Eight hours in a day is not much time when one has six separate assignments. Even with four of them in a secure position, needing little in the way of active interference, I have frequently exceeded my reach in order to do all that needs to be done. Thankfully, however, everything seems to be settling back into the normal run of things.
Of all my assignments, Tammy and Lamarr felt my absence the least. Their holiday was bright, and they have spent most of the time between then and now planning the wedding. There is a date now—April 8. They are both so excited that I will sometimes turn their thoughts to that day, just to see their auras glow.
Jesse and Ramona have also done very well. Klara, Ramona’s mother, arrived just before Christmas for an extended visit with her daughter. I returned in time to meet her and found her to be a charming woman, thin and pale like her daughter, but with a depth and warmth to her that comes from long years of contentment. She loves Jesse—by the time she departed again, she had already learned several phrases of sign language, and she kissed his face firmly, thanking him for bringing happiness to her daughter. Since her return home, she has written to him twice, and he promptly responds. Ramona now carries within herself a kernel of light, remembering that happy time, and for his part, Jesse is planning something that will secure Ramona’s happiness—but I will speak of that again another time.
Charlotte, however, has felt some of the descent back into the world’s usual darkness. She celebrated Christmas with Don, but when his children came to see him, she began to wonder about what is coming for her. It is a train of thought that she has been having for some time—that she is merely encroaching on Don’s family, having missed an opportunity to have one of her own. Some of it is nonsense, as Don, Jayden, and Priscilla all are very glad to have her, but there is some legitimacy to the concern. As Danit says, it is important that every person have a sense of self-worth that is separate from the opinions of others. She advises that I simply look out for Charlotte, that I encourage her to see herself clearly, and guide her gradually out of her own doubts and help her to feel at home where she is.
Morgan and Brooke’s troubles have not ended, nor has familiarity made them easier to bear. While Brooke’s family has come to accept the women’s relationship, Morgan’s family remains hopeful that it will not last. When I have the time, I am trying to encourage them that this is not a temporary change and to show them that there is nothing but love in the relationship.
Myrtle and Jaquinn reunited after the holiday, and nothing had changed between them. If anything, their separation made their relationship more exciting to one another. The passion has not yet died down, but if I know them, it will turn into shouting matches and slamming doors soon enough. I will have to be watchful.
Of course I have spent the majority of my time with Pamela, trying to strengthen her for a difficult period in her life. She followed Freya’s advice, calling her family again to reason with them. Her mother hung up the phone on her twice, so she called William instead, and calmly explained to him—reading from notecards she spent several hours writing—that while she still felt that she had been wronged, she did not want to give up on her family. Since Christmas she has spoken to him three times, and her calmness, her refusal to argue, is beginning to sway him to her side.
While I am glad for that, Pamela still concerns me. The tension has taken its toll on her, and she continues to look for crutches to make herself feel better. Her friends have been wonderful, but they cannot always be there, and in the lonely times, alcohol and sex have provided temporary relief.
I am doing what I can for her. She now only has one sex partner, having sent the other on his way, and I am working to show her that the same should be done for the second, as well. I think, however, the way to contentment for her is as Freya said: showing her that she can move past the pain of what was done, that she can rise above it. Whatever the result of her efforts with her parents, I hope that she can find peace in having done her best.
Work, work, work! I should get back to it.