Ken’s friends, and others

In the time I’ve known him, Ken has had no con­tact what­ev­er with Bar­bie. My own re­la­tion­ship with Ken is direct and un­com­pli­cat­ed. It is based on mu­tual re­spect and ad­mi­ra­tion, and an un­lim­i­ted tol­er­ance and pa­tience for the other’s foibles.

But with Ken’s other acquaintances, his relations are generally just the opposite: complex and un­pre­dict­able. Baby Doll is some­times his dis­cip­le, some­times his co-con­spir­a­tor, some­times his tor­ment­ress. Some­times he wor­ships her, at other times it’s the re­verse. And oc­ca­sion­al­ly, she’s just a pain in the neck, and he wishes she’d simply make herself as scarce as pos­si­ble.

Another acquaintance whom Ken feels ambivalent about is Patrol Officer West of the Los Angeles Police Department. Their times to­geth­er are occasionally har­mo­ni­ous and more, but most often they turn out badly. So Ken has to be cautious around West, because their meetings have so often de­gen­er­ated from merely sour all the way to toxic.

There is no doubt, on the other hand, about where Ken stands in relation to the Jørgensen Gang. In their dealings with Ken, they are an unqualified evil, and there is nothing but peril, danger, and threat to Ken when they are nearby.

You will see more about these three forces for good and evil, hope and despair, happiness and misery in Ken’s life as you go through these pages.