Tina came home half expecting and half dreading that Bette would be there. She felt bad about just walking out on Bette earlier in the evening especially knowing how hard it was for her wife to take time off from the CAC with the Provocations exhibit just a week away. The Fae Buckley smut campaign had brought so much attention and controversy to the CAC that with as much support as Bette had received, still there were people hoping that she would fail. Bette had risked her career to bring the show to fruition and Tina was happy for the part she and Oscar played in uncovering the skeletons in Fae Buckley’s closet that ultimately brought her downfall. Fae Buckley had gone into hiding and the Coalition for Concerned Citizens group had dropped her as soon as the sex abuse and child pornography scandal was revealed.

When she left the house earlier Tina had gone to the gym to work out some of her demons. She didn’t know where all this anger and aggression towards Bette was coming from. She loved Bette, but for some reason everything she did irritated her and everything she said put Tina on the defensive. The anger was manifesting itself into something that she didn’t recognize in herself. Until she got it under control she felt it best to just distance herself from everything and everyone especially her wife. Tina didn’t go to the Planet for breakfast every morning anymore claiming she was busy at the center or had a workout scheduled with her trainer at the gym. Bette was working late most nights so it was easy enough to avoid her, and she pretended to be asleep whenever Bette came home.

***

After the disastrous meeting with Jean Paul Tina called Alice and they met at a bar not far from Jean Paul’s house. Tina didn’t want to go anywhere in West Hollywood where they might run into Bette or one of their other friends. She thought Alice would be the only one to maybe understand what she was going through. Tina had cut back considerably from drinking alcohol since she was preparing her body for pregnancy but that night she didn’t care. She’d already had a couple of drinks by the time Alice arrived. Seeing that Tina was bent on getting drunk Alice stayed sober so she could take care of her friend.