! Tell me, do your records indicate that?!” Lydia snidely remarked as she found the woman’s squeaky voice to be highly irritating and it grated on her already strung nerves.
“Nowhere in our system does it give any indication of that Ms. Fields.”
“Well there must be a fucking glitch in your system!!!” Lydia finally lost it as she cussed out the woman, her chest rising and falling rapidly from her erratic breathing.
She slammed the phone down in its cradle, and the plastic cracked slightly from the force. Placing a weary hand to her forehead, she slid down to the floor, shaking her head in her fury.
It’s a good thing that bitch had been other end of her phone, otherwise, she might have found herself suddenly missing a few teeth from a perfectly manicured fist.
Lydia may have been a kind person by nature, but when provoked to the point of no return she had a HUGE temper. And the select few who did get to witness her rare anger knew that she meant business.
Cause Lydia Fields did not play that.
She sighed as she thought about her situation.
She so couldn’t afford to shell out another two hundred dollars over some stupid technicality. But yet again she found that she had no choice. It wasn’t as if her father was going pay it; that mans money went to went beer, booze and more beer.
And there was no way she was going to even touch any of the money her mother had left behind; that money was strictly for Jakey’s college fund.
Lydia banged her head against the wall several times as if that alone would somehow get her to figure out a way out of this financial mess.
It was then when she suddenly remembered something.
“Aw…geez, I really don’t want to do that…”she groaned as she found herself fighting an inner battle with herself.
She really hated that fact that she couldn’t see any other way out of it though.
But she really didn’t have a choice; desperate times called for desperate measures.
And she really needed the money.
With a heavy sigh, she got up and went upstair to her room where she began rifling through the piles of papers that littered the expanse of her dresser. After several minutes of searching she finally found what she had been looking for: a plain white business card scrawled with a name and several numbers.
Lydia went back down the stairs and picked up the phone, dialing the first number on the card.
After several rings the person on the other end picked up and Lydia heard a familiar effeminate male voice answer “Hello?”
Grinning wryly, Lydia replied in kind.
“Hey, it’s Lydia Fields. Is that offer of yours still available?”
Michael stretched languidly; glad to finally be out of that stuffy meeting room. He was certain that if had stayed any longer in that room with those money hogging big shots, his brain would have exploded.
He yawned as he felt his lack of sleep finally catching up to him, leaving him feeling somewhat drained.
‘I could use probably use a nap about now.’ He thought wistfully as he felt his eyes growing heavier by the minute.
Walking around aimlessly in the main lobby of the building, Michael suddenly found himself eying an oversized red armchair that, in his sleep fuddled mind, appeared to be calling his name.
He came upon the armchair and he plopped down like a falling rag doll, making himself comfortable in the somewhat roomy seat.
Yes, a nap would be great.
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