Post by cam83 on Jun 18, 2004 0:42:31 GMT -5
Chapter Thirty Nine
July 15, 1993 Karen gave birth to twins. She and Jon had known about this since the middle of January, but kept it a secret among everyone. It was a set of girls named Katie AnnaMarie and Kierra Annaliese. They both were tiny, weighing in just under 5 pounds, but were healthy enough to not have to be in an incubator. They were so happy.
While in the hospital, Karen made sure that she wouldn't be able to have any more children, and though a bit sad, she was thrilled that she had had 6 very healthy children. She couldn't ask for more.
Karen's Mother, Auntie Bernice, and her mother-in law Katie flew in from the eastern U.S. and from Canada to see the cute little girls. None of them were terribly surprised to see that Karen and Jon had twins, as twins ran in both sets of the family.
While Karen was in the hospital recovering, her other kids were staying at Richard's and Mary's home, where there was 10 children there. Agnes and Bernice were there as well, helping with taking care of the children, and Mary and Richard needed all the help they could get. Kristi, also flew in with her grandmother, and she was there to stay with Karen for the summer and to help out with the kids. It was really a chance for Karen to help Kristi and her weight problems.
Karen quietly gasped when she saw her niece, who had dropped over 10 pounds in the last few months, and must be down to 90 pounds or even less. She looked stick thin, so skeletol. She could see the concern in Katie's face at how her granddaughter had wasted away. Kristi didn't seem to think anything was wrong, and seemed to relish all the attention she received. In fact, a part of her liked the attention, and even Karen could understand.
The hardest part, when Karen came home from the hospital with her double bundle of joys, was making sure her niece would consume something. She didn't want to nag, or force her, but she didn't know what to do. So on nights, after when Kristi had retired to bed, Karen called her therapist Raymond Vath, who had successfully treated her, and asked for his advice.
How ironic that Karen would be asking for advice on such a topic that she had been so great at. Who would ever have thought? He stressed the need for Kristi to receive some sort of counselling while in Karen's care. Battle lines would be drawn up, but to keep calm and not to fight with her. Just to try and let her know that she was loved unconditionally. Karen was nervous, but knew that she was the lifeline to her niece getting better.
Kristi was very good around the children, and was an excellent help to Karen, and she told her many times, while Kristi sheepishly said, "Oh, it was nothing." "But it is something," stressed Karen, "I really think and know that you are doing a fabulous job! That shows me how talented and gifted you are. It means something to Jon and me, having you around. While you are here, we are going to go to Disneyland and go shopping, and do lots of fun stuff. Does that sound like fun?" Kristi mumbled yes, and left the room.
aren knew that something else was going on. Something just didn't seem right. Karen knew that Kristi threw up her meals after mealtimes, as she escaped to the bathroom. When she came out, Karen wouldn't say anything, but she knew. She could tell by the tell-tale signs: red eyes, scratchy sounding voice, puffy chipmunk cheeks, the redness around the knuckles(used to induce vomiting). Her heart went out to this girl. Why?
They celebrated Kristi's 15th birthday on August 12th and headed to Disneyland for the day. Karen had managed to find someone who would look after the younger children, so that Kristi could enjoy herself fully. Kristi's eyes had widened when she had opened the gifts that Karen gave to her. Karen had gotten all 4 autographs of BOYZ 2 MEN with some shirts, caps, posters, and pictures, along with a personal note from each of them. It sure helped that Karen had connections with the music world.
Karen decided that it would be best for Kristi to come to her and open up with her problem, as opposed to Karen interrogating her, which she did not want to do. It was hard, as Karen could basically do nothing but wait. She had to have the same type of patience that some had had on her with her vicious struggle with anorexia.
The summer continued on, and Kristi kept getting worse. Whereas before she had been extremely thin, now she was so bone thin that she looked horrible, and made people gasp in shock when they saw her.
Karen was constantly on the phone with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law and finally it was decided that Catharine would come and get her, and see for herself what the situation was like. Meanwhile a new Carpenters' single had been released and it hit # 17. The single was called SOME OTHER TIME WE WERE ONE… and on the Adult Contemporary Charts it peaked at # 2. Another single had been released and everyone was hoping for another # 1 smash, but that was not meant to be. SONGS OF LOVE hit # 20 and quickly fell off the charts. The album SONGS OF LOVE only sold 2 million copies. Richard's latest solo single WANTING YOU SO BADLY was a big hit, hitting # 5 and going gold at 1.1 million copies sold. His album JUST ANOTHER GUY was already in the double platinum range. This album in Japan was # 1 and already quadruple platinum in that country. He was very big there, and in September he would be there with his family for a month.
There were some plans that Karen might come for the last week and do some shows as the Carpenters, but nothing was final yet. Even though, if she did come, all hell would break loose, in terms of sell out venues. They were still the biggest selling group in that country, and it thrilled her.
Catharine arrived near the beginning of September and was horribly stunned at seeing her daughter, who just 7 weeks before was thin, now look wretched. She forced her daughter on a scale, and burst into tears when they saw the result…81 pounds.
Catharine in a way was angry with Karen as she felt Karen should have done everything within her power. Of course, she didn't tell Karen this, but Karen could sense disapproval in her sister-in-law's eyes. She was very good at these kinds of looks, and in a way, almost reminded Karen of her own mother Agnes.
Jon tried his best to explain to his sister that Karen had tried her best, and that there was nothing they could do, and that Kristi needed professional help. Of course, Catharine was too upset to heed such advice, and needed someone to blame. She felt that since Karen had suffered from anorexia that Karen should know what to do.
Karen felt so guilty, and afterwards when they left for Canada, Karen threw herself on the bed and began to cry. She wished that there had been something that she could have done, but even she was at a loss. Jon suggested that Bernice and Agnes could house-sit, and watch the children, while they went on a get away trip, which they both needed. They felt the strain of the past year start to weigh on them, and were glad when Karen's Mom and Aunt gladly agreed to watch the grandchildren.
So they headed to Hawaii for a 2 week visit, and during this time, Karen's weight rose to 106 pounds, after being at 98 pounds due to stress and anxiety. Karen and Jon got the chance to unwind, and let the worries of life pass them by. Karen now had the chance to focus all her attention on the man in her life, and they enjoyed all that each other had to offer.
When they got back from Hawaii, Karen and Jon were both tanned. They hadn't kept in contact with anyone, while away, as they wanted to time to just leave all the cares of the world behind them. They were so much more in love than before, and Karen felt like such a newlywed. By the time they got back they learned that Kristi was in the hospital at 76 pounds and was being force fed. Karen's heart went out to her niece, but there was nothing that they could do, except pray.
Karen got ready to head to Japan, and part of her wanted to stay and head to Canada where Kristi was, but she knew that Kristi needed to make the decision to live or die. So she busied herself with preparations of the trip, and making sure she had enough outfits for some of the shows.
Karen was very well received upon arrival in Japan, and all the Carpenters concerts were sold out in an instant. The last Carpenters album was at # 1, and the solo album by Richard was # 2. It was a lot of fun to be singing with Richard again.
She still couldn't believe that 19 years ago, she and Richard had sold out all their concerts in less than an hour, and now they were still selling out every auditorium in record time. They had to do at least 6 or more mini-medleys of all their hits, and even then, they felt like they were cheating their fans the privilege of hearing the full song, but there was nothing they could do about it. The Japanese people were so kind, so caring, and so considerate, which greatly impressed both Richard and Karen. They had another # 1 single there, titled WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW COMES… and they were pleased. In that country alone, they had had 26 # 1 Carpenters' singles top the chart and that was no mean feat. Their achievements were unsurpassed by anyone before or after.
July 15, 1993 Karen gave birth to twins. She and Jon had known about this since the middle of January, but kept it a secret among everyone. It was a set of girls named Katie AnnaMarie and Kierra Annaliese. They both were tiny, weighing in just under 5 pounds, but were healthy enough to not have to be in an incubator. They were so happy.
While in the hospital, Karen made sure that she wouldn't be able to have any more children, and though a bit sad, she was thrilled that she had had 6 very healthy children. She couldn't ask for more.
Karen's Mother, Auntie Bernice, and her mother-in law Katie flew in from the eastern U.S. and from Canada to see the cute little girls. None of them were terribly surprised to see that Karen and Jon had twins, as twins ran in both sets of the family.
While Karen was in the hospital recovering, her other kids were staying at Richard's and Mary's home, where there was 10 children there. Agnes and Bernice were there as well, helping with taking care of the children, and Mary and Richard needed all the help they could get. Kristi, also flew in with her grandmother, and she was there to stay with Karen for the summer and to help out with the kids. It was really a chance for Karen to help Kristi and her weight problems.
Karen quietly gasped when she saw her niece, who had dropped over 10 pounds in the last few months, and must be down to 90 pounds or even less. She looked stick thin, so skeletol. She could see the concern in Katie's face at how her granddaughter had wasted away. Kristi didn't seem to think anything was wrong, and seemed to relish all the attention she received. In fact, a part of her liked the attention, and even Karen could understand.
The hardest part, when Karen came home from the hospital with her double bundle of joys, was making sure her niece would consume something. She didn't want to nag, or force her, but she didn't know what to do. So on nights, after when Kristi had retired to bed, Karen called her therapist Raymond Vath, who had successfully treated her, and asked for his advice.
How ironic that Karen would be asking for advice on such a topic that she had been so great at. Who would ever have thought? He stressed the need for Kristi to receive some sort of counselling while in Karen's care. Battle lines would be drawn up, but to keep calm and not to fight with her. Just to try and let her know that she was loved unconditionally. Karen was nervous, but knew that she was the lifeline to her niece getting better.
Kristi was very good around the children, and was an excellent help to Karen, and she told her many times, while Kristi sheepishly said, "Oh, it was nothing." "But it is something," stressed Karen, "I really think and know that you are doing a fabulous job! That shows me how talented and gifted you are. It means something to Jon and me, having you around. While you are here, we are going to go to Disneyland and go shopping, and do lots of fun stuff. Does that sound like fun?" Kristi mumbled yes, and left the room.
aren knew that something else was going on. Something just didn't seem right. Karen knew that Kristi threw up her meals after mealtimes, as she escaped to the bathroom. When she came out, Karen wouldn't say anything, but she knew. She could tell by the tell-tale signs: red eyes, scratchy sounding voice, puffy chipmunk cheeks, the redness around the knuckles(used to induce vomiting). Her heart went out to this girl. Why?
They celebrated Kristi's 15th birthday on August 12th and headed to Disneyland for the day. Karen had managed to find someone who would look after the younger children, so that Kristi could enjoy herself fully. Kristi's eyes had widened when she had opened the gifts that Karen gave to her. Karen had gotten all 4 autographs of BOYZ 2 MEN with some shirts, caps, posters, and pictures, along with a personal note from each of them. It sure helped that Karen had connections with the music world.
Karen decided that it would be best for Kristi to come to her and open up with her problem, as opposed to Karen interrogating her, which she did not want to do. It was hard, as Karen could basically do nothing but wait. She had to have the same type of patience that some had had on her with her vicious struggle with anorexia.
The summer continued on, and Kristi kept getting worse. Whereas before she had been extremely thin, now she was so bone thin that she looked horrible, and made people gasp in shock when they saw her.
Karen was constantly on the phone with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law and finally it was decided that Catharine would come and get her, and see for herself what the situation was like. Meanwhile a new Carpenters' single had been released and it hit # 17. The single was called SOME OTHER TIME WE WERE ONE… and on the Adult Contemporary Charts it peaked at # 2. Another single had been released and everyone was hoping for another # 1 smash, but that was not meant to be. SONGS OF LOVE hit # 20 and quickly fell off the charts. The album SONGS OF LOVE only sold 2 million copies. Richard's latest solo single WANTING YOU SO BADLY was a big hit, hitting # 5 and going gold at 1.1 million copies sold. His album JUST ANOTHER GUY was already in the double platinum range. This album in Japan was # 1 and already quadruple platinum in that country. He was very big there, and in September he would be there with his family for a month.
There were some plans that Karen might come for the last week and do some shows as the Carpenters, but nothing was final yet. Even though, if she did come, all hell would break loose, in terms of sell out venues. They were still the biggest selling group in that country, and it thrilled her.
Catharine arrived near the beginning of September and was horribly stunned at seeing her daughter, who just 7 weeks before was thin, now look wretched. She forced her daughter on a scale, and burst into tears when they saw the result…81 pounds.
Catharine in a way was angry with Karen as she felt Karen should have done everything within her power. Of course, she didn't tell Karen this, but Karen could sense disapproval in her sister-in-law's eyes. She was very good at these kinds of looks, and in a way, almost reminded Karen of her own mother Agnes.
Jon tried his best to explain to his sister that Karen had tried her best, and that there was nothing they could do, and that Kristi needed professional help. Of course, Catharine was too upset to heed such advice, and needed someone to blame. She felt that since Karen had suffered from anorexia that Karen should know what to do.
Karen felt so guilty, and afterwards when they left for Canada, Karen threw herself on the bed and began to cry. She wished that there had been something that she could have done, but even she was at a loss. Jon suggested that Bernice and Agnes could house-sit, and watch the children, while they went on a get away trip, which they both needed. They felt the strain of the past year start to weigh on them, and were glad when Karen's Mom and Aunt gladly agreed to watch the grandchildren.
So they headed to Hawaii for a 2 week visit, and during this time, Karen's weight rose to 106 pounds, after being at 98 pounds due to stress and anxiety. Karen and Jon got the chance to unwind, and let the worries of life pass them by. Karen now had the chance to focus all her attention on the man in her life, and they enjoyed all that each other had to offer.
When they got back from Hawaii, Karen and Jon were both tanned. They hadn't kept in contact with anyone, while away, as they wanted to time to just leave all the cares of the world behind them. They were so much more in love than before, and Karen felt like such a newlywed. By the time they got back they learned that Kristi was in the hospital at 76 pounds and was being force fed. Karen's heart went out to her niece, but there was nothing that they could do, except pray.
Karen got ready to head to Japan, and part of her wanted to stay and head to Canada where Kristi was, but she knew that Kristi needed to make the decision to live or die. So she busied herself with preparations of the trip, and making sure she had enough outfits for some of the shows.
Karen was very well received upon arrival in Japan, and all the Carpenters concerts were sold out in an instant. The last Carpenters album was at # 1, and the solo album by Richard was # 2. It was a lot of fun to be singing with Richard again.
She still couldn't believe that 19 years ago, she and Richard had sold out all their concerts in less than an hour, and now they were still selling out every auditorium in record time. They had to do at least 6 or more mini-medleys of all their hits, and even then, they felt like they were cheating their fans the privilege of hearing the full song, but there was nothing they could do about it. The Japanese people were so kind, so caring, and so considerate, which greatly impressed both Richard and Karen. They had another # 1 single there, titled WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW COMES… and they were pleased. In that country alone, they had had 26 # 1 Carpenters' singles top the chart and that was no mean feat. Their achievements were unsurpassed by anyone before or after.
