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Tough Love Part 96; Part 5 (4)
I hope that yâ??all like that some of these parts are kind of long :-/ but enjoy & vote up :D! â??A -------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 96; Part 5 (4) *Growing Pains(Part 2)*Separate Ways â??Of course it wouldnâ??t be easy to tell my family I was about to continue with my life and get married. Even marrying the daughter of a music MOGUL wouldnâ??t change things. Therefore, I left things the way they were for a few days so I could just think things over. Plus Tito married Dee Dee the previous year, and since then, Joseph had this feeling that he was losing us. Besides Joseph unpredictable reactions, Michael was my next concern. The whole time Iâ??ve been talking to you, the majority of our conversation was to tell you how Michael was up to this point, so when I proposed to Hazel, telling Michael was going to be a dread. We were so CLOSE. But the ground rule in our house:*â??marriage wasnâ??t celebrated as the joy of two people coming together, it was initially viewed as a wedge driving apart a winning team of brothers.â? Jermaine just stares at me after that, letting it sink in. The way he looked at me made it seem as if he was warning ME, as if reminding me that since there were two unmarried brothers left in the family, I should remain warned. â??I did my best rehearsing what Iâ??d say. All I could think about was Josephâ??s anger and Michaelâ??s gloomy eyes. So you can figure out why I choose to tell my father through a phone booth when our tour was passing through Boston, and Hazel was by my side. Joseph didnâ??t always go with us on all the tours because he trusted Motown; heâ??d just stop by on occasion. â??The next person I called was Mother from Encino. When I told her, she was happy. She said that Joseph always said Hazel was crazy about me, and said sheâ??d get him. He was in the garden at the time. Joseph was either cutting the grass or blowing the leaves. Either way though, I was waiting there at the phone for a while as I continued to put coins in the slot. When Mother told me that Joseph couldnâ??t come to the phone, that told me everything. My own father didnâ??t support me, but Mr. Gordy did. â??So that same night I decided to tell the brothers that night. Michael said they already knew, he loved Hazel, and that he was happy for us. Heâ??d refer to Hazel as *â??Mrs. Gâ? because of that. â??Do you care to talk about my wedding day right now or do you prefer to skip it?â? I folded my arms and sighed. I mean I DID always want to hear what brought Jermaine to marry so young from HIS mouth. â??Well we might as well lay it out on the table.â? But by then, Jermaine was saying, â??We can skip it and go on to something else. Donâ??t want to rub it in your face,â? then he winks. â??In 1974, Michael perfected *â??The Robotâ? and we finally got a chance to perform in Las Vegas as a family for fourteen days at the MGM Grand. It was Michaelâ??s idea to have Janet do her impressions of Mae West while performing with Randy. Every time she did that, she got the audience hyped. LaToya would do her tap dancing sequence to Peggy Leeâ??s â??Feverâ?? with Mike, Marlon, and Rebbie. Then weâ??d finish off with the whole family tap dancing, bowing to a standing ovation, with our hands linked. We hadta do something right because we were invited a few more times afterwards. But after that, things started to change. Like I could walk into the dressing room, and the brothers would stop their hushed conversations. I just thought they were complaining about something with Motown, and didnâ??t want to tell me because I just married Hazel back in December.â? Then Jermaine told me how the wives joined the brothers during their tour in 1974-1975 while they were in Jamaica. The moral of the story was that Hazel, being Berry Gordyâ??s daughter, she would be properly looked after, and since Jermaine was her new husband, heâ??d join his wife, or course, when it came to traveling. So this already created tension, and it was really between the wives. Enid and Hazel never saw eye-to-eye, as Jermaine puts it, and while Enid was complaining about something, Hazel addressed her, Enid asked Jackie if heâ??d do something about it, and the whole problem was escalated then. Michael or the rest of the group wasnâ??t used to that type of divisiveness, and this made him EXTRA cautious about his POSSIBLE future wife. So then I got to thinking â??Damn Michaelâ?¦will I ever be good enough for you? Do I ever cross your mind as a consideration; even a little bit?â? â??The mid-seventies were a struggle for Motown: as a family. Four Tops and Gladys and the Pips went to new labels. The Temps followed in suit as well. Marvin Gaye now had control of his singer-songwriting materialâ??yâ??know Stevie Wonder was the first to do that. Everyone else was getting what they wanted. Everyone except the Jackson 5. Michael went to Mr. Gordy to ask for more freedom, but he refused. Just like when Suzanne de Passe was trying to get us signed, Berry Gordy said no. We knew he could be stubborn, so if we left the matter alone for a few days, then he could possibly be persuaded. Just like when I decided to not get in the middle of Hazelâ??s preferential treatments when sheâ??d travel with the band, I didnâ??t get in the middle of this either because I thought the conflict would be solved. *â??I want you to come over WITHOUT Hazel,â? was what Joseph told me one day when I was on my way to Terryâ??s college graduation. On command, I turned the car around to head to Encino. By the way Joseph said those last two words, I knew the decision about Motown was finally about to be made. When I got to the house, no one was around. He told me he was in his room, so when I went in there Joseph says, *â??Youâ??re going to do as I say, Jermaine.â? In-front of Joseph were a bunch of contracts, already flipped to the signature page. I picked up the one with my name on it. The contract was an agreement with CBS Records Group, and I began to shake inside because I knew there was going to be trouble. â??Joseph kept going on about how this would be a great opportunity for usâ??each brother wanted to write his own material and even produce. But my next question was *â??Did Michael sign?â?, and when Joseph said he did, I knew I was nailed. But I told him I wasnâ??t going to sign it. â??This had to be the first time in my life that I defied my own father, and both of us were in shock. As I looked at him, tears were beginning to form, and all of the integrity and loyalty we had always been taught were suddenly in question. He told me to sign it again. Then I began thinking about Hazel, and her father, and Motown. I just felt it wasnâ??t right to leave the Motown family because of all that had been done for us on a professional AND personal level. *â??Iâ??m going to get an attorney.â? and I left out of there while Joseph didnâ??t move. â??So as I was heading to the restaurant where Terry was being celebrated, all I could think of was Michael. Michael was fond of Berry Gordy, and even Diana was still signed to the labelâ??and they were still close. I just feel that Michael alone, he WOULDNâ??T have left Motown like that. But thatâ??s just my opinion. After I got there, Mr. Gordy could tell what happened. He followed me to the bar and after I told him everything, he asked what I planned on doing. I told him how they said that the Motown ship is sinking right now. But he was understandingâ??just like with my marriage to his daughter. I told him I was going to stay and make sure that Motown remained afloat. â??Even after Mr. Gordy said the familyâ??Motownâ??would do all it takes to keep my brothers there, things remained. When Joseph asked me again if Iâ??d leave with the brothers, I told him I was going to stay with Motown. Thatâ??s when he exploded and said, *â??ITâ??S MY BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH YOUR VEINS, NOT BERRY GORDYâ??S!â? After I told him that Berry Gordy was the reason behind us getting to Hollywood, and putting steaks on our table and even teeth in our mouth, Mother quietly reminded me that even though Mr. Gordy had done that for us, heâ??d been recouped many times.â? â??What happened?â? â??Titoâ??s and Jackieâ??s chipped teeth were dentally repaired.â? â??Oh.â? â??I so desperately wanted to speak to Michael but I couldnâ??t! Now an awkward â??distanceâ?? existed between me and my brothers, and Joseph had the control. So I went to Hazel for comfort. But she made it CLEAR from Day 1 that she was married to me and not the Motown legacy. Hazel said she would support me no matter what, so I knew I had to take some time away from the Jackson 5 so I could decide on what I was going to do. Plus Mr. Gordy told me to take time out to make my decision.â? Then Jermaine goes over how he departed ways with his brothers. They had already done a few performances without him, but one day when Jermaine was at the beach, Hazel notified him that heâ??d got a phone call from Berry Gordy. When Jermaine answered, Berry Gordy was telling him that Michael wanted him to perform with the group. He was saying how hard it was to look at his left and not have Jermaine standing there. Any doubts Jermaine possibly had been diminished when Berry encouraged him to go and help out his brother. So Jermaine went to New York. There wasnâ??t any big â??hoorayâ? that Jermaine had flown out to them because indeed, he wasnâ??t crawling back to the group. He told me that Michael was all smiles though, when he saw him, and that the acceptance of Jermaineâ??s decision were real. So Jermaine and Michael cried. But when Joseph asked if Jermaine was going on stage, thatâ??s when he noticed that his visit was sadly misleading, so when he said no, more confusion arose. But Jermaine didnâ??t want to confuse the fans by going out there when he knew at the bottom of his heart he wasnâ??t going to join the group anymore. So while they performed, Jermaine slept in the hotel, but he was in a separate room. For the first time in years, Jermaine had to sleep in a room alone for the first time since he was three. â??I donâ??t want to have to go over the legal issues. I just know that it was a costly decision and Motown actually owned the â??Jackson 5â?? nameâ??â? â??I donâ??t care what the legal system say Jermaine. Yâ??all will ALWAYS be the Jackson 5 to me. Itâ??s only right, thatâ??s how I remember yâ??all.â? Jermaine smiles, â??So my brothers became known as how you know them today, â??The Jacksonsâ??. And Randy took my place. But you know, I never felt I LEFT the group; I felt they left ME. I felt they left â??homeâ?? which IS Motownâ?¦and Iâ??ll never stop thinking that way.â? â??Were things ever hard for you Jermaineâ?¦did you feel like you were missing your right arm or what?â? â??No. I felt I was missing every limb. I had Hazel and that was wonderful, but I didnâ??t have my brothers there. I grew up with them, and then they didnâ??t speak to me for six months in 1976.â? â??Whoa, that speaks volumes!â? â??Only Mother kept the contact with me through telephone. She was telling me that everyone just needed time. Occasionally Joseph would call with questions like *â??How you eating? How are you doing, Jermaine?â?. The questions seemed crazy, but I knew he was really checking to see if I was doing okay. At least thatâ??s how I read his actions. The stress was making my hair fall out, and if you wonâ??t tell anyone, I was beginning to get a bald spot and it was bigger than a quarter.â? Jermaine sighs, â??I went to a dermatologist and even an â??emotions doctorâ?. Of course they asked if I had any recent traumas. While these doctors were oblivious to the truth, the fans werenâ??t. This was the first time our fans said stuff like *â??I donâ??t want your autograph. You left the groupâ??you betrayed your brothers!â?, and this is after theyâ??d walk up to me.â? Barry White also helped Jermaine during this tough time. â??Barryâ??s advice proved to be the truth because by the time 1976 was ending, I was invited back into the Jackson clan and the topic was rarely talked about. I think both sides realized that we couldâ??ve handled things differently, but we put our *â??artistic politicsâ? aside for the family. Things were changing around us but not between us. We could even laugh againâ??like if Michael would play a Jacksons demo, I look serious as I listened. Iâ??d tell him one thing is missing. Heâ??d ask what was needed, and Iâ??d tell him that what they were missing was my voice. â??Now Iâ??m going to tell you something. Are you ready for it?â? I look to the side real quick. â??Yeah Jermaine Iâ??m ready.â? â??Well loved the beach and the ranch.â? He looks around and starts pointing at the house, â??Thatâ??s probably why he chose the beach house. He likes beach houses. But then again this was supposed to be a luxury vacation.â? â??Un huh?â? â??Around this time, Hazel and I moved to a ranch in the Thousand Oaks. We had just moved from Bel Air. But we also had a beach house, which was on the La Costa stretch which was on Malibu. It faced the ocean.â? â??Oooh TWO houses.â? â??And I remember how he told me to never sell the place when he was at both of the places. Both were very private.â? â??Un huh?â? â??While doing my morning runs, Iâ??d wave at Ryan Oâ??Nealâ??s daughter, Tatum. He was a neighbor of mine. At the time, she was 13, and had already won an Oscar for â??Paper Moonâ??.â? I know and donâ??t rub it in my face. â??I told Michael about this really pretty girl, and you know what, â??coincidentlyâ??,â? Jermaine moved his fingers in air quotes, â??he began to show up more on the weekends. A lot more. But the thing is, theyâ??d only wave. Michael and Tatum only spoke after bumping into each other in a club while on Sunset Strip. I tried telling him it was meant to be, jokingly, while Michael only brushed it off. But when Tatum showed up at Hayvenhurst, it was obvious that they were togetherâ??you know like boyfriend and girlfriend. But even then Michaelâ??s own sense of privacy was noticeable amongst his own brothers and sisters. â??Wanna hear a funny story about Michael during the Fourth of July last year?â? â??Sure!â? â??Well Michael was at the Malibu house and was enjoying Hazelâ??s barbeque. While she was making the food, Mike decided to get in the water, and he had it to himself too. Hazel asked me to help out with something, but I ignored her because SOMETHING told me to look after Michael. While the waves were going, his head was bobbing, and while fireworks went off, I was still looking after Michael. But then I started thinking where is he?! So I began running, barefoot. When I got to Michael, he was staggering in knee-deep water.â? I gasped. â??He was gasping really shallowly for air, and his breathing ran rapid, so I got him out of the water to the sand. I put him in the passenger seat of the Mercedes before breaking a land-speed record, Iâ??m sure, to the Pacific Coast Highway so we could get to the Malibu Emergency Hospital. While seating there, Michael said nothing, he was pinned to the seat and his face was gray.â? I started laughing. I know if I was to drive on the freeway, Michael would be doing the same! â??When we got to the hospital, it turned out Michael had pleurisyâ??â? â??What the heck is that??!â? â??Itâ??s the inflammation with the lining of the lungs and the chest. it leads to chest pain when you breath or cough, which Michael was doing. And he was having chest pains.â? â??How do you get it? And that scares me if itâ??s dealing with his LUNGS.â? â??You just get it I guess and I know, that IS scary. â??He was discharged after a few hours and I drove him to my place. When Michael said that was the scariest journey ever, I agreed and told him he had me worried too, but then he said *â??No ERMS! Your driving! It was scarier than being in the water!â? Thatâ??s when I caught on to what Jermaine was saying about this Fourth of July tale was funny, and I laughed along with him. â??At this time, it seemed to be the perfect moment for Michael to try to go solo as an ADULT artist. The brothers were working with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in Philly. Their first two albums werenâ??t impressive like their third one, which they just released: â??Destinyâ??. So weâ??ll have to see how that goes. And there was â??The Jacksons TV specialâ?? which included our three sisters; everyone but me. Michael really didnâ??t like it because the comedy was scripted and because of the laughing track that was used. It wasnâ??t like the Vegas performances because it was being broadcasted across America, and another thing, Michael was afraid of the over exposure, and what it could do to his musical career. â??And things for me at Motown werenâ??t much better. My album â??My Name Is Jermaineâ?? didnâ??t get enough promotion, and Stevie, Marvin, and Diana were priorities as well. So so much to that â??favorite sonâ?? thing people thought were going on. And eventually I started to produce, and with Hazelâ??s help, we signed Switch.â? â??The GROUP?! Like with Bobby DeBarge?â? And LaToyaâ??sâ??well Iâ??m guessingâ??her boyfriend? â??Yep, that guy. â??And now, Michael is having his own thoughts and even plans of going solo so if he ever talks about it, now you know. I donâ??t know if heâ??ll do it yet because heâ??s a people-pleaser.â? â??Like leave the group?â? â??Yeah. And with all the boys leaving the house and getting married, itâ??s not making things better.â? â??What about Randy?â? â??Well weâ??ll have to wait and see about that.â? Then I got to thinking, well Michael has been staying at my house since Septemberâ?¦. â??I mean I know Michael is â??stayingâ?? at your house but he goes back to Hayvenhurst OFTEN. I mean if you never noticed, he goes a lot when youâ??re at school or heâ??s doing something else so youâ??ll never notice heâ??s missing.â? â?¦Nowâ?¦well now I kinda feel dumbâ?¦and misguided. So does he miss his home a lot? Does Michael regret his decision to move, yâ??know? Is he only staying with us because of my looksâ?¦because he THINKS heâ??s going to get something out of me??? â??And in case you havenâ??t noticedâ??which you donâ??t since youâ??re sitting in this house,â? Jermaine gives me a sly grin, â??Michael is MARRIED to his work. My brother simply doesnâ??t have room in his life right now for a womanâ?¦no matter HOW attractive.â? Right about now I was ready to let Jermaine taste this pillow on the couch because I wanted to hit him with it. â??But it had to be â??The Wizâ?? that became life-changing for Michael. It was Berry Gordy to ask me what I thought about Michael getting the role of the Scarecrow. I told him that Michael loved â??The Wizard of Ozâ?? and it was just right for him. Michael got the role because he impressed Universal. I donâ??t know why the movie had to bomb but Michael got a lot of critical acclaim. He wanted to have more to do with movies and he had gotten exceptionally close to Diana.â? I was kind of embarrassed to ask Jermaine what he thought about his brotherâ??s gawky crush on Diana and where he thought things stood, so I just buttoned up my lipsâ??oh no not that joke again!â??and didnâ??t say anything. â??Please donâ??t ask me about Diana. THEN Michael will REALLY kill me the-een! â??I think his temporary move to New York gave my brother the confidence to look after you and actually move in your house. But as Michael was becoming the only male sibling in the house, he became closer to Janet. Sheâ??s a lot younger, but sheâ??s the female version of Michaelâ??no questions ABOUT it. Theyâ??re both gentle and sensitive and inquisitive and very kind people. Their similarities are uncanny sometimes. Jan isnâ??t always available though because of her role on â??Good Timesâ??.â? â??Love that shooow!â? I chirp in. He smiles, â??So Michael had LaToya and they are close.â? Then Jermaine sighs, â??And I guess you can say that we didnâ??t really know what â??friendshipâ?? was because it was really us as BROTHERS and a FAMILY because of our dreams. Not only was it like that in L.A. but Gary also. â??But you knowâ?¦I think thatâ??s why Michael connects with you so well.â? â??Hunh?â? WHAT tree are you SLEEPING under Jermaine! â??I know he cherishes your somewhat tumultuous friendship. Youâ??re funny. Youâ??re pretty. But anyways, now Michael at 20-years-old is DETERMINED to make a name for himself outside of the Jacksons clan; and I know working with Quincy will prove to be awesome. â??But like I was saying, with you, itâ??s a little too soon to say how things are going to be, but Michael enjoys your companyâ?¦I think you could really be his girlfriend Lyric if you really tried to. Well maybe after a few years; youâ??re a little young right now.â? â??â?¦But yay weâ??re finally done!â? Jermaine reaches over to hug me as he moved us from side-to-side. â??You never really thought weâ??d be done did you?â? â??Oh I knew it was comingâ?¦â? But if I knew what was coming up next, then Iâ??d probably never sang along to the Jacksons song or the Isleyâ??s song. I shouldâ??ve just told Jermaine no. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Like so youâ??ll see what happens next ;) -Aariyan
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