Bette walked up behind Dani, who was standing in the kitchen, smiling at Tina and Kit, listening to them catch up with each others lives. Bette wrapped her arms around her from behind, loving the connection she shared with Tina’s daughter…a connection that had felt so strong, and so natural from the moment they met in Bette’s gallery. “Hey Sweetheart, is now a good time to show me your paintings? I’m excited to see them in person.”

Dani brought her hands up and held onto Bette’s forearms, her smile widening. “Yea…now would be great!”

“Good, let’s leave these two…they have a lot of years to cover…lots of events to catch up on.” Bette smiled over at Tina, interrupting for just a moment. “T, Dani and I are going to be in her room, looking at her paintings.”

Tina looked over at the two of them, standing there with Bette’s arms draped over her daughter, hugging her from behind, both woman and child giving her smiles that were filled with pure love. She smiled at Kit, and then walked over, wrapping her own arms around the two, sandwiching Dani in the middle. “All right…but try to come up for air in a little while. I know how both of you are, and I want to serve dessert in about a half an hour. Ok?” She gave each one a kiss on the cheek and then let go of her hold and stepped back, and couldn’t help but laugh when Bette and Dani said in unison…”yes, Mom!”

~ ~ ~

“Oh Dani, these really are beautiful.” Bette reached out and softly touched Dani’s cheek. “You definitely have such a strong natural ability, and I think if you keep up with your classes, and continue with your formal training outside of school…well, you are certainly on your way.” Bette smiled at Dani and made her way over to a particular painting that had caught her eye, neither one noticing Milaine, who had heard them talking as she was walking by, and was now quietly leaning against the door jam, listening to her mother.

“This painting here.” Bette turned and looked at Dani. “May I ask you a personal question?”

Dani was totally entranced with Bette. Out of Tina’s three children, it was Dani who was the happiest for their mother…for finding her one true love again. She could see the incredible love that was shared by these two women…she could literally feel it at times. And she knew that neither she nor her mother, could have picked a better person for her, than Bette…male or female.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Bette pointed again to the picture. “What was happening in your life when you painted this picture?”

Dani looked like she had been caught doing something wrong, and Bette, noticing the look was quick to ease her fears. “The painting is beautiful Dani, but I can feel that you were going through something painful when you painted it. That’s why I am asking.”

Dani’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth in surprise. “Wow…how can you tell that? The painting is of the same landscape, as the one right next to it.”

Bette smiled and turned her head, noticing Milaine for the first time. She motioned for her to come into the room. “Is it Ok if Milaine stays and listens?”

Dani felt tears forming and was struggling to stop them. She was overwhelmed by having the attention, and the affection of the woman in front of her. Tina had always been there for her when it came to her art work. She was Dani’s biggest supporter and fan. But, Tina was also her mother, and sometimes Dani wasn’t sure if Tina really liked her paintings, or if she was just saying that, because she was her mother. She hoped not…she didn’t think so, but every once in a while, she just wasn’t sure. But, here were two women, standing in front of her, who were truly interested in her work. Not because they had to be, but because they wanted to be. Plus, the fact that Bette knew more about art than Dani would probably ever know, just made this moment even sweeter for her.

“No, I don’t mind at all.”

Milaine smiled at Dani, really liking the teenager. “Thank you.”

Bette turned back to the painting, and repeated her question. “So, what were you going through at that time…if it’s not too painful to share?”

Dani looked at the painting, remembering back to that day, three years ago…the day her father moved out of the house……”It’s not so painful now, but back then…” Dani looked into Bette’s eyes, and in that moment, knew that her heart was safe with this woman. For whatever reason, she felt comfortable sharing her memories with Bette, and with her daughter, Milaine…memories, she had never dared share, even with her mother….especially with her mother.

2016

Tina stood in the middle of the livingroom, as Dan and a couple of his friends were carrying out the few pieces of furniture, and the tools that he was taking with him. She wasn’t able to stop the uncontrollable tears from falling, not understanding how she had gotten to a point, where love was walking out the door of her life for the second time. She didn’t want Dan to leave. She loved him very much, and knew that he was in love with her…so why did he have to go? She wanted her children to have a two parent home, and thought that she and Dan were providing that. She thought that they were happy. What did she do this time? She and Bette had both failed each other horribly at the end of their relationship. Now, she had failed again. Only now, it wasn’t just Dan that she had failed, it was her children as well.

Dan walked up to Tina and wrapped her in his arms. “Dan, please don’t go. I love you…you’ve got to know that.”

Dan looked at the woman who’d had his heart from the moment he met her, all those years ago at Jim and Amy’s anniversary party, and felt his own tears falling. His heart was breaking as he watched what his decision was doing to the woman he had professed to love forever. “I’m sorry Tina. I know you love me. I can feel your love…I have always felt it. But, I know that I am not the love of your life. I know that for as much as you love me, you’re not in love with me…and knowing that, breaks my heart just a little more each day.” He reached up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, hugging her tighter, trying to calm her tears. “For a long time, just knowing you loved me was enough. But as each year goes by, I feel that missing piece more and more…and now, it’s just not enough for me. Tina…” He lifted Tina’s chin so she was looking into his eyes. “I want more. I need more. I want more for me, but I also want more for you.”

“But, Dan…you are enough for me. Don’t you understand, I am happy with you.”

“I know you are Tina. It’s me…I can’t do this anymore. I can’t. I don’t want to stay, and then someday down the road start to resent you because you don’t love me the way I love you. I won’t do that to what we have built together over the years. I won’t do that to our children. They deserve better. They deserve two parents who are both totally happy.”

They stood like that for what seemed like hours, both lost in their heartache, both crying…allowing their tears to disappear into the shoulder of the other. And then, hearing a throat being cleared in the background, Dan released Tina. “I love you, Tina. I always will.” And with that, he turned and walked out the door.

Unbeknownst to either parent, Dani had been standing at the top of the stairs, witnessing the entire conversation. She turned and ran into her room, softly closing the door, not wanting her mother to know that she had overheard that painful good-bye. She cried and cried, until she finally fell asleep. And when she woke up a couple hours later, she started to paint.


2019

At some point during Dani telling the story of Tina and Dan’s good-bye, Bette had moved closer to her, and had gently laid her arm across the young woman’s shoulders. Milaine had also moved, and was standing behind Bette, leaning her body into her mother’s back, resting her head on her other shoulder. Both women had tears running down their cheeks, both women feeling the pain of the three people in Dani’s memory. “Oh Baby…I’m so sorry. That must have been so painful to watch.”

Dani had tears in her eyes, but was able to control them, as she had already cried a bucket of tears over her parents divorce. “It was. I have to admit that for a while, I was mad at my Mom for not loving my Dad the way he wanted her to. But then I realized that you can’t control your heart. Besides, I could tell that she loved him. She was so hurt after he left. She wouldn’t have been that way, if she didn’t love him.” Dani stopped and shrugged her shoulders, looking at the painting. “Anyway, that’s what I was going through when I painted this.” She looked up at Bette, her forehead furrowed. “How did you know that I was in pain when I painted that picture…I mean, how could you tell?”

Bette smiled at Dani, wiping the tears from her eyes. Milaine, also stood up straight, listening for her mother’s response, but already knowing the answer to Dani’s question. “Well, see your strokes here?” Bette pointed to a portion of the painting. “They are much shorter, and wider than in the other paintings. Also, the paint is a bit thicker. That tells me that you were upset, or angry…so rather than the soft, flowing strokes that are prevalent in all your other paintings, these are the strokes of someone who is angry…almost stabbing at the canvas.”

Dani looked at the painting, totally understanding what Bette was talking about, and totally impressed. “Wow…that’s amazing!”

Bette laughed. “Well, if you look at an artists paintings long enough, you can tell the difference in stroke techniques pretty easily.”

Just then, they heard Tina hollering up the stairs that dessert was ready.

Bette put her arm back around Dani, knowing what was going through her mind. “Thank you Dani…for sharing your memory with Milaine and I. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone, including Tina.”

Dani looked up at Bette, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thanks Bette.”

“But Dani…do me a favor and at least think about sharing this with your Mom. Communication is so important between two people, and you never know…maybe it would make you both feel better about that day, if you talk about it with each other, instead of keeping it inside. Your mother has shared her memories of that day with me as well, but I wasn’t there. You were…it might help you both….just think about it, Ok?”

Dani turned around and hugged Bette. “Ok.”

“Good…now come on…I’ve been waiting fifteen years for a piece of your Mother’s homemade pumpkin pie!”