Obsessed fan is more like it. In 1984, I was 12. And I also sorta looked like a boy...braces, mullet...yeah, you get the picture. Rough years. But I was in LOVE with Michael Jackson. I had the signature glove, the trading cards, the albums, the sparkly socks, the posters..OH the posters!!! But nothing marks my adoration for the man like the one piece of memorabilia I still hold close to my heart.
My youth-sized Michael Jackson jacket. (See picture below)
This is a very special jacket to me. Let me put it this way. Any memories I have from my childhood are in one antique trunk in my storage unit. It contains scrapbooks, trophies, my letterman jacket, a crusty prom corsage and...my Michael Jackson jacket. I threw out my PROM DRESSES to make room in the trunk. But I could NEVER get rid of that jacket.
How I got the jacket is partly the reason why. (Pause for you to get tissue) 1984 is also the year my parents divorced. I was living in Michigan at the time, but my mother decided to move to Florida and I decided to go with her. This was a crushing blow to my father...we were the best of buddies my entire life. I think even at that age I was excited for change, and probably, more than anything, going to Disney World. So, that's why I went with mom. Well, the day came for me and my mom to leave for Florida. Dad drove us to the airport in Duluth, Minnesota, which was about 2 hours away. We arrived early and decided to walk around the Target near the airport. It was at this Target that I saw THE jacket. I pleaded and pleaded to have it...but, I had to bid the red pleather adieu.
Dad drove me and my mom to the airport. To this day, it is still the single most saddest and most difficult minutes of my life. Saying good-bye to my father was beyond difficult...I was leaving behind everything I knew. Finally, my father let go and I watched him fade away in the parking lot.
Mom and I went to our gate and had about an hour to kill. About 10 minutes before we boarded, I saw my dad appear through the doors with a bag in his hand. He fought back tears and said..."I really want you to have this." I opened the bag and it was my jacket.
That is why the jacket will always have a home in my memory trunk.
Sharon
P.S. Two months later I moved back home 'cause I missed my dog...and dad too. :)
P.P.S. My mom called me on Thursday and said.."Are you O.K.?" Gives you an idea of how many hours I spent in front of the TV mastering the moves.
:'(
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