Chapter 31

Bette quickly stepped in front of Tina with the cake in her hands. She balanced the cake as Tina reached in Bette’s pocket and retrieved her keys quickly, resisting the urge to caress Bette’s thigh from within the pocket on such a busy day.

“Did you get the streamers from the car?” Bette asked as they walked inside.

“Check,” Tina answered throwing Bette’s keys on the table near the door.

“Balloons?”

“Yesterday,” Tina reminded her as she walked further into the house. “I hid them in our room.”

“Ice cream?” Bette asked almost hopeful to catch Tina missing an essential ingredient for a successful party due to Tina’s smugness. “Did you remember the vanilla and the chocolate?”

“Did you write me three different versions of your party list that had both flavors on there?” Tina shot back. “I had the e-mailed version, the printed out e-mailed version, and the ever-popular Post-It notes stuck all over my things.”

“I just want it to be perfect,” Bette sat the cake down on the kitchen table. “Everyone said they were coming right?”

“Yes,” Tina said exasperated. “Her presents are wrapped, the cake is picked up, balloons are ready to be put up with the streamers, and she is currently outside falling in love with Shane, Dana, and Kit because as far as I can see they are feeding her junk food.”

“What?” Bette asked turning around and walking to the window to look outside.

Bette’s eyes surveyed the scene playing out in front of her, her family enjoying themselves in the bright California sun. Angelica, Cathy, Renee, and Kristen were all floating in the pool debating about the latest Hollywood gossip. Alice was sitting in a lounge chair next to Helena, both with their eyes closed enjoying the sun in an effort to revive their summer tans. Shane, Dana, and Kit were all sitting at the patio table surrounding Sarah.

“You can do it,” Shane said. “Just like I showed you.”

“You can’t rush something this important,” Alice said from the lounger. “She’s only 2 and I’m not sure she gets the concept.”

“She does,” Dana argued. “You can see the recognition in her eyes.”

“Please don’t make me beat you,” Alice pleaded. “You’ll turn her into a driven, obsessive child that has to be an overachiever instead of developing at her own rate.”

“You can’t be serious?” Helena sat up and squinted in Alice’s direction. “It’s not as if she’s performing brain surgery.”

Bette wrapped her arm around Tina as both looked out the window at their friends.

“In a child’s world this is just as important as brain surgery!”

“Despite having to swallow just a little bit of my sanity here, I agree with Alice.”

“Thank you Shane,” Alice smiled. “Now someone is talking sense.”

“I’m only agreeing with you because this is one of the most important lessons a kid can learn.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kit asked shocked at the conversation unfolded before her. “Baby you just do it at your own pace.”

Kit handed Sarah another cookie and kissed her forehead as Sarah bit a small part of the cookie off.

“See?” Shane pointed. “She gets that you have to bite part of the cookie off to let the milk seep in.”

“Uh-huh,” Helena nodded absentmindedly while soaking up the sun.

“Dunk it in,” Shane urged Sarah. “Just not too much. Remember if it gets too soggy you’ll lose part of it in the milk.”

“That’s the best part though,” Dana smiled watching the investment in cookie dunking lessons begin to pay off. “When you get to drink the milk that has just enough of a cookie taste in it to make it edible.”

“Nothing is more disgusting than the floating pieces of cookie that never made it to their destination,” Helena made a disgusted face as she continued to talk. “It’s like a pool of backwash floating in that glass.”

“Since when did they become the experts in cookie dunking?” Bette asked quietly as she held Tina in her arms.

“It’s a right of passage,” Tina explained. “They taught Angie to dunk her cookies.”

“I thought I did that.”

“I let you think that,” Tina smiled. “I knew how much it meant to you.”

“I’m a better dunker than that.”

“Oh,” Tina mocked her wife. “You’re the best cookie dunker, but everyone has a role to play Babe so let our family do their part.”

“You did it!” Kit jumped up and hugged Dana who also had risen on her feet. The two jumped up and down hugging one another in a fit of excitement.

Shane grabbed Sarah out of the boaster chair and twirled her around in her arms while the little girl laughed uncontrollably.

“You’re the best cookie dunker ever!” Shane exclaimed.

“Hey!” Angelica decided now would be time for her to be heard. “You told me I was the best cookie dunker!”

“You’ve been dethroned,” Kit said with a smile.

Bette looked over at Tina, standing in an embrace with her, and smiled as she watched Tina watching the events outside. Tina smiled back once she knew Bette was staring at her intently.

“What?” Tina snuggled into Bette’s embrace also wrapping her arms around Bette’s waist.

“We’re so lucky,” Bette laid her cheek against the top of Tina’s head. “I can’t believe the blessings we’ve been given.”

“It’s been a long road, that’s for sure.”

“I’ve never felt stronger though,” Bette said as she smiled at Shane pushing Dana into the pool.

“I’m proud of you, it isn’t easy to deal with hard things from the past.”

“Not that it matters,” Bette said kissing Tina’s head. “But I think Melvin would be proud.”

“I know he would, you’re an amazing woman.”

“I mean he’d be proud of us,” Bette clarified. “Even if he didn’t approve, he couldn’t deny that we truly are an example of love and have an amazing family.”

“Well this part of the example needs to get this place decorated in the next 30 minutes,” Tina placed a playful kiss on Bette’s neck before breaking the embrace and taking the streamers out of the shopping bag. “What was your plan for these?”

“My plan?” Bette looked away knowing that her beautiful mocha skin was beginning to redden with a blush.

“Give it up Porter, your Type A personality is shining through.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Bette struggled not to smile as she turned away from Tina and began to set up the plastic silverware and plates in the kitchen.

“God it’s killing you!” Tina laughed. “Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The checklist that includes a detailed drawing of how you want this place decorated.”

“What makes you think I have a checklist, let alone a drawing?”

“Look me in the eye Bette,” Tina challenged. “Look me in my eyes and tell me you don’t have one.”

“It kills me that you’re so smug about it,” Bette laughed as she slid the folded paper from her back pocket and tossed it at Tina. “That’s it.”

“I knew it!”

Tina unfolded the paper and began to laugh at the various notes that were organized in outline form on the piece of paper.

“Oh you forgot to check off the balloons,” Tina teased as she looked at the sketch on the back of the paper for where to put the streamers.

“That was just a suggestion. You can put them where you want.”

“Uh-huh,” Tina laughed again. “You’ve done all the work at planning so the least I can do is decorate it in your vision.”

“How funny,” Alice said from the doorway. “You draw a picture of how to decorate? What happened to art being spontaneous and the whole ‘spur of the moment’ thing?”

“I’ll put you to work if you’re not careful,” Bette warned.

“I come in peace,” Alice teased. “Actually I need a new swimmie diaper for the little one.”

“I’ll get it,” Tina offered as she disappeared into Sarah’s room.

“So you excited Porter?”

“Who wouldn’t be for a 2-year old’s birthday party? This is the party of the century!”

“She learned a new trick.”

“I saw it,” Bette said as she motioned for Alice to place the alternating colored plates on the table. “Keep them in order because they alternate colors to catch her attention.”

“Everything catches her attention,” Alice argued. “She’s 2, that’s why she gets into everything.”

“She’s an artistic toddler,” Tina said teasing Bette with a smile. “Bette got her the most amazing toddler’s artist’s set.”

“I bet,” Alice smiled as she saw Bette begin to blush once again.

“Go out there with her swimmie diaper,” Bette ordered. “And make sure Shane and Dana know they need to dry off or change clothes before they come in here dripping wet.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Alice saluted her friend as she walked back outside to change Sarah so she could continue to swim for a bit.

“You know what I can’t wait for?” Tina asked as she unraveled the streamers and began to create Bette’s vision.

“Hmmm?”

“I want to watch you teach her how to use the things in her toddler art set.”

“Are you sure she doesn’t know how to do it already?” Bette asked with a smile.

“I only misled you on the cookie thing because she truly perfected it when you worked with her on it.”

“Sure,” Bette came up behind Tina and kissed her neck as she looked down intertwining the streamers. “I bet you say that to everyone.”

“No, only the woman I want to snuggle up to tonight.”

“You seriously need to act like any other set of parents and not always so love-y,” Angelica said as she rolled her eyes and opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. “It makes me want to drop acid into my eyes.”

“We’re well aware of that,” Bette said laughing.

“Are we ready for the party?”

“You’re seriously not asking us that are you?” Tina said with streamers in her hand. “Does it look like we’re ready?”

“Uh,” Angelica hesitated briefly. “No because otherwise I’d say decorations are lacking.”

“Funny,” Tina said with a smile. “Care to help?”

“I would, but I know how anal Mama B is about the decorations.”

“Anal?” Bette shot back.

“And by ‘anal’ you mean precise,” Tina winked at Angelica. “Right Angie?”

“Absolutely,” Angelica agreed thankful for Tina’s intervention. “I’ll head back outside then.”

“Tell them they have a half hour, then we’ll be ready.”

“I’ll deliver the message,” Angelica said as she stepped back outside.

“Did you make the sangria?”

“Yes,” Tina muttered as Bette checked off the item on her checklist.

“Marinated the steaks?”

“Uh-huh,” Tina concentrated on getting the decorations perfectly centered per Bette’s drawing.

“To the right,” Bette directed.

“It needs to go to the right?”

“Yep.”

“How’s this?” Tina moved her body around and stretched, shifting the streamers to the right.

“Now the left.”

“The left? Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Bette said as she stopped what she was doing and watched Tina’s body moving back and forth.

“Better?”

“Stunning,” Bette muttered as her eyes fixated on Tina’s rear end.

“Bette!”

“What?” Bette looked up stunned at the sound of Tina’s voice.

“The decorations, not my ass, are what I was asking you about.”

“Oh those look fine too,” Bette smiled seductively at Tina. “But I was more enthralled with the view of you.”

“Call them in,” Tina smiled as desire passed through Bette’s expressive eyes. “We’re ready.”

Tina completed the simple decorations by tying the balloons on the back of Sarah’s chair to indicate she was the birthday girl. The little girl trotted inside, with her wet bathing suit still dripping, holding Shane’s hand.

“Beena that’s a doggy!” Sarah said to Tina as she ran to her.

Tina scooped the birthday girl into her arms and placed a big kiss on her wet cheeks.

“Can we get you changed into dry clothes for your party?”

“Boo do it,” Sarah pointed at Angelica causing Angie to smile wide at how close they had become. “Pweeeese!”

“Ok,” Angelica took Sarah out of Tina’s arms and kissed her as she walked to Sarah’s bedroom.

“You’ve really got it good Baby Sis,” Kit put her arm around Bette as Bette placed a picture of Megan and Janet on the table near Sarah’s spot. “You did a good thing by those ladies.”

“They truly blessed us,” Bette answered looking at the picture she had made by combining two separate pictures of Megan and Janet into one. “Her moms loved her.”

“That they did.”

Angelica walked back into the living room and put a freshly changed Sarah in her seat to begin her birthday party.

“Cake?” Sarah asked pointing at the masterpiece sitting in front of her.

“Not until we have dinner,” Tina said as she took the steaks outside to begin to grill them.

The others began to talk and sneak Sarah treats while they waited for Tina to return with dinner. Sarah’s focus, however, was in the corner of the room. She stared for a moment and then began to giggle and point to the empty corner.

“Funny,” Sarah said causing Alice and Dana to turn and glance at the empty corner of the room.

“What’s funny Baby?”

“I lub you,” Sarah grinned, then turned back around and began to try to stick her finger in the frosting as Dana and Alice sat puzzled at Sarah’s seemingly private moment.

“We love you too,” Megan whispered as she and Janet looked on at their daughter’s birthday celebration with her family.

While Tina was outside working on grilling the steaks, Bette took Sarah out of her chair and over to the couch. The rest of the family was involved in varying side conversations, and Bette wanted to take a moment with Sarah to reflect on the past year. She reached under the coffee table and retrieved Megan’s last creative work of art, the scrapbook detailing both her life and Janet’s.

Bette pointed to pictures and Sarah smiled as one glossy photo after another came into view.

“Mama,” Sarah said pointing at a picture of both Megan and Janet.

“Those are your mamas,” Bette smiled and kissed Sarah on the head.

As Sarah turned the page and continued to babble about the photos before her, Bette suddenly found herself drawn to the same empty corner Sarah had been pointing at earlier.

“Babe?” Tina called to Bette as she sat looking at the empty corner. “You ready to eat?”

“Always,” Bette grabbed Sarah and walked her to the table.

The corner, which was filled with warmth and love, continued to beckon to Bette. Without understanding why, she looked at the corner once more and smiled.

There, in the corner, was also a proud Melvin as he watched his daughter immerse herself in her greatest accomplishments, the success and love of her family.