"Ahem...what exactly do you think that you are doing?"
I jumped up from under the hood of my car and hit my head in the process. "Ow! Son of a..."
"Lola..."
I turned, rubbing my head, and saw LaToya standing in the driveway with her hands on her hips and her foot tapping on the ground. I raised up from my car and walked towards her.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to fix my car. Is that okay with you?" I asked, annoyed.
"Meow!" LaToya teased. "Sorry I keep forgetting about the pregnancy hormones. But really, Lola...working on your car while you're pregnant isn't the best idea. Why don't you just call Jermaine and ask him to come and help you?"
"No way. He taught me plenty since I met you all. I don't need him...I'm an independant woman anyway," I brushed my shoulders off and returned to my car.
"Lola..." LaToya groaned. "You know Michael isn't gonna like this."
I whipped around and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you gonna run and tell on me now?" She shrugged and then shook her head. "Okay then. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a carbarator that needs replacing."
LaToya grunted and went back into the house. I dove head first into the engine and got to work. Neveah was almost six years old now and I was four months pregnant with our first son, Prince Michael. We lived in a place Michael had named Wonderland. It was a gorgeous house. Neveah wasn't happy about leaving Neverland at all until Michael had taken us to see the house before he had bought it.
The house we now lived in was a dream. It had ten bedrooms and almost all of the doors of the house were completely bullet-proof. When Michael had mentioned that to me, it made me a little nervous. What in the world crossed his mind and had him thinking we needed something like that, I'll never know. It also had secret tunnels which Neveah had fallen in love with. Her favorite part of Wonderland was a giant cave that held the guest suite.
When we had first seen the house, there was an underground shooting range built in. Michael told me he planned on turning that into a recording studio, which he had done in time for us to move in shortly after his final concert.
I finished installing the new carberator and slammed the hood down. I jumped into the car and started it up, only to hear it stall and blow black exhaust out from the tailpipe.
"Oh...great. Now what?" I grumbled. I climbed back out and looked around, sighing.
"Well, I'm glad you decided to pull the car out of the garage before you started working on it. The floor would've been a mess," a man's voice chuckled behind me. I turned and saw Tito standing there with his new guitar and he grinned at me. "How are you, girl?"
I began to walk towards him to give him a hug and he put his hand up. I shrugged after I had noticed that I was completely covered in oil. "I've been okay. How've you been? And where did you get the new guitar?"
"Ah, this is what I had just ordered. You wanna see it?" he asked. I nodded and he set it on the hood of his car and opened it. It was a gorgeous deep red color and it had his name on it. It was the same design as his father's old guitar that he had learned to play on as a child.
"Tito...it's gorgeous. I'm amazed," I leaned over it and he grinned. After a moment, he put it back into the case and headed inside. I figured I might as well go in and clean up. Neveah would be up from her nap by now and most likely pestering the crud out of Michael.
'Crap...Michael. I've got to make it to the shower before he sees me or I'll be in for an hour lecture,' I thought. I slowly snuck in through the garage door and quietly walked up the stairs. I peaked around each corner and stayed as silent as possible. 'I may just make it...if I can just get down the hall...'
"I'm still faster than you, Daddy!" Neveah's voice rang out from down the hallway.
"Hey, I may be old but I can still get you!" Michael yelled.
'No...no, Neveah...run the other direction!' I mentally yelled as I hid around the corner from the hall. Neveah flew past me with Michael hot on her trail. He caught up with her just as she had reached the stairs and tackled her to the ground, tickling her.
"Whose the fastest now?" he laughed.
"Okay, Daddy! You win! Stop!" she giggled.
"Say mercy!" he smiled.
"Nooo! Mommy help!" she yelled when she saw me over Michael's shoulder. I gulped and turned to run down the hallway. Michael stopped and turned to face me and then froze.
"Lola Marie Jackson..." he grumbled. I gulped and turned to face him. I gave him an innocent smile, though my face was also covered with dirt and oil. "What have you been doing?" he asked with his hands on his hips.
"Uhh...making mud pies?" I attempted to look cute and Neveah giggled.
"Try again," he said, this time folding his arms.
I groaned. "Mike...come on! The Mustang needs work and I need to get some of it done!"
"Lola...normally I wouldn't mind but you're pregnant. I don't want you breathing in all of that nasty exhaust and dust. You could make yourself sick. Besides, why can't you just wait for Jermaine to do it for you?"
"Ugh...for me? No. I wanna be independent, Michael. And I know the risks. I am the head nurse at Progressive Hospital, remember?" I reminded him.
"Yeah, I know. But I worry about you," he walked over to me and wiped some dust off of my nose. I took his hand and smiled weakly. I opened my mouth to speak and he kissed me. "Don't argue, Lola. I'm always gonna worry. It's my job, just like it's your job to worry about me and Neveah....and being clumsy, of course." I frowned and he grinned. "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll go and call Jermaine and see when he can come over."
"You'll be waisting your time. He's in Africa shooting a video right now," I stated simply.
"Oh. Well I guess we will have to wait on getting your car fixed until he comes back, or after you've given birth."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right."
"Lola...if I have to chain up the toolbox in the garage..." he warned.
"Leave her alone, Mike. She will do what she wants to do whether you like it or not," Tito came in and took off his sunglasses. Michael slumped his shoulders and walked down the stairs with him. Neveah followed closely behind. She was her Uncle Tito's shadow whenever he was around. She adored the guys so much. Her favorite seemed to be Marlon. He was always the one that played with her the most.
After my shower, I came down the stairs to join my small family for lunch. Kai had prepared a nice organic meal for us. By that time, Jackie and Marlon had shown up.
"Something smells good," Marlon smiled, rubbing his hands together.
"Sit down, boys. There's plenty for everyone," I smiled. Michael hugged his brothers and winked at me. Neveah sat between her father and Marlon. The guys began talking about going back on tour. They hadn't been on stage since the reunion concert. They really missed performing. Jermaine was already out shooting a music video.
"So, what are your plans now?" Michael asked them.
"So far, we're just waiting on Jermaine to get back. Once he's back, we plan on hitting the studio. We have a few tempos we'd like you to hear later, if you don't mind," Tito said.
"Not at all," Michael smiled.
After we ate, Marlon went to Neveah's room with her to play some video games. Another thing about my daughter, she wasn't into fancy girl things like dolls and tea parties. She liked electronics. I don't know why or who she even got that from. She did have some musical talent which she had undoubtedly received from her father.
"We're gonna head down to the studio for a while, dear. Don't do something you know I won't like," Michael warned me. I gave him an innocent look and he gave me a warning look in return.
"Okay, okay," I threw my hands up in defense and he smiled and kissed me.
"Thank you," he winked.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled as I watched him and Tito walk out the door. When they left, I turned to Jackie. "I'm going back to the garage. Don't tell your brother, or I'll be forced to remove my shoe, again." I threatened my brother-in-law.
"Hey no need for threats. I was actually planning on offering to help, miss attitude."
"Well, I guess I could always use the entertainment," I smiled and he rolled his eyes.
We walked out to the garage and I pulled my car out into the driveway and popped the hood. Jackie grabbed a dirty towel and checked the oil for me.
"What are you doing?" I quirked a brow at him.
"Checking your oil. I said I was gonna help, not stand there and look pretty for you while you do all the dirty work," he said, folding his arms.
"If you say so," I shrugged and dug into the engine. "We need some music or something."
Jackie smiled and started singing one of the old Jackson 5 songs, Can You Feel It? and I smiled and sang along with him. After the first part of the song, I backed away from the hood and started dancing with my crazy brother-in-law. He taught me some of the old moves they had done on stage in the early years.
After the song ended, we both panted and laughed. "That was so much fun. Thank you," I panted.
"Anytime. Just don't tell anyone. Those moves are supposed to be sacred," he said sarcastically.
"Yeah, okay. If you say so," I smiled.
"Hey, let's play the "what if" game," he suggested.
"Beg your pardon?" I asked.
"The "what if" game. It's a lot of fun. Don't tell me you've never heard of it."
"Isn't that the game where..."
"It's self explanatory, Lola. Geeze," he laughed.
"Alright, fine. You start," I put my hand on my hip and waited as he thought.
"What would you do if you were chased by banana-throwing zombie monkeys?"
"What?" I laughed.
"Just answer the question."
I thought for a minute. "I'd throw them back and jump into the nearest pool." Jackie raised a brow at me. "What? They can't swim," I shrugged.
"Okay, you're turn to ask me," he grinned.
"Hm...okay, what would you do if you ever actually beat Michael in the water war?"
"Oh hell, that's easy. I'd celebrate like crazy!"
We went on with the game for a little while as I worked more on my car. Again, I was covered in dirt and oil and Jackie had me laughing until I was in tears. I had small lines under my eyes where the tears had fallen down my cheeks over the dirt on my skin.
"What would you do if Michael bought you something nice for no reason at all?" he asked.
I laughed. "Ha! Come on, when does he not buy me something nice for no reason. That was too obvious. What would you do if you got to play Michael Jordan at basketball?"
"I'd lose," he said simply. We both laughed. "Okay, let's do a serious one now," Jackie said. "I just have to know this, Lola, but it may be a bit rough. You don't have to answer if it's too difficult, okay?" I nodded slowly and turned, leaning against the front of my car. "What would you do if Will hadn't passed away?"
I paused for a minute and tried to ignore that familiar pain that threatened to dig into my once shattered heart. I took a few breaths and then smiled weakly. "I couldn't tell you, Jack. I miss him dearly, and I will miss him for the rest of my life, but I believe every thing happens for a reason, you know? I lost Will, but I gained Michael because of that. I lost my mother, and then I gained an entire family. Life is kind of like a game. You win some, you lose some, but you always learn from every move you make."
Jackie smiled and then hugged me, not caring if he got oil and dirt on himself. "I wish I could've met Will, but I'm glad you were brought to us, Lola. I feel like our family has an even stronger bond now that you're a part of it."
I blushed and pushed his shoulder. "Enough of that now. Next question. Who would win in a basketball match between you and Mike?"
"Oh come on, that's me. When we were growing up, me being the oldest, I was around way before we even started dancing and singing. I spent a lot of my time on the basketball court before Michael was even born. After the Jackson 5 started, it was still me on the court while Michael spent his time watching professional singers all the time. So yes, I'd win that hands down." He brushed his shoulders off and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, don't get too egotistical, dear brother. You're turn."
"Um..." he paused as he glanced over my shoulder. "What would you do if we were caught red handed by one of our brothers?" I looked at him for a minute and turned around to see Marlon standing there with his arms folded.
"My turn, what would you do in order to keep Marlon from telling Michael on your sneaky little butts?" Marlon smiled evilly.
"Ugh," I groaned.
"Come on," Jackie mumbled and put his hands on his hips.
"Alright," I sighed. "What's it gonna take for you to keep your big mouth shut?" I asked. "And where's Neveah?"
"She's with Mike and Tito..." he walked around and looked at my car. "Did you finish what you started with this thing?" he asked as he ran his hand over the car. I nodded and he jumped in the driver's seat and started it up, revving the engine and then turning it back off. "Nice. Okay, I won't tell on two conditions. One, I want both of you to wash my car and fix it up for me. I can never get Jermaine to do it for me. He's always so busy with the recording stuff. And two...I want you to make me your home made cheesecake, Lola."
I laughed and Jackie rolled his eyes. "Geeze."
I elbowed him and nodded. "Alright as long as you plan on keeping your little brother busy while I work on your car, consider it done."
Marlon agreed and Jackie rolled his eyes. "Somehow, this is gonna blow up in our faces, I just know it."
Meanwhile...
"So, what do you think?" Tito asked Mike after he played a track for him.
"I really like it. Good job, Tito. Who came up with the tempo?"
"Actually, it was the guys in the studio in Vegas. They came up with a rough idea and Jermaine and myself did the rest."
"What about Marlon and Jackie?" Michael asked.
"I don't know what they wanna do," Tito grumbled.
Michael sensed there was some kind of tension between his brothers. "Talk to me. What's going on with you guys?"
Tito chose his words carefully. "I don't know what's going to happen, Mike. Ever since you left, Jermaine and I felt the need to get back on stage. We felt like we needed to show the fans we still had what it takes to put on a great show. Jermaine got everything set up, picked the studio and everything. But now it seems Marlon and Jackie aren't really up to it."
"They don't wanna do it?" he asked.
"They say they do, and they've shown up to the studio when we needed them to, but when we try to come up with more tracks to work with, we can never seem to get them both into the studio to discuss it."
"Have you talked to them about this?"
"Yes, we've tried. Jermaine eventually got too frustrated and he had to leave for Africa. He left angry and we never do that. You of all people know we never leave an argument open for any reason. We've always made peace before parting ways, but not this time." Tito put his hand over his face and sighed deeply.
Michael chewed on his lip in deep thought. He knew this was eating Tito alive. He wasn't even the elder brother, yet he took on the job long ago. "I wish I knew what to say to fix things, Tito."
"You can't, Mike. You've always been the one to break up the fights, but we've gotta learn to handle this ourselves. You won't always be around and I hate to even think about that."
"Then don't. Why don't you just rest on it. Try to make peace with Jackie and Marlon. When Jermaine gets back, I'll call a meeting and we can all sit down and discuss things properly. No more of this nonsense will continue under my watch."
Tito smiled and hugged Michael. He thanked him and left. By the time he and the other brothers had gone home, I had already showered again and got myself and Neveah ready for bed. Michael walked upstairs and joined us in Neveah's bedroom.
"Hey," he smiled at me and Neveah. I was sitting on the edge of her bed and she was already tucked in.
"Right on time," I smiled. He leaned over and kissed Neveah on her head and sat down next to me. Neveah smiled and took Michael's hand as we sang the Spanish lullaby to her. We had sang that song to her every single night since the day she was born. Michael and I harmonized quite well together, and we never grew tired of that song.
After we finished, Neveah rubbed her eyes and yawned. I smiled and kissed her head. "I love you, little angel," I whispered.
Michael followed my actions. "Te quiero, poco uno," he whispered. He helped me up off of her bed and she yawned again.
"I love you too, Momma and Daddy," she stifled another yawn and we smiled at her and went to our own room for the night.