MJ grew up in Akron, Ohio. One of the nicknames for Akron is “Crackron”, because it has some scary parts to it.
One of MJ’s friends he grew up with in Akron moved to Baltimore, which is about a half an hour away from where we live in Bethesda.
MJ told me about his friend (Terrell), who moved to Baltimore, and was in the process of opening up his own restaurant and asked me if I would go with him sometime to meet his friend and eat at his friend’s restaurant. I of course said yes.
About a month passed, and MJ told me his friend Terrell invited him to the friends and family opening of his restaurant. MJ asked me if we could go, and I said yes.
MJ told Brittany, head of security for our family, that his friend Terrell was trustworthy, and we would be safe going to eat at his restaurant. Anytime MJ goes somewhere new, his security detail gets beefed up, just in case. I could hear Brittany talking to the security detail that would be protecting us that the area the restaurant was in, was a low income, high crime, area. She told them since they were taking us to a restaurant owned by MJ’s friend, things would probably be okay, but still, they need to be alert. I know MJ would never in a million years take me somewhere I wouldn’t be safe, so I didn’t think a thing about it. I wasn’t worried at all.
MJ said it was casual, but I decided to dress up anyway. MJ told me a lot of his friends and people he knew from Akron were going to be there, and I wanted to make a good first impression. I wore a long dress and got all dolled up. MJ had on his usual outfit, Adidas sweatpants and a t-shirt.
MJ told me about some of the people that were going to be there. He was excited because he heard a lot of his friends from Akron were going to be there, and he hasn’t seen some of them in years.
When MJ got out of the SUV and his friend Terrell saw him, he said “My nigga White Mike Johnson in the house! I love this white boy right here!” Then his friend turns up the song that was playing really loud, like block party loud. The song was Ain’t Nuthin But A G Thang Baby by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. MJ and his friend started walking towards each other. While they were walking towards each other they were both singing/rapping the Ain’t Nuthin But A G Thang Baby song that was playing. I was a little bit worried because there were probably 200 black people around and MJ in the middle of them. I wasn’t worried because MJ was the only white person. I was worried because MJ sings/raps the real words to songs, and I knew the N word was coming up in the song. MJ and his friend hugged at about the time the N word part of the song played. I could hear MJ and his friend sing/rap the N word, and to my surprise, everything was okay. Nobody even reacted. I thought hearing a white boy singing/rapping the N word would piss them off, but it didn’t.
MJ and his friend hugged like they were brothers that hadn’t seen each other in years. MJ, Brittany, head of security for our family, Mr. Pete, Mr. Steve, and Mr. Alex, were the only white people at the restaurant, and in the entire neighborhood.
Brittany, Mr. Pete, Mr. Steve, and Mr. Alex looked freaked out and on edge. MJ looked completely at home. You could tell MJ felt completely at ease. After MJ and his friend hugged, MJ brought his friend who was starting the restaurant, and some of his other friends that he knew from Akron that were there, over to meet me. Each of them hugged me and welcomed me into the family. I said “Family?”. They said White Mike Johnson is family. You are Mrs. White Mike Johnson. You are family now. Then they took us around and showed us the restaurant.
I enjoyed hearing stories about MJ, and MJ’s parents’ basement. There was a wrestling ring set up in MJ’s parents’ basement and everyone used to come over and wrestle/fight and hang out there. They were showing off their wounds from wrestling in MJ’s parents’ basement. I was having fun, but I felt nervous. MJ could tell I was nervous. He kept trying to reassure me that I could relax and be myself, because we were with people who care about us, and we were safe. I just couldn’t relax. I tried to, but it was just not happening.
When I was in the restroom washing my hands, this heavy set bruiser girl approached me, and told me she liked my bag. I said thanks, and I was thinking she would walk away, but she didn’t. She asked me where I got it, and I lied to her. I said I couldn’t remember. The bruiser girl touched my bag and I screamed. Brittany, our family’s head of security slammed the door open and said “Malia. Are you okay?” The bruiser girl and I didn’t move. The bruiser girl said “I am sorry if I scared you. There is no need to be afraid. I am poor, but I wasn’t trying to steal your bag. I know your purse is a numbered Hermes bag. I have never seen one before. I just wanted to touch it.” I told the bruiser girl, and Brittany I was sorry for yelling. I told them the truth. I told them I was afraid to be here in a scary part of Baltimore that I had never been to before, around scary ghetto people. Then I apologized for saying what I knew were offensive comments, but it was what I was feeling, and it is why I yelled.
MJ walked up right after my little confessional. As soon as I saw him, I walked up to him and put my arms around him crying, and I told him what just happened. Then I apologized to him for causing a scene, and I told him no one was mean or anything. This was all me being preggo irrational crazy. MJ held me and told me everything was going to be okay. It always comforts me when MJ tells me everything will be okay, because I know when he tells me everything will be okay, everything will be okay. MJ asked me to sit with Brittany for a minute. He said he would be right back.
MJ went to talk to his friend Terrell, who owns the restaurant. The next thing I know, everybody was outside, and “White Mike Johnson” was addressing the crowd while I was sitting down next to him on a picnic table. MJ, aka “White Mike Johnson”, thanked his friend who owned the restaurant for inviting us to the friends and family grand opening of the restaurant, and talked about how great it was to see so many of his friends from Akron who were there. Then he told everyone about me. He explained how I was born with a silver spoon, knife, and fork in my mouth, and how I was afraid today because I have never really spent much time with anyone who didn’t have money. Then he told them what happened in the bathroom. I interrupted his speech briefly to apologize. MJ’s friend Terrell who owns the restaurant said “That’s okay Princess Malia. Don’t worry about a thing. We still love you baby girl.”
I said, “Why do you want to be nice to me when I have been such a stuck up bitch?”
Terrell said, “You are White Mike Johnson’s girl, and he’s family. That makes you family, and family’s work things out.”
I said “I know MJ cares about you. I wanted you to like me. I wanted to make a good first impression. I’m sorry.”
Terrell said “The first time he met White Mike Johnson at Roswell Kent middle school in Akron, they didn’t get along. He said he didn’t like white people because he thought white people were the devil. It was what people in the ghetto thought about white people. When the teacher put White Mike Johnson in his project group, he didn’t want to work with him. He told me about how the class was divided racially, and the teacher who was really racist, was mean to the black kids. One day when the teacher went too far being mean to this black girl who had done nothing wrong, White Mike Johnson stood up for her. The teacher and some of the white boys threatened him for standing up for “The nigger girl”. White Mike Johnson said, “I don’t know this girl, but I can’t let you treat her like shit just because she’s black.” They threatened him more and a couple of the white boys got in his face. Mike said, “Fuck you!”. I knew not all white people were bad after that. I told Mike thank you for doing that after class. He said “Fuck you! Why didn’t you stand up for her too? What, am I supposed to get my ass beat while you stand there with your dick in your hand?” I smiled and walked away. I knew me and White Mike Johnson were going to be cool after that.”
I asked him what happened to the girl my husband White Mike Johnson stood up for? Did he know. He said he knew what happened to her. He said he married her, they had kids together, and they moved from Akron to Baltimore to start a soul food restaurant together. Then the bruiser girl who touched my purse in the bathroom walked up and hugged MJ. MJ said “Baby, meet Nakia, Terrell’s wife.”
I said “The bruiser girl is your wife? She is the black girl MJ stood up for when the racist people were picking on her?”
Then Nakia said “I love your husband. Everybody here do. Nobody is gonna mess with you. I think if you give us a chance you will see we good people. Money doesn’t make a person good or bad. I like your purse. I love White Mike Johnson. Do you want to try some of the jerk chicken?”
I asked Nakia to please forgive me for calling her a bruiser girl, and for being a stuck up rich bitch. She said, “Forgive you for what?” Then she put her arm around me, and we ate together, and talked for a long time. She told me things and stories about MJ I have never heard before. It turns out MJ has always been prone to trouble, and he has always stood up for what was right.
I asked MJ on the way home if I was racist, even though I’m black, and he said no. He said I might wealth discriminate a little bit, but that is only because I grew up in a bubble. I told him I thought he was right. MJ grew up the exact opposite way I did. His family didn’t have much money, but they always loved and supported each other.
I got a nickname while we were at the friends and family restaurant opening. My new nickname is “Princess Malia”. “White Mike Johnson” is married to Princess Malia”.
I am glad I didn’t ruin everything like I thought I did. Terrell and Nakia, thank you for inviting us to your friends and family restaurant opening. I will gladly go to eat at Terrell and Nakia’s restaurant anytime you want/anytime they invite us.
In closing- I love you Michael David Johnson, whatever your nicknames may be, whether it be “White Mike Johnson” or “MJ the Terrible”.
Lebron James Comes To Visit His Akron Friend Michael “MJ The Terrible” Johnson – https://www.therealmjtheterrible.com/lebron-james-comes-to-visit-his-akron-friend-michael-mj-the-terrible-johnson/
