Bette hung up the phone with Tina. She was going to book her flight right away, but wanted to talk with Milaine first. School was starting for her in a couple of weeks, and Bette wanted to make sure they spent some time together before Milaine would be bogged down with her studies. She was a little concerned how Milaine would feel about her leaving town so soon after just coming home from visiting her gallery in Chicago, but she also knew that it was time for her and her daughter to start to cut the cord, so to speak, even if it’s just a little bit.

When Nica was alive, the three of them were very close…all three incredibly grateful for a chance at a real family. After Nica died, Bette and Milaine literally hung onto each other for comfort…for love…for support. But, Milaine will be graduating from Columbia this year, and will hopefully get to spend the year after that working at the Galleria dell’ Accademia, in Venice. Bette had already made the arrangements, and even though both of them were excited for the year Milaine will spend abroad, they both felt some trepidation about being so far apart from each other. Bette knew their attachment wasn’t totally healthy, but was glad that Milaine still had one more year of school to go.

Bette was just standing up to go out front to see Milaine, when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Milaine opened the door and stuck her head in. “MaBe, can I talk with you a moment?”

“Sure Love, come on in. I was just getting ready to come talk with you. What’s up?”

Milaine walked into the room and sat down on one end of the couch Bette had in her office. It was one of those overstuffed, wine colored couches from the twenties, that were totally comfortable and begged you to just plop down into them. “Humm…MaBe…I was just wondering if everything is Ok? I mean, you seem really upset today…pacing around the gallery and all, but not saying anything. Have I done something to upset you?”

“Oh God no!” Bette moved over and sat down next to Milaine on the couch and reached out, taking both her hands in her own. She smiled at Milaine, thanking the powers that be, one more time for bringing this treasure into her life. “No Love, you haven’t done a thing. There is however, something I need to talk with you about.” Bette let go of Milaine’s hands and leaned back against the couch. Milaine, matched Bette’s movements by turning and leaning against both the arm and the back of the couch, facing her Mother.

“What is it?”

Bette took a deep breath. “Well, you know before I lived in New York, I lived in California?”

“Yes, I remember you telling me about your gallery you had out there, and then how you worked for a museum before moving out here and meeting Nica.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Bette thought it was interesting how Milaine had gradually over the last three years, stopped referring to Nica as Mama Nica, like she use to, and now just called her Nica. ‘I wonder why…’ “Well, while I was in LA, I lived with someone I loved very much. We were together for seven years, before we decided to part ways. I’m telling you this, because…” Bette looked down at her hands, “because, we have reconnected after all these years, and have decided to spend some time together again…to see if…well, to see if maybe we would like to be together again.”

Milaine looked at Bette. Her eyes filled with tears, which surprised her. She wasn’t sure why she felt scared all of a sudden. “It’s Tina Kennard isn’t it?”

Seeing the tears in Milaine’s eyes, Bette quickly sat up and took hold of her hands. “Yes, it is.”

Milaine nodded her head. “I sensed she was someone important in your life. I could tell from the moment you saw her and dropped the money. That’s why you said you trusted her opinion more than anyone in the world.” Milaine tried to stop the tears from falling, but she couldn’t, which again surprised her. She didn’t know why she was reacting this way. “She’s why you named the galleries Kennter, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is.” Bette really didn’t want to discuss the loss of their baby boy with Milaine, but she wanted her to understand about her relationship with Tina. “I named the galleries Kennter, because it is a combination of our names. She was a very important part of my life, that I didn’t want to forget about. But Milaine, why are you crying? Did you not like her? Do you not want me to date anyone?”

“Oh no MaBe, it’s not that at all. I thought she was very nice.” Milaine took a deep breath and sighed. “I don’t know why I’m crying really….I guess I was just wondering…if she was so important in your life that you would name the galleries for her…well…” Milaine stopped, afraid to say what she was thinking. “Didn’t you love Mama Nica?”

Bette reached out and pulled her daughter into her arms. “Oh Baby, I loved Nica so very, very much. I hope you know that…I hope you saw that when we where together. She brought me so much happiness.” Bette started to cry, thinking about Nica, the years they would never share, thinking about how much Nica loved having “her little family of three.” She understood that Milaine was scared that she might be replaced by Tina…she knew Milaine’s fear of abandonment would be a part of her for the rest of her life, in many different forms, in most of her relationships. Knowing that, just made her hold Milaine tighter, willing the love she felt for this young women to pass from her heart to Milaine’s through their physical closeness. “Oh Love, don’t ever doubt the love I have, and always will have for Nica.” Bette released Milaine, but still held onto her shoulders. “And Baby, don’t ever think that I don’t love you with every ounce of life in my body. I will love you forever. You are my daughter, my family…and you’re not getting rid of me, so don’t even try!”

Milaine smiled at Bette through her tears. “I love you too MaBe…and I want you to be happy, I do. I know it’s been three years…maybe it is time for you to find love again. It’s just…well…she lives so far away.”

“I know Baby, but I’m not going to worry about that yet. Right now I just want a chance to see her and spend time with her, get to know her again…Ok?”

Milaine nodded her head. “Ok. Soooo…when are you leaving…I mean that’s what you really wanted to tell me, right?”

Bette smiled and reached up, brushing her fingers through Milaine’s hair. “In a couple of days most likely. I will be gone for about two weeks, I don’t want to leave for longer than that right now, but I want you to come out to Seattle for part of that time. I want to spend some time with you before school starts. What do you think? Tina says there’s all kinds of galleries and I hear the Seattle Art Museum is nice.”

Milaine’s eyes lit up. It was amazing how a little reassurance could calm the fears that overtook her sometime. “I would love that MaBe. Seattle is supposed to be a wonderful city.” She stopped for a second and got a serious look on her face. “I hope it doesn’t rain while we’re there.”

Bette couldn’t help but laugh. “August is supposed to be the best month to visit Seattle…and just to let you in on a little secret…it actually rains more in New York than it does in Seattle, so I think we will be just fine.” Bette stood up. “Ok, well let me call the travel agent and have them make the arrangements.” She reached out and hugged Milaine one more time. “Thanks Sweetheart, for everything you bring into my life…now get out front and watch the store!”

~ ~ ~

It was about 7:00pm, Seattle time, when the phone rang at the Kennard/Collins residence. Dani, being the lightning fast 13 year old that she was, answered the phone before anyone else even had a chance to react.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Dani?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Bette Porter.”

“Oh hi Bette…” ‘Why was she calling? We just saw her this morning.’

“Dani, may I speak with your Mom?”

“Oh, sure Bette, hold on.”

Dani ran to the top of the stairs and yelled down to her Mom that Bette was on the phone.

“Bette? Hang on for a second.” Tina yelled up to Dani to hang up her extension, and waited for the click before continuing. “Did you get the flight booked?

Bette chuckled at Tina’s obvious enthusiasm over her trip. “Yes, I did…and Tina, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Milaine to come out for part of the time. I really want to share this with her before she starts school in a couple of weeks. She will only be staying for four days. Is that Ok?”

“Bette, that is wonderful. You two will have a great time out here, and I hope that I will be able to spend some of that time with the two of you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that T. I want you two to get to know each other. I want my daughter, whom I adore, to get to know the woman, I am so in love with.”