Either Jordie’s Mom Trusts Michael… or She Doesn’t
June Chandler spent much of the next five days at Neverland walking alone and mulling over the odd goings-on. On one hand, she trusted Michael and didn’t believe that anything inappropriate was going on between him and Jordie. But the fact that Michael and Jordie were now sleeping in the same bed was troubling. However, it was Michael Jackson with whom Jodie was sharing a bed.
Michael Jackson
. June and her children were staying at Neverland, receiving expensive presents and being treated like royalty. She was swept away by it. Today, a parent might conclude that precisely because it
is
Michael Jackson with whom he or she is dealing, she might have had good reason to err on the side of caution if only because of his controversial reputation with children – deserved or undeserved. However, ten years ago, June simply did not know what to make of the situation. Therefore, she allowed it to continue, especially since her husband was not living with her and the children and, she reasoned, a strong male influence on Jordie might not be a bad thing.
Michael accompanied June, Jordie and Lily in the limousine back to Los Angeles. However, he did not then return to Santa Barbara, deciding instead to retreat to his Westwood hideaway. He had a medical problem, and needed to be close to his dermatologist.
In fact, a week or so earlier, Michael had decided to bleach his scrotum with Benoquin, a bleaching cream prescribed to him many times over the years by his dermatologist, Dr Arnie Klein. Michael had been using the cream for years to bleach his skin. However apparently, he had never tried it on his scrotum. As it happened, the cream burned and stung, causing a great deal of discomfort. Debbie Rowe, the assistant to Michael’s dermatologist attended to him. To show his gratitude, Michael gave Debbie a white GMC truck.
No sooner was Michael settled in at his home that he began to long for Jordie. He had to speak to him; he called him.
June didn’t like the way the conversation unfolded as she listened to her son’s end of it. He responded to questions with what sounded like a code of simple answers, ‘yes,’ ‘no’ and ‘maybe’. When he hung up, June asked him what he and Michael had discussed. He was evasive.
Five minutes later, Michael’s telephone rang. It was June calling to tell him that, again, she was concerned about his relationship with Jordie. Michael was bewildered. Hadn’t they already covered this territory? Either she trusted him, or she didn’t… however, she had to make a choice, as Michael told her.
Michael suggested that she come to his hide-out so that they could discuss the matter personally. When June arrived, she found Michael in his pyjamas. Once again he pleaded with June to give him a chance.
He had often been misunderstood in the past, he told her, and he truly did care about her and her children. Hadn’t he proved as much? It seemed unfair, Michael pointed out, that after all he had done for her and her family she would now doubt his motives. He had only been kind and generous to them, he reminded her. June had to agree.
Michael then told June that he was lonely at his hide-out and asked if she would take him back to her home. She complied. Without changing from his pyjamas, Michael got into the car with her. It’s no wonder, as she later told it, that she felt as if she was dealing not with an adult, but with a child.
Once at the Schwartz home, June suggested that Michael retire to one of the guest rooms. However, perhaps testing her to see if she really did trust him, Michael asked that he be allowed to sleep in Jordie’s bed… with Jordie.
The next weekend, June, Jordie and Lily were again guests of Michael’s at Neverland. The weekend after that one, Michael had to leave Los Angeles on a business trip. He didn’t want to go, telling his associates that he had become so attached to Jordie and his family that he couldn’t bear to leave them. At the Burbank airport Michael sobbed as he hugged Jordie, telling him that he would ‘do anything’ to not have to go to Philadelphia. ‘I’m going to miss you so much,’ he told the youngster, as June and Lily looked on.
‘But you’ll be back soon,’ the little girl offered.
‘I know,’ Michael said, still hugging Jordie tightly and crying. ‘But it’s just that I love you guys so much. You’re my true, true family.’ He sighed as he buried his face in Jordie’s hair. Then, he embraced Lily. Then, June. ‘I’ll be back,’ he told them, ‘and we’ll have more fun. I promise.’ He then turned to Jordie and said, ‘Don’t forget the wishes. Always say the wishes.’ He winked at him, conspiratorially.
‘I won’t forget,’ Jordie promised. He winked back.
By the time Michael left Burbank, Jordie, June and Lily were so emotional they couldn’t stop crying. It was as if they had all been swept away by some surreal melodrama. After all, Michael would only be gone for a little more than a week. They really didn’t know Michael that well, and he didn’t know them, either – not really. Yet, the relationship had become so intense, June couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable about it. ‘What wishes?’ she wanted to know when she and Jordie were alone.
‘Nothin’ he said. ‘It’s between me and Michael.’
‘I don’t like that, Jordie,’ June said. ‘You know I don’t like you keeping secrets.’
Jordie didn’t respond.
In truth, the ‘wishes’ were six rules that Michael and Jordie had come up with, mostly as a joke between them. However, the wishes seemed to have real significance to Michael, and he often reminded Jordie of them. He said that if they repeated these wishes three times a day, perhaps they would actually come true for them:
1. No wenches, bitches, heifers or ho’s (whores).
2. Never give up your bliss.
3. Live with me in Neverland forever.
4. No conditioning.
5. Never grow up.
6. Be better than best friends.