WITH LOVE FOR MY DEAREST — A MICHAEL JACKSON FANFICTION
In the glittering chaos of the 1990s music industry, Michael Jackson and Jackie Thomas become each other’s safest place. As tabloids, rumors, and public obsession try to tear their lives apart, the two build a quiet world of love, music, and family behind the headlines.
general tags: 80s/90s music industry, racism, s*x, slow burn, Implied/Referenced domestic Ab*se, blackfemoc.
Notes: For general image purposes only, Jackie is based entirely on Halle Bailey image, she's the main faceclaim of Jackie. This story is also posted on archive of our own, but I want post it here because why not? hehe. I only want to share my baby girl Jackie with the world and give my homeboy Michael a healthy (though it is not so much) love story. If you can, please, leave a comment and make this author heart happy.
CHAPTER 3: TAKE MY BREATH
My conversations with Michael had become something relatively regular. We called each other almost with the same frequency, and talking to him made my day, without a doubt, more colorful. His voice on the phone was melodic and beautiful, exactly like his singing voice, and for my sixteen-year-old self, it was an immense delight to be able to hear his voice like that.
Back then, I didn't think of Michael as anything more than a friend. He was the only one I had, because there wasn't exactly a wide variety of people to meet. I was also still in a cold war with the label about my own style. I liked Arista and the creative freedom they could give me, but for a young Black artist, there were many limitations and a certain script they needed me to follow. That I needed to follow if I planned to be as big as I wanted to be.
Seeing Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin performing live gave me the fuel I wanted. The fuel I needed to find my own visual identity and also the secret to break through the bubble beyond the audience imposed on others for me. I was relatively known within my own community, but how to be known beyond it without having to give up who I was? Would raw talent alone be enough?
Either way, Richard wasn't Black, and talking to him about any of the problems that invaded my mind was a waste of time. He would simply brush past my concerns, saying I just needed to work harder and things would work out.
Undeniably, working hard was necessary. But after everything my mother went through, being erased and replaced because she wasn't light-skinned enough, and even the disdain from the white people in the industry around me for my own style, said more than I needed to know about how much pure effort wasn't enough.
One afternoon, I was sitting on my sofa with my legs folded on the cushion. My mother sat beside me, watching TV and knitting, while I reviewed my homework answers.
"Mama?" I called, lifting my gaze from my notebook.
"Yes, baby?" She replied, eyes still fixed on the TV, repeating the quick movements of her trained hands. Her glasses with delicate chains slid over her shoulders, her straightened hair pinned in a low bun. My mother was beautiful, terracotta skin and full lips, round nose and high cheekbones. If she hadn't married Richard, she could have tried a career as a model, or so I always thought because that's how I saw her.
The most beautiful woman in the world.
"Why did you marry Richard?" I asked directly, my voice dropping lower and more uncertain. I was a little afraid of the answer.
My mother sighed and stopped knitting. She took off her glasses and looked at me.
"I think for security, maybe. I like him. I liked him when I married him," my mother smiled. "You were still much younger than you are now, and deep down, I wished you could have a normal family and a comfortable life."
"Weren't there other men? Mama, you're so beautiful. You were absolutely beautiful," I said, tilting my head and frowning. "Richard is so hateful."
"I know you don't understand now, and I don't ask you to. Things for people like us aren't as easy as they are for them, sweetheart, as they are for people like Richard." She held my hand and stroked it gently. "We could be much worse off than we are now, and if we can enjoy what he has, then let it be."
I admit I didn't fully understand what my mother meant, but I accepted that answer because the sorrow in her eyes told me it was the only answer she could give. I didn't want to upset my mother. I didn't want to argue or fight, because we had no one but each other, and being mad at her meant being a little more lonely.
Mrs. Edwards arrived at 9 o'clock, and I spent most of the day studying. In the afternoon, I went to the studio to record some songs with Richard. He introduced me to some of his colleagues, and I smiled, was polite and cordial as always. They presented me with some demos. Some had a unique composition and an addictive beat. I liked them. I could visualize myself dancing to some of those songs on stage.
"I really liked this one that I recorded with George," I said, holding the cassette tape with the label 'Take My Breath'. "It's so energetic. Can I try recording it again? Just to see how it sounds in a proper way?"
Teddy Rhimes was a producer at Arista. He was quite competent at his job, I knew that because I'd heard some of his productions for other artists. But competence didn't mean sensitivity, and I'd learned early on that white men in the industry often confused the two.
He smiled when I picked up the tape, a wide, easy smile, as if I were a child asking permission to play with an expensive toy.
"Sure, Jackie. Let's see what you do with it," Teddy said, pointing to the recording booth. "It's a demo I got from a new writer. The beat is strong, really modern. I think it has potential, but..."
He paused, as if weighing his words.
"...I have to be honest with you. The new album has a different direction. More mature, more restrained. The label wants something that conveys more elegance, less raw energy. I'm not sure this song fits."
I felt the tightness in my chest before I could respond. Raw energy. As if energy were something ugly. As if my voice, my delivery, were a problem to be solved.
"You think it doesn't fit?" I asked, my voice calmer than I felt.
"I think the song is good, Jackie, but for your target audience, maybe it's too much. People won't know how to classify it. And in a market that's already difficult for artists like you..." He shrugged, as if it were obvious. "We need something that's clear and more commercial."
Richard, behind me, nodded in agreement. I didn't need to look to know he was on Teddy's side. He always was.
I took a deep breath. My body trembled slightly, but my voice came out steady. I was not used to disagreeing with them.
"Teddy, I don't want to be clear. I want to be like I did. I like this groove so much."
He laughed awkwardly, as if I'd made a joke. "Jackie, honey, it doesn't sell records. What sells is a well-defined identity, a sound people recognize. And this song, the way you sing it, it's too much you. And you don't have a label yet."
I stood in silence. I put the tape in my bag. I looked at Richard, who frowned.
"Richard," I said, my voice low, "do you agree with him?"
"Jackie, he's just thinking about your future," Richard replied, his voice velvety and condescending. "No one is saying you're not talented. We're just saying you need direction."
Direction. The word they always used when they wanted to tell me my direction wasn't the right one.
I stood up. Grabbed my bag, my coat. "I'll think about it. About the album. But the song, Teddy, I'm going to record it my way however. If it's not for this record, it'll be for the next one. But I'm not going to let it become something it's not."
Teddy opened his mouth to respond, but I was already walking out. Richard followed me into the hallway and grabbed my arm tightly, I could feel his nails almost digging into my skin.
"Jaqueline, wait," he called, his voice firmer now. "You can't just ignore what the label says. This is business. You're young, you need to build a career, and to do that you need to play the game."
I stopped. Turned to face him. "Richard, I know what playing the game means. My mother played it and... Where is her career now?"
"Your mother chose to dedicate herself to the home and to me; no one forced her."
I just stared at his grip on my arm.
He opened his mouth, then closed it. For the first time in my life, I saw something like doubt in his eyes. He obeyed with the same hesitation.
But even so, he was not very inclined to do anything for the sake of what I wanted to do.
"Take me home," I said, my voice tired. "Please."
He took me home. The silence in the car was thick, but I didn't mind. I was too busy thinking about how I was going to make that song vibrate the way it deserved.
Later at home, I sat on the sofa with the tape in my hand, spinning it between my fingers. My mother was in the armchair beside me, knitting.
"Mama," I called, my voice low.
"Do you think we have to make ourselves smaller to be accepted?"
She stopped knitting and looked at me with those eyes that had already seen so much.
"No," she said, her voice calm. "We have to make ourselves heard. That's different."
"How do we do that without losing what we have?"
She smiled. A small, sad smile, full of wisdom. "We learn to choose our battles, sweetheart. But if it makes you feel alive, then it's a battle worth fighting."
I held the tape against my chest. And for the first time that day, I felt like maybe I could win.
I was still on the sofa, the demo tape between my fingers, Teddy's voice echoing in my head. "Too much you." As if that were a flaw. My mother had already gone to sleep. The house was silent, except for the distant hum of the refrigerator.
I answered on the second ring.
"Jackie?" His voice, soft, hesitant. "It's Michael. Did I wake you?"
"No, you didn't," I replied, already wearing a smile. "How are you? Are you recovering well?"
"Yes, I'm sure I'll be better in a few days. I've already left the hospital, I'm at Emmanuel Lewis's house recovering," he spoke from the other side, his voice still very low and whispered.
"Emmanuel Lewis? That's incredible. I forget you're famous sometimes," I said, genuinely surprised.
"That's good. I, honestly, don't know if I like it when people remember that all the time," Michael said. "It's as if I were only that."
"Then I'll make sure to forget it more often," I teased, and he laughed.
"Yes, girl, please," he joked back. "How was your day?"
"It was a bit stressful and busy, as always," I told him, not wanting to get into the many other unpleasant parts involving Richard and the record label. "I'm working on my new album."
"Oh, that's wonderful, it's great to hear that, Jackie. Are you happy?"
I hesitated, pausing for a few seconds before answering.
"Yes, of course. It's just tiring, a lot of work," I held the phone, taking it off the side table next to the sofa and placing it on my lap, sitting in a lotus position. "Too many people and too many opinions all at the same time."
"I know it well. But it's important that you decide what you want to do, express your creativity and your vision of what you want, don't take no for an answer," he advised tenderly, yet keeping a firm tone that reminded me he was older in the industry than I was. "Everyone will always try to tell you that what you want is too difficult or that they can't make it happen, but if it's in your imagination, there must be a way to make it real."
I remained quiet for a few seconds.
"How can you be sure you can make it real? What is the right idea? I think it's a bit discouraging when important people say it's impractical," I asked for his advice sincerely. Despite the soft voice and sweet manner, Michael was a giant in that field.
He had made his own projects possible, having grown exponentially at such a young age.
"I think you should follow your instincts. You know, Jackie, I really believe that all my ideas are not entirely mine. It's as if God were sending them to me," he revealed to me, his voice still low on the other end of the line. "And usually things happen, with a bit of effort and stubbornness, but they happen."
I had never stopped to think about where my own ideas came from. I hadn't produced or given input on the singles for this first album. Richard had introduced me to Teddy, who had presented me with a song, exactly as it had happened before.
There were ideas I wanted to express, but my age constantly barred me, and I was at the mercy of the label in many ways.
"Follow my instincts..." I murmured into the darkness.
"Yes. It's the most important thing. I think you must have realized that all the things that are easy for some people are not so easy for us. So, make yourself heard."
"My mother told me the exact same thing."
"Your mother is a smart lady, and so are you. I'm sure you will make good decisions."
"I just remembered that you're an adult," I said, holding the phone tightly and leaning my head against the back of the sofa. "You're so cool that sometimes I simply forget."
He laughed this time, a short and beautiful laugh.
"Maybe I'm just trying not to be the kind of adult people want me to be, and that is also something to make yourself heard about. You don't have to be the adult they want you to be when your turn comes, either," Michael's voice, sweet and soft, continued on the other side. "Being an adult, at least for me, doesn't mean stopping liking the things you like or trying to be serious and moody all the time."
"Yeah, you're right, I guess," I said and yawned.
"Jackie, thank you for talking to me today, but I think it's better if you go to sleep."
"Hm? What? No... I want to talk to you more," I lay down on the sofa, the phone cord twisting around my arm, resting my head on the armrest.
"Are you sure? You sound tired."
"I'm not," I pulled the phone away from my ear so he wouldn't hear me yawning again. "It's fine, I'm not sleepy. But I'll understand if you're tired. You're still recovering."
"I don't sleep very easily, my mind is always full, racing with so many ideas, and the day always feels too short," he revealed in a low voice.
"So that's why you have really good ideas all the time," I teased.
"Not all the time. I think I have bad ideas sometimes, but I manage to filter a bit better what I can use and what I can't."
"I want to learn to be like that," I confessed.
"You will. All you need is a little more time. You're already on a very good path. Your single is very good."
"I wasn't the one who wrote it or chose it. Clive and Teddy are the ones who chose the demo," I told him, almost whispering this time as I heard a faint rustle from the second floor of the house.
"Have you ever tried to write something?"
"I write all the time, but Richard usually doesn't like most of my ideas. Everything seems bad to him before he even hears it."
"That's horrible. It sounds like he isn't giving you a chance to show what you know. It's wrong."
I smiled to myself. Sometimes Michael spoke with almost childlike expressions. It was cute and endearing.
"Yes, it's wrong. But I can't do much about it."
"Have you ever tried showing it to Clive personally? Without Richard's intervention?"
Honestly, I was too insecure to do something like that. I wasn't sure if I was good enough, and I was quite afraid of sabotaging my contract with Arista.
"No... I don't know if I'm good enough, I guess."
"You need to believe in your ideas, Jackie. Whether they are bad or not, they are yours. You need to fight for them. Remember? Make yourself heard. Maybe you should show your demos to Clive. Talk to your mother. Try to do it without Richard's intervention," Michael advised me, his whisper carrying a gentle weight that cut straight through my doubts. "He seems to be pruning you in so many ways."
"It's scary, Michael," I whispered back, pulling the blanket closer to my chin. "Richard controls everything. If I go behind his back..."
"I know it's scary," he said softly, interrupting my spiral. "But the music inside you belongs to you, not to him. Don't let him take that away before you even get a chance to try."
I looked down at the 'Take My Breath' cassette tape resting on my chest, feeling its sharp edges against my palms. For weeks, I had felt like a passenger in my own career, a product being wrapped in glossy paper for a target audience I didn't even understand. But hearing Michael say it, hearing the absolute certainty in his quiet voice, made a small spark ignite deep in my chest.
"Okay," I breathed out, the word feeling monumental in the dark living room. "I'll talk to Mama. We'll find a way."
"That's good, Jackie. I'm glad," I could practically hear the warmth of his smile through the receiver. "Now, you really must rest. Dream of beautiful songs."
"Thank you, Michael. For everything," I murmured, my eyelids growing heavy at last. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Jackie. Sleep with the angels."
The soft click of the line disconnecting echoed in my ear, but I stayed there on the sofa for a long time, holding the receiver against my chest, listening to the dial tone transition into silence. For the first time, the future didn't just feel like a script Richard had written for me. It felt like a blank page, and I finally had the courage to hold the pen.