syp (2.6k) work gets repetitive sometimes but not when you get to experience something you’ve wanted for so long, and a suprise a few hours later.
notes loved writing this so much, I HAD to repost it [@/jacksonstreett on wattpad] this if just fluffy fluff fluff, tension and humor ngl. do we want a part two???
I packed my bag and headed home after a long shift, the busy nightlife bubbling outside the gates of Sapo Zoo.
The smell of street food mixed with distant sea salt made my stomach grumble loudly. I needed to get home before all hell broke loose.
Michael Jackson was finally coming to Liberia. The news spread pretty fast.
"One of the artist's first dates on the continent," one of the newspapers read, followed by a long Kreyol description underneath.
"Victoria Square, please," I told the driver as I climbed into the taxi. My friends sat beside me in the backseat, still touching up their makeup.
"You're literally so hot. Why are you frowning?" one of them asked. The other elbowed her immediately.
"She's nervous." "I'm just worried," I admitted. "What if I faint or something?"
"Oh, come on," she laughed. "You're gonna have fun. He'll probably sing Liberian Girl directly to you." "At least that's the bet," the other added.
I rolled my eyes, but my smile betrayed me. Getting tickets had almost emptied our pockets. We had paid extra just to secure front row, and honestly? It was worth every single dollar.
I fluffed my hair carefully, admiring the soft rod set curls bouncing around my shoulders.
My outfit had taken weeks to make; tight leather shorts, silver chains draped around my waist, and a handmade "BAD" shirt inspired by Michael's album cover.
Merch never really reached this part of the world, so everybody learned how to make things themselves.
And tonight, everyone was out.
The roads were packed beyond imagination. Buses overflowed with people hanging halfway out the windows, vendors screamed over one another selling drinks and grilled meat, and every other radio station seemed to be playing Michael Jackson.
The smile on my face widened when the driver turned up the volume. Speed Demon. My heart nearly exploded. I was actually going to see him.
The venue was already packed by the time we arrived every age imaginable filling the area. Our section was called first, so we waited on the grass near the barricades while staff prepared the stadium.
From where we stood, the place looked massive.I genuinely couldn't imagine how loud it would become once completely filled.
"Pose!" my friend yelled suddenly.
She pulled out her newly bought Canon EOS camera, definitely imported through questionable methods, but it worked perfectly.
We laughed while posing dramatically, trying not to sweat through our outfits already. Nearby, a paramedic station waved us over.
"You girls want chairs while you wait?" one of them asked kindly. We accepted immediately, the heat was too much.
Eventually the staff returned for the chairs, that's when reality finally hit me. The concert was actually about to begin.
My chest rose and fell unevenly as the crowd tightened around us, bodies pressing from every direction. The stadium darkened completely, throwing thousands of people into screaming chaos.
"MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!"
The crowd roared, shaking everything beneath us. My hands tightened around the barricade while the bass from the speakers vibrated through my ribs hard enough to steal my breath.
Around me, people were climbing onto shoulders, waving handmade signs and jackets into the air while security desperately tried to keep everyone from crushing forward.
The smell of sweat, smoke, and fireworks filled the humid night air. Then suddenly a fragrant smoke began pouring onto the stage.
The band emerged through it first, silhouettes hidden behind flashing lights and screaming fans. One by one the instruments started up, teasing the crowd until the first sharp beat finally echoed through the stadium.
And Michael appeared. The entire venue erupted so loudly I thought my ears would burst. I physically felt the scream leave my body.
The opening beats of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' thundered through the speakers, shaking my chest while seventy thousand people sang every single lyric word for word.
Michael moved effortlessly across the stage, spinning under flashing lights while cameras struggled to keep up with him.
The concert became a blur after that. A beautiful, overwhelming blur.
At some point during Smooth Criminal, fireworks exploded behind the stage so brightly they lit up the entire stadium gold.
Girls around me were crying openly, one actually fainting hard enough for security to rush over the barricade.
Bottles of water were passed through the crowd while everybody screamed themselves hoarse anyway.
My curls stuck to my forehead from sweat, mascara slowly running down my cheeks. I lost one of my hoop earrings during Bad and didn't even bother looking for it.
I was too busy staring at him, every movement looked unreal in person. By the time Human Nature started, I was already crying again. The concert felt endless and way too short at the same time.
Then suddenly the lights went out.
The crowd immediately broke out into confused whispers, some people already beginning to gather their things. Around me, exhausted voices mixed with laughter and cries.
But then a single spotlight appeared. Michael slowly stepped back into it, the entire stadium went silent in anticipation.
A soft instrumental through the speakers. At first, nobody recognized it but I did. My eyes widened instantly.
"No way..." I whispered. The opening notes of Liberian Girl echoed across the stadium.
The place exploded, People screamed so loudly it nearly drowned out the music itself. My hands flew to my mouth while tears immediately back into my eyes.
Michael smiled brightly at the crowd, clearly amused by the reaction, before beginning the first live rendition of the song during the tour.
He moved across the stage effortlessly, singing smoothly while serenading random girls in the audience.
Then somehow, as I batted my eyes he was walking toward me. My entire body froze. "No way," my friend shrieked beside me. "WE TOLD YOU!" The people around us started pointing too.
Michael crouched slightly near the barricade, reaching down until his hand intertwined gently with mine. I forgot how to breathe.
His voice softened through the final lines of the song, eyes locked onto mine while the stadium screamed around us.
And just like that he let go. Moving across the stage again like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile I stood there completely shattered, face burning hot, tears streaming down my cheeks while my friends screamed directly into my ears.
The concert ended sometime around three in the morning. And I don't think my heart ever fully recovered from those last thirty seconds.
The next day, I yawned while guiding some of the giraffes back into their circuit, my legs ached from dancing, my throat burned from screaming every lyric, and the entire staff looked half-dead.
I scoffed quietly to myself. Guess I wasn't the only one crying during Human Nature.
"Oh my God," one of the girls whispered, shakily pointing toward the gates. My eyes widened instantly, all traces of sleep leaving my body.
Michael Jackson was walking into the reserve.
And somehow he looked even better than he had the night before.
A loose red shirt hung over fitted black pants, the morning breeze occasionally catching the fabric as he walked.
His signature curls framed his face perfectly, the soft mullet brushing against the nape of his neck while dark sunglasses hid his eyes. A few cameramen followed close behind him.
despite the simplicity of the outfit, he looked ridiculously beautiful.
I watched from afar as our boss hurried over to greet him, posture painfully professional.
The rest of my coworkers quickly lined themselves up nearby while Michael greeted everybody one by one.
Any other fangirl probably would've thrown herself at him immediately. But me? I was mortified.
The memory of him holding my hand replayed in my head every five seconds, making it physically impossible to look him in the eye without wanting to collapse into the dirt.
So instead, I escaped. I headed straight toward the hippo enclosure, my safe place, resting my arms against the wooden fence while feeding them carrots, lettuce and grass.
The massive creatures barely moved beneath the water. "I'm losing my mind," I whispered dramatically to one of them. They blinked. At least somebody here listened without judgment.
"Do you talk to hippos now?" I nearly screamed.
I spun around so fast my boots slipped slightly in the dirt. Michael stood there alone. A grin tugged at his mouth as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"How much did you hear?" I asked, horrified. He laughed softly again, shoulders bouncing. "Just a bit," he admitted. "I don't spy. I'm a gentleman."
The accent in his voice wrapped around the words sweetly enough to make me laugh too. I leaned back against the tree trunk behind me, trying desperately to act normal.
"You look familiar," he said, slowly circling to my other side like he was studying a painting. I tried not to melt under the attention. "Probably because I was at your concert yesterday."
Recognition immediately spread across his face."Oh yeah..." he murmured. "The pretty curly-headed girl."
Heat flooded straight into my cheeks.
I cleared my throat quickly before changing the subject. "Did you know hippos can't actually swim?" I asked. His eyebrows lifted. "They can't?" I shook my head.
"Nope. They run underwater. They push themselves off the ground and glide. That's why they stay in shallow rivers mostly." Michael stared at the hippos with genuine fascination.
"That's adorable." "They're also one of the most dangerous animals in Africa." His eyes widened behind the glasses. "...That's less adorable."
I laughed, not nervously and something about hearing it made him smile too. "Well," he said carefully, leaning slightly closer, "I wouldn't mind being a hippo if it meant I could stare at you all day."
I blinked. My brain rebooting.
"You don't have to flatter me," I muttered weakly.
"I'm just telling the truth."
The sincerity in his voice made my stomach flip worse than the concert had. I looked away before he could notice how badly he was affecting me.
The reserve stretched around us peacefully, distant animal calls echoing through the trees, humid air carrying the smell of earth and rain.
Michael stepped beside me at the fence.
"Take me around," he said softly. "I wanna hear that sweet voice of yours guide me." I stared at him suspiciously.
"You say that to every girl?"
"No," he answered immediately. "Just the pretty Liberian one who survived front row at my concert." I laughed again. "Fine," I sighed dramatically.
"But if you get chased by anything, I'm running first." He placed a hand over his chest in fake offense.
"You'd abandon me?" "Absolutely." He gasped so theatrically I almost doubled over laughing.
"You're cold," he accused softly. "I'm realistic."
He laughed again, that airy laugh that always sounded like he was genuinely surprised by happiness. Before continuing down the trail, I waved dramatically toward the hippo enclosure.
"Behave yourselves while I'm gone," I called out. Michael stared at me in amusement. "You really do talk to animals." "They understand me better than people sometimes."
"That explains why they all look so calm around you." I rolled my eyes while beginning the walk through the reserve, sunlight filtering through the trees above us.
The paths were still damp from the morning humidity, the smell of earth and salt lingering softly in the air.
For a while, I stayed quiet. Mostly because every time I looked at him, my brain stopped working but I kept stealing glances anyway.
The way he looked around at everything with genuine curiosity instead of celebrity boredom. "Never seen such a pretty girl stay this silent next to me," he teased finally. I groaned quietly.
"I'm trying not to embarrass myself... and my ancestors." He burst out laughing so suddenly he nearly slipped on the dirt path.
"Oh my God. " I grabbed his arm quickly to steady him, and somehow that only made both of us laugh harder.
"You almost died because of my ancestors," I said between laughs. "They're very powerful people." Our laughter slowly faded into something softer.
I glanced over at him again while we walked slowly past the elephant enclosure.
"Why did you come to Liberia?" I asked. "Not many people choose our country out of all the wonders of the continent. Why not Egypt or Morocco or somewhere bigger?" Michael shrugged lightly.
"Why not Liberia?" he answered. "I've always liked doing different things. And this place is beautiful."
My brows lifted slightly, at least one of us had a good first impression.
"And you?" he asked. "Why a zoo?" I looked ahead thoughtfully. "It's peaceful," I admitted. "The routine gets repetitive, sure, but... I don't know. I like taking care of things that can't really explain themselves."
His expression softened. "And," I added with a small smile, "one of the most beautiful beaches is close to here. You can smell the salt from the reserve sometimes. During summer, I always go there after work."
"The beach?" he repeated with interest.
"When's the last time you went?" I sighed. "A while. I've been working overtime to save money for school and other plans." Michael nodded slowly.
"What do you wanna study?"
"Veterinary sciences maybe. Or environmental work. Depends if life decides to cooperate with me."
"I think life already likes you," he said casually. I looked at him suspiciously. "That was smooth." "I'm musician smooth," he corrected.
I laughed again. We stopped near the elephant enclosure where Susie lazily threw dirt onto herself with her trunk.
Michael's eyes widened immediately. "She's huge."
"She knows it too," I replied. "Very dramatic. Last week she refused food because one of the workers ignored her."
"She just like me," he whispered seriously. I snorted loudly. "She literally threw a watermelon at him."
Michael placed a hand against his chest. "See? Sensitive."
"You compare yourself to every animal here?" I ask "Only the cute ones." I rolled my eyes again, though my cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much.
At some point, It stopped feeling like Michael Jackson beside me. Just Michael.
We slowly circled back toward the entrance paths. The reserve had become quieter now, most workers busy elsewhere while distant birds echoed through the air.
Michael suddenly slowed beside me. "So..." he started casually, rocking slightly on his heels. "About that beach."
I blinked. "What about it?"
"I think you should show it to me." My heart skipped embarrassingly fast. "Oh—"
"Today." "Today?" I repeated weakly.
He nodded confidently. "You owe me for abandoning me during hypothetical animal attacks." I laughed nervously.
"I don't know..." He stepped slightly closer, lowering his sunglasses just enough for me to properly see his eyes again.
"I don't really take no for an answer," he admitted softly. "Especially not from pretty girls who talk to hippos." I stared at him, knees weak.
"You flirt a lot, you know that?" "Only when inspired."
I shook my head while laughing under my breath.
"...Fine." His entire face brightened instantly.
"Really?" "Yes, really." Before I could overthink it, he suddenly pulled me into a hug. His cologne mixed with the earthy air surrounding me.
Then he pulled back slightly and kissed my cheek softly, my face immediately caught fire. "Thank you for showing me around," he murmured.
I could barely speak. "You're welcome..."One of the assistants nearby called his name, reminding both of us that this wasn't normal reality. Michael reached into his pocket quickly, pulling out a folded piece of paper.
"Call this number when you get home," he said, placing it carefully into my hand. I stared down at it in disbelief.
Then back at him "You're serious?" "Very." He started walking backwards slightly to rejoin the others, smiling the entire time.
"And don't stand me up," he warned playfully. I laughed breathlessly while my heart was somewhere on the floor of the Liberian rainforest.
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