Not With The Daddy s**t

 I sat still as they clipped the mic to the waistband of my jeans. The lights shining down began to give me a slight headache. God, I hope my sinuses don't act up. Production tested the mic as the slender woman walked over to the chair, slightly to the right and in front of me. She sat down, crossed her legs, pushed her hair behind her ears, and began rehearsing what was written down on her notepad. They finally finished setting everything up, and the room suddenly fell silent, rendering me nervous.   " So what is your name, how old are you, and where are you from? " she asked me with a slight smile, resting her hands on her knee.   " My name is Darian, but everyone calls me DJ. I am thirty-two years old, and I am from Jackson, Mississippi. " I replied.   " I can kind of hear it in your voice. " she chuckled a bit.   " Yeah, we nothin' but a bunch of country ass, cornbread fed people. "   " So tell me, DJ, how did you first meet R. Kelly? "   " Long story short, I was looking for an agent. My mother had a friend who was in the industry, so she entrusted him to find a place that would be a good fit. I auditioned for this man, whom I didn't know at the time. After that audition, he proceeded to introduce me to R. Kelly. "   " Interesting. How old were you when you first met him? " she asked me, lifting her brow and biting at the inside of her lip.   " I was eighteen. " I nodded.   " Good. So from my understanding, you were a choreographer for him. Is that correct? "    " One of the best he had. " The long nights began to replay in my head. The laughs. The tours. I was so young back then, thinking I knew everything. Boy was I wrong.   " That's a big responsibility for someone at the age of eighteen! I can only imagine how stressful that really was. "   " I doubt that anyone could imagine how stressful it was unless you were there, but it forced me to grow up quickly. I couldn't be a b***h about life anymore. I had to think quickly. Act even quicker. " I told her.   " Had you graduated by that time? "   " Yes, and had plans to attend a performing arts school in New York. "   " Why didn't you go, if I may ask? "   " Suddenly, the little black boy from Mississippi wasn't good enough. "   She cleared her throat, sitting up in her chair and bringing her legs to a resting position beside each other. She looked down at her notepad, not knowing which question to lead with next.   " So what next? You auditioned for what seemed like a job. How did things work out? "   " Very well, actually. I was surprised to see that some of the dancers were younger than myself, and I mean a year or two younger. " I recalled.   " Did you find that odd? In any way? " she leaned in closer, seeming intrigued.   " I found it very odd! " I chuckled. " I was raised in a very blunt household. My mother and my father never spared me when it came to the real world, and what kind of people there were, what they were doing, how they used their social standing to hold over someone's head........"   " Are you referring to Robert? " she interrupted my thoughts. I paused for a moment.   " In today's paraphrasing, yes. Back then, it was just a general thought. "   " Had you mentioned anything to anyone? "   " Of course.  I asked the girls directly. "   " And......"   " I was told they would rather not talk about it. I knew at that moment there was more to the story. Those girls had experienced something that caused them to.........tense up the way they did. I told them they could trust me, and just as they were about to speak up........" I stopped. I could recall that day as if it happened yesterday. The lust in his eyes as they walked into the room. The fear set in their eyes as he walked into the room.    But my mind had been fixated on something else in those moments.   " And then he interrupted, I'm sure. " she nodded as well as myself. " So how did you meet Rocky? " I shuddered at the sound of his name.   " That's what distracted me. " I told her. I could tell that she could see the change in my expression as those words came flowing out of my mouth. Her body language completely changed.   " Why such rage when you think about him?"   " Y'all would have to shoot another documentary or two. It's just that much. " I chuckled. " But we were young, made our mistakes, and now everything should be forgiven. I'm still a tad bit bitter though, I won't even lie. "  " I understand. So did you ever get that information from the girls?"  " No ma'am, but I was told by an anonymous letter that I should mind my business, and that it was for my own good. I took it two ways: someone really wanted to spare me the trouble, or someone was threatening me in regards to fishing for the information. "  " Which did you think it was? "   " Based on everything I had to endure, I know it was both. " I shuffled a bit in the small chair. " My mama always told me that if you go snooping into somebody else's business, you're going to find what you're looking for. Only I was tossed into it. That same s**t. "   She nodded her head, smiling a bit. " So, how did this all get started for you? "