Encino-M.J

Monkey Business

A shower of rain pounded against the bedroom window as Althea gave the pillows a final fluff. The foggy windows and silvery clouds that loomed over the mansion made Hayvenhurst look like an old Gothic castle from an Edgar Allan Poe story.

It'd almost be romantic if Althea didn't already have such a strange feeling about the Jackson home.

With Michael back at work, Althea still found herself looking for ways to occupy her time. Her days consisted of tidying up the bedroom after breakfast and taking long walks outside through the garden or reading by the pool until lunch where she joined Opal in the kitchen, chatting the rest of the afternoon away until Michael arrived home.

It was a simple yet monotonous routine and Althea found herself daydreaming of the day that she and Michael packed up and moved into a place they could call their own.

Until then she'd just have to keep lurking around Hayvenhurst.

The sudden summer rain had thrown a wrench in Althea's day and she couldn't help but feel like a child that had just been told that they couldn't go outside and play. She'd have to find a way to entertain herself indoors.

If she wasn't preoccupied with Michael or off on her own, Althea had no idea what a regular day looked like in the Jackson household.

She did know that the dynamic was quite traditional and patriarchal. The husbands went off to work while the wives stayed at home. Sometimes she'd catch a glimpse of Kathrine watering her garden or Hazel playing badminton with Stacey outside of her window but she wondered if the women ever grew tired of the estate and longed for more fulfilling activities to brighten their day.

The Jacksons had a study downstairs that was filled with just about any book imaginable that Althea has passed many times but never entered. She decided that it could be the perfect hideaway from all the Jackson mania.

She could hear Opal humming in the distance as she slinked down the staircase, most likely preparing to tidy up the rooms upstairs. Like all of Hayvenhurst, the study had thick mahogany doors that opened with a creek too loud for Althea's liking.

A big bay window, pebbled with raindrops greeted her, the floors were a smooth shiny marble different than that of the staircase and the walls seemed neverendingly lined with books. To say Althea was amazed was an understatement.

It was by far the most beautiful and most quiet room of all of Hayvenhurst.

She didn't even know where to begin but a thick, burgundy leather bound book called to her from the shelves. The spine was worn with a slight slant and Althea had to use both hands to get it down. There was no lettering on the cover to determine the title she'd chosen.

Settling in a cozy looking velvet chair, Althea sat the big book on her lap. An aged black-and-white photo caught her eye upon opening.

Kathrine and Joe - 1949 Gary, Indiana

The caption was scribbled in black ink. A young Kathrine and Joseph stood in front of a very humble looking house. Kathrine was beautiful and radiant, folding her hands against a budding, pregnant belly.

Who knew that the Jacksons had once lived in a house that looked like a shack in comparison to Hayvenhurst? As much as they looked down on those with less money than them, you'd think they were born into their wealth.

An adjacent picture showed a small child with the parents, another small baby cradled in Katherine's arms.

Christmas -1953

The photos that followed were a montage of the young Jackson family's adventures and memories starring Tito and a young Jermaine. Althea couldn't help but roll her eyes. Jermaine had been an adorable baby but was completely insufferable as an adult.