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Tough Love Part 96; Part 1
A shocker at the end hunh, ;-P. -A. Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Chapter 96; Part 1 Knowing About the Jacksons Part 1 I canâ??t believe what Iâ??m seeingâ?¦and as I turn around, the man CONTINUES to walk away. I didnâ??t know if I should stay or not, but by following my intuition, I get up and quickly follow him. Once I catch up to him, tap him on the shoulder. He turn around as Iâ??m saying â??Jermaine?â? again. When I finally see him standing in-front of me, I sharply take in my breath. I canâ??t believe heâ??s actually here and Iâ??m wondering why. Before I get to say anything else, he wraps his arm around my shoulder as he directs us from the crowd and sits us near the beach chair I was just lounging in. But before he gets comfortable in his chair, I grabbed my things to sit it by me. â??Jermaine, I CANâ??T believe youâ??re here!â? He sits there with a humbling smile. â??Come here!â? I reach my arms out at him. Jermaine stands up and takes my hands to help me up as we hug. â??Whatâ??s up with the cast?â? â??Well Iâ??d THOUGHT if you were paying attention then you wouldâ??ve noticed THIS!â? I put my hands on my hips as I cutely smile. Then I sit back down. â??Havenâ??t you heard yet, I got crushed by a horse.â? â??Yeah?â? â??Yeah. Havenâ??t you heard, thatâ??s the next thing thatâ??s going to be in style?â? â??Oh,â? he starts to laugh. â??You should try it out.â? He bursts out laughing then. But then I ask the question that would be running through anyoneâ??s vein if they were in the situation I was in. â??Why are you here?â? â??â?¦Oh what brings me in this neck of woods?â? â??Yeahâ?¦whatâ??s up?â? â??Obviously I wanted to surprise you and my brother.â? â??Whyâ?¦?â? â??I wanted to see how things were going between Mr. Jackson and Ms. Swan.â? â??I guess so,â? then I teasingily roll my eyes. â??Hey why weâ??re at it, do you want anything from the menu. I think I have a taste for nachosâ?¦with extra cheese. What about you?â? â??â?¦You know, Iâ??m feeling the same thang too. Letâ??s get it.â? So after Jermaine orders a large amount of nachos, he begins to sit back and â??relaxâ? until I start to GRILL him with questions. â??You still didnâ??t give a real reason why youâ??re here. And whereâ??s Hazel and the kids? Did you leave them in L.A.? If so why? Did you know I was going to be here?â? â??Whoa whoa slow down with the questions Lyric.â? â??Trust me that wasnâ??t my last question.â? â??I know and thatâ??s why I have to slow you down now.â? I bite my lip to keep my cool. I already knew I didnâ??t want to make a fool of myself in-front of the suave Jermaine. â??I really just wanted to see if you and Michael were okay. Hazel knows so she has Jay and Autumn with her. I just rode solo on this one.â? â??Okay,â? I nod my head. I bite my tongue to calm myself down. I remembered I was in this fiery, red bathing suit and I didnâ??t want Jermaine to know that I was aware of him possible looking at ME differently because of the lack of clothing. But then that thinking is IMPOSSIBLE! The damn manâ??s married. So I just have to let those old that old crush of mine die away. â??Have Michael shared much about himself?â? Then gears shift in my head. I began to think of Jermaineâ??s handsome twenty-year-old brother again. â??Well I persisted to know about the Jacksons and he gave a little insight. But itâ??s not like we got to finish so I didnâ??t get to know all that I wanted.â? â??Oh thatâ??s sad.â? â??Yes, it is.â? â??Do you want me to offer you some insight then?â? â??Please.â? â??Uh sir, since you wanted a large and the machine was down for a little, itâ??ll take a few more minutes to make your nachos if you still want them.â? â??Oh thatâ??s fine,â? he tells the waitress as if the thought of having to wait longer didnâ??t faze him at all. â??In fact, would you like a drink with yours Lyric? Iâ??m sure thatâ??ll satisfy your taste buds. Nachos get spicy sometimes.â? â??Sureâ?¦Iâ??ll take a Dr. Pepper.â? â??Jermaine calls out this fancy name that was written on the menu.â? â??Okay, coming right up.â? â??But you donâ??t have to take mine out until you bring the nachos.â? â??Yeah, same with me,â? Jermaine adds in before the girl gets to turn away. He taps on the table briefly before saying, â??So what did you want to know about?â? â??â?¦Start from the beginning.â? I smile. That sounds such like a cliché. â??Well it all started when we found our voices in the kitchen with Mother. Sheâ??d wash dishes with us as she sang different country-western songs. One particularly is â??Cotton Fieldsâ?, which of course goes further than insinuates the slavery in America, but anyway, it is very dear to her heart. Mother is from Eufaula, Alabama. Her last name, â??Scruseâ? was one which her great-grandfather got from the slaveholding family. He could sing as well as our grandfather, and Motherâ??s father, Papa Prince. But Mother has said that these fine voices just run in the family. Josephâ??s father, Samuel, could sing as well. Then on top of that, our Mother played the piano and clarinet, and Joseph could play the guitar. But it was when they got together that they became a true â??super power coupleâ??â??if you want to think of it that way.â? â??Oh.â? â??But Mother was always singing. It was when I was five when I was harmonizing WITH her. I mustâ??ve made an impression on her because my voice caught her attention. I could tell she liked what she heard. â??Cotton Fieldsâ?? was even Michaelâ??s lullaby, but my vocalsâ?? beginning.â? Jermaine smiles. â??But when Michael was born, it was a known fact because he was just hyper! He always had much energy and of course curiosityâ?¦.None of that has changed today.â? I giggle. The girl comes with our food. â??Thank you.â? We say. Once she walks away, Jermaine sips some of his drink and begins to talk again. â??I remember I started changing Michaelâ??s pampers around this time thenâ?¦yep when I was five. I mean that was the norm, withal these kids milling around, it only makes since to get help. But I remember Michael couldnâ??t be ignored. I was always protective of him from the start.â? He looks at me and begins to smile. â??The question always was â??Whereâ??s Michael? Is he okay? Has he been changed?â?? Stuff like that to keep up with him.â? Then Jermaineâ??s face grows drastically serious and sincere all at the same time. â??In addition to Michael, we had another brother that was Marlonâ??s twin, named Brandon. But Brandon died right after he was born. So it really could have been ten of us.â? He doesnâ??t say anything for a moment while that sinks in. â??I never wouldâ??ve guessed Jermaine. I NEVER knew yâ??all had another brother. You guys never let that on.â? â??I know. We just didnâ??t share it with the public, you know?â? â??Yeahâ?¦.Well if itâ??s appropriate to say, I wish Brandon was here with us.â? Jermaine nods. â??But I knew I was a mamaâ??s boy as a child. Mother always smothered us with her love. But it was me, Michael, and La Toya that fought for her affection probably the most. Weâ??d always try to get La Toya in trouble because of that, but it was like she was perfect! Sheâ??d get off scotch- free while the rest of us would be mad about it. But even though Michael could do no wrong, and I didnâ??t feel like a favorite, it was when she was pregnant with Michael that I decided to eat a bag of salt. NEVER do that because I nearly had kidney failure. The feeling of being detached from your mother was the worst feeling I was having at the time. Luckily I donâ??t remember the experience. I donâ??t want to remember Mother missing me so much. But thatâ??s probably why I became such a cry baby. And even overly clingy. I was DETERMINED to not be left in the dust. So on the first day of school, I wriggled my hand away from my teacherâ??s grip and I SPRINTED to Mother. But she calmly told me I had â??be hereâ?. I shook my head in adoration. I barely could fathom how Jermaine, a major sex symbol in the group, could be soâ?¦sensitive as a youngster. I mean Iâ??m NOT saying it ainâ??t possible; itâ??s justâ?¦funny, in an adorable way. Thatâ??s all. â??Itâ??s true!â? he laughs. â??Iâ??m not saying it isnâ??t. Itâ??s justâ?¦â? â??Hard to believe?â? I nod. â??Unhunh. Iâ??m not surprised you said that. But YUP. Itâ??s TRUE!â? â??And you know that nursery rhyme about the little old lady who lived in a shoeâ??â? â??What about your father?â? â??Huhâ?¦oh Joseph?â? â??Sorry I interrupted you. Go on.â? â??No, I can talk about Joseph. Itâ??s fine.â? â??Okay.â? â??Well when Joseph met Katherine, she was already stricken with polio. Yâ??know because at that time polio was a big deal. Mother had gotten it at 2, and because of that, her self-confidence was very small. Yâ??know she wanted to get into the entertainment business. I heard to be an actress to be exact. Yâ??know, thatâ??s where a comparison between you and my mother lies.â? My eyes perk up at him when he says that. â??Yep. She wanted to. But then she met my father. It only took a spring and summer for them to be married in November of 1949.â? He smiles at me. â??Now thatâ??ll be known as thirty years ago next year.â? â??So it was,â? I snap my finger, â??just like that?â? Jermaine snaps his next, â??Just like that.â? â??Wooow,â? I whisper to myself. â??True love doesnâ??t have to take a long time if you know itâ??s right for you, Lyric. It CAN just take a year. Or a SEASON, but if you know you love that personâ?¦then man, it wonâ??t take you too much longer to acknowledge it.â? â??Truuuee.â? â??But thatâ??s just how we Jacksons are. Or at least the Jackson boys.â? Then he smiles again. â??I guess,â? I whisper then quickly giggle. I think Jermaine is pretty right about that. Seems like that DO run in the family. â??Must get it from Joseph.â? Jermaine shrugs. *â??Either way itâ??s a trait I wouldnâ??t change for the world.â? â??Then thatâ??s good.â? I shrug too. â??Yeah, but anyways,â? he takes another nacho, â??Our parents got a little home. The one I feel like a child would be bound to sketch. Mother wanted to build an extension so an extra bedroom would be connected to the house. For this reason, we grew up with bricks in our backyard. WHY they were there? To be that constant reminder that our Mother wanted an extra room.â? â??What would yâ??all do with them?â? Jermaine just laughs. â??But Joseph GOT the idea of hard work. You could mathematically say that 90 percent of Garyâ??s residence worked at â??The Millâ?. It was a half-hour drive away in East Chicago. By the way, Michael told me you stayed in Chicago for a while. I know East Chicago is in Indiana, but how did you like Chicago?â? I clear my throat, â??Oh, uh, it was actually Ohio. Not Illinois.â? â??Ohâ?¦well anywayâ??â? â??â?¦SHE said it was too crowded. So we went to Ohio. Not to say its population was any differentâ?¦but you know how mothers areâ?¦they donâ??t like crowdsâ?¦.Especially HER.â? I know Jermaine had NO idea about what had happened the other day, so he was just clueless to what I was talking about, and why I had stressed the words â??sheâ? and â??herâ?; rather than just saying that awful name that starts with a â??mâ?. â??Continueâ?¦please.â? Jermaine laughs temporarily, â??No, itâ??s fine. Joseph was a crane operator, as the world knows, Iâ??m sure. But even before the mill, Joseph had some type of job since his teen years. And I HAVE to say, they could be butt-kicking. You know, Joseph was skinny. He could eat, but heâ??d lose it because his work was grisly. Itâ??s a metabolism that most of us haveâ??especially Michael.â? â??Yeah, that boy doesnâ??t even have enough meat for me to borrow if I ever needed some. Try pulling some of his â??arm fatâ??. The thing is he doesnâ??t have none.â? I added in. â??Yeah, plus my brotherâ??s a dancer, so itâ??s totally understandable.â? â??Totally.â? I agree. â??And it was a known fact that in Gary, youâ??d only end up in three places, especially for the males. And they were: The Mill, prisonâ?¦and Iâ??m sure you know the lastâ??â? â??Death.â? â??Yeahâ?¦â? â??But that donâ??t sound too much of a promising future. There should be more.â? â??And thatâ??s the point where our parents protected us from all of that. Having three girls and six boys can be tough on any parents, and with us living in a high-crime area, our parents had to be strict, but loving towards us. â??But before I get off of topic too much, Iâ??ll tell you that Joseph was the oldest of six siblings. He had even LIVED in California with our grandfather, Samuel when Joseph was only 13.â? â??What about the rest of the family?â? â??Wellâ?¦our grandfather had quit his teaching job when our grandmother, his wife, Chrystal, was unfaithful to Samuel when she had an affair. The man was a soldier.â? â??Ohâ?¦.â? â??It was hard for our father, but he moved west. Then even as a kid, he was able to persuade another individual. Our grandmother returned to Samuel, even though she was with her new man. But that only lasted temporarily because she moved to, ding-dong, Gary, Indiana with another man. You could only imagine what that did to Joseph because with us he always taught *â??togetherness and familyâ?. And even though Joseph had this glare thatâ??d scare the crap out of us, any talk of California, and his features would soften.â? Then Jermaine suddenly grabs my hand, â??If you ever want to make Joseph happy, then just talk about *â??the golden California sunshineâ?. Trust me, youâ??ll thank me later.â? Then Jermaine winks as I get what heâ??s saying. â??Do you guys need a refill?â? â??Ohâ?¦if you have to pay for it then no thanks.â? â??Iâ??ll take another refill sweetheart. And maybe you should drink so more of your drink before you worry about paying for ANYTHING, Lyric.â? I sheepishly grin. â??Has Michael already told you about our sleeping arrangements?â? It doesnâ??t take me long to answer because it was ALWAYS a mystical question of mine. â??Yeah,â? I nod. â??Yeahâ?¦each night was like a sleepover for us. Thatâ??s one of the best feelings to have as brothers.â? â??Oh.â? Then I smile before bitterly looking down. You have NO idea how much I wished to have that growing up. I ALWAYS wanted to have a bunch of other kids to be my ally when getting in trouble. And to just know we shared some trait togetherâ??no matter how odd. You know? Because as long as it was blood-related, at least I knew he and she was my brother and sister. I mean I had that in my cousins Alexus, Pooh, and Ryan, and the others, but it still wasnâ??t the same once I moved away. So I know where Jermaine is coming from, but I still wish I had that in my cousins. The thing is, theyâ??re older than me now. â??Whatâ??s wrong?â? I shrug, â??I just wish I wasnâ??t the only child sometimes. Thatâ??s all.â? Then Jermaine tells me how Joseph had a brown Buick, which looked like â??a angry fishâ?. He even details how when Joseph got home, things had to be in order. â??And you THINK Michael is just all innocence. Wellâ?¦whenever Michael had to get his whoppings,â? when Joseph would whip the kids, Jermaine called them 10 whops. 10 is the number theyâ??d usually receive, while the â??whopâ? part comes from the fact he said that was the exact the belt would make as it whipped the air, â??Michael would be gone like a hare, better yet heâ??d BOLT! Whenever Joseph would catch Michael, Michael would do all he could to get awayâ??heâ??d pull his arms through his sleeves and run off. He would even run into our parents room, go over the bed, and pin himself on the wall. My brother knew the belt arc couldnâ??t reach him without hitting the wall first. Joseph was so angry. Heâ??d throw the belt down, get Michael, and just spank him. I donâ??t think youâ??d have to worry about the â??10 whop ruleâ? because Joseph was that pissed.â? It was so ironic that Jermaine would say that. When he said that, he immediately reminded me of my five-year-old cousin, Caleb, who has taken more whippings as a five-year-old than I had up to this point. I wouldnâ??t count times like that time with Dylan because my mind isnâ??t on that. Plus Caleb is going to be pretty athletic, a handyman, and even possibly musically inclined. Other than his little temper, Caleb was pretty much perfect, and the second making of Michael. Iâ??ll have to get Michael to meet him one day. Theyâ??ll just adore each other. â??Man I HATED that awkward silence after times like that. Mother would murmur while whichever one of us had gotten hit would cry into a pillow. But I mean Michael AND Joseph had it coming. Michael was simply the most defiant. One time, Michael threw a shoe when he was 4â??â? â??WOW, the year I was born,â? I giggle. â??Yep. He threw a shoe at Joseph during one of his temper tantrumsâ?¦.He got in trouble for it. But it was Michaelâ??s fear of whoppings that made him run off. Heâ??d have different tactics of getting away because if he hadnâ??t gotten caught after thirty minutes, Joseph would be too exhausted to care any longer or had calmed down. For that reason: Michael had gotten away with a lot more than heâ??d ever let on.â? â??Wowâ?¦.â? Jermaine had stopped talking, and I couldnâ??t think of anything to say. In all honesty, I was just letting this information soak in. I mean, my God! Jermaine shared more with me and more openly. But why canâ??t his brother, Michael, do the same with me? Whatâ??s holding Michael back? â??I guess thatâ??s enough for now. You know we can talk about this tomorrow?â? â??Really?â? I left my head from my arms, which was criss-crossed. â??Yeah. Sure.â? Jermaine gets up, hold his hand out to me, and I take it as I jump up. â??Thank you,â? I smile. Then I look at his flawless chest, before I swiftly the spit gathering in my throat and look away. Damnit hopefully I didnâ??t make things look obvious!!!! â??Yâ??know the family would go camping in the Wisconsin Dells. Joseph taught Jackie, Tito, and myself how to hook the bait. Weâ??d always stay near the Indian towns walked the trails as a way of paying homage towards our ancestry.â? â??I got everything else you just said, but what do you mean your ancestry?â? Jermaine looks down and smile, â??Lyric, *â??we grew up knowing we have Native American blood in our veins.â? Weâ??re mixed with the Choctaw and Blackfoot tribes. From them, we have high cheekbones, light skinâ?¦and,â? he looks down at his chest, â??hairless chests.â? He begins to laugh as I put my hand on his chest and rubbed down his stomach to â??testâ? that statement. â??What you donâ??t believe me?â? â??I just canâ??t believe itâ?¦I never would have guessed.â? â??Thatâ??s fine too. You just know that some Black families have Native blood within them. Or any family for that matter.â? â??Yeah, I know. I know itâ??s possible. Iâ??m just always interested in KNOWING that. And now to know that the Jacksons do as well, Iâ??m just ASTOUNDED. Likeâ?¦WOW Jermaine! WHERE is this coming from?â? â??Exactly!â? then he put his arm around my shoulder. â??But letâ??s get away from this crowd. We donâ??t want people to start crowding around us. Iâ??m already hoping they havenâ??t paid attention to us in the first place.â? â??Even if they were we canâ??t stop them from looking Jermaine.â? You begin to learn that lesson early on whenever youâ??re around famous people and you yourself isnâ??t famous. Plus I simply learned that from being in a closet a little too long. I quickly throw on my shorts as Jermaine put on his t-shirt then we walk to the outer-skirts of the pooling area. â??Looks like you have some chlorine to wash out your hair.â? â??Yeah. Wait, that's not possible. I had my cast on so I didn't go swimming.â? Jermaine laughs, â??But I can give you a ride to your place if you donâ??t mind.â? â??No,â? I shake my head, â??I donâ??t.â? Once Jermaine starts driving, I get comfortable leaning on the window as I look out at the sun and my surroundings. â??Lyric,â? Jermaine nudges me, â??weâ??re here.â? I face him with my lips pressed together, â??Thank you.â? â??Oh no problem!â? then he gives me a hug. â??Wanna come inâ?¦Michael have to be back. He just went by the store earlier.â? â??No, Iâ??ll see my brother on my own terms.â? â??Sure,â? I shrug, â??if you say so.â? â??I mean I am. I just donâ??t want to do it right now and stir up any trouble. I want yâ??all to have a splendid time.â? â??Okay.â? â??Butâ?¦see you tomorrow? Hereâ??s my number to my own place. I didnâ??t have to get this big â??ole beach house like yâ??alls since Iâ??m just a single.â? â??Oh. Iâ??d like to see it. I know Michael does too.â? â??Tomorrow we can finish what we were talking about.â? â??Yeah, tomorrow can be aboutâ?¦when the brothers began to perform.â? â??Yeah,â? he smiled, â??weâ??ll have to see about that.â? We give each other a final hug, then I get out the car and start to walk towards the house. I had more than a few steps to get there because once I got up towards the house, I saw that the car Michael was driving was already parked at the house. Thatâ??s when I knew Jermaine mustâ??ve been serious about making the right impression on his brother once they saw each other here. I guess he didnâ??t want Michael to think that me and him had planned this or something. But I donâ??t see why heâ??d think that way. But I donâ??t see why Jermaine was so worried. Because when I opened the front door, I didnâ??t even see Michael in the living room. And when I did, he had just come from the bedroom, but I guess to be more specific, he had possibly just used the bathroom. I can say that because Michael was adjusting his belt. â??Youâ??re back!!â? he says with a broad smile. But now I began to see him a little differently. I had learned more about his background, which pieced together the way he is now. Basically Iâ??m saying that from learning the way he was as a child, I have a better understanding of Michael NOW. And thatâ??s important to me. I knew Michael was confused because I hadnâ??t said anything yet, but that was because I was walking up to him with my arms straightforward. He knew that meant I was yearning for a hug from him. And thatâ??s exactly what he gave meâ??a nice firm hug. When I kept staring him in the when I kept staring him in the eyes, Michael began to teasingly move his eyes in different directions. â??Stay still. Iâ??m trying to look you in the eyes.â? And when he does, thisâ?¦â??sensationâ? comes over us. Our breathing got a little heavier until I finally looked down and walked away. But BOY did I want to kiss him. To show him I cared. I wanted to be near no one else BUT Michael. But when he sat down on the couch to watch some T.V., I sat on his lap, even though I smelled like sunblock. Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ Ξ The first â??*â? will have significance in the future because itâ??ll be quite ironic. Youâ??ll see tho :). But the second and third and fourth â??*â? was a direct wording I saw in a book, so I had it there so youâ??d know. Can you wait for the next part to be posted? ;) -Aariyan. &nd todayâ??April 2 will be an important day in the story as well! Youâ??ll never guess whyâ?¦maybe :) And I know Paris birthday is tomorrow so Happy Early Birthday Paris!!
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