michael jackson finally comes out

michael jackson had finally come out to his inner circle and he was happy at last. we were in new zealand and he was still eccentric (stayed in pj's all day like hef and lived his life in bed like anna nicole) but he was off drugs and smiled all the time. his children were still little and they joyfully crawled all over him like puppies. he talked about his boyfriend all the time but i still hadn't met him. his suite faced the ocean and though it was an overcast day i opened all the french doors wide because the view was spectacular. now and again locals would make their way past on the rocky beach below and glance up to see michael enthroned like a king in his luxurious bed. once they recognized him they would call his name, get him to smile and wave and then promptly reply with a grumpy raspberry without breaking a step. michael asked me why they were doing that. i told him they liked his music but kiwis don't believe in the cult of celebrity. i was glad about it because i knew it was good for him to have a taste of being as normal as was possible on planet earth- at least for awhile.

the day unfolded and friends were dropping in and out. it was so fun. we were getting his room ready for a party and the children were cutting out color xerox's of their daddy with rounded scissors to tape on the walls. throughout the day i noticed a very slender, impossibly elegant man milling about in the background. he was cordial but very reserved. at first i thought he was one of michael's surgeons, but after a few hours of watching how carefully he avoided interacting with michael i was pretty sure it was his boyfriend. 'is that him?' i whispered to michael. 'YES!' he squealed with delight. michael motioned for the man and then introduced us. they were both grinning like children. 'you two look like you were made for each other.' i said. they reached for each others hand and shared a smile before sharing it with me. it was a happy moment.

soon we were in the joyful chaos of a party. the music was too loud, the room was too crowded and everyone was having a great time. i leaned over to ask michael something and the woman sitting next to him turned to face me. it was my dear friend ann and we did 'the girl squeal' upon recognizing each other and promptly jumped into where we had left off in our last conversation 6 months and 10,000 miles ago.