Chapter Seven

                                    

                                          
February 10th
                          
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Michael Jackson." I hear Oprah calmly say.
                          
I walk into the room where Oprah stands with her camera crew.
                          
I don't usually do interviews in my home but I thought I'd accept Oprah's. My children are upstairs in Rose and April's room playing along with Adjo. Debbie is in her room, next to the children's, with Elizabeth.
                          
"Your own house," Oprah softly chuckles, reaching her hand towards me.
                          
I smile at her, shaking her hand.
                          
"Yeah," I quietly say as we sit down.
                          
"Well, how nervous are you right now?" Oprah asks.
                          
"How what?" I ask.
                          
"How nervous are you right now?" She repeats.
                          
"Mm... I'm not nervous at all actually." I softly say.
                          
"You really aren't?" Oprah asks, surprised.
                          
"No. I never get nervous." I quietly say.
                          
"You don't?"
                          
"No." I shake my head.
                          
"Not even for your first interview and it's live around the world?" Oprah asks.
                          
"I thought you'd be a little nervous but that's great because if you're not nervous, I won't be." Oprah says.
                          
I chuckle.
                          
"I just wanted to let the world know that, uh, when we agreed to do this interview, um, you said that you would be willing to talk to me about everything and we haven't discussed one single question that's going to be, uh, asked to tonight. I just wanted to make that right." Oprah says.
                          
"Very true." I say.
                          
"Very true." She repeats.
                          
I take the pillow behind me, setting it on the floor.
                          
"When we were watching, um-I was watching you in the background there-watching thee video of you in the early years. Did that bring back memories for you?" Oprah asks.
                          
I smile widely, "It made me giggle." I chuckle. 
                          
"Yeah, because I haven't seen that footage in a long time. And it brought back memories, yes. Me and my brothers, who I love dearly. I mean it's just a wonderful moment for me." I say.
                          
"I saw you laugh when you saw yourself singing Baby, Baby, Baby." Oprah says.
                          
I begin to laugh. "Yeah, 'cause James Brown, I think James Brown is a genius. So when he's with the Famous Flames...It's unbelievable. And I used to watch him on television and I used to get angry at the cameraman because whenever he would really start to dance they would be on a closeup and I couldn't see his feet. So I would throw things, I'd be angry. I'd say show him! Show him, so I could watch him and learn!" I smile.
                          
"So he was a big mentor for you?" Oprah asks.
                          
"Phenomenal." I add.
                          
"Yeah and who else was? She asks.
                          
"Jackie Wilson, who I adore as an entertainer. And of course music... Um, Motown, The Bee Gees were brilliant. Uh, I just love great music." I say.
                          
"So, when I look at those tapes of you, and heaven knows that putting this together, I had think I had seen every piece of video of you ever done of you. And watching those tapes when, especially, the younger years, you seem to really come alive on stage. There's something going on with you when you were a little boy on stage. Were you as happy off stage as you appeared to be on stage?" Oprah asks.