Chapter 77

Tina rolled over and reached out to touch Bette but she wasn’t in bed. This was becoming a habit for Bette. More nights than not she would get out of bed well before sunrise and go sit by the pool and think. Tina climbed out of bed, put on her robe and wandered to the kitchen and looked out the window expecting to see Bette sitting by the pool. This time she wasn’t there. Tina felt her heart sink. She walked back into the bedroom and noticed Bette’s robe on the chair. This was not a good sign and Tina knew it. Tina looked out the window into the driveway. The convertible was gone. Now Tina felt herself really begin to panic. She walked back out to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

“Damn it Bette – why the ***** didn’t you wake me up?” Tina dialed Bette’s cell phone. The call went straight through to voice mail. “Baby…please call me – I’m really worried about you…call me.” Tina hung up the phone. She sat down at the kitchen table and covered her face with her hands. She started to cry. Twenty minutes passed and Bette had not called back. Tina picked up the phone again. She dialed Bette’s cell phone number. The call went straight through to voice mail again. “God damn it Bette…call me back…I’m really worried about you.” Tina really began to feel herself losing it. Another twenty minutes had passed. She tried Bette’s cell again. “Bette…damn you…call me back…I need to know that you’re ok. Please call me back Babe…please..call me back..” Tina turned off the phone and with it still in her hand, wandered into the living room and fell onto the couch. Ten more minutes had passed. She tried again. Voice mail again. “***** Bette, come on…I’m really getting worried…please Baby…call me back….please don’t do this.”


Bette sat behind the wheel of the convertible and drove – she just drove. She had no idea where she was going – and didn’t really care. She heard the cell phone ring. She picked it up and as she tossed it onto the floor of the car she screamed. “Just leave me the ***** alone…leave me the ***** alone!” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m such a ***** up…Tina deserves so much better than me.” Bette began driving faster. She felt the need to get to wherever she was going – wherever the ***** that was. The phone rang again. “What the *****! Leave me the ***** alone!” Bette cranked the stereo to drown out the sound of the phone. She was also hoping to drown out the constant thoughts that were racing through her head – the thoughts that brought her to this moment. “Tina needs me right now – more than ever – and what do I do? I run away from home…*****…I’m such an *****.” Bette turned the stereo up higher. It was so loud it hurt to listen to it. It was no longer music – it was just noise. Bette continued to drive until she reached a small lake a few towns away from where they lived. She turned the radio off and then turned the car off. She sat behind the wheel sobbing.


Tina continued to try to get through to Bette on the cell phone but had no luck. Jackie had heard Tina’s voice and got up to see what was going on. “Tina? What’s wrong? Tell me what’s going on…” Jackie wrapped her arms around Tina. Tina broke down and it was several moments before she could even speak.

“Mom…Bette left. She hasn’t been sleeping. She has alot on her mind…she got up at some point in the middle of the night and she just…she just left. I don’t know where she is. I don’t know if she’s ok…I…”

“Tina…I don’t want to tell the two of you how to live your lives…BUT…have you two even talked about – IT?” Tina knew exactly what her mother was talking about. “Tina…just imagine how petrified Sunshine must be feeling right now…with the babies coming soon. Don’t you think the two of you need to deal with this issue before it’s too late? You really need to talk. Bette has to be able to express her fears to you – or the two of you are going to have a disaster on your hands.”

“Oh my God – in all the excitement and everything…I almost totally forgot about it. Poor Bette – she must think I don’t care – that I’ve forgotten…Oh God…I’m such and idiot….She probably thinks she needs to be strong for me and deal with it all by herself. *****…I have to talk to her. I need to get her to come home.” Tina began crying again and went searching for comfort in her mother’s arms. “I need to try to get her on the phone again.” Tina picked up the phone and dialed Bette’s cell phone again.


Bette heard the phone ring. In the silence she had found since stopping at the lake, she had the chance to calm down a little bit. She picked up the phone and tentatively uttered a weak “Hello.”

“Baby…god…are you ok? Where are you? I’ve been so worried about you.” Tina’s voice was as weak as Bette’s.

“T..I’m so sorry I left like that…I just needed to get away. My thoughts were making me crazy. I’m so sorry…I shouldn’t have left like that…” Bette fought back tears as she spoke. “Tina..I didn’t know what else to do. I feel like such an *****…T…I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to worry you…I’m sorry…so sorry…” Bette’s voice trailed off. Tina could hear Bette crying.

“Baby? Can you drive back home?…Do you need me to come and get you…I will if you think you need me to…Tell me what you need right now.” All Tina wanted to do at that moment was hold Bette and help her deal with her fears. “Baby – tell me what you need. Somewhere along the way here I think we forgot about you…and what you’re going through…tell me what you need.”

“T…I need to come home…I’ll be there in about an hour or so…ok? Baby – I’m so sorry I took off like that…I…I’ll be home soon…” Bette hung up the phone and started the car. She began driving home. She kept the radio off this time. She decided that it might be a good idea to actually think about what was going on and stop trying to avoid it. She tried avoidance and it didn’t go away. It didn’t work. The issue just got bigger – more uncontrollable.

A little over an hour later, Bette pulled into the driveway. She turned the car off and let out a heavy sigh. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and began walking toward the house. Her knees felt weak – she was emotionally and physically drained. She walked through the front door of the house and into Tina’s waiting arms. Tina held her for several moments before taking her hand and guiding her into the bedroom. They both fell onto the bed – they came to rest facing one another – looking into each others eyes.

“Bette? We really need to talk about this.” Tina leaned forward and kissed Bette’s forehead.

“Yeah..we do need to talk..I need your help dealing with this T. I can’t do it on my own…I see that now.” Bette reached for Tina’s hand and held it tight.

“I’m right here for you Baby – I’ll always be right here for you. Let’s talk…” Tina waited patiently for Bette to begin.

TBC