TINA

Tina opened the door to Alice’s apartment, only to find Alice standing in the middle of the livingroom waiting for her.

“Well, how’d it go?”

Tina smiled, but Alice could see the sadness in her eyes. “Well…it was better than I thought it would be. I mean, there was no shouting…no fists flying.”

Tina dropped onto the couch. “She seems to have really changed Al…for the good. As happy as I am to see that, it kinda makes me sad that it took her being with someone else for those changes to take place. I want to be with her, but I wonder if I am the right one for her. Why didn’t being with me bring out all these good qualities? God…I just don’t know.And then…that dream! Al, has she talked with you about this dream of hers?”

“Yea, she has. Kinda strange huh?”

“YYea!! What am I supposed to do with that?”

Here it comes, thought Alice.


“She doesn’t really expect me to drop everything and come running back to her because of a dream does she? Even if it is a dream she has every night…which, by the way is kinda spooky in itself. I’m thinking I would be freaking out if I was having the same dream night after night.”

Alice reached out and put her hand on Tina’s arm and spoke very softly. “Why do you think she broke up with Candace and flew up to Vancouver to see you T? This dream has “freaked her out”, so to speak. This dream was the map Bette needed to find her way back to her right path. And, as far as all those good qualities she now has…she has always had them Tina, and you did bring them out in her. Think back to the first four years of your relationship. When you two got together, I remember thinking back to when Bette and I were dating, and wishing that she had been with me, how she was with you. You brought out all those wonderful qualities that Bette possesses, but few people ever get to see. I mean we got to see them, but only the tip of them. When she was with you, we got a glimpse into the depth of the real Bette. You were a gift in her life, as well as ours. Don’t ever forget that. I don’t know what happened in the last several years of your relationship that caused Bette to slowly retreat, but it was there Tina. It was definitely there.”

“Thank you Alice. You always know the right thing to say.”

“Oh yea? Tell that to Dana the next time I piss her off!”

At that, the two friends giggled and hugged. Tina then grew serious again. “I can’t just go back Alice. I can’t. I promised myself a lot of things over the past six months, and jumping back into a relationship just like that with Bette wasn’t one of them. I mean, from what Bette is telling me, we both want the same thing in the end…which is to be together, but whereas I need to start from C or D and proceed forward, Bette wants to start at W! If we are starting in totally different places, please tell me how we are going to manage ending up together? *****!”

Tina lowered her head into her hands. “Maybe I should just join that convent on Lopez Island in the San Jauns… The nuns spend their day guiding the ferries into the dock so the locals and a handful of tourists can get off. I could do that and be perfectly happy.”

Alice rolled her eyes at Tina. “OK, we sent you up to Vancouver to shoot a ***** TV show, and you end up wanting to be a nun on some remote island. ***** T…you need to get your soggy ***** back to LA permanently, ASAP!!”

“Speaking of soggy asses, I want to go enjoy this wonderful sun while I can. I think I’m going to go lay out by the pool.”

“A little tanning action. That’s sounds cool. I’ll get changed and bring down a thermos of my famous Bahama Mamas!!”

Tina laughed. “OK, I’ll grab the glasses and the little umbrellas, but just know that I am not getting drunk with you today. I am seeing Bette again tomorrow, and I don’t want to be hungover.”

Alice skipped back to her room. “Weehee, pool party!!”

BETTE

While Tina and Alice were trying to dry Tina out, well dry her out in the sun, but with the help of alcohol, Bette was busy making sure everything was ready for their date the next day. She had stayed in the little garden for another hour after Tina had left, and had decided not to go back to work.

Bette was still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of the love she felt for Tina while they were talking in the garden.
She was excited about the next evenings events, but worried at the same time. She saw the look in Tina’s eyes when she was explaining the dream to her. There was interest, but disbelief and confusion as well.

Bette sighed. There was so much they needed to talk about. She knew that she had not explained everything to Tina as well as she would have liked. She hoped that she would do better tomorrow. She had to…her and Tina had to find their way back to each other. As far as Bette was concerned they had no choice. And after seeing Tina today, she knew that it wasn’t just about them having a child together, it was about them spending their lives together, children or not.