Eileen Davidson: I Want Forgiveness All the Way Around

I don’t think anyone expected lunch over at Kathryn’s house to be so emotional. Although, it seems that whenever Kim’s name is brought up, lots of buttons get pushed.

When Kathryn broke down while divulging the details of her father’s suicide, I was heartbroken. She has been affected by a loved one’s addiction in the worst way imaginable. It put all the pieces together, too, why she was defending Kim so much. She’s just getting to know us, and I have a feeling from what I do know about her that she doesn’t let her guard down very easily. It was brave of her to be that vulnerable, and I’m honored she felt comfortable enough to bare her soul and cry.

Besides the half-naked men running around, the one thing that struck me at Erika’s pool party was it felt like we were playing the telephone game. Remember the one we used to play in school? You start with a phrase, whisper it in someone’s ear, they’d whisper it to the next person, and so on. At the end, the last person says the phrase they think they heard aloud, but it’s always completely changed from the beginning. “Playing telephone” is the most perfect metaphor I can imagine for how this conversation devolved.

If there is anything everyone should take away from this, it is these two things:

1) YOLANDA IS SICK AND NEEDS OUR LOVE AND SUPPORT.
2) LISA RINNA NEVER SAID THAT YOLANDA HAS MUNCHAUSEN’S.

The only reason Yolanda ever found out about it is because Lisa R. told Lisa V., Kyle and me that she felt tortured by “engaging” in a conversation that she did not start about Yolanda. She did not originate this, nor perpetuate it, save for telling us about it. I encouraged her to be honest with Yolanda, and so did Erika. And Lisa R. made a good faith effort to confess all of it, and she thought that Yolanda and she had resolved their issues. I honestly believe that if Yolanda hadn’t been so separate from the group during her recovery, Lisa R. would have talked to Yolanda about it first, and there would be no issue.

I understand why Lisa R. wouldn’t name who said the “M” word in the first place. It’s definitely not relevant, because she said that Yolanda didn’t even know the person. That right there should say it all. This accusation didn’t come from anyone who knows Yo, or is important to her. This is very important information that never got heard, I think. This person has no connection to Yolanda or understanding of her battle. Enough said.

I know she was standing up for Yolanda, but I do think it was inappropriate for Erika to scream at Lisa R., insisting on her naming this person, when she wouldn’t admit that she’d gone to Yolanda and told her about the discussion over Bella and Anwar’s Lyme. I’m still unclear on why. But I knew it had to be Erika by process of elimination. That is why I brought it up the night of her show in San Diego. I wanted to give her the opportunity to come clean. She said she wanted to tell Yolanda because she would want to know if anyone was talking about her kids. If that’s true, though, why was it such a big secret?

I empathize with Yolanda. She’s been so sick and must feel so isolated. I think she came in with a different understanding of what’s been going on and what’s being said about her. Of course she feels on the defense. She’s vulnerable and feels like her friends are trying to tear her down instead of building her up. That being said, there is one thing I find confusing. Last year Brandi basically stated that Yolanda’s daughter was an alcoholic. Yolanda seemed to let that roll off her back. I don’t understand why. After Lisa R. apologized for not even saying she had Munchhausen’s, Yo is harboring very hard feelings toward her. As a parent, I would be much more upset by a falsehood being perpetrated on my child then one barely being perpetrated on myself.

It’s very frustrating for me, because I care deeply for both of these women. I want forgiveness all the way around, but I’m afraid I definitely don’t see it coming any time soon.