Remember the Time

Chapter 85

May 4th, 1999

“Aye Mike!” Michael’s tour Musical Director, Michael Bearden, called out. “Mike!”

It was a late evening in Munich, where Michael had his first rehearsal for the MJ & Friends Benefit concerts. The band was always the last group to wrap up, often staying after the dancers, background singers, and staging people to go over Michael’s musical notes.

“Mike!” The bald, brown-skinned man called out again.

Michael turned around towards Bearden, holding up his index finger. He was in the middle of giving his guitarist tips on her Beat It solo when Bearden walked up next to them.

“So yeah, I just want you to go up as high as you can go.” Michael explained. “Get all the way up there. I want you to feel the music.”

Both the guitarist and Bearden nodded along.

I should be telling her that, not you. Bearden thought.

When Michael finished up with the guitarist, he turned toward Bearden. “Bearden! What’s up man?”

Bearden chuckled. “Hey, we was missing somebody today.”

Michael raised a genuinely curious eyebrow. “Who?”

“Lil miss Daydream.” Bearden joked.

Michael smiled, knowingly, and shook his head. “Naw, we ain’t missing nobody.”

Bearden let out an exaggerated chuckle. He was somewhat aware of Michael’s disposition toward his wife, but most of his knowledge was from Entertainment news reporting on, ‘Michael’s rage toward Mariah’s ex-husband’.

“Man, you a fool!” Bearden exclaimed, jokingly.

“Nah, we got everyone we need.”

“What y’all talking about?” Michael’s choreographer, Travis Payne, asked.

Bearden shook his head. “MJ babymama.”

Michael bit back a grin.

Travis chuckled. “Oooh, what happened to her? Ain’t she posed to be here?”

Michael and Bearden both looked at Travis with the ‘hoe don’t do it’ face.

Travis chuckled. “Aw hell, she stiff as hell anyway.”

Michael burst out laughing.

“I’m serious, have you seen her? How can you be married to Michael, and not know how to dance?”

As long as she can dance in bed, that’s all that matters.

“You a damn fool.” Michael said, a wide grin on his face.

“Aye, it don’t matter if you can dance when you sound like that!” Bearden commented. He really wanted to make a comment on Mariah’s looks, but didn’t want to risk Michael’s bad side.

Michael shrugged. “Y’all ain’t gotta live with it though. It’s three o’clock in the morning and you wake up to a cat screeching in yo ear.”

Bearden and Travis bit back laughs.

“So she just don’t know the definition of the word relax then.” Travis said.

“Hell nah! I’m over here like, can you sit down for ten minutes? You know, she can sing but she tries too much with all that whistling.” Michael explained.

“That’s gonna kill her vocals.” Bearden noted. “That stuff is hard on your voice.”

Michael concurred. “That’s why I’m glad I made her ass stay home.”