I slammed my fist on the table and said "dammit; you know I hate it when you talk about that! Nothing happened and nothing ever will happen because I didn't do anything! I'm going to settle out of court for $20 million just to get them off my back!" She responded "that doesn't change the fact that I'm done having kids and you're just going to have to get over it because I'm not having a baby with you!" I threw my hands up in the air and said "fine; if that's how you're going to be I want a divorce!"
Lisa laughed and I said "I'm dead serious! I want a divorce Lisa!" She said "you're being ridiculous Michael!" I whispered "just leave" and shook my head in disgust. She grabbed her car keys off the counter and slammed the door behind her as she left. My eyes started to water as I sat there staring blankly at the wall in front of me. I really truly do love Lisa Marie; but if she's not going to give me the one thing that I asked for then it's not worth it!"
***
I hugged my mother as she walked through the front door of Neverland ranch. I pulled a chair out for her and she asked "what did you want to talk to me about that was so important?" I said as I sat down in the chair across from her "I think now that Lisa and I have called it quits I'm going to start a family of my own!" Mother said "whoa Michael; slow down! The divorce isn't even finalized yet!" I said "it will be next week! I've already had to wait this long to have a baby and I don't want to have to wait much longer!"
Mother said "yeah; but you're busy as it is; let alone with a newborn baby!" I said enthusiastically "I can handle it; if anyone can handle it I can!" She said "just promise me that you will really think about who the baby's mother is going to be! I know you and you are not going to want to be caught up in a nasty custody battle!" I said "don't worry mother; I'll choose very carefully!"
***
I left the courthouse carrying the official document that states the marriage is terminated and push my way through a crowd of fans. I made it safely into the back seat of the Rolls-Royce and my bodyguard Jeffrey asked "where would you like to go Mr. Jackson?" I said "home please." As he drove the usual route back to the ranch, we passed by my dermatologist friend Arnie (Arnold) Klein's office. I said "I would like to stop in and say hello to Arnie for a few minutes Jeffrey." Jeffrey responded "of course sir. Would you like me to accompany you or wait outside?" I said "outside is fine. I'll call you if I need you for something."
I shut the door to the Rolls-Royce and walked through the entrance of Arnie's office. It seemed unusually quiet as I approached the front counter. I said "hi Debbie; where is Arnie at?" She looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and said "hi Michael; you just missed him! He's on his lunch break; but he should be back in a half hour if you want to wait around for him."
I looked down at my watch and said "I don't really have anything better to do. Can I use this phone?" She pushed the office phone closer to me as I leaned over the top of the desk. I dialed Jeffrey's cell phone number and told him to come back in about an hour. I hung up the phone and Debbie said "I'm so glad you decided to stick around! Today's been a really slow workday! You're the first person that’s actually come in here since 9 o'clock this morning. I'm glad I finally have someone to keep me company."
Debbie walked out from behind the desk and sat down next to me in the little waiting area that was in the corner of the room. She asked "so; what brings you here today?" I said "no reason in particular; I just got out of the courthouse and decided to swing by here." She asked with a confused look on her face "courthouse? Why?" I said "I figured you’ve heard the news by now; Lisa Marie and I just recently got divorced." She asked "if you don't mind me asking, why did you guys decide to go your separate ways?" I said "Lisa deceived me by saying that she would at least have one child with me; but apparently she was just joking." Debbie said "that's a shame because you guys seemed so in love with each other! So; are you looking into adopting a child?" I said "at some point I would love to do that; but what I really want right now is a child that's biologically mine." She asked "did you look at any surrogate mothers? I heard that there are plenty of them here in California." I said "I looked at a lot of them; but I just don't feel that I could trust someone to keep quiet about me being Michael Jackson! I want to make sure my future children at least have the chance to have a normal life! The last thing I need is for some woman to say that she's carrying my baby and have 25 helicopters swarming over Neverland!"
I picked up a nearby "parents" magazine and started to flip through the pages. I sighed with frustration and Debbie said "I'll do it!" I asked with a confused look on my face "you'll do what?" She said "I'll carry a baby for you!" I said "I couldn't ask you to do that for me!" She said "you're not asking me; I'm offering to do it!" I asked "are you sure you want to do something that difficult for me?" She said "there's nothing difficult about it! You tell me to do something and I'll do it!" I said reluctantly "I don't know if you can handle being pregnant with my baby." She said nonchalantly "trust me Michael; I'm tough! All you've ever talked about since you started seeing Arnie for your vitiligo was how much you wanted to be a father! Let me do this for you; no strings attached! You deserve to be a daddy just like every other man in this world. I won't take no for an answer!" I responded "well; since you put it that way; I except to offer."
She hugged me just as Arnie was walking through the door and I exchanged phone numbers with her. Arnie said "hi Michael; what brings you here today?" I ran past him quickly stating "I'm in a rush, no time to talk, see you soon!" Arnie just looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and asked "what's his problem?" Debbie responded "I have no clue."
I practically jumped into the passenger seat in the Rolls-Royce next to Jeffrey and frantically dialed mother's phone number. I pressed the phone up against my ear and was disappointed when I heard the sound of the voice mail on the other end. After the beep, I said "mother; come see me in a few days! I'm just now realizing that you left on your vacation this morning. I don't know when you'll be back; but I hope you'll be back soon because I have some news!"
***
Now that it's been a few days, I sat there in my bedroom looking at the small piece of paper Debbie had written her phone number on and debated whether or not to call it. Finally, I decided to just send her a text message; in which I wrote "Debbie; I was wondering if we could start weighing our options. I figured since I know that today is your day off you could come over so we can discuss things. Only if that's okay with you though; I wouldn't want to inconvenience you in any way! Just let me know what time is a good time for you to stop by here."
I anxiously waited for my phone to ring. When it finally did, it startled me so much that I nearly fell off of the bed and onto the floor. I answered it and Debbie said "I'm on my way over Michael! I was beginning to think that you would never call!"
I called her up to my huge bedroom and she sat down next to me on the couch. She asked "alright; so what's the plan?" I said "well; I could have a doctor’s appointment made for you to get inseminated." She said "inseminated? That procedure could take multiple tries and there's still no guarantee that it would work!" I asked "what did you have in mind?" She said something that completely caught me offguard. She said "I say you and I just crack open a bottle of your finest champagne!" I asked "are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" She said "of course; that seems like the most reliable option!" I said "I have to say that I'm honestly surprised! I thought direct contact with you in an intimate way would make you too uncomfortable." She laughed and said "I don't know if you know this; but I've had a crush on you ever since I was a little girl! Having sex with you would be a dream come true for me!" That's when it dawned on me; I said "oh my gosh! That explains so much! Wait, all those times when I felt like you might have been checking me out were real?" She blushed every shade of red and said "yes; I would jerk my head back every time you would turn around to see if someone was staring at you. I would hope that you wouldn't notice that I was staring at you!"
About 45 minutes later, after "the deed" had been done Debbie said "that was everything that I ever thought it would be like and more!!!" I said "I just want to clarify that I don't want any sort of relationship out of this. It was purely for the sake of getting you pregnant! I don't want you to have any type of custody or anything to do with the baby pretty much immediately in the weeks following the birth." She said "well obviously Michael; I'm doing this for you as a gift! I don't want any sort of relationship with you or the child in that way!" I said "I insist that you at least accept a check for $20 million. There is only one condition; you have to allow me to have a total of three children with you!" Debbie said "you don't have to give me money Michael!" I said "I wouldn't feel right if you didn't take the money; so just take it as a gift from me to you! That way we can consider ourselves even!" I quickly wrote the check and passed it to her as she was heading out the door.
***
It's been about 10 days since I've seen Debbie; but she's on her way over right now and I can't wait to hear the news! She came up to the door and I pretty much pulled her inside the house. She asked "where is your bathroom? I've had 3 cups of coffee on the way over here just to make sure that I was prepared to take the pregnancy test!" I asked "you haven't taken it yet?" Then I pointed to the nearest bathroom.
After she had taken the test, Debbie said "of course I didn't take the test! It's your baby and you should be here to find out!" The five minute wait for the test to process seemed like it was taking forever just because I was nervous to find out the results. The timer on the microwave beeped and Debbie said "I think that's your cue to go check Michael! The stick is on the counter next to the sink in there."
I slowly made my way into the bathroom and shut my eyes as I picked up the pregnancy test. I gently opened one eye at the time and glanced down at the stick. I immediately burst out crying and Debbie ran to my aid. She said "it's fine Michael; we'll just try again!" I said "it's not that!" She asked confused "then why are you crying?" I swiftly moved the pregnancy test in front of her face and move my fingers out of the way to reveal a tiny pink plus sign!
The two of us looked at each other in stunned silence with our mouths slightly opened for about 30 seconds before we both let out a pair of screams; very similar to the one that Macauley Culkin made in "home alone." I grabbed onto the counter and said "oh my God! Oh my God! Oh – my – God! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD?" Debbie said "YOU'RE GOING TO BE A DAD!!!" I said "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!! She said "I'm so happy for you Michael! I hate to leave you right now; but I have to go pick my mother up and bring her to the dentist because she can't drive herself home after surgery. Congratulations Michael; I'll call you when it's time for the first ultrasound in a few weeks!" I was too busy staring at the positive pregnancy test to respond to her; but I did nod my head to show that I had heard everything that she had just said.
***
After mother and I were comfortably seated in the living room, she asked "what's wrong? What was with the message you left on my answering machine?" I asked "do you remember when I introduced you to my dermatologist Arnie?" She said "yes; why?" I asked "do you remember the receptionist/assistant that works for him in his office?" Mother responded "yes." I said "well; her name is Debbie and I've known her for years. She offered to carry three children for me and I took her up on that offer." Mother said "she seems like a really nice lady!" I said "she is and that's not the only thing that I wanted to tell you; actually, show you!"
I passed mother the positive pregnancy test and she looked at me stunned. I said "you're going to be a grandmother again!" She said "wow; that must've been an easy insemination process at the doctor’s office for her to get pregnant on the first try!" I reluctantly said "well; it didn't exactly happen that way." She asked "what do you mean? I thought you planned all along to have the potential mother inseminated!" I said "I did; but after the two of us discussed the odds of that actually working without having to try a whole bunch of times, we decided it was more logical for Debbie and I to conceive the old-fashioned way!" Mother said "I hope you're making the right decision! I hope she's the right surrogate mother!" I said "I know she is!"
***
Debbie and I were excitedly waiting for the Dr. to arrive in our hospital room because today is the first day I get to hear my baby's heartbeat! A very cheerful female Dr. with red hair came into the room and was shocked to see me sitting there. I said "yes; I am Michael Jackson! Now that that's out of the way, can I hear my baby's heartbeat?" The Dr. definitely seemed starstruck by my celebrity status; but she began to apply the ultrasound gel to Debbie's stomach.
Soon afterwards, images of black and white started to flash across the monitor as the Dr. searched for the baby. She said "oh; there's your baby Michael." I smiled as I saw the outline of a tiny baby; barely bigger than a couple of grapes. I joked "he or she looks just like me already!" Debbie chuckled and the Dr. started playing the heartbeat over the speakers.
That's when it all became a reality to me! I couldn't help but well up with tears. The Dr. passed Debbie a paper towel; so she could start wiping away the gel from her stomach. The Dr. said "I'll be right back; I just printed off the picture of the baby and I have to go grab it from the printer on the other side of the hospital.
After the Dr. quietly shut the door to our hospital room, I said "wow; there's definitely a baby in there!" Debbie said "I know; in a few more months when we have our second appointment here you'll be able to find out whether you're going to have a son or a daughter!" I said "I'm so excited! It doesn't even matter to me whether it's a boy or girl! I just want a happy and healthy baby! Once we find out the gender I can start picking out their name and decorating the nursery!"
***
I've been so consumed with everything to do with the pregnancy that I forgot all about "history" my next album! It's almost finished; but I have been trying to procrastinate for as long as possible because I know exactly what my manager Frank is going to say! He's going to tell me that I need to go on tour again to promote the album; but anyone that knows me knows that I hate going on tour! I love going to all the different countries and meeting all my different fans; but I miss the comforts of home! It's going to be so much more difficult when the baby is born! Then I'll have to decide whether or not to take the baby on tour with me. That's going to be the hardest decision of my life! I have plenty of time to worry about that stuff because I'm going to put my foot down and insist that I'm not going to go on tour until the baby is at least two years old!
There was a knock at the front door of the house and I answered it to find my manager Frank standing there. He is a short fat man who's always smoking this obnoxious cigar; despite the fact that I tell him not to smoke in the house. Frank asked as he pretty much invited himself inside my house "are the rumors true? Are you going to be a father?" I asked "how did you find out? I've only told a few people so far!" Frank asked "what do you mean how did I find out? It's all over the country; it's all over the world!" He threw a tabloid magazine down in front of me and lo and behold there's a photo of Debbie and I leaving the hospital. I guess I've been spending so much time with Debbie and I didn't even notice that her baby bump is starting to show; just barely but it's obvious enough to be able to tell that she's pregnant.
I looked down at the magazine and shook my head in disbelief. I said "this is exactly what I didn't want to happen! Debbie's only four months pregnant and the baby isn't due until March! My poor kid is never going to get the chance to have a normal life! "Frank said "look at it positively; this opens up a whole new world of career opportunities for you! I'm talking Michael Jackson pacifiers, baby clothes, and anything else anyone could ever imagine one would need for a baby! I said with an irritated tone in my voice "no, no, no, my baby is not another marketing ploy for you to make more money!!! I want to make sure that you understand that loud and clear!!! My child and my career are two completely different subjects!!!" Frank said "geez Mike; chill out!!! It was just an idea!" I snapped "YEAH WELL; NEXT TIME LEAVE MY KID OUT OF YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS!!!"
Frank said while desperately trying to change the subject to control my growing temper "okay; next topic of discussion! We should launch this History tour within the next four or five months!" I said "nope; not until my son or daughter is two years old!" Frank said "TWO YEARS OLD!!! That means it'll be 1996 before you go on tour again!" I said "so; if my fans love me they'll wait!" Frank said clearly frustrated with my decision "fine; whatever you say Mike!" I said "I want you to know that just because I'm not going to go on tour right now doesn't mean I'm taking a hiatus from the music scene! I'll do almost everything else you want me to do; within reason. Whether it is a talk show or even a performance or two at an award show like the Grammys!" Frank said "alright; I guess I can accept that for two years! After those two years are up though; you're hitting the road! The baby is more than welcome to come along!" I shook my head in agreement and said "fair enough" as I shook hands with him to seal the deal.
***
I said "I can't believe it's time to find out the gender of the baby already!" Debbie looked over at me from the hospital bed she was lying down on and said "I have a strong feeling about what it's going to be." The doctor seemed like she was taking forever and then she asked "are you sure you want to know Michael? You don't want it to be a surprise?" I said "I'm 100% positive!" She responded "okay then; congratulations Michael you're having a little girl!" Debbie said "I guess I was wrong; I thought it was going to be a baby boy."
I smiled as I sat there for at least 15 minutes and then I finally whispered "I have a daughter!" Debbie joked "you know what that means Michael!!! princesses, ponies, and pink!" I grinned from ear to ear and said "oh; I can't wait! Only three more months! I've got to leave because I have to start getting things ready! I need to start looking at baby names now that I know I'm having a baby girl!" With that last statement, I dashed out of the room after kissing Debbie on the cheek.
***
I walked up the stairs of my house and examined my options for the baby's room. I knew that I wanted her room to be pretty close to mine; just in case she ever needed the in the middle of the night for anything. That leaves me with two options, the room directly to the left outside my bedroom doorway or the room directly to the right. I guess it doesn't really matter because they're both gigantic bedrooms! The size of most living rooms!
Luckily, my massive collection of comic book memorabilia and quite frankly unnecessary junk had not made it into these two bedrooms. I stepped into the room directly to my left and noticed the one difference between the two rooms; which was a huge walk-in closet. Since she's a girl, I would imagine that she'll be into clothes and fashion. This seems like the most suitable choice for my daughter's bedroom. Now all that's left do is picking out her name and decorating this room.
***
There was loud knocking on the front door of my house and when I went to answer it I noticed two of my brothers standing there. I asked "Jermaine and Jackie what are you doing here?" They invited themselves inside and sat down with me at the table in the kitchen. Jackie said "mother told us the news about you becoming a father; congratulations Mike!" I said "I know that mother told you long time ago about the baby and I'm offended that it's taken you guys seven months to acknowledge me. Come to think of it, Latoya and mother seem to be the only ones that are supportive about me being a father!" Jermaine said "you know we'll all be supportive of this." I sarcastically said "yeah; just like you were supported when I decided to leave the group and go solo all those years ago!" Jackie said "I have to say that you deciding to become a father was very surprising to everyone!" I asked "what's that supposed to mean?" He said "you just don't seem like the type that can parent a child; that's all!" I snapped back "I'm going to prove you all wrong! I can be a father and a damn good one at that! A hell of a lot better than Joseph was to us! I do know one thing already; my kids are not going to address me by my first name! They'll call me daddy because that's how it should be and how it should’ve been with us growing up!"
Jermaine said "since we're over here already, I was wondering if I could borrow some money Michael? I need to pay my car payment and I'm broke." I said "fine; but this is the last time I'm going to be giving you money on the spot because I have a baby on the way and her needs are more important than yours! You know that I hate it when you guys are constantly asking me for money; especially because I never get a penny of it back! You always say you are borrowing it; but I never get any of it back!"
I felt awful after my brothers left because I ended up giving them $1000! I always say that I'm going to stop giving the money; but mother always talks me back into it. This has got to stop! They all have a way of earning money for themselves; but they choose to blow it on stupid stuff and they don't need to worry because I always end up bailing them out of their financial troubles! I said I was done and I meant it!
***
I've officially picked out the name of my daughter, Alanna Michael Jackson. I know her first name is unique; but that's what I wanted! Choosing her middle name was a very hard decision for me because I was debating whether or not to use my mother's name. I've come to terms with the choice of using my name instead and because I have the chance to have two more kids I'll probably end up having another little girl and then I will use my mother's name for her.
I was getting ready to go shopping when I walked by Alanna's nursery and noticed the painters getting set up. I interrupted them by saying "I'm going shopping; I should be back in a few hours. If you need anything just ask one of the staff members. I hope this nursery looks perfect when I get back!"
Upon arriving at one of the most popular children's stores in Los Angeles, I asked my bodyguard Jeffrey "did you make sure the manager closed the store to other customers; so I can shop uninterrupted?" He responded "yes Sir; would you still like me to come inside with you?" I said "yes because I'm planning to buy a lot of things and I may need your help carrying the bags to the car. A lot of the large things like the crib and car seat are being shipped to the house because I already picked them out a few days ago."
After walking into the store with Jeffrey at my side, I realized that I had no idea what I had gotten myself into! There were millions of things that I didn't even know existed; like a baby wipe warmer! I couldn't even think straight because there was so much to look at! The baby is due in less than a month and I want to make sure that I don't forget anything! I just started throwing everything into a cart. Tons of pacifiers, teddy bears, blankets, the cutest little pink onesies, and baby shoes!!! I even bought 20 pairs of jeans for her to wear!"
I opened the front door to the house and walked up the stairs because I couldn't wait to see how Alanna's nursery had turned out. Jeffrey followed me carrying at least 20 bags in his arms and I opened up the bedroom door. My mouth dropped open as I looked at how adorable the walls of her bedroom were decorated. The entire room was painted a baby shade of pink with cheerful cartoon African animals on the walls. The centerpiece of the room was definitely the lion cub that pretty much covered the whole front wall.
Jeffrey dropped all of the bags gently on the floor and I started to arrange the items I had just gotten. That's when I said "oh no; Jeffrey you have to go back to the store. I forgot the most important thing; diapers!" Jeffrey and I chuckled and he said "anything for you Mr. Jackson."
After he left, I started to put the bedding on the crib and rearrange the furniture. I sat down in the armchair that was in the corner of the room and looked at my surroundings. I said to myself "in less than a week and a half this nursery will have a baby in it! It's really starting to hit me that I'm officially a father! I never thought this day would come and now all that there's left to do is wait for the phone call from Debbie to say it's time to take her to the hospital!!!"
