When Roland's ex was a part of our
lives, I remember her sending a "friend" of hers with the girls so
that she could keep an "eye on us".
I don't believe she and Karen were good friends. In fact, I now believe that Karen didn't
actually know Roland's ex all that well and was not aware that she was mentally
disturbed and has a history of using people.
Karen was with us for only two visitations before she told Roland's ex
that she wasn't happy about spying on us.
I don't know the conversation except that she had realized that she must
have liked us better than Maleficent.
Karen had a daughter named
Alexis. I believe she went to the same
school as Pamprin and Francis, and that is how they knew one another. Alexis took a shine to Roland. She loved him. She played with him along with his girls and
he treated her just as he had the other too.
Karen could sense that Alexis loved Roland. He wasn't the monster that Maleficent had
wanted her to believe.
Our second meeting was at a park where
Ooki was to meet a group of foreign exchange students. They were carving and painting pumpkins. Frances joined in the festivities, as the art
aspect appealed to her a lot more than the playground did. Roland had escorted Pamprin and Alex to the playground and Karen and I visited a table
near the pumpkins and exchange students.
I laughed to myself as Maleficent had sent her to keep an eye on Roland
and wasn't watching either him or Alex - which was fine. I had enjoyed her company and had hoped that
perhaps maybe one day we would be friends.
When the foreign exchange students had
finished their pumpkins, the supervisor of the program asked that they all
stand together to have their picture taken.
Francis stood with them and refused to budge. When it was time to go, Roland called to
Frances for a hug. Alexis came to show
her mom something, and Pamprin lagged behind and we all walked to the direction
of our cars. After we Karen and Alex started
to walk in the opposite direction of where we were parked, Alexis broke free of
Karen and ran behind Roland to give him a powerful hug that had more meaning
than Francis' and Pamprin's hugs together.
She needed a positive male role model and Roland was it. He is a child magnet. Children love him. Alex was no exception. It was the last time we ever saw Alex or
Karen. It may have been the last time
Maleficent saw her civilly as well. Alex,
Francis and Pamprin are all adults now.
Physically anyway.
Flash forward to 2015 - our first year
in Oregon. I had taken Jenna to a
birthday party that she had been invited to.
It was the first time that I ever dropped Jenna off without having met
the parents - or parent rather. Shelly
lives with her mom, Marva. Whenever Jenna would bring Shelly home - which
wasn't often, but there have been some encounters - Shelly would often spend
more time talking to Roland than hanging with Jenna. She would call him "Mr." She loves
the attention that Roland gives her.
We had invited Shelly and Marva over
for Christmas dinner last year and may do so again this year. They have both been here a lot more
lately. Roland had invited Shelly to
have a sleepover last night with Jenna and would take the two of them to the
movies today. However he failed to
consult Jenna about his plans and she had made plans of her own. She had
planned to support another one of her friends who is having a birthday party -
or rather a birthday "hang".
There are several people who love and admire Jenna. She is accepted by a wide circle of friends -
however not all circles will welcome her other friends - such is the case today. Jenna is well aware that there is already a negative issue between Shelly and the birthday girl.
Roland's not trying to replace Jenna,
nor does Jenna feel threatened, but he has been giving Shelly the attention
that she craves just as Alexis had. He
and Shelly fixed breakfast for us this morning.
He had purchased three art pads so that he, Shelly and Jenna could draw
- which I know Jenna likes to do - but preferably without his supervision. He is now out the door on his way to Roseburg
to take Shelly to the movie. She is so
in her glory with his personal attention.
In an hour I will be dropping Jenna off at her friend's house and continue
on to the Annex to hopefully sell some books and do some homework. In less than five hours, Roland and I will
returning to Roseburg for stake conference.
