Michael's point of view

I woke up at eight this morning, while June was peacefully sleeping. I didn't sleep that well last night. I was thinking about Joseph. He didn't came back yesterday, I guess he slept at Rebbie's. I'm looking forward to have a talk with him. He is my father, after all, and I really want him and June to get along. She lost her father, and getting along with Jospeh could be something good for her. I mean, I don't want her to replace her father by Joseph, but she could count on him as a paternal figure. Of course Jospeh isn't perfect, I'm aware of this. I hated him for years because of the childhood he took away from me, but I've learned how to forgive him through the years for what he's done to me. However, I can't and won't ever be able to forgive him for what he did to my mother. He cheated on her several times and even had a baby behind her back. My mother, being this loving and caring person, forgave him for this. How is it possible to forgive such a thing? I don't want to be like him, that's why I keep promising June I won't ever cheat on her. I really mean it. She's the only one I need, the only woman I love.

I tip toed to the bathroom and began my morning routine by brushing my teeth, and hopped in the shower once I was finished. There is nothing better than a long hot shower to relax. I could have stayed there for hours.

One hour later, I was finished with my morning routine, and quietly left the room to go in the kitchen. There, I greeted my mother who was reading the newspaper with her cup of tea in front of her.

"Sleep well, son?" She asked me, looking up from her newspaper.

"Not that much" I admitted. "I was thinking a lot. Joseph didn't come back yesterday, and I really wanted him to talk to me, you know..." I said, sitting at the kitchen counter.

"I know, honey. He should be back soon." My mother reassured me with a warm smile. I gave her a little smile in return and sat across from her. I poured myself a glass of orange juice and took some blueberries pancakes my mom cooked. Those pancakes of her are delicious! "Did June tell you something about us?" My mother asked me, putting the newspaper down.

"She really loves you all." I confessed, smiling.

"And we love her, too. Janet, Toya and Randy kept saying how nice and beautiful she is." Mother said, slightly laughing.

"Oh, really?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes. And I can see the way you look at her, honey."

"What way?"

"You have those sparkles in your eyes when you look at her. This is the first time you look at someone this way, and I can see you really love her." Mother declared.

"You can't imagine how much I love her, mother. It's even scary to love someone that much..."

"Scary? What do you mean, Michael?" She asked, confused.

"I'm afraid to lose her. I try to picture myself without her, but I can't. If I lose her, I'm afraid I'll lose myself too. I know we've only been together for a couple of month, but I can feel she's the one."

"You know, I talked to her yesterday." My mother declared, smiling.

"What did you talk about?"

"Her family, her life. I got to know her."

"So you know about her father and her brother?"

"Yes. Poor girl... She lost the two most important people in her life." Mother sadly said.

"Yeah... It was hard for her to lose her father. I was there at the funerals, she needed support."

"You gave her more than this, Michael. She kept saying how much she's thankful for what you did for her... She even told me you are the reason why she's still standing today."

"She-she said that?" I asked in disbelief. My mother nodded with a smile. I didn't realize how important my presence was for her.

"Yes, honey. She's such a good girl, I like her a lot, I hope you'll take good care of her."

"You know I will, mother." I said, smiling. I heard footsteps behind me, and when I turned over, I saw Janet, still in her pajamas, who was rubbing her eyes while yawning.

"Wow, why are you already up, Dunk? Are you sick or something?" I teased.

"I wanted to see you before you leave, so I put the alarm at nine thirty." She said, smiling. I smiled back. I have such a sweet little sister.

"I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, Jan." I said, hugging her.

"June should be down in a few, I heard her singing... What is wrong with her? I mean, she really can't sing, Michael." Janet seriously told me, which caused me to burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I know she can't." I said, giggling. "Which song was she singing?"

"I didn't even recognize the song..." My sister said, shaking her head. I couldn't stop laughing at my sister's reaction. She seemed sorry for June, and this is what made me laugh so hard. Mother was laughing as well as me and Janet.

"Good morning here. What is it so funny?" June asked from behind me. I turned over to look at her, and my laugh stopped when I saw her smiling.

"You really can't sing, girl! Do you want me to teach you or something?" Janet asked, all serious.

"W-what?" June stuttered.

"I heard you, and I can't even tell what song you were singing..."

"Come on, am I that bad?" June asked, blushing. I shook my head no while Janet shook her head yes. "Ok, I'm gonna believe Michael, even if I know he's lying." She said, laughing.

"Good decision" I said, standing up from my seat to kiss her lips. She gave me a little peck, visibly embarrassed by my mom's presence. I gave her a light smile, and motionned her to take a seat next to mine. I put a plate with two pancakes in it and a cup of coffee in front of her, and sat back next to her.

"How was your night, dear?" Mother asked with a large smile.

"It was fine, Mrs Jackson. Thank you for having me." June answered, smiling.

"Please, call me Katherine, love. And you're very welcome. Like I said, you're a member of our family now." Mother stood up from her chair, and said, "I'm going to call Rebbie to check up on Stacee and see when Joe comes home." We all nodded. Thinking about Joseph's come back made me anxious.

"When do you guys leave?" Asked Janet, who was sitting in front of me.

"I don't know yet, I want to talk to Jospeh before we leave."

"About what?" Asked my little sister.

"Nothing in particular. We didn't talk yesterday, that's all."

"Well, here he comes!" Declared Janet, pointing at the window which gave onto the front of the house. A few minutes later, Joseph enterred the kitchen and said good morning to the three of us. Janet asked him if he wanted something for breakfast but he declined because he already had breakfast at Rebbie's.

"Where is your mother?" He asked, looking at me.

"She's in the living room, on the phone with Rebbie." I gently answered.

"Can I have a word with you? We didn't have time to talk yesterday." Joseph asked me, which suprised me. I quickly looked at June who gave me an encouraging smile, and nodded. I stood up and followed him outside the house. As we began walking, I felt my heart beating faster as I was becoming nervous.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at him.

"I know about Frank." He simply said in a neutral tone, which made my heart jump.

"What do you know?"

"Everything. What he did to you and June."

"How do you know that?"

"I know it, that's all you have to know. And I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" I asked, confused.

"About what he did. I'm sure it reminded you how I used to be with you."

"It's fine, really I--"

"No, Michael." He cut me off. "Yesterday when I spoke with June, I realized how bad I am as a father. She had a real father, you didn't. I wasn't  right, I didn't take the time to listen to your problems, to do things with all of you like a father is supposed to. I was your manager before your father, and I'm sorry for this." He confessed, which made me speechless. "That's why I left yesterday. I needed to be away from all of you. I was so ashamed, Michael. It hurt."

"I, um. I-I don't know what to say. Joseph..." I said in a low voice. I was really moved about this.

"Don't say anything. I don't want you to forgive me or anything, but I just want you to know it."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Jospeh."

"You shouldn't have." He stopped walking and looked at me. "Anyway. I want you to know that June is a good girl. She really loves you from the bottom of her heart, and she understands your lifestyle and accepts it. She's a rare pearl, son. Keep her. Don't be like me. Don't ruin everything."

"I don't want to be like you, and I won't. I forgave you for what you've done to me, but I can't forgive you for what you've done to mother. I'm sorry, I just can't..."

"I understand, and I don't want you to forgive me. I can't even forgive myself for what I did." He marked a pause and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to have the life you deserve, Michael, and you deserve to be with a woman as great as June is."

"Thank you, Jospeh..." Is all I managed to say. I could feel the tears ready to fall from my eyes. It's the first time I have this kind of conversation with my father, this is the first time he opens up about our past, and it feels good. 

"How's your new manager?" He asked me, sitting on a wooden bench.

"Well, Carson is nice and very professional. He had a difficult past as a manager, but I think I can trust him."

"Good. If you have any trouble with this one, I want you to talk to me about it, ok?" Joseph asked, serious.

"Um, yeah. I will. Thank you." I answered, smiling.

*

Joseph and I came back inside the house after our long talk. We spoke about a lot of different things, and it felt good to have this kind of conversation with my father. Actually, it was the first time Joseph showed me some love and interest. The only good memory of him during my childhood was this one night; me and my siblings were in the living room, and Joseph came back with a box of donuts. There were a donut for each and everyone of us, and at this precise moment, I felt loved by my father.

I explained the entire conversation to June, and she was smiling ear to ear for the entire explanation. She was really happy, just like me. I've been craving to hear those words coming out from Joseph's mouth for years.

After awhile, June and I decided to return to Nerverland. We said our goodbyes and we thanked my mother and father for having us.

I'll remember that day for a long time: the day I found my father back.

__________________________

Hey guys!

This one is really bad, I'm aware of this. Consider it as a filler, ok?

The next one should be better :)

L.O.V.E

Julie, xx