Chapter twenty-eight – Nothing's Too Much

~~

"So, this is my place, Reiss." As we enter my house, I open my arms, as if presenting my living space to him. "I mean, it's nothing much, but ... it's home."

He looks around the kitchen, which is the room we entered the house through a few moments back. "Seems like a nice place though. It's sweet." After scanning the room briefly, he looks at me in concern. "You really don't mind me staying here a few days?"

I shake my head. "No, of course not. It'll be nice company for a little while. And besides, you're Michael's uncle. Practically family to me."

Michael takes his uncle's jacket from him, hanging it on the coat rack, before resting a hand on Reiss' shoulder. "Exactly. Don't even worry about it, Uncle. Citria is the sweetest, most accommodating girl you'll ever know; nothing is too much to ask of her."

"He's right," I add. "You want anything at all, I'll do my best to get it for you."

Reiss smiles at me, placing a hand on his chest. "You're wonderful. Thank you, kid."

"Stop thanking me for something I wanted to do," I demand playfully, heading towards the door leading into the hallway. "Now come on; let's go to the living room to relax a little."

We all exit the kitchen, walking through the hallway to the living room. Michael takes a seat first, opening his arms to invite me to sit with him, whilst Reiss sits next to Michael on the other side. I grab the remote, switching the television on for us all.

"Any preferences on TV show?" I ask, changing channels frequently. "I mean, Michael likes those home video shows. Do they have those in Britain, Reiss?"

"Sure they do. I love them too. We can watch one, if you come across one," he answers.

"Alright." I continue searching through the channels, until I find one with a home video show on. Placing the remote down, I sit back on the sofa close to Michael. "There we go."

Whilst the two men watch, I'm left paying no attention to what's happening on the television. I'm thinking about everything that's happened today, and recently. It's still all so crazy to me, because two months ago, I didn't even know Michael Jackson existed. Now, we're in a relationship, and he's living in my home with his uncle. Everything has changed so fast.

Today has involved a lot, really. What was once a trip to the fields – just Michael and I – ended up being a trip to the fields to discuss his family's deaths with the uncle he forgot all about. Now I'm thinking back to when Michael first saw Reiss about an hour ago, it makes sense that he was hysterical. Seeing someone you believed to be dead must be ... there's no word for it.

"Ha! He just crashed into a lamppost!" Michael laughs, bringing me out of my thoughts. It causes me to jump, and he must feel that, because he then looks down at me. "Did I scare you, Angel?"

There's the nickname again; it sends shivers down my spine. I'll never stop loving the way he calls me that.

"N-No—yeah, but it's okay," I stutter, a nervous chuckle coming after my words. "Honestly."

He grins in amusement, shaking his head at me. "Alright." Then, he grows more serious, and whispers. "You're sure Reiss is okay staying here? I hope it's not too much trouble—"

"Shush. He's fine. Now watch your little video show thingy," I snicker, leaning my head on his shoulder.

In reaction to this, he places an arm around my waist, drawing me closer to him. Sometimes, the way he does it brings me back to when we were just friends; we aren't too romantic with each other yet because we've only been together a little over a week, but we do the basics such as cuddling and kissing.

Just when I think Michael's watching the TV again, he looks over at me, with a look I've never seen before. It's kind of like a smirk, but his eyes have a glint in them that I don't recall seeing previously. The look, however, must cause me to give him some kind of facial expression in return, because Reiss suddenly speaks up about it.

"Look at you kids. The way you're lookin' at each other – you're besotted!" His eyes then move to Michael, as Michael turns around to look at his uncle. "My God, I still can't believe how much you've grown Michael. Since the little kid with the afro back in the 70s, you sure have matured a hell of a lot. Look at you – girlfriend, new home, everything. And even if you have changed, you're still a handsome kid."

At first, Michael remains silent, an embarrassed smile tugging at his lips, whilst a subtle red colour tinges his cheeks. "Thanks Uncle Reiss. But you see me every single year—"

"And every single year, you become more of a man than the year before that," Reiss interrupts, a proud smile forming on his face. He then appears to change the subject. "Now we have no family, we need to stick together. I've got to live here – not in this house, but somewhere close by. Are there any houses around here that are vacant, or up for sale?"

Michael and I both pause to think, but Michael's the first to answer. "Well, there's my old house, but I don't think you want to live there. I'm not sure about anywhere else. We'll have to find out, won't we?"

Reiss nods in response. "Okay. We can find out tomorrow or something, can't we?"

"For sure," I answer, realising that no one is watching the television now. "Anyway ... it's getting close to lunch time now. Anyone want anything to eat whilst we watch TV?"

"Oh, yeah, that's a good idea." Michael removes his arm from around me, standing up, before I do the same.

Reiss stands up shortly after, and we all head into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

* * *

"Thank you for lunch, guys. It was great." Reiss shows his appreciation for what feels like the twentieth time already. At least it shows he has manners, though.

"That's okay. What do you want to do now?" I ask, walking with Michael and him into the living room from the kitchen. "Anything in particular?"

He licks his lip casually. "Uhm ... is it okay if I take a little nap? I haven't slept since yesterday on the flight here. I'm real tired."

"Of course." I nudge Michael's elbow; he's sitting on the sofa letting me do all the question-asking. "Michael, would you show him the spare bedroom ... your old one?"

Michael nods, getting up from the sofa to show his uncle where he'll be sleeping.

-Michael's point of view-

"It's just here, Uncle Reiss." My hand touches upon the doorknob, twisting it gently to open it. We then step inside. "So, this is your room for the next ... I don't know. However long you're planning to stay."

"Thanks, kid." He walks further into the room, sitting himself down on the bed. He pats the space next to him. "Come talk to me, Mike."

"Uh ... sure." I walk over to him, sitting on the spot next to him. "What do you want to talk about?"

He then gives me a look of concern. "Are you alright, kid? I know you look happy on the outside, but is that really what the inside is saying?"

My eyebrows furrow, as I look down in thought. "It's difficult to judge, a lot of the time, really. I could be completely happy, but then ... with one thought of everything that's happened, I'm all depressed again. It's really hard, Uncle ... "

He exhales through his nose, rubbing my back comfortingly. "I get it. I'm feeling a bit like that too. But we'll get through it together. I'm telling you, we will."

A brief silence takes place between the two of us, until I answer. "I know we will. Even after a few weeks, it's ... still so hard to get my head around. Part of me still refuses to believe that everyone's gone."

"Can you remember what happened on the day it happened ... I mean, precisely?"

A sigh passes my lips. "Of course. Every painful second of it."

-Flashback – August 16, 1987-

A knock was heard on the door; I wondered who it could be. We were having a family reunion, and guests were arriving frequently. It was a wonder we managed to fit everyone in our home!

"I'll get it!" mother told me, rushing to the door and opening it. "Oh, hello! Come on inside!"

She had always been an excitable woman, and I found that really cute. She was the most amazing mother – kind, gentle, sweet – everything I needed.

Then, who should come through the door? My enemy cousin Astrix. It's like I could actually feel my blood boiling inside of me. Angrily, I rushed up to mother, to interrogate her.

"Mother, what is he doing here? I thought we agreed not to invite Astrix!" I frowned, folding my arms tightly to emphasise my fury.

"Sweetie, he's family. We can't have a family reunion without cousins! And besides, he's my nephew. You should just end your feud and like one another!" she suggested.

Shaking my head, I made my opinion clear. "No mother. I'm sorry, but if Astrix is going to be here, then I'm not. I refuse to be in the same room as him."

"Don't be immature sweetheart," mother demanded softly, "It's just a few hours, after all."

"Yeah. A few hours too many," I hissed, taking a quick glance at Astrix, before looking back at mother. "No. I can't. I'm going for a little walk. I'll come check on you all in about an hour." I lightly kissed mother's forehead. "I love you, but I can't be here."

"I love you too baby. Please come back for a little while though, okay?"

The expression she had was enough to convince me to return. "Okay mom. I'll come back. Tell father and the others where I am, will you?"

"Of course, honey."

Then, I left out the front door, bumping into a few guests as I did so. They started asking questions, so I quickly answered before walking away from them.

*  *  *

It had been about forty-five minutes since I walked out of my home to avoid Astrix. Perhaps it was about time I went back to check on how everyone was doing. It took me a few minutes to return to my house; once I got there, I opened the front door.

"I'm back mother. How is everything?" I called from the doorway, making my way to the living room.

As I opened the door, the sight sickened me. All my family were lying on the ground, a pool of blood around each. The first thing I did was scream out, before rushing over to mother and shaking her body desperately.

"Mother!" I cried, before turning my body around to see my dad. "Father! Oh, Tito! Jackie! Rebbie! Jermaine!" As I looked around, I saw more of my siblings. "Randy! Marlon! Oh, Janet! Dunk! LaToya!" My words were coming out as sobs, whilst my arms reached out to touch anyone, to see if they were alive. "Please! Let at least one of them live! Please, God!"

By now, my cheeks were red, soaked with the tears from my hysterical crying. My face was contorted in emotional agony, as I fell to my knees in grief.

"Oh, my God!" was all I could shout.

I wanted to smash the house up; I wanted to cry out words of much stronger profanity; I wanted to kill myself. In fact, what was stopping me from killing myself? I couldn't tell, but it was preventing me from finding a gun, a rope, or any kind of pills.

Feeling close to physically throwing up, I struggled to my feet, staggering out the house. It took all my energy not to collapse with grief once more, but I managed to make it to the curb without falling. It was there that I sat and cried for ... it felt like an eternity. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was that long.

Once my cries finally subsided, I heard footsteps coming towards me. My breathing heavy from excessive crying, I looked up to see a girl ... with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore no make-up, but was naturally beautiful. She came over and began asking me questions, making sure I was okay.

I told her my name was Michael, and she told me she was Citria.

Meeting her was the only happiness I had on that terrible day ... the day that changed my life forever.

-End of flashback-

Shaking my head, I fight myself not to tear up. Reliving the day in detail has really brought me down again ...

"God ... that sounds terrible, what you saw, kid," Reiss states sympathetically, resting his hand upon my shoulder. "I wish I had been there to help you."

Feeling low, I avert my eyes downwards. "I do too. At least we would have had one another for the past couple months," I answer dejectedly. "But on the plus side, I met Citria."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him nod in acknowledgement. "Hey, that's true. She's certainly given you a lot to be happy about, hasn't she?" Looking to him, I notice his eyes are full of tears, but he has a smile upon his face.

"Yes." No other words can really come from my lips, so I remain silent.

"Exactly." He lets out a sigh, but tries to remain positive. "I know this has been real tough on you lately. Now I've found out, I'm never going to be the same again. But you know what you have to do?"

Shaking my head, I respond. "No ... "

"Well, you've got to put on a smile, take each day as it comes, start a fresh life with Citria and make your family proud of you. You got that?" He smiles at me, placing his hand in mine.

Exhaling through my nose, I nod my head. "Okay," I murmur, still a little apprehensive about doing everything he just said.

He squeezes my cheek playfully. "Attaboy. But remember, you're allowed to cry too. I'm sure Citria has helped you when you've cried ... hasn't she?"

"Yeah. She's been real supportive. It's like ... nothing is too much trouble for her. She's prepared to do whatever it takes to make me happy, and I love that about her. I could ask her to sacrifice her life for me, and she would probably do it. She's just ... incredible. There's no other way to describe her."

"Aww," Reiss coos, nudging my shoulder jokily. "Now, that's exactly what you need in your life. She's a beautiful kid with a warm heart. Don't let her go, alright? Those kinds don't come around very often."

"I'll never let her go. She'd have to let me go first. But knowing her, she would probably only break up with me if that's what made me happy. So basically, we're staying together forever." A small chuckle accompanies my words.

Reiss tuts, shaking his head in amusement. "Well, that's good then. Go downstairs now. Your girl's probably wondering where you've gone."

"Alright. Have a good nap," I reply, standing up from the bed and walking towards the door. "See you in a couple hours."

Closing the door behind me, I head downstairs, entering the living room to see Citria waiting for me on the sofa.

"You took your time. What happened up there?" she asks, patting the seat next to her, inviting me to sit there too.

"Oh, he just wanted to talk to me about something. Family stuff." I take the seat next to her, placing an arm around her. "And you also came into the conversation briefly."

"I did?" Her adorable eyes meet mine, as her brow cocks in curiosity. "I hope it was good stuff."

"Of course. Only the best about my girl."

She snickers. "Sure, sure. Anyway ... we have a little time to ourselves now, don't we? Until Reiss wakes up again."

"Yep. What should we do?" I question, bringing her more into my embrace. "Because personally, I think we should make the most of this time together."

She gives a closed-mouth smile. "Me too." Then, she hesitates a little, but finally decides to carry on speaking, "I-I know I don't say this a lot, but ... I love you, Michael."

I take pleasure in answering this statement. "I love you too, Citria."

It still makes my heart soar knowing that – despite having almost nobody – there is still someone in this world to love.

But you know what the best part about it is?

That same person loves me back, just as much.

~~

So ... Michael's first point of view in the story! How'd you like that?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!