Post by CarpentersFan2003 on Jan 14, 2004 19:57:01 GMT -5
Chapter Seven
The next morning Karen was sitting at the table in her kitchen table eating what was left of the pizza from the day before. She and Rosie had gone to the grocery store and had bought over two hundred dollars in food. The two women had stopped at a local taco place for dinner. Once Karen was back in her condo she’d taken a brief phone call from Nathan and then went to bed.
Karen was busy reading the morning newspaper when the phone rang. Taking her cup of coffee into the living room she picked up after the second ring.
“ Hello?”
“ Karen, I have been worried sick. I thought we agreed that you’d stay at the house for the next week?” The aggravated voice of Agnes Carpenter intoned.
“ Mother. I’m a grown woman. I have been taking it easy and have not been straining myself. I had to go shopping yesterday. Rosie was with me the whole day. She will be here today as well.” Karen rolled her eyes. Why did her mother have to make her feel like a little girl all the time.
“ Shopping!” Agnes’ voice now went almost shrill. “ Karen you just got out of the hospital three days ago and you went shopping. Are you trying to tempt fate? This the reason I wanted you to stay here. You need rest.”
Karen groaned in exasperation. She hated it when her mother started laying a guilt trip on her.
“ Mom, I love you for caring. I really do. However I need a little space. You have to stop being so over-protective.”
“ Is that so bad. All I want for you and Richard is the best. You’re my flesh and blood Karen. I almost lost you once, I refuse to let it happen again.” Agnes’ voice broke. Karen could hear the tears in her mother’s voice now.
“ Listen Mom. I just need a little time that is all. Please you have my word that I will not over do anything. I have to go. I will stop by later.” Karen hung up before her mother could respond.
When her door chime sounded Karen was expecting to see Rosie. Opening her door she saw her attorney Warner McBride.
“ How are you doing Karen?” He asked as he sat on the sofa and set his briefcase on the coffee table. He opened it and extracted a folder.
“ What is that?” Karen asked.
“ I have the final divorce papers ready for your signature.” Warner said opening the folder.
Karen sat down on the opposite side of the couch and took the folder and opened it, she read the papers over and then asked.
“ It states here that I retain all of the assets that I brought into the marriage. Is there any way that Tom can contest this and take any of my money?”
“ The pre-nuptial that you signed guarantees that it’s a clean break. Tom takes what he brought into this relationship.”
Karen reached for her purse that was on the end table and took out her pen. She signed on the dotted lines and dated them, then handed the papers back to her lawyer with a sigh.
“ Karen are you alright?” Warner asked.
“ It seems sort of anti-climatic to sign those papers. I had such high hopes for this marriage.”
Warner took Karen’s hand in his and squeezed it gently. With that small gesture he bestowed his support and understanding.
“ Karen think of it as a fresh start. You have been given a new lease on life in more ways then one. Now you can go into a new relationship without any emotional baggage.” Warner released Karen’s hand and gathered the papers together. He and Karen stood and she walked him to the door. Before he turned to leave he lightly pecked the cheek of the woman that he saw as a more then a client. Karen was a friend as well.
“ I will take these to the office and get the ball rolling. I will have I disagreeistant call you when a court date has been set.”
“ Thank you, and take care.” Karen said as she closed the door behind him.
*** *** ***
An hour later Karen guided her car into the driveway of her parents and shut off the engine. She sat for a moment and gathered her thoughts. She didn’t like facing her mother on the best of days. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and got out. As she was reaching for her purse she heard the front door of the house open.
“ Hey Karen,” John Bettis called. He walked the short distance between the two and pulled Karen into a tight hug.
Karen smiled and returned the hug. John was like a brother to her and a best friend. He’d penned the lyrics to many of the Carpenter’s hit songs such as “Yesterday Once More” and “I Need To Be In Love”.
“ You’re looking great!” John kissed Karen’s cheek.
“ What are you doing here? I thought that you had taken off to Hawaii for a vacation.” Karen and he walked back to the front door. John opened it and he and Karen stepped over the hearth.
“ I got back the day before yesterday. I was here with Richard going over some new material for the upcoming album. Richard is pushing to get back into the studio. There is one song that he really wants to finish. You remember last year in April you cut the “work lead” for “Now”. Well Rich, thinks it has tons of potential. He has the studio tapes here, he’s in the basement.”
“ Are my parents home?” Karen asked as she followed her friend down the stairs towards Richard’s private recording studio.
“ Your mom and dad stepped out for a while. I think they said something about visiting some friends in LA.” John opened the soundproofed door leading to the studio, both he and Karen’s ears where met by the backing vocals to one of many songs that she and Richard had been working on.
Karen stepped up to the soundboard and cleared her throat.
“ Not too bad. The bass is a little weak, but otherwise it’s fine.”
“ Hey there squirt.” Richard said and hugged his sister. “ How have you been doing?”
“ Good, really good. John was saying that you and he were tweaking “Now”. Is there anything I can do to help?” Karen felt herself starting to get into the mood to record.
“ Well, there is one thing. I was thinking would you want to try re-recording the lead. It’s not all that bad as it is, but it needs a little sweetening.” Richard started to set up the reel-to-reel tape for the song.
Karen nodded and then moved into the booth and closed the sliding door. She sat on the barstool that was in front of the mike, and slipped an earphone over her right ear, tucking the other behind her left.
“ Just a minute Karen.” She heard Richard over the earphones; she gave her brother a thumbs up sign. She then heard the music playing back for a sound test, she nodded and again gave a thumbs up and then the OK sign with her hand. She flipped through the songbook in front of her until she found the words for “Now”. She was ready when she heard Richard again.
“ One… Two… Three…” Then the music started.
After a short oboe and flute intro, Karen began to sing.
“ Now,
Now when it rains I don’t feel cold,
Now that I have your hand to hold,
The winds might blow through me,
But I don’t care,
There is no harm in thunder if you are,
There and,
Now,
Now when we touch my feelings fly,
Now when I’m smiling I know why,
You light up my world like the morning sun,
You’re so deep within me were almost one,
And now,
All the fears that I had start fade,
I was always afraid love might forget me,
Love might let me down,
Then look who I found.”
There was a short saxophone solo and some choral vocals, so very quietly Karen took a sip of water from a glass of water that she had poured to loosen her vocal cords. She then turned back to the mike.
“And now, now
Now when I wake there’s someone home,
I’ll never face the nights alone,
You gave me the courage I need to win,
To open my heart,
And to let you in,
And I never really knew how until now,
No, I never really knew how until now.”
Karen waited for the playback to finish and then looked at her brother and John. A smile played on her lips.
“ That was prefect Karen. You did it again.” She heard in the earphones from Richard.
“ That was simply the best Karen.” John said and winked at her. John turned to Richard. “ She’s back. That was just awesome.” He felt a lump forming in his throat.
“ I know. I will never get tried of hearing Karen work her magic with a song. That’s real talent.”
The next morning Karen was sitting at the table in her kitchen table eating what was left of the pizza from the day before. She and Rosie had gone to the grocery store and had bought over two hundred dollars in food. The two women had stopped at a local taco place for dinner. Once Karen was back in her condo she’d taken a brief phone call from Nathan and then went to bed.
Karen was busy reading the morning newspaper when the phone rang. Taking her cup of coffee into the living room she picked up after the second ring.
“ Hello?”
“ Karen, I have been worried sick. I thought we agreed that you’d stay at the house for the next week?” The aggravated voice of Agnes Carpenter intoned.
“ Mother. I’m a grown woman. I have been taking it easy and have not been straining myself. I had to go shopping yesterday. Rosie was with me the whole day. She will be here today as well.” Karen rolled her eyes. Why did her mother have to make her feel like a little girl all the time.
“ Shopping!” Agnes’ voice now went almost shrill. “ Karen you just got out of the hospital three days ago and you went shopping. Are you trying to tempt fate? This the reason I wanted you to stay here. You need rest.”
Karen groaned in exasperation. She hated it when her mother started laying a guilt trip on her.
“ Mom, I love you for caring. I really do. However I need a little space. You have to stop being so over-protective.”
“ Is that so bad. All I want for you and Richard is the best. You’re my flesh and blood Karen. I almost lost you once, I refuse to let it happen again.” Agnes’ voice broke. Karen could hear the tears in her mother’s voice now.
“ Listen Mom. I just need a little time that is all. Please you have my word that I will not over do anything. I have to go. I will stop by later.” Karen hung up before her mother could respond.
When her door chime sounded Karen was expecting to see Rosie. Opening her door she saw her attorney Warner McBride.
“ How are you doing Karen?” He asked as he sat on the sofa and set his briefcase on the coffee table. He opened it and extracted a folder.
“ What is that?” Karen asked.
“ I have the final divorce papers ready for your signature.” Warner said opening the folder.
Karen sat down on the opposite side of the couch and took the folder and opened it, she read the papers over and then asked.
“ It states here that I retain all of the assets that I brought into the marriage. Is there any way that Tom can contest this and take any of my money?”
“ The pre-nuptial that you signed guarantees that it’s a clean break. Tom takes what he brought into this relationship.”
Karen reached for her purse that was on the end table and took out her pen. She signed on the dotted lines and dated them, then handed the papers back to her lawyer with a sigh.
“ Karen are you alright?” Warner asked.
“ It seems sort of anti-climatic to sign those papers. I had such high hopes for this marriage.”
Warner took Karen’s hand in his and squeezed it gently. With that small gesture he bestowed his support and understanding.
“ Karen think of it as a fresh start. You have been given a new lease on life in more ways then one. Now you can go into a new relationship without any emotional baggage.” Warner released Karen’s hand and gathered the papers together. He and Karen stood and she walked him to the door. Before he turned to leave he lightly pecked the cheek of the woman that he saw as a more then a client. Karen was a friend as well.
“ I will take these to the office and get the ball rolling. I will have I disagreeistant call you when a court date has been set.”
“ Thank you, and take care.” Karen said as she closed the door behind him.
*** *** ***
An hour later Karen guided her car into the driveway of her parents and shut off the engine. She sat for a moment and gathered her thoughts. She didn’t like facing her mother on the best of days. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and got out. As she was reaching for her purse she heard the front door of the house open.
“ Hey Karen,” John Bettis called. He walked the short distance between the two and pulled Karen into a tight hug.
Karen smiled and returned the hug. John was like a brother to her and a best friend. He’d penned the lyrics to many of the Carpenter’s hit songs such as “Yesterday Once More” and “I Need To Be In Love”.
“ You’re looking great!” John kissed Karen’s cheek.
“ What are you doing here? I thought that you had taken off to Hawaii for a vacation.” Karen and he walked back to the front door. John opened it and he and Karen stepped over the hearth.
“ I got back the day before yesterday. I was here with Richard going over some new material for the upcoming album. Richard is pushing to get back into the studio. There is one song that he really wants to finish. You remember last year in April you cut the “work lead” for “Now”. Well Rich, thinks it has tons of potential. He has the studio tapes here, he’s in the basement.”
“ Are my parents home?” Karen asked as she followed her friend down the stairs towards Richard’s private recording studio.
“ Your mom and dad stepped out for a while. I think they said something about visiting some friends in LA.” John opened the soundproofed door leading to the studio, both he and Karen’s ears where met by the backing vocals to one of many songs that she and Richard had been working on.
Karen stepped up to the soundboard and cleared her throat.
“ Not too bad. The bass is a little weak, but otherwise it’s fine.”
“ Hey there squirt.” Richard said and hugged his sister. “ How have you been doing?”
“ Good, really good. John was saying that you and he were tweaking “Now”. Is there anything I can do to help?” Karen felt herself starting to get into the mood to record.
“ Well, there is one thing. I was thinking would you want to try re-recording the lead. It’s not all that bad as it is, but it needs a little sweetening.” Richard started to set up the reel-to-reel tape for the song.
Karen nodded and then moved into the booth and closed the sliding door. She sat on the barstool that was in front of the mike, and slipped an earphone over her right ear, tucking the other behind her left.
“ Just a minute Karen.” She heard Richard over the earphones; she gave her brother a thumbs up sign. She then heard the music playing back for a sound test, she nodded and again gave a thumbs up and then the OK sign with her hand. She flipped through the songbook in front of her until she found the words for “Now”. She was ready when she heard Richard again.
“ One… Two… Three…” Then the music started.
After a short oboe and flute intro, Karen began to sing.
“ Now,
Now when it rains I don’t feel cold,
Now that I have your hand to hold,
The winds might blow through me,
But I don’t care,
There is no harm in thunder if you are,
There and,
Now,
Now when we touch my feelings fly,
Now when I’m smiling I know why,
You light up my world like the morning sun,
You’re so deep within me were almost one,
And now,
All the fears that I had start fade,
I was always afraid love might forget me,
Love might let me down,
Then look who I found.”
There was a short saxophone solo and some choral vocals, so very quietly Karen took a sip of water from a glass of water that she had poured to loosen her vocal cords. She then turned back to the mike.
“And now, now
Now when I wake there’s someone home,
I’ll never face the nights alone,
You gave me the courage I need to win,
To open my heart,
And to let you in,
And I never really knew how until now,
No, I never really knew how until now.”
Karen waited for the playback to finish and then looked at her brother and John. A smile played on her lips.
“ That was prefect Karen. You did it again.” She heard in the earphones from Richard.
“ That was simply the best Karen.” John said and winked at her. John turned to Richard. “ She’s back. That was just awesome.” He felt a lump forming in his throat.
“ I know. I will never get tried of hearing Karen work her magic with a song. That’s real talent.”