Post by CarpentersFan2003 on Jan 14, 2004 20:17:03 GMT -5
Chapter Thirteen
In the months before her wedding, Karen she was able to work with Richard on completing their eleventh studio album. By October they had it ready to go to the press. Entitled “Voice of the Heart” it marked the return of the Carpenter’s to the public. It contained ten titles, all of which had been finished in record time. It was by far Karen’s favorite album of all. It carried the single “ Make Believe It’s Your First Time.” Which had sky-rocketed to number 3 on the pop charts, it was doubly sweet to Karen as the song was a track that was originally intended for her aborted solo album she’d competed in 1980. Now, there was talk of releasing the solo album in its entirety. But the star of the album went to the lead track “Now” it was released on the heels of “Make Believe” and had scored Richard and Karen’s first number 1 since 1974’s “ Mr. Postman.” Where it stayed for an impressive six and a half weeks, it was getting a lot of air time on the radio and the requests to hear it where pouring in to DJ’s across the country.
Nathan was elated for his fiancée, and he loved to see Karen so happy. Finally her career was back on track. But what made the albums success all the better was the fact that in the liner note’s Karen had taken the opportunity to dedicate the album to her new love in her life, Richard had done the same to Mary.
Karen and Richard planned to tour the States and Canada in the summer and then there was talk of both a European and Japanese tour as well for the winter. But what really excited Karen was the fact that she and Richard had been asked to give a Command Performance for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Castle, when the Carpenter’s arrived in London. Karen had heard that Her Royal Highness Princess Diana of Wales was a big fan of hers and wanted to meet her too.
When Thanksgiving and Christmas came around Karen was riding an emotional high. She was pumped for the return to touring and she was never happier in her personal life. Nathan loved to be at all the functions for promoting the album.
When Richard choose to release a third single “Your Enough”. It made the album a bona fide success. It was another number one smash. The song was especially memorable for Karen. Nathan had been in the studio during the song’s recording and sweetening.
Nathan had asked Karen then and there to have that song as their wedding anthem.
*** *** ***
Karen was sitting with Nathan in the living room of her condo watching a movie when the phone rang. Karen picked up the receiver.
“ Hello?”
“ Hello Karen it’s Jennifer. I wanted to talk to you and Nathan. I have some bad news. It turns out that the lump in my breast was malignant. The cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. I have terminal glaucoma, and the doctors have given me about four to six months to live. Now is the time for you to bring Chris up to date on my condition.” Jennifer began to sob on the other end of the call.
Karen handed the phone to Nathan once she’d relayed the details to her fiancé. He spent another half-hour on the phone with his ex-wife and then hung up. When he looked at Karen, she was not surprised to see tears rolling down his cheeks.
“ Karen, I think it best that Chris and I head back to the east-coast for the next few weeks. The boy needs to see his mother and he needs to be able to say goodbye to her too.”
“ I agree. I will make the necessary arrangements for three tickets. I want to be there for you and especially for Chris. He will need the two of us with him.” Karen said as she reached for her phone book and began to make a series of calls to her travel agent, her family and to Martha and Lynda. By the time she was finished it was well after ten p.m., Richard had no problem with his sister wanting fly out with Nathan. He told Karen that he’d keep her up to date on the album’s progress. Karen thanked him and hung up.
When Karen had spoken to Lynda she’d asked that she not say anything to Christopher who was spending the night, and that she and Nathan would tell him in the following day about Jennifer's health. Lynda had agreed and promised to make it a fun night for her nephew.
*** *** ***
It was a little after two in the afternoon when Karen and Nathan arrived at Martha’s house. Chris was in the backyard playing and had to be called inside. When he saw Karen he ran over to her and hugged her waist. When he let her go Chris was scooped up in his father’s arms for a hug. Nathan carried his son to the living room and then sat down in the middle of the sofa. He held Chris on his lap while Karen sat to his left. Martha and Lynda stayed in the kitchen, listening through the door.
Chris could tell by the way that his father was acting something was wrong. He looked up in to his Dad’s eyes and asked.
“ What is wrong? Why do you look so sad?”
Nathan took a deep breath and then he began to tell his son about his mother’s illness.
“ But she will get better right Daddy?” Chris asked in a frightened tone. He was scared and didn’t understand everything that his father was trying to tell him.
“ No, Chris for now your mom is fine, but she will get weaker as time goes on. Then one day your mother will go up to heaven.” Karen said her voice trembling with the effort not to cry.
“ You mean she’s going to die don’t you. I have a friend at school. His older sister died and all mom said to me was she was gone to heaven to be an angel…” Chris began to cry. He turned his head to and hid his face in his father’s chest.
Nathan too began to cry as he held on to his son, he held out a hand to Karen and she took it in her own. She held it tightly as she too felt her tears start to fall.
*** *** ***
For the next three and a half months Karen and Nathan made regular trips to New Hampshire to see Jennifer first in her apartment and then later in the hospital. One of Jennifer’s friends had been kind enough to take Chris in at her house so that the boy could see his mother on a daily basis. When Nathan and Karen where in town then Chris would spend his time at there hotel.
Karen watched Nathan’s son when she was with him and she could see that the boy was not himself. He was quiet and distant and he hardly laughed at all. He was showing all the signs of being very depressed.
One day in late September, Karen was at the hotel with Chris when Nathan called from the hospital.
“ Jennifer is gone Karen. It happened about ten minutes ago. It was very peaceful and she felt no pain. You need to bring Chris up here so I can tell him.” Nathan’s voice broke and he let out a pained sob.
“ We are on our way. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Love you.” Karen said and hung up.
The funeral for Jennifer was a very quiet affair. It was a private visitation and she was cremated. In her will she’d asked that her ashes be kept in an urn for her son. She also left behind a life insurance policy in the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to be kept in trust for Chris until his eighteenth birthday. Nathan was named as trustee.
In the months before her wedding, Karen she was able to work with Richard on completing their eleventh studio album. By October they had it ready to go to the press. Entitled “Voice of the Heart” it marked the return of the Carpenter’s to the public. It contained ten titles, all of which had been finished in record time. It was by far Karen’s favorite album of all. It carried the single “ Make Believe It’s Your First Time.” Which had sky-rocketed to number 3 on the pop charts, it was doubly sweet to Karen as the song was a track that was originally intended for her aborted solo album she’d competed in 1980. Now, there was talk of releasing the solo album in its entirety. But the star of the album went to the lead track “Now” it was released on the heels of “Make Believe” and had scored Richard and Karen’s first number 1 since 1974’s “ Mr. Postman.” Where it stayed for an impressive six and a half weeks, it was getting a lot of air time on the radio and the requests to hear it where pouring in to DJ’s across the country.
Nathan was elated for his fiancée, and he loved to see Karen so happy. Finally her career was back on track. But what made the albums success all the better was the fact that in the liner note’s Karen had taken the opportunity to dedicate the album to her new love in her life, Richard had done the same to Mary.
Karen and Richard planned to tour the States and Canada in the summer and then there was talk of both a European and Japanese tour as well for the winter. But what really excited Karen was the fact that she and Richard had been asked to give a Command Performance for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Castle, when the Carpenter’s arrived in London. Karen had heard that Her Royal Highness Princess Diana of Wales was a big fan of hers and wanted to meet her too.
When Thanksgiving and Christmas came around Karen was riding an emotional high. She was pumped for the return to touring and she was never happier in her personal life. Nathan loved to be at all the functions for promoting the album.
When Richard choose to release a third single “Your Enough”. It made the album a bona fide success. It was another number one smash. The song was especially memorable for Karen. Nathan had been in the studio during the song’s recording and sweetening.
Nathan had asked Karen then and there to have that song as their wedding anthem.
*** *** ***
Karen was sitting with Nathan in the living room of her condo watching a movie when the phone rang. Karen picked up the receiver.
“ Hello?”
“ Hello Karen it’s Jennifer. I wanted to talk to you and Nathan. I have some bad news. It turns out that the lump in my breast was malignant. The cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. I have terminal glaucoma, and the doctors have given me about four to six months to live. Now is the time for you to bring Chris up to date on my condition.” Jennifer began to sob on the other end of the call.
Karen handed the phone to Nathan once she’d relayed the details to her fiancé. He spent another half-hour on the phone with his ex-wife and then hung up. When he looked at Karen, she was not surprised to see tears rolling down his cheeks.
“ Karen, I think it best that Chris and I head back to the east-coast for the next few weeks. The boy needs to see his mother and he needs to be able to say goodbye to her too.”
“ I agree. I will make the necessary arrangements for three tickets. I want to be there for you and especially for Chris. He will need the two of us with him.” Karen said as she reached for her phone book and began to make a series of calls to her travel agent, her family and to Martha and Lynda. By the time she was finished it was well after ten p.m., Richard had no problem with his sister wanting fly out with Nathan. He told Karen that he’d keep her up to date on the album’s progress. Karen thanked him and hung up.
When Karen had spoken to Lynda she’d asked that she not say anything to Christopher who was spending the night, and that she and Nathan would tell him in the following day about Jennifer's health. Lynda had agreed and promised to make it a fun night for her nephew.
*** *** ***
It was a little after two in the afternoon when Karen and Nathan arrived at Martha’s house. Chris was in the backyard playing and had to be called inside. When he saw Karen he ran over to her and hugged her waist. When he let her go Chris was scooped up in his father’s arms for a hug. Nathan carried his son to the living room and then sat down in the middle of the sofa. He held Chris on his lap while Karen sat to his left. Martha and Lynda stayed in the kitchen, listening through the door.
Chris could tell by the way that his father was acting something was wrong. He looked up in to his Dad’s eyes and asked.
“ What is wrong? Why do you look so sad?”
Nathan took a deep breath and then he began to tell his son about his mother’s illness.
“ But she will get better right Daddy?” Chris asked in a frightened tone. He was scared and didn’t understand everything that his father was trying to tell him.
“ No, Chris for now your mom is fine, but she will get weaker as time goes on. Then one day your mother will go up to heaven.” Karen said her voice trembling with the effort not to cry.
“ You mean she’s going to die don’t you. I have a friend at school. His older sister died and all mom said to me was she was gone to heaven to be an angel…” Chris began to cry. He turned his head to and hid his face in his father’s chest.
Nathan too began to cry as he held on to his son, he held out a hand to Karen and she took it in her own. She held it tightly as she too felt her tears start to fall.
*** *** ***
For the next three and a half months Karen and Nathan made regular trips to New Hampshire to see Jennifer first in her apartment and then later in the hospital. One of Jennifer’s friends had been kind enough to take Chris in at her house so that the boy could see his mother on a daily basis. When Nathan and Karen where in town then Chris would spend his time at there hotel.
Karen watched Nathan’s son when she was with him and she could see that the boy was not himself. He was quiet and distant and he hardly laughed at all. He was showing all the signs of being very depressed.
One day in late September, Karen was at the hotel with Chris when Nathan called from the hospital.
“ Jennifer is gone Karen. It happened about ten minutes ago. It was very peaceful and she felt no pain. You need to bring Chris up here so I can tell him.” Nathan’s voice broke and he let out a pained sob.
“ We are on our way. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Love you.” Karen said and hung up.
The funeral for Jennifer was a very quiet affair. It was a private visitation and she was cremated. In her will she’d asked that her ashes be kept in an urn for her son. She also left behind a life insurance policy in the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to be kept in trust for Chris until his eighteenth birthday. Nathan was named as trustee.
