Chapter 2,

I'm so glad to be nyumbani and I almost forgot that today's the first siku of my two mwezi break between legs of my tour. I slowly opened my eyes and looked over at Christian who was still fast asleep. I got ready for the siku and went downstairs to wash the dishes that we used with the ice cream chajio, chakula cha jioni last night. I have a maid that can do my dishes for me; but I don't like when I'm not treated like a normal person. If I can do my own dishes then I'm going to do them!

I was in the middle of washing a plate when a bloodcurdling scream came from upstairs. It surprised me so much that I dropped the plate and it shattered into 1,000,000 little pieces. I whispered "dammit; I cut myself!" I ran upstairs and into my bedroom to see what was wrong. Christian was sitting in the kitanda hyperventilating and I picked him up into my arms. I alisema "it's alright; I didn't go anywhere! I was just downstairs." He looked at my bleeding finger and alisema "ouch." I alisema "oh that; that's nothing!"

I got him ready for the siku and brought him downstairs. The maid had already cleaned up all the glass from the plate and I alisema "we're going to go shopping today Christian. Are wewe ready to go bye-bye?" James and Tim came out of the security quarters and alisema "you're all set to go to the toy store Michael! We have the store shut down for the siku so wewe can go in there with Christian kwa yourself." I alisema "thank wewe guys!" James alisema "don't drive too crazy Michael!" I chuckled and alisema "yeah right; like I would drive crazy!" I put Christian down for a sekunde and alisema "I almost forgot about the car kiti, kiti cha I ordered! We can't go anywhere without that!"


I walked over to the closet and pulled out a box containing the car seat. Tim asked "would wewe like my help installing that into your car Michael?" I grabbed the car kiti, kiti cha in one hand and Christian in the other as I alisema "no; I think I can handle it." I took Christian outside to the driveway and put him down on the ground as I alisema "okay; wewe stay right here while I put this in my car. I wasn't worried because I knew he wouldn't leave my side and he was being incredibly patient with me. I never thought that strapping a car kiti, kiti cha into my car would be so difficult.

Finally, I threw my hands up in the air and reluctantly called Tim for help. He came outside and chuckled as he was able to install the car kiti, kiti cha in less than five minutes. I thanked him for his help and put Christian in the car seat. I buckled him up him and got into the driver’s seat. It had been quite a while since I had driven my car because I've been on my tour for so long. It almost felt foreign for me to be behind the wheel of a car.

I drove extremely slow to the toy store and snuck through the back door with Christian; so nobody outside would know that we were there. I shut the door behind me and the manager greeted me with a "hello Michael." I alisema "hi; long time no see!" He responded "yeah; I know! How is your tour going?" I alisema "I'm on a break right now; but all I have left are the American shows and it's over!" The manager looked over at Christian and asked "who's this?" I alisema "this is Christian and I'm looking after him until he can be adopted kwa a family. Try to keep that a secret though because I don't want the press to be all over him!" He alisema "don't worry Michael; your secret is salama with me!"

I put Christian down on the ground and I don't think he knew what to make of the toy store; probably because he's never been in one before. He clung to my leg as we walked down the aisles and I alisema "you can pick out anything wewe want." I don't think he believed me because he didn't even want to pick up any of the toys. I knelt down inayofuata to him and started playing with a "hot wheels" racetrack that I could tell he wanted. I alisema "you want this; so I'm going to buy it for you!" After I put it in the shopping cart, I think he started to realize that I wasn't joking because he started sprinting down the aisles of the store.

I looked at his face when he saw a whole area of the store dedicated to Mickey Mouse. He shouted "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey!" I smiled from ear to ear and asked "you like Mickey Mouse?" He pointed to the toys and alisema "Mike; that's Mickey!" I chuckled and alisema "I know that is! I upendo Mickey panya, kipanya too! I'll get wewe some of that stuff!" He alisema "no" and I sympathetically alisema "yes; I'll buy wewe anything wewe want Christian!"

He went back to uigizaji shy and I started putting anything that had to do with Mickey panya, kipanya into the shopping cart. I picked Christian up and pushed the shopping gari to the checkout counter. After we had bought our stuff, I carried Christian and the bags to the car. I looked at my watch and asked "are wewe hungry? Do wewe want to get something to eat?" He didn't answer me and I smiled as I looked into the rearview mirror and asked "you know wewe can talk to me; right? I don't bite! Let's try this again, are wewe hungry?" He smiled and alisema "yeah." I alisema "then I'll get wewe something to eat!"

There is a pizza place that I usually go to; so I decided to bring him there because they don't allow the paparazzi to come inside while I'm there. I carried Christian inside and we were immediately seated at a booth. I looked over to the other side and saw my good friend Elizabeth Taylor. I tapped her shoulder and she turned her head to look at me. She alisema "Michael; you're back! Here; let me sit with you!" She came over and sat on the other side of the table. Christian immediately gripped my arm and started to shake. I alisema "it's okay buddy; she's a nice lady!"

Elizabeth reached out to shake his hand and he just hid his face in my shati sleeve. I alisema "he is a shy little guy!" Christian climbed onto my lap and started playing with my pair of sunglasses that was hanging out of my shati pocket." Elizabeth alisema "he seems to like wewe Michael!" I alisema "I think I'm slowly winning him over!" I took the sunglasses out of my pocket and put them on Christian's face. Elizabeth and I laughed as Christian looked at me with my aviator sunglasses almost covering his entire face. I alisema "you're too cute; I don't know how wewe haven't been adopted yet!"

The waitress brought our chakula to the meza, jedwali and I started to cut Christian's chakula for him. Elizabeth looked at me and smiled as she alisema "wow Michael; I've never seen this side of wewe before!" I passed him the fork with pizza on it and he took a bite. I asked "is that good?" He shook his head yes and Elizabeth alisema "I have to leave; but wewe two have fun!" I hugged Elizabeth and she stuck out her hand for Christian to shake. To my surprise, he actually shook her hand and I alisema "bye Liz."

***

I went downstairs this morning with Christian in my arms and he was still sleeping. I figured it was a good idea to bring him downstairs with me because I didn't want him staring me half to death kwa screaming when he realizes that I'm down here without him. I lay him down on the kitanda and went into the jikoni to make myself some coffee. That's when I remembered all the stuff that I had bought him yesterday. I walked outside to the car quickly because I didn't want Christian to wake up and think that I had disappeared.

I quietly shut the front door as I walked back inside and into the living room with the bags. I knew that Christian would want to play with all the toys as soon as he woke up. I sat there on the floor for 45 dakika taking everything out of its packaging and when I got to the Mickey panya, kipanya play cell phone I accidentally hit a button. It started talking and that woke Christian up. He opened his eyes and I alisema "good morning; sleepyhead!" He sat up and alisema "wow; Mickey!" I passed him the toy cell phone and alisema "I believe that's yours!"

I had bought him a set of windup Mickey panya, kipanya race cars and he absolutely loves them. He looked at me and alisema "I can't wind it up; will wewe help me Mike?" I smiled as I lay down on my stomach on the floor and alisema "I sure can!" I started to wind the toy back up for him and all of a sudden I felt something climbed onto my back. I turned my head slightly and giggled as Christian wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He alisema "you're really fun Mike!" I reach my hand back and tickled his foot. I stood up with him still on my back and ran up the stairs.

I gently dropped him off of my back and onto the bed. I started tickling him and alisema "I told wewe that I don't have a mean bone in my body kiddo!" Christian asked "am I going to stay here?" I alisema "probably for only about a week au so and then you're either going to go with a new family au you're going to live with your mommy again." Christian went silent after that and he didn't want to play much of anything afterwards. I wonder if I alisema something that I shouldn't have.

***

I was woken up kwa the phone ringing and quickly answered it; so it didn't end up waking up Christian. I went downstairs and alisema "hello." The voice alisema "hello Michael; it's Rosemary. I'm just calling to check in on Christian." I alisema "he's doing great; he really warmed up to me! He's my little buddy now!" She alisema "that's great Michael; I still haven't found a nyumbani for him and his mother is still dealing with her own issues right now. If wewe don't mind, it's probably going to take a few weeks to find him a nyumbani au for his mother to better herself; so will wewe watch him until then?" I alisema "of course I will; he'll be glad to hear that!" She hung up the phone after saying goodbye and I ran upstairs to make sure Christian wasn't awake get.

He opened his eyes upon me entering the room and I smiled at him. I alisema "I guess you're going to be staying here a lot longer than I expected wewe to." I walked him down the stairs holding his hand and he alisema "I want to color wewe a picture!" I alisema "okay; I'd like that!" As I sat there with him at the meza, jedwali with a stack of plain white paper and a box of crayons, I asked "do wewe know what color this is?" He looked at me confused and alisema "red." I giggled and alisema "no silly; that's yellow!" I picked up another one and asked "what about this one?" He alisema "orange" and I alisema "no; that's purple! wewe don't know your colors do you? What about shapes? Can wewe draw a square?" He looked at me and asked "square?" I grabbed a crayon and demonstrated how to draw a square; but he still didn't understand the concept of shapes.

***

Christian has been with me for about a mwezi and a half now and it feels like he's always been here. He's really come out of his shell over the past couple weeks and he's not as shy as he used to be; except with women. Sadly, I haven't been able to invite my mother over to the ranch because Christian spends the whole time trying to hide from her.

There was a knock at the door while I was watching cartoons with Christian on the couch. I got up to answer the door and noticed it was my manager Frank. I invited him inside and he alisema "I need to talk to wewe for a second." He sat down inayofuata to me at the jikoni meza, jedwali and I asked "what do wewe want to talk about?" He alisema "Christian; he's been here too long Michael!" I alisema "I promised I would look after Christian for as long as it took to find him a stable environment to live in!" Frank alisema "Mike; your tour starts up again in a week and a half! wewe can't take him with wewe all over the world!" I alisema "I don't know why wewe get so bent out of shape over nothing Frank! We still have a week and a half; don't freak out!"

Frank got up from his kiti, kiti cha and walked out the door without saying a word to me. I walked back into the living room and sat back down on the kitanda as I noticed that Christian had fallen asleep. I carried him upstairs and lay him down on the bed. I went back downstairs and sat back down on the kitanda as I bowed my head in my hands. I'm so confused and I don't understand why Frank feels like he has to be so hard on me all the time. I'm just trying to do what I feel is right; why is that so bad? I'm giving a child the chance to have a temporary nyumbani until things fall into place for him!

***

I was playing hide and seek with Christian when the phone started ringing and I alisema "hang on; I'll be right back!" I answered the phone and Rosemary alisema "I have some great news for wewe Michael! Christian's mother seems to be doing a lot better than she was and I decided that she's zaidi than capable of taking care of him again. I smiled and alisema "oh; that's great!" She responded "can wewe bring him back to London at the end of the week?" I tried to hide my sadness as I alisema "of course; I'll bring him back on Sunday and we can do the trade-off between me and his mother." She alisema "that's great; see wewe then!"

I hung up the phone and found Christian hiding in the closet. I alisema "I finally found you!" I picked him up and brought him into the living room to sit on the couch. I alisema "guess what; you're going to be with your mommy on Sunday and wewe get to stay with her!" He started crying and I asked "what's wrong?" He alisema "I don't want to go back there Mike; mommy's mean!" I looked at him confused and asked "what do wewe mean mommy's mean?" He alisema "mommy yells at me and she's always sleeping because of her medicine." I asked "what does her medicine look like?" He responded "it's a drink and she drinks it all the time! It makes her cry and it makes her mad. I don't like being at her house because it's dirty and Adam is always hurting mommy!" I asked "who's Adam?" He alisema "her boyfriend; he's scary! Please don't make me go back there!"

I sat there silently for a few dakika because I didn't know what to say. How could Rosemary allow Christian to go back into a nyumbani like that? Is she really that desperate to find him a home? I looked at Christian again and alisema "well; Rosemary says your mommy is all better now Christian! I don't think she would have wewe go back there if she wasn't better!" He whispered "I just want to stay here with you! I don't want to live with my mommy anymore!" I alisema sympathetically "I promise wewe that I bet your mommy is all better now! Rosemary wouldn't let wewe go back there she wasn't! I wish I could have wewe stay here until they could find to another family to live with; but I have to go back to work and Frank will be really mad at me if I miss any shows!"

I dried his tears with my sleeve and alisema excitedly "hey; wewe still have a few zaidi days here with me until I have to bring wewe back! Let's make the best of them!" I picked him up and brought him outside to the trampoline. I placed him on it and he didn't even know what to do. I started jumping up and down as I alisema "jump!" He alisema "no; this is too scary! I want to go back inside!" I alisema "there's nothing to be afraid of; wewe can't get hurt on this!" I picked him up into my arms and jumped as high I possibly could. He started laughing and I alisema "I told you; there's nothing to worry about!"

***

Here we are in London and I can't believe our last three days together went kwa so fast. I rolled over and gently nudged Christian awake. He opened his eyes and I alisema "good morning buddy! We have to hurry and drop wewe off with your mom!" He seemed to want to stall everything and I can't blame him because I would've done the same thing if I was in his situation!" As soon as he finished eating, I brought into the lobby of the hotel and waited for his mother to get there.

She was two hours late when she finally showed up and I couldn't believe my eyes. I alisema to myself "Rosemary must be blind if she thinks this woman can care for a child!" The lady walked up to me and I couldn't believe how skinny she was! She's no zaidi than 80 pounds and the smell of alcohol was so strong that it made my eyes water! I clutched Christian in my arms and she alisema "hi; wewe must be Michael! I'm here for Christian now!" She didn't even greet him as she took him out of my arms and I passed him a Mickey panya, kipanya stuffed animal! I alisema "it's nice to meet you" and reached down to grab the bag of stuff that I had bought for Christian. I alisema "this is –" but the woman cut me off and alisema "he doesn't need any of that crap!"

I could tell that Christian really wanted to cry; but I think his fear of his mother was stopping him. I didn't even have time to say goodbye as she turned around and walked out the door with him in her arms. I knew there was nothing I could do because I had no right to decide if Christian should go with this woman. There wasn't anything left to do… Except walked away.

***

I just finished the seventh of my final eight concerts on my "bad" tour and I was sitting backstage. Frank walked up to me and alisema "you haven't been uigizaji like yourself lately! What's gotten into wewe Michael?" I stood up and started to walk away from him as I alisema "I don't know what you're talking about Frank; I'm fine!" He alisema "I just thought wewe would be zaidi excited that your tour is almost over; that's all." I picked up an apple from the meza, jedwali of chakula and started to peel the sticker off of it as I asked "what's there to be excited about?" Frank asked "what do wewe mean Michael? Aren't wewe excited to get back to Neverland and be able to visit your mother anytime wewe want to?" I alisema "sure; I guess!" Frank alisema "that doesn't sound very excited to me!" I alisema "whatever" as I walked out of the room and down the hallway that leads to the exit.

My bodyguards James and Tim accompanied me back to the hotel. I disappeared off to my room and shut the door behind me. I flopped backwards onto the kitanda and kicked my shoes across the room. I looked down at my aviator sunglasses that were sitting on the nightstand and picked them up. I chuckled and thought to myself about how cute Christian looked when I had put these on his face in the pizza parlor.

I turned the TV on and noticed there was a Mickey panya, kipanya cartoon playing. I don't know what came over me and I just started crying. Crying like never before! I think it was because I was holding so many feelings inside and I just had to let them out! I got out of kitanda and ran down the hall as fast as I could. Frank opened his door and asked "what's your problem Michael?" I walked up to him and gave him a big hug as I asked "why did I have to let him go? That was so stupid!"

Frank pulled me into the room kwa my shati and shut the door behind him as he asked "what the hell are wewe talking about Michael?" I alisema "Christian! He shouldn't have to live with a mother like that!" Frank alisema "I'm sure he's fine Michael!" I alisema "yeah well; Christian told me otherwise! I have a feeling that he's living with an alcoholic, deadbeat and her abusive boyfriend!" Frank alisema "Christian is only 2 1/2! wewe can't believe everything he says because kids over exaggerate things Michael!" I alisema "I believe him and I don't want him staying there with her!"

Frank threw his hands up in the air and asked "where do wewe expect him to go? There are no other families for him to live with!" I rubbed my eyes and alisema "no; you're wrong! There is somebody that wants him!" Frank alisema "I thought wewe alisema that Rosemary didn't have any families looking to adopt a child that young." I alisema "I may not be an entire family; but one parent is better than none!" Frank's eyes widened and he alisema "whoa Michael! Fostering a child is extremely different from adopting one permanently! You're not ready for that Michael!" Frank sat down in a chair and sarcastically asked "what are wewe going to do; kidnap him from his mother?" I alisema in an irritated tone of voice "no; I'm going to ripoti his mother to England's child protective services for abuse!" Frank alisema "there's one small problem with your plan Michael. Did wewe forget that you're the biggest pop nyota in the world? Christian's mother could make it seem like wewe filed a false ripoti and try to sue you! I can guarantee wewe that if wewe get involved she's going to drag wewe through a custody battle!" I alisema "so what; I need Christian back and I'll do whatever it takes to get him back!"

***

My private airplane landed at a London airport and I went to the child protective services building with my bodyguards. I walked inside and alisema "hello; who do I talk to about filling out a report?" The lady at the dawati didn't even look up from the computer as she pointed to the room across from her. I walked inside and sat down at a dawati with a man in a suit. He looked up from his computer and alisema "whoa; you're Michael Jackson!" I wasn't in the mood for all of this and alisema "yeah; I’d like to ripoti some abuse!"

The man took out a pad of paper and a pencil and asked "do wewe mind if I ask wewe a few questions?" I nodded for him to continue and he asked "who are wewe filing the ripoti against?" I alisema "her name is Melissa Carthage" and he asked "what's the name of the child?" I alisema "Christian Carthage" he asked "what makes wewe suspicious of what's going on in Melissa's house?" I alisema "Christian described to me how his mother drinks all siku long and she is physically abused kwa her boyfriend Adam. The alcohol gives her mood swings and she takes everything out on Christian; which is not okay with me!!!"

The man filed the ripoti and I went to the local courthouse to serve Melissa with custody papers. James and Tim just looked at me in disbelief as they asked "so wewe are really going to go through with all this Michael?" We walked out of the courthouse and I alisema "of course I am! I'm not going to let a child suffer like that and I'm definitely not going to let him end up back in an orphanage!" Tim's cell phone rang and he alisema "yeah; he's right here." Tim passed me the phone and I alisema "hello." Frank's voice on the other end of the phone sounded angry as he asked "where the hell are wewe Michael? Your onyesha starts in 20 minutes!" I responded "no doesn't; I canceled it!" He shouted "you canceled it! That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard!” Without saying anything back to him, I hung up the phone and alisema "someone's in a bad mood."