Happy Chaos by Soleil Moon Frye Page A

away a few months later, but I’m glad we got to bond over something that was so important to him.”
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—Sheila
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“An ice cream bday cake—those were A-list back then.”
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—Mikala
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“Waking up to a homemade baby bassinet in my bedroom made by my mom with all matching bedding she sewed and a sweet baby doll inside. I will never forget it.”
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—Collette
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“A green and yellow bicycle for my 7th birthday . . . I had wanted it so badly and have never forgotten it!!”
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—Betsy

    Poet and me dressed up as Frenchie and Rizzo at her Grease birthday party
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16
    Yes, Michael Jackson Was My Babysitter
    Question of the day: When trying to find a babysitter for your children, what do you look for most?
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“I have a special needs daughter (7 yrs old) so I only let my mom watch her, or a friend’s 17 yr old daughter who I’ve known since my daughter was 2 yrs. old. She knows all of my daughter’s needs. If I were to look for another sitter, it would be someone who I think is trustworthy, responsible and who will play with Sade and not just sit there and play video games and text all night.”
    â€”Becky
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“I look for people I know and I trust can handle my kids. Four is a lot against one.”
    â€”Carrie
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“I look to the girls that work in our nursery at church, or that work with my mother-in-law at her daycare.”
    â€”Amy L.
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    S o there I was sitting with Michael Jackson, alone in his Jacuzzi, talking about life, love, and the secrets of the world. I was eight years old. Yes, I know you are probably horrified, or at least a little confused as you read this, wondering how in the world I got there, so let me take you back a few weeks.
    Two weeks earlier my friend Kidada Jones invited me to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert with Michael Jackson. Her father, Quincy Jones, and her family were very close to Michael. So there we were on the Punky set when the limo pulled up. My mother, Kidada, and I jumped in and were off to see Bruce. We were sitting in box seats when Michael walked in with the most glamorous woman I had ever seen. She was stunning, and her name was Elizabeth Taylor. Michael was kind and soft-spoken. I gave him a gold yo-yo as a gift, and he played with it under the table for the rest of the night. Elizabeth Taylor wore an enormous emerald ring, and I asked her if she had gotten it from a candy machine. She smiled at my naïveté. The night was fun, and at the end, Michael invited us to come over to his house sometime.
    Two weeks later my mother and I were eating vegan tomato soup in Michael Jackson’s kitchen. He was dressed in his famous red coat and white glove as the three of us sat at a table. My mother spoke of her travels to India and living in an ashram as he told us about his healthy eating habits. Bubbles, his chimpanzee, joined us throughout the evening. Michael took my mother and me on a tour of his home. We saw his elaborate costumes encased in glass, his bedroom, all of his knickknacks, and his stunning recording studio. Later that evening, Kidada joined us. Her father was there recording with Michael, and my mother had to leave to work on a party for Dennis Hopper. They were going to screen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in his movie theater later in the evening, and I begged my mom to let me stay. My mother finally said yes, and there I was exploring the candy station at his ranch in North Hollywood.
    We watched Willy Wonka , and Michael and I sat next to each other. He had a way of speaking as if he were a child, too. I remember him leaning in, our heads close together as we whispered and giggled. After the movie, Kidada left, and it was just Michael and me. He then said, “Come on, let me show you the animals.” We went outside on his stunning property and began walking over a bridge when a swan jumped out at me. Michael threw me to the ground