"My name is Ramona. I am a writer, a singer, and an artist of tribute music videos. The highest of the 3 on my list is writing. The stories I have written in the past has helped many people deal with hard situations.
I have no family left. My brother had died from cancer even after I gave him some of my bone marrow in order to save him. I wrote a story about how my emotional struggle nearly took my own life. I wrote about how it felt to risk my own life for his and how I felt when he took his last breath. That story alone gave a few more families hope when they had found out that their loved one had been diagnosed with cancer. That was reason enough for me to continue writing.
My parents died in a fire. Both of them had taken sleeping pills and some moron that was simply passing by flicked his lit cigarette into their yard. The high grass that lay up against the house easily caught fire and it spread in no time at all.
For some reason, I wasn't bitter for very long. I always believed everything happened for a reason. Maybe God was testing me to see how strong I was. I wasn't sure. One thing I was sure of was that I had no regrets. I had a wonderful relationship with everyone in my family.
I also sing, but mostly to myself. I play guitar and considered playing in public a few times. The only problem there was I happened to be extremely shy. One of the biggest traits I have is my loyalty to my idol, Michael Jackson. I stood by him as much as I could when he was accused of molesting a young boy that he had been very good friends with. I tried to go to every concert he ever played.
I bought a dog tag necklace at one of his shows during his Dangerous tour once and I always wore it around my neck. I still do. It gives me strength and reminds me that I am never alone. I remember the last time I ever saw Michael in person. What a nightmare it really was…"
The young woman closed her journal for a moment and closed her eyes. She ran her delicate hand over a scar that covered her left shoulder and part of her chest. She winced at the memory and then held on to the dog tag with Michael's name on it. She knew she would forever hold this scar, and as ugly as it was, it was well worth it in the end. She looked out to the sunset on her little spot near the beach as she thought back on the memory…
She had flown out to Bucharest the night before Michael Jackson's big concert. This was the second concert she would be going to from the Dangerous tour. She was so excited, though she had no one else to go with her. She didn't care. She remembered what it was like being able to witness his last show. The pure energy that radiated from his body poured around the stage and oozed into every single person in the crowd. When she arrived, she ran straight forward to the stage, along with thousands of other screaming fans. There were people as far as the eye could see and it was shoulder to shoulder crowds.
Ramona didn't mind. She was there for Michael and Michael alone. As she waited for him to make his appearance, she glanced around and noticed a suspicious looking man with dark sunglasses on and a trench coat. He patted down his sides as he glanced around. No one else seemed to notice him. He had an eerie aura coming from him and Ramona didn't like it one bit. Before she could try to figure him out, Michael burst out from the bottom of the stage and froze. Everyone went nuts including her. Michael stood there with sparks raining down from all around him. The sheer power of his presence was already filling the crowd and Romona felt dizzy just by looking at him.
As the concert went on and he performed, Ramona joined in with the rest of the crowd singing along to every song and dancing as good as they could without running into each other. Michael kept a smile on his face the entire time. He enjoyed himself just as much as the fans did. Michael stopped at the end of a song to take a break and he spoke to the crowd. Ramona smiled as he made quick eye contact with her and winked at her. She knew she wasn't anything special, really. He did that to all of his fans. It sent chills down her spine. As she listened, she heard an unfamiliar ruffling sound nearby.
She looked over noticing that same eerie man and he was pulling his trench coat apart. She caught a glance at what was hidden under his coat. A pistol. Ramona gasped as she realized this man wasn't a part of the tour. He had no badge and he remained hidden under dark sunglasses. She knew she didn't stand a chance against this man, had she tried to fight him off, so she ran as fast as she could toward the stage. This man was going to try and kill Michael, and Ramona wasn't about to let that happen.
A security guard stopped her by the rail and fought to keep her away from the stage. "Back up, little lady. That's far enough!"
"No!" she yelled. "You don't understand! There's a man here with a gun!" she struggled against him.
He shook his head. "Yeah, of course there is. Now back off!"
"No! He's gonna kill him! Don't you see?" she began crying. Many other fans stared at her in shock. They didn't believe her either. They thought she was trying eagerly to get the chance to run up on the stage and tackle Michael. Ramona simply wanted to save him. "You need to do your job and protect Michael! That man has a gun!" she pointed into the crowd and the guard glanced around. Ramona glanced back again and saw the man pull out the gun and aim it at Michael.
Adrenaline shot through her as she punched the security guard in the face and kneed him in the gut, sending him to his knees. Ramona jumped up onto the stage and looked at Michael and then back at the gunman. Michael stood unmoving, awaiting the impact of a crazed fan. Instead, the girl jumped in front of him and a loud gunshot echoed through the stadium. Ramona didn't even touch Michael. Her body spun at the sheer force of the bullet as it collided with her shoulder.
Michael stood in shock, not sure of what to do. The fans in the stadium scattered and more guards pinpointed the gunman before he could take another shot. Ramona stood frozen in front of Michael, ready to take another bullet for him, just to keep him alive. When she saw guards tackle the man and take hold of his gun, she looked back at Michael and then fell to her side in pain. Michael moved his hand forward and froze. He took a few breaths and then stepped closer to her before falling to his knees beside her. He delicately moved some hair from her face and touched her forehead. He didn't know what to say or do. He didn't even know this girl and she just jumped in front of a bullet for him.
"Why?" he whispered out.
Ramona winced as some of the people from back stage came out from behind Michael. They looked at Ramona and then back at Michael. Ramona clenched her teeth together in pain and in frustration. "What are you waiting for?" she growled out. "Get him out of here! Get him where it's safe!" she yelled.
They grabbed Michael's arm and pulled him away. Before he lost sight of Ramona, he jerked his arm away and looked at a nearby guard standing behind the curtain. "Call an ambulance for that girl!" he yelled. The man nodded and ran out to the stage where Ramona lie bleeding. She had no regrets. Michael was worth saving. She smiled to herself as paramedics arrived and rushed her to a nearby hospital…
She took in a deep breath at the memory. She remembered every single detail of that day. The pain she had felt the second the bullet tore apart her flesh. The rush of adrenaline that kept her standing until the gunman was unarmed, and even more so, the feeling of absolute peace when she saw Michael still standing unharmed, right behind her. She smiled as she opened her journal again…
"He watched me bleed on the stage where he was just dancing minutes ago. He was in complete shock. He even asked me 'Why?'. Why what, Michael? Why did I save you? Why did I do that to someone I didn't really know as a person? Why? Because I can. Because I felt like it was something I had to do. Why? Because my heart told me to, and I always follow my heart…"
She thought back again when she was healed up enough to leave the hospital. The first thing that was on her heart to do was go back to the stadium to find the security guard she had hit in order to get onto that stage in the first place…
She stood outside the hospital doors and took in a breath of fresh air. She felt so peaceful. She didn't really know why. The doctors seemed concerned because she had no family to go home to, or really a home for that matter. She was in California and she had a pretty good sized tent set up in the corner of a beach, hidden by two rather large boulders. She sat on the boulders and watched every sunset. When she needed money for food, she would work a little here and there.
She stepped out and grimaced at the arm sling she was forced to wear. She hated looking helpless by any means, but she shrugged it off. She had a mission to carry out before she could return to her beach. She took a taxi to the Staples Center where Michael was said to be rehearsing for his next round of shows. He needed to rehearse a lot more to get his mind off of that one horrible night. It was all over the news and he just couldn't escape it.
Ramona knew that same guard had to have been working there. He was hand picked by Michael to guard him for the entire tour. She walked up to the main door and it was locked. She heard a few instruments being practiced on through the door and she walked around back where a large door the size of an airplane hanger stood open. There were some men standing outside with a clipboard talking when they saw her.
"I'm sorry miss, we can't let you pass," one of them said politely.
Ramona smiled and looked past them. She saw just inside where Michael stood with a few other men discussing quietly together. Near the front of the group stood the guard that Ramona came to see.
"Miss, I'm sorry, I know you must be a huge fan of his, but we cannot allow you to pass," the other man said when he saw her look over their shoulders.
Ramona shook her head and held up her good hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, you have me all wrong. I'm actually not here to see Mr. Jackson. I'm here to speak with that man standing back there," she pointed at the guard.
The men looked confused, but looked back at the man. "Yo, Derek! There's a girl out here that wants to speak to you, man!" one of the men yelled.
Ramona blushed as everyone, including Michael, turned their attention to them. She instantly stepped back a few feet, almost rethinking her decision. She forced herself to stay. She felt she really needed to make immense with this man.
Michael raised a brow at Derek as he glanced outside. It was hard to see as bright as it was outside, so they couldn't see Ramona. "Your girlfriend coming to see you, hm?" Michael teased.
"Um, well no, sir. I don't have one. Please, excuse me Mr. Jackson," Derek nodded at Michael as Michael grinned and looked away. Derek turned back to the men standing just inside the door. "Who is this girl?"
"Well, we don't know. She says she's from the last concert and you would remember her when you see her," one man yelled.
Michael stopped in his tracks at this and quirked a brow. His curiosity got the better of him and he silently followed Derek toward the door and hid behind a parked golf cart nearby.
Derek stepped out and Ramona froze. He had a bandage over his nose. Did she break it? She felt guilt wash over her immediately. Derek studied her for a moment before glancing at her arm that lay dangling in a sling. His eyes grew wide and Ramona bit her lip before stepping forward.
"I hope you remember me, sir. I wanted to come and apologize for hitting you like I did. I just…" her voice cracked.
"No, no please don't apologize!" Derek held his hands up. "I'm okay, really. Not the first time I've had my nose broken," he smiled and she looked down. She felt so guilty. "Don't look so sad. I'm glad you did what you did. I had no idea that you were speaking the truth that night. Why, if it hadn't been for you, Mr. Jackson would have been killed that night."
She winced and Michael's eyes grew wide. This was the girl that jumped in front of him in Bucharest and took a bullet for him. He thought about that for a moment. That night, as he spoke with the police, they played back footage and focused on every movement. They had said if the girl hadn't have been there, the bullet would have hit him directly in the heart. Michael took in a breath and stepped out to meet her. Before he could say a word, she was already gone.
Derek looked at Michael and then handed him a sunflower. "She brought this for you. Poor girl, all she wanted was forgiveness."
Michael took the sunflower and smiled weakly. "I don't get it. Why wouldn't she want to stay to meet me? Why did she risk her own life to save mine? I don't even know who she is."
"I don't know, but thank God for her. I don't know what any of us would have done if it had been you that got shot that night," another man put his hand on Michael's shoulder. Michael stood still, trying to come up with his own theories…
Ramona smiled again at the memory. It had been 2 months since that day and her shoulder had healed up nicely. She still held her place in between two large boulders on the beach. It was very nice and peaceful. She didn't really know what she was doing or really where she would end up, but she was just waiting for God to give her the answers. What to do next.