Chapter 6

In a rare change of events, Angelica and Tina stood in the doorway waiting on Bette to determine driving arrangements to begin the day.

“Babe,” Tina yelled out looking at her watch. “Let’s go!”

Tina smiled when Bette rounded the corner dressed casually, something she hadn’t expected during the workweek. The outfit, an older Yale t-shirt and well-worn Levi’s, was a favorite of Tina’s. She allowed her eyes to survey Bette’s body from head to toe slowly, while Angelica stood there with her mouth hanging open at her mother’s attire.

“Are you going in today?” Tina asked.

“Yes,” Bette stopped and smiled at the shocked look on Angelica’s face. “Today marks the beginning of the sculpting process. I thought I’d dress for the occasion.”

“You’re wearing that? To sculpt? With Megan?” Tina questioned, crossing her arms and glaring.

While Tina had agreed to Bette working with Megan in order to save the gallery, Bette was well aware that there was still an underlying uneasiness with the arrangement. Pulling Tina to her, Bette kissed her gently before pulling back to look in her eyes.

“If you’re not okay with this T I’ll call it off,” Bette offered gently, her hands still resting on Tina’s hips.

“No, no. It’s okay. I know nothing will happen,” Tina replied, her mood lightening. “But, you better not get anything on my favorite outfit of yours,” Tina said seductively as she kissed Bette’s lips quickly. “I’ll have to punish you if you ruin your Levi’s.”

“Gross!” Angelica spoke up. “Can’t you save that for when you drop me off at school?”

“We know,” Bette mocked. “Acid for your eyes.”

“Can we go now?” Angelica asked wishing the conversation would come to an abrupt halt.

“Yes we can,” Bette confirmed as she walked out the door and to her car. “Are you driving her or am I?”

“I’ll drop her off at school,” Tina said opening the door for Angelica. “Can you order me my usual so it’s ready when I get there? I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

Tina waived as Bette nodded her head and got in her car, starting it, and driving quickly down the street and out of view.

“She drives like a bat out of hell,” Tina muttered to herself causing Angelica to smile. “It’s been so long since I’ve taken you to school, I’m kind of excited to spend some time with you.”

“Me too, you’ve been sort of out of it for a while.”

“Out of it?”

“Just, busy or something.”

“Sorry,” Tina sincerely apologized. “But I’m here now and you have my undivided attention. How’s school going?”

“Besides the boring art history stuff we’re doing?”

“Despite that,” Tina said laughing. “You’re getting the hang of everything?”

“Yep.”

“Cheerleading going well?” Tina asked as she turned onto the main street leading to Angelica’s school.

“The best,” Angelica smiled. “We had a girl transfer to a new school so we filled her spot with someone that just moved here. That brings me to a favor I wanted to ask you.”

“What’s that?” Tina asked with her eyebrow arched skeptical of Angie’s favor.

“I want to have the squad over for swimming today if that’s ok?”

“Why?”

“Teambuilding,” Angelica scoffed as if Tina should have known the ultimate goal. “She needs to hang with us, and as the Captain, it’s my duty to make sure she’s accepted.”

“Accepted?”

“Yes, we’re a team Mom. We need to act like one whether we’re cheering or not.”

“How much closer can you get when you spend all day together and then seem to spend most of the evening on the phone with some of the girls?” Tina questioned.

“We have a lot going on,” Angelica answered. “So can they come over?”

“I guess,” Tina agreed. “Just a few hours after school and as long as your Aunt Kit doesn’t mind.”

“She doesn’t,” Angelica smiled. “We talked about maybe one day them coming over and she was fine with it.”

“You remember she’s in charge,” Tina warned.

“I do,” Angelica said with a smile. “Auntie Kit will love it hangin’ with us.”

“I’ll tell her when I see her this morning,” Tina pulled up to the curb and parked the car. “Have a great day ok?”

“I will Mom,” Angelica said as she bolted from the car excited to invite the entire squad over for some quality bonding that afternoon.

Tina pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Bette that she was on her way. She turned the music up and quickly became lost in her thoughts regarding the appointment with Dr. Wilson the day before.

“You’re experiencing all normal symptoms for the beginning of menopause,” Dr. Wilson had informed her. Tina felt a rush of emotions regarding the news. Her first thought was relief, given it is a relatively minor condition and expected for women. There was a slight disappointment at the confirmation of her age by her body, but she lived by the adage ‘you’re as young as you feel’ and truly was in good health.

Before she could process the other emotions running through her head, she looked at Bette and saw the tears in her eyes. There was a wave of relief that washed over her face causing Tina to squeeze her hand in comfort.

“What am I supposed to do?” Tina asked Dr. Wilson.

“Learn to cope with irregular periods and I’d like to start you on a low dose of a birth control pill. That should help regulate your cycle a bit and help the hot flashes and vaginal dryness.”

Tina stopped at the traffic light near Angie’s school blinking back tears that threatened to spill over at the unwanted information. She tapped the steering wheel absentmindedly as she glanced over at the prescription that Dr. Wilson wrote for her 24 hours earlier. She felt a small amount of guilt at not filling it yet, but she wasn’t ready to commit to a particular treatment without thinking through the ramifications.

The car behind Tina honked several times to indicate that the light had turned green and she was now holding up traffic during the morning rush hour commute. Tina checked the traffic both ways before continuing her journey to The Planet.

Bette smiled at Tina’s text and signaled the waitress that she was ready to place an order. She ordered Tina a plate of fruit and a toasted bagel with her favorite blend of coffee. Bette decided on simply ordering a refill on her coffee, opting to pick off Tina’s plate once it arrived.

“Did you fall and hit your head?” Alice teased Bette.

“Why would that be?”

“Your attire isn’t exactly ‘gallery worthy’. If I remember correctly, it’s the middle of the week, thus you have to work.”

“I am going to work,” Bette smiled at Alice from across the table. “I’m beginning to sculpt today.”

“Sculpt?” Kristen asked taken by surprise. “I didn’t know you could sculpt?”

“I’m learning for Megan’s show. I need to help her with some of the larger pieces because one person can’t manage it alone.”

“Or it’s an excuse to have you use your hands,” Kit muttered.

“Oh it is not! She’s aware of my marital status.”

“Do you think a woman like Megan Freedman gives a shit about that Baby Sis?” Kit asked shocked at Bette’s naiveté.

“I can’t believe you’ve agreed to work with her,” Alice said sipping her coffee. “She really does need to be taken down a peg or two.”

“That reminds me,” Bette chuckled. “I informed Tina that your life savings will dutifully be placed on her when bets are collected for the inevitable cat fight.”

“Meow,” Alice purred as she made a claw action with her hand in the air.

“Just be careful Baby Sis is all I’m sayin’,” Kit continued.

“This show is an incredible opportunity for me,” Bette began the rationale she used previously with Tina. “Not only will it be huge in terms of art, but the chance to make such a bold statement politically can’t just be overlooked.”

“What is the show about again?” Kristen asked.

“The movement of pro-choice in America,” Bette said smiling.

Tina walked into The Planet and smiled as Bette waived her over to their table in a secluded corner. Alice scooted over to make room for Tina at the table.

“What statement will the show be making?” Kristen asked. “That pro-choice is absolutely the best answer for society today?”

“That you should always have a choice,” Bette said proudly. “I’m a huge advocate for pro-choice and thankfully so is Megan, with a forum to make a difference.”

Tina sat down at the crowded table as Bette was talking passionately about the show. A slight uneasiness filled her stomach, but she pushed it down by placing her hand lovingly on Bette’s thigh.

“I like ‘you should always have a choice’ as an underlying theme,” Kristen agreed.

“I wish that were true,” Tina mumbled as she started to sip her coffee. “I’d give anything for a choice.”

“What?” Bette asked her seeing a sad look in her eyes.

“Nothing,” Tina dismissed the statement easily.

“I’d like to chose to have a bigger table,” Alice declared. “Just the 5 of us are crowded and Helena, Dana, and Shane are all coming too.”

Kit got up and pulled an adjoining table over to make more room. She pulled over the empty chairs just in time, as the remaining 3 walked in together.

“Good morning,” Helena said to everyone as she sat down looking exhausted.

“What’s wrong with you?” Alice asked.

“Nothing,” Helena averted Alice’s gaze.

“You look like you’ve been ridden hard and put away wet.”

“Alice!” Kristen admonished her girlfriend.

“I’d believe the ridden hard part,” Tina smiled remembering Leigh Ostin was in town for a few days.

“In an effort to change the subject, “Helena began. “Did you handle the matter we discussed?”

“Yes,” Tina nodded while she sipped her coffee.

“Is this code in the movie business or do you want to fill the rest of us in?” Alice asked annoyed at being cut out of the conversation.

“I’ve been having a few issues, so I made a doctor’s appointment to have a physical.”

“And here I thought I was the driving influence,” Bette muttered causing Tina to place a gentle kiss on her cheek in reassurance.

“What kind of problems?” Dana asked worried.

“Moodiness, irritability, sleepless nights,” Tina began to rattle off her list.

“Spare us the list and get to the important part,” Alice said. “Are you ok? What’s going on?”

Tina took a deep sigh and avoided all eyes that were focused on her.

“I’m basically pre-menopausal.”

“I’ve got to give you credit,” Alice said snickering. “You never would have known it.”

“It isn’t always easy to spot,” Bette said.

“It was with you!”

“What?” Bette was shocked by Alice’s statement. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh please!” Alice said loudly and dramatically. “You were the worst!”

“I didn’t burst out into tears like Kit did every 5 minutes!”

“No, but you made 90% of this table do that routinely.”

“I did not!”

“The hot flashes you had,” Alice continued. “I think that was the first and only time Shane wore a bra!”

Bette’s answer was to roll her eyes and ignore the criticism.

“I think that was the only time I’ve worn flannel,” Kristen said. “It was like Fort Knox trying to get out of my pajamas to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”

“I went through ‘the change’ just fine,” Bette stated trying to convince herself rather then the others.

“At least it isn’t something serious,” Helena said relieved to hear the news. “I should have recognized some of the symptoms, but it’s been a few years since I went through it.”

“You’re menopausal?” Alice said shocked at Helena’s news.

“I had a small period of time where I experienced the same symptoms as Tina. I just chose to handle them with natural herbal supplements instead of traditional medicine.”

“I’d try it if I could get some sleep,” Tina said sadly. “The sleepless nights are the worst.”

“I remember those when Bette went through it,” Kristen moaned. “Remember when she tried to force you all to stay that one poker night? She was handing out money to bribe people to stay.”

“I thought we were playing strip poker since she took off half her damn clothes!” Alice laughed. “The hot flashes were hard on all of us.”

“I did not take half my clothes off!” Bette defended herself. “I handled the hot flashes by simply keeping the house a little cooler during that period of time.”

“Cooler is not in the 50′s Bette,” Alice shot back. “That’s freezing and the sole reason we didn’t want to let you host family night anymore.”

“We could practically see our breath,” Dana added.

“It was a tad cold that night,” Helena smiled as she added her opinion into the mix.

“I think we should celebrate,” Alice announced. “Let’s throw a party for Tina entering a new phase of her life.”

“Excellent idea Alice,” Shane said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

“No thank you,” Tina answered sadly.

“This is not something to feel negatively about,” Alice continued. “We should celebrate that fact that you won’t need tampons. You don’t need to worry about pads feeling like diapers because they’re so freakin’ big these days.”

“It can be her own special welcome to the ‘Land of no Tampons’ where only the strong survive,” Kit laughed at her own joke. “You’re the fourth one now!”

“What if I don’t want to be in this select club?”

“It really isn’t that bad once you get used to some things,” Bette said seeing sadness in Tina’s eyes. “We’ll get through it Tina.”

“As much as this conversation is riveting,” Tina rolled her eyes. “I’ve got to run, I have my prep meetings to discuss Jackie’s budget.”

“She’s off budget too?” Helena shook her head. “What the bloody hell is it with these directors?”

“Did they take lessons on budgeting from a Peabody?” Alice teased as Helena nudged her with her elbow.

“Before I forget,” Tina turned to Kit ignoring the friendly banter between Alice and Helena. “I told Angie she could have the cheering squad over to promote team spirit today for swimming after school.”

“The ‘Cheer Cult’ is coming over?” Bette asked and rolled her eyes in the process.

“No problem,” Kit smiled at Bette’s reaction.

“Let me walk you out Tina, I’ve got to get to the gallery to meet Megan anyway.”

Bette quickly walked Tina to her car and groaned as her cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

“Who can it be? Everyone we talk to is in there!”

Bette frowned as the gallery number scrolled across her screen.

“Hello?”

“Are you as excited as I am?” Megan’s sexy voice purred across the line.

“For?”

“The beginning of our work together,” Megan let a soft, sexy chuckle past her lips. “We’re going to take the art world by storm. I think we need to make an announcement to at least ‘Art World’ about the show. We can promise them an exclusive for front cover space.”

“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself,” Bette cupped the phone with her hand to block her words out. “I need to handle this Babe. I’ll call you later.”

Tina kissed Bette quickly and got into her car, heading for the studio, but still lost in thought about the immediate future and handling a sense of loss. Bette also got in her car and began to drive to the gallery as she continued the conversation.

“I think we should work on a press package and wait until we have a catalog of what we’re creating.”

“You’re the expert,” Megan purred. “When will you be here?”

“I’m on my way.”

“I can’t wait,” Megan smiled. “I’ll be in the gallery setting things up so just holler when you get here.”

Megan hung up the phone and looked at the picture of Tina on Bette’s desk. She picked it up and stared into Tina’s eyes when Jordon walked in and cleared her throat to get Megan’s attention.

“Is there anything you need before she gets here?”

“No,” Megan smiled at Jordon. “This is her wife right?”

Jordon looked at the picture of Tina in her hand and nodded with a smile on her face.

“She’s cute.”

“She’s beautiful,” Jordon corrected her. “She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”

“I’d love to meet her, does she come in here usually?” Megan asked as she placed the picture back on Bette’s desk.

“Not always,” Jordon divulged. “She’s a big movie executive.”

Megan got up and slipped past Jordon into the hallway leading to the gallery where they were going to work. It was then that she saw Bette getting out of her car and walking toward the gallery.

Megan watched Bette’s long legs cover the parking lot, in a confident stride, with ease. She stared at Bette’s hair and saw the loose curls that fell to her shoulders. She smiled at the pretentious Yale t-shirt that was pulled tight across Bette’s breasts. The jeans demanded more of her attention, as they fit Bette’s body perfectly. She smiled at the worn look they had to them, yet the underlying sexiness was disarming. Megan walked back to the empty gallery before Bette entered the building.

Bette walked up to Jordon’s desk before beginning her day.

“Good morning,” Jordon greeted her with a smile.

“Morning,” Bette said. “The first thing I need you to work on today is a press release to announce this show. If you just send it to me in e-mail I’ll look at it tonight when I get home.”

“Any particular slant?”

“It’s controversial,” Bette said thinking aloud. “I want to go all out on it and not hide from the public or donors. I want everyone to know we stand behind the statement that’s going to be made.”

“Which is?”

“Women have a choice,” Bette said as she turned to walk toward the gallery. “You should always be granted a choice.”

Bette walked to the back gallery, remaining silent, but watching Megan’s movements as she prepared the space for their work.

“Good morning,” Megan said without looking up to see Bette standing there.

“Good morning,” Bette said confused momentarily. “How did you…?”

“Know you were there?” Megan finished her thought then turned around to face her with a smile on her face. “We always worked well together didn’t we?”

Megan’s question was met with silence as Bette waited for the real answer to her question.

“I could smell your perfume.”

Bette walked forward and stood next to Megan and a large stand in the center of the room.

“Thoughts?”

“What’s it for?” Bette asked before offering her opinion.

“This particular one is for the general theme,” Megan said with a twinkle in her eye. “It’ll be a sculpture of a naked woman.”

“Is it a relief sculpture or meant to be in the round?”

“In the round,” Megan answered. “We’ve got to give it enough space so the others can circle around it. I want this to be the center of the show, a woman, showing her beauty.”

“It needs to be moved then to the right,” Bette said as she began to help Megan push it over slightly.

Bette and Megan began to push and pull various stands around the room. After moving several of them, Bette broke out into a sweat.

“These are heavier then they look,” Bette muttered beginning to work on the placement of another one.

“We’ve been at this for a bit,” Megan groaned as she sat down on the floor near Bette’s feet. “Can’t we take a break?”

“No,” Bette answered quickly. “This needs to get done so we can begin.”

“We only have a few more after this one.”

“Then there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Bette said laughing.

“I don’t remember you being this abusive when we worked together before,” Megan joked. “What’s the rush to get it all crammed in one day?”

“Focused,” Bette answered. “Not abusive.”

Bette got up on a ladder to reach on top of a stand and dust pieces of debris off it in preparation of a piece being placed on there. As she reached to begin to dust it off, the ladder started to rock slightly.

“Shit,” Bette said grasping for the top of the display but missing.

Megan placed her hand on Bette’s thighs to hold her up.

“I got ya.”

Megan pushed her up and slid her hands up to Bette’s behind to steady her. Bette looked down at Megan standing on her tiptoes to reach her on the top step of the ladder. Megan’s hands froze there as she looked in Bette’s eyes and sighed.

“That was close.”

“Too close,” Bette said gaining her footing back and walking down the ladder. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” Megan said feeling a flush grace her cheeks. “Now can we take a break and talk about the publicity of the show since we didn’t do that this morning?”

“I already know the tag line,” Bette said as Megan stood close too close to her. “Publicity is easy once you have that.”

“What’s the tag line?” Megan cocked her eyebrow seductively.

“You always have a choice,” Bette exercised hers by walking out of the work area and into the main gallery to get much needed space.