MsCassieMollie
Proud Member
Another story from a "follower fan":
http://mjtpmagazine.presspublisher.us/issue/facing-the-challenge/article/following-michael1
http://mjtpmagazine.presspublisher.us/issue/facing-the-challenge/article/following-michael1
By Debby Barker Sat, Oct 01, 2011
What keeps me smiling more than the memories of my dreams coming true, is continuing Michael’s dream.
Talin is one of the many fans who call themselves “followers.” Followers are fans who used to follow Michael, whether it was to show support during the hard times or as a friendly face for Michael to see on the road or wherever he happened to go. She has graciously agreed to share some of her memories of following Michael, with us.
Thank you Talin and all of you who shared your time with Michael, for letting us become a part of a very precious time in your lives.
Like many Michael Jackson fans all over the world, I fell in love with the man and his music at a young age. I think it was in 1988 that I realized Michael was forever going to be a part of my life. But never could I have imagined that one day in the distant future I would be lucky enough to meet him, talk to him, touch his hand, give him a hug and tell him that I love him. On numerous occasions.
Although I had seen Michael a few times in the early ’90s (including at the ’93 Super Bowl), I did not get to meet him until many years later.
Starting in 2003, due to unfortunate circumstances, I met and became close friends with many other fans, got to visit Neverland several times and saw Michael often as he attended court during the trial. However, those were dark times when my purpose in being around Michael was to show him support, shower him with love and give him the strength he needed to fight.
Even though the trial was going on, many memorable events still took place back then—but the most magical times for me started in 2008 when Michael moved to Los Angeles. A handful of local fans and, sporadically, a few fans from overseas would go to Hotel Bel Air (and later to Michael’s Beverly Hills home) and wait for him to leave and go somewhere in hopes of seeing him at the car and possibly following him to his destination. From that time on, I was so blessed and fortunate to have seen him on many, many occasions. Some days I just handed him a letter, card or a small gift and told him, “I love you” as his car drove past (and he would always respond with, “I love you more”). Other times there were short conversations at the car window. And on even more rare occasions, we got to see him outside of the car.
I don’t really have any one meeting that was the most amazing to write about. They were all special in their own way, and some I would like to keep private for now. But here’s a story about one of those special days that I will cherish forever….
It was the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. We had just seen Michael very briefly at the doctor’s office. And though I had given him a quick but very special hug there, it was a chaotic scene (it usually was, with a sea of paparazzi that would always wait for him there). A short while later, I got a call saying, “Michael is on his way to Hennessey + Ingalls Bookstore in Santa Monica.” My friend Arus and I made it there just in time, before it got too crowded with people. We casually walked into the store. No other fans had arrived yet (a few would come shortly after us), and there were not too many people inside the store—only the few customers who were already there before Michael arrived, and they had not noticed him yet. Paparazzi were starting to fill up at the window outside, and people passing by would stop, but they didn’t know that the store was open and that they could just walk in. Not knowing what to do, and trying to not bother Michael, we stayed far away and “acted natural” as he shopped, burying our faces in books and such.
Eventually he noticed us and started looking at some books right in front of us. I think it was getting a bit awkward trying to ignore him (though he knew it was us), so finally he acknowledged us: he reached his hand over the books and said, “Hi.”
[[Pic of MJ at bookstore]]
(I’m pretty sure this is where Michael was talking to us.)
We said our hellos and, luckily, Arus remembered to ask if he had gotten the Christmas gift that we had given to his security people the previous week.
“What was it?” he asked.
Arus described it as “a Geppetto thing, a snow globe.” We were both a little tongue-tied, and at that moment neither one of us realized that Geppetto (from “Pinocchio”) was not on the snow globe that we had given to Michael—it was Jiminy Cricket. Naturally, Michael was looking at us with a blank stare—until I further described it by mentioning the other characters (some of his favorites) that were also on the snow globe.
He finally figured out what we were talking about and said, “Oohhhhh. The one that lights up and plays music? I love it! It’s in my bedroom now…thank you, I love it.”
We didn’t even know it played music! Later we checked the website we bought it from and saw that it played "When You Wish upon a Star." How wonderful and appropriate, we thought. Michael had our Christmas gift sitting in his bedroom. It was a very beautiful feeling and it definitely made the holidays extra special that year. Later that summer, I purchased that same snow globe for myself, and every time I see it, it reminds me of that magical New Year’s Eve.
[[Pic of snow globe]]
After our short conversation, we moved about the store, and again started ignoring Michael while he looked around for more books. A few minutes later, we came upon him at the end of one of the aisles. Like before, it was just us two, Michael, and his two security guys. There were a few more exchanges of words, and I think he even commented on my friend’s shirt.
For some reason I had my camera in my back pocket. This was unusual; I normally did not have a camera with me when I was around Michael. Having never asked Michael for a picture, a little voice in my head told me, “Do it now.” I don’t know how, but I managed to spit out the words, “Michael, can we take a picture with you?” He answered, “Sure…. Like this?” referring to the fact that he didn’t feel presentable. He was in pajama pants, trench coat, a veil, surgical mask, and a fedora. But his amazing eyes were exposed through reading glasses. I’ll never forget looking into those eyes that day. When he looked at you it was like he was looking into your soul.
[[2nd pic of MJ at bookstore]]
Sensing his discomfort, Arus and I stood there being indecisive about whether or not to take the picture with him. Michael and his two guards stood there waiting for us to make up our minds. We debated among ourselves: “No, it’s OK…. Yeah, why not, let’s just take it…. Yeah, you’re right, let’s take it…. No I don’t think he really wants to…. Yeah, I think it’s OK…,” and Michael could hear all of this. Arus finally said, “No, it’s OK; next time,” and I agreed. A few minutes later, strangers and shoppers were hovering around him, taking pictures and asking for autographs.
Michael continued shopping as more and more people gathered around him. Shortly afterward, he left by the back door, got into one of the awaiting cars, and went home. All the books he had selected were left in the store, to be picked up by his staff the following day.
The next day, we saw Michael’s two security guards from the day before. Puzzled by our decision, they asked us why we didn’t just take a picture with him. Every fan wanted at least one picture with Michael, but for most of us it was more important to spend quality time in his presence. And we never wanted to make him feel uncomfortable.
The previous night, I had gone to a New Year’s Eve party, where my camera fell and broke. I used to joke around and say that it broke because it got mad at me for not taking that picture with Michael. For five months I was without a camera. Then, a week after I finally got it fixed, I got a rare opportunity to take my first (and only) picture with Michael.
[[Pic of me and Michael]]
Taken May 2009
It had been the most amazing New Year’s of my life. And many more meetings with Michael would come in 2009, especially when he started rehearsing for the This Is It concerts. At some point I was able to see him several times a week.
By June 2009, my plane tickets were purchased, my hotel room was booked and I had managed to buy tickets to some of the O2 concerts. I felt like the luckiest person alive—whose dreams had almost all come true, and the one remaining was about to come true in London in just a few weeks.
That last night, June 24, as Michael left for the Staples Center for rehearsals, I thought to myself, “I’ve never asked for an autograph. I should do it now before he leaves for London because I don’t know if I’ll have this much access to him ever again.” So I handed him a photo as his car pulled out and he signed it later that night after he got home. His last autograph.
[[Pic of autograph]]
I was ecstatic that night. I floated home and into bed with happy thoughts and dreams of London and the concerts. The next day, my entire world came crashing down. I went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows overnight. How does one survive such a change? How do you recover from losing something that’s been such a huge part of your life for 20 years? How do you deal with all the magic being wiped out of your world forever?
Less than a month after Michael died, a friend asked me, “How are we gonna survive his birthday without him?”
After some thought, I said, “Let’s have a party for sick and underprivileged kids.” And with the help and participation of many friends—who, like me, were lucky enough to have been around Michael—the Heal the World for Children organization was born (Heal The World For Children), and we had our first Children’s Festival on August 29, 2009.
We now operate in eight cities around the world. I mention this organization because seeing the kids' faces during our events is the only way I can feel Michael’s magic and presence anymore. It’s the closest thing I can experience to Neverland again. All fans had to learn to cope in their own way. For some of us, this coping mechanism resulted in a beautiful charity that Michael would be so proud of. What keeps me smiling more than the memories of my dreams coming true is continuing Michael’s dream.
[[Pic of me / HTWFC]]
~Talin
