Chapter 13

Tina sat at the mahogany table in the executive conference room glaring at the woman before her. In an effort not to lunge over the table and choke Jenny Schecter, Tina kept the palms of her hands on the table and bit the inside of her cheek.

“I’m not sure how the investors feel,” Jenny said smoothly. “But I, for one, am not comfortable having an executive rewriting a script. While I’m sure she is quite adept at the business aspects of making a movie, she has no sense of creativity.”

“I’m not sure it takes creativity to simply change someone’s name and twist the truth into your own jaded vision,” Kate shot back. “If Tina doesn’t rewrite this, you can kiss this movie and me goodbye.”

Kate, extremely passionate about her work, was also known for her genius and knew the studio and backers would follow her rather than an unknown such as Jenny.

“How do we have any guarantee that this rewrite is going to be any better?”

“Lots of reasons,” Kate said lighting a cigarette in the non-smoking room. She took a puff of smoke, held it in until the smoke burned her lungs, and then blew it back into the room making no effort to not blow it in the direction of the investors and Jenny Schecter. “First because Tina knows what it takes to make movies, successful ones, not to mention she lived it.”

“Lived it?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know ‘Nina’ is Tina,” Kate simply said to the investors. “It’s as insulting as Jenny’s fucked up view of events of the last few years.”

Kate slid her copy of Jenny’s script forward and crushed her cigarette out on it quickly.

“Let me see if I can paint the picture for you,” Kate said leaning back in her chair. “Lesbians are really no different than anyone else. What sells a movie? A character who is predatory and does nothing but fuck everyone within a 5 mile radius or characters with depth?”

“Depth obviously,” one of the investors said annoyed with the rudimentary way Kate was speaking to them.

“Do you think Jenny’s characters have depth?”

“They all have depth!” Jenny defended her creation.

“Let’s see,” Kate flipped open to a later part of the script. “Let’s take this woman Shaun shall we? When we first see her, she is a child almost. She spends all her time spouting wisdom at others, yet not following any of it because she’s hung up on sex.”

Tina took a deep breath to calm her nerves after seeing how many pot shots Jenny took at her ‘so called’ friend Shane.

“This character actually wasn’t the worst, but after building her up and allowing her to exist in a relationship, we see her right back at the beginning. At the end of this, she’s walking around fucking anything that moves, and hasn’t learned a damn thing from the growth Jenny actually let her have throughout the script.”

“That’s true,” an investor said hanging on Kate’s every word.

“Elise isn’t just a silly bisexual that uses humor to mask pain,” Kate continued. “She lost the love of her life, who was also her best friend, to breast cancer. She fought her way back to finally let herself go and experience a new love. If that isn’t heart wrenching drama I’m not sure what is, and that is what sells.”

Tina smiled as she saw how passionately Kate was defending her friends, those closest to her that were just as betrayed as her and Bette felt.

“Nina,” Kate said as she threw Tina’s copy of Lez Girls in the same pile that her own previously landed. “Nina isn’t some predatory woman that hits on anything that walks because she is in a loveless 7 year relationship when this piece of shit script picks up. She’s a woman of passion, one that felt so passionately about starting a family that she gave up her independence to stay at home and do just that, start her family. What could be more dramatic and romantic than a couple trying desperately to get pregnant, showing that lesbians really aren’t that different in their views and desires as heterosexual people?”

“It is different!” Jenny sputtered. “Heterosexual people don’t move as fast as lesbians, they don’t go back to men to fuck with the emotions of an ex, and they don’t suffer from bed death syndrome!”

“Well, it sounds like you know about as much about heterosexuals as you do about your so-called friends,” Kate scoffed. “If you think straight people have never been vindictive following a breakup or had issues in the sex department after several years together then you are a bigger idiot than I thought.”

“I’ve lived with these people for years. You walk in here, fall for Tina’s grand sob story and let it totally color your judgment. Stop thinking with your pussy Kate and admit that homosexuals are different.

“When you cut them you back-stabbing bitch,” Kate seethed through clenched teeth. “They bleed all the same. But you should already know that based on what you’ve done to your friends.”

“When is the rewrite going to be done?”

“I’ve got the basic outline for ‘Bev’ and ‘Nina’ halfway done,” Tina explained. “Elise and Shaun are easy and almost done.”

“But ‘Bev’ and “Nina’ are the most complex characters, that’s what will sell this movie.”

“And that’s why it has to be done right,” Tina said offering a professional smile to the one outspoken investor of the group. “I’ll need a few more weeks to get it all outlined and a script filled in.”

Tina made eye contact with Jenny, forcing Jenny to look away from her threatening gaze.

“If I’m left alone to work on it, I can meet an aggressive deadline.”

After Kate’s passionate defense of Tina’s friends, and Tina’s willingness to aggressively work on a rewrite to meet an insane deadline, the meeting quickly ended with Jenny being told she was officially off the project since the studio owned the rights to her book.

When the room cleared, Kate lit another cigarette and smiled as Tina beamed with excitement.

“Thank you,” Tina said sincerely as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s refreshing to see someone as committed as I am to do this justice.”

“It’s ground-breaking,” Kate said with a smile crushing out her cigarette.

“You do realize that you either walk around with one of those in your hand not lit or you only smoke one so quick that you barely get half of it finished before you put it out.”

“It’s called hot-boxing,” Kate smiled at how innocent Tina seemed at this moment. “And I’m trying to quit so the less I allow myself the better off I am.”

“It was inspiring to see you work,” Tina admitted as she dropped her voice to almost a whisper, looking toward the ground. “You had them eating out of your hand.”

“I think it’s important no matter what one does,” Kate smiled. “To do it well, all or nothing, otherwise there is no point.”

“What if I can’t meet the deadline?”

“You can,” Kate reassured Tina with her smile. “Dedicate yourself, write from your heart and the true relationship between you and Bette will appear.”

“And in order to do that,” Tina rolled her eyes. “I have to also work the insane hours she used to.”

Bette paced the length of a conference room, similar to the one Tina was sitting in, but much later at night. She had been working hard to secure what would be the largest private donation to a University, and it was taking its toll.

The older man, balding and in awe of Bette’s knowledge of art, smiled a toothy grin and pulled out a monogrammed pen from inside his suit coat.

“Nobody has ever bowled me over with their knowledge of art as you have Ms. Porter.”

“I’ve been around it my entire life,” Bette said attempting to hide the tiredness in her tone. “I won’t let you down.”

“I expected something different than what you did today,” he said. “Phyllis Kroll told me that over the course of a few days you’d present your knowledge of art as well as your plans.”

“Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?” Bette said wearily.

The older gentleman was taking an excruciating amount of time to write a simple check. Bette checked her watch, seeing that it was late in the day even in California, but wanting nothing more than to hear Tina’s voice. The last they had spoken was two days ago, the same day that Tina flew back to Los Angeles, and was forced to leave a voice mail message for Bette telling her that she and their daughter had landed safely.

Bette had silently cursed Phyllis, her job, the older gentleman that was hanging on her every word as she had been forced to ignore Tina’s call to finish her presentation on the history and accomplishments of the College of Arts at California University. When she felt a pause, and then another vibrate, Bette knew Tina left a message.

After entertaining the older gentleman and his wife for the evening, Bette typed a short text out to Phyllis saying that all was going well and then immediately tried Tina. She was promptly met by Tina’s voice, telling her to leave a message. She opted for hanging up and then trying her at the office, only to be told that she was in ‘high-level’ meetings for the day and would get the message when they took a break.

It has almost been 48 hours since she heard Tina’s voice, other than playing Tina’s message over and over, as she saved it in her voice mail to feel less lonely in her quest for funding.

“I’m happy to give you this money Ms. Porter,” the older gentleman barged into Bette’s wandering thoughts. “I’d like to schedule a visit for my wife and I in a few months to see the progress you’ve made and the hands-on work in Jodi Learner’s studio.”

“I’d like that,” Bette said politely.

“My wife and I saw some installations she did a few years back and we’ve been a fan of Ms. Learner’s since then.”

Bette felt her insides clench at the thought of Jodi and the last time she saw her. It was also 48 hours earlier, as she dumped the complete responsibility of their relationship not working out in Bette’s lap, and hitched a ride back to the hotel with a group of students. Respecting her privacy, Bette stayed at the site another 30 minutes to ensure Jodi had time to compose herself prior to meeting up with Bette once more. Those 30 minutes were spent watching the sunset as she settled on the exact version of her response to Tina based on the conversation in the park.

When Bette had arrived back at the hotel, there was nothing of Jodi’s left in her room, not even a note. Bette knew that Jodi had left the ball in her court, and should she wish to pursue it, she would need to approach her with her heart on her sleeve.

“It won’t happen,” Bette mumbled lost in her thoughts.

“I’m sorry?”

Bette shook her head and dismissed her statement, hoping that the older gentleman hadn’t noticed she was scarcely paying attention to the conversation in front of her.

“Jodi Learner is amazing,” Bette said sincerely. “She is one of the most talented artists I’ve had the pleasure of working with and we would love to have you pay us a visit.”

Bette handed the gentleman her card and firmly shook his hand, slipping the check into her pocket.

“It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife,” Bette began to gather her things. “However I do need to be getting back, academia never rests.”

Bette was thankful that she had accomplished not only what Phyllis sent her to do, but in record time. She threw her arm up to hail a cab, asking to be taken to her hotel a few blocks away. Once she was in the privacy of her own room, she planned on searching the internet for flights back home and quickly booking one. She hadn’t fully unpacked, the only thing that wasn’t in its proper place in her suitcase was the business attire she had purchased for these meetings since she hadn’t had planned on needing any during this trip.

Bette watched scenery flash before her eyes, and deciding she couldn’t wait, dialed Tina’s cell phone. She waited anxiously as it rang, hoping that Tina would pick it up.

Tina’s cell phone broke into her conversation with Kate. Tina dug it out of her pants and scanned the screen to see Bette’s name announcing her call.

“Will you excuse me?”

Tina got up and walked past Kate, but not before allowing her hand to graze across Kate’s shoulder on her way past her.

“Hello?”

“Hey Tee,” Bette said smiling. “I’m glad you picked up.”

“I just finished the most amazing meeting,” Tina said excitedly. “The investors bought it; I have a chance to rewrite Lez Girls without Jenny’s interference.”

Bette smiled at how excited Tina seemed to right the wrongs that Jenny was portraying in her script.

“That’s good,” Bette ran her fingers through her hair as her taxi pulled up to her hotel. “I wanted to call…”

“It’s more than good Bette, this is the chance to really make a difference. This is the chance to really put my blood, sweat, and tears behind a movie that I believe in. It’s a chance to do what Jenny should have, used the amazing group of women we call family to help educate and offer support to those that need it.”

“I know how excited you are about this,” Bette ran the 2 flights of stairs easily as she made her way to her hotel room. “I wanted to talk to you…”

“I’m very excited about it,” Tina interjected frustrating Bette by interrupting her again. “I wanted to make sure you were on board with this because this will mean a lot of hours for me until I get this script done. If I’m seeing this cradle to grave then Angelica might need to spend more time with you, and if you’re in the middle of a semester…”

“Tina,” Bette said forcefully. “We’ll work it out, I know how important this is to you.”

Tina took a deep breath, thankful for the sense of calm that Bette interjected into the conversation.

“I wish you could have seen Kate,” Tina gushed. “The way that she had those investors eating out of the palm of her hand regarding the rewrite was inspiring.”

Bette rolled her eyes at the word inspiring and began to rearrange her suitcase in an effort to create room for the newly acquired suits.

“She really is a diamond in the rough in this business.”

“Oh she has ethics?”

Bette regretted the statement as soon as it left her mouth.

“Even after all this time you can’t seem to get behind me regarding my career.”

“It’s not that,” Bette stopped what she was doing to address the conversation. “I do support you in your career, I just am not fond of the movie business where it seems there are more people like Jenny than there are like you.”

“I can assure you Kate falls into the latter group,” Tina said. “We’re really connecting over this project and there’s no way we could do that if she wasn’t who she was. She hasn’t fallen prey to the attention and power like Jenny has.”

“I didn’t call to talk to you about Kate,” Bette said trying to change the subject to her and Tina.

Kate placed her hand on Tina’s shoulder to silently get her attention. Tina cupped the phone so that she wouldn’t be heard and smiled at Kate.

“We’re celebrating tonight,” Kate said with a smile. “Finish up your call and meet me in my office, we’re grabbing the best of the best to cook with and having our private victory celebration.”

Kate walked off without allowing Tina a moment to answer whether she could or could not make the event. It was assumed that she would be there, to celebrate their victory with the rewrite, and to assist Kate in cooking.

“Are you in the middle of something?” Bette asked hearing mumbled conversation.

“I’m still at the studio, so I’ve got a lot going on.”

Tina walked back to her office and began to gather her notes, purse, and keys to meet Kate for their celebration.

“I haven’t even asked you how your thing is going,” Tina said cringing. She always felt guilty not remembering to ask Bette about her career, given that it was such a part of who she was. “Are you making headway on your funding?”

“I didn’t call for that either,” Bette said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Tina was shocked at Bette’s side of the conversation, as it seemed she had a purpose and was not interested in any additional discussion.

“I called because for the last 2 days we’ve not been able to connect,” Bette started to explain. “We both know we need to talk.”

“I’m not sure what there is to talk about?”

“How can you say that?” Bette felt slightly wounded. “We spend the day in the park where you tell me you love me and then we are not going to talk about it?”

“We’re not at that place,” Tina said softly.

“I’m coming home,” Bette interrupted her. “I’m coming home to talk to you.”

“Talk to me?”

Bette closed her suitcase and latched it shut quickly. She gathered her other belongings as she balanced her phone between her ear and shoulder to free up her hands. She opened the door, allowing it to close quickly behind her, as she headed down the hallway to the exit of the hotel.

“I don’t have a flight, but I’m going to come home so we can talk.”

“We can talk right now,” Tina said hearing silence from the other end of the phone. “Bette?”

Tina’s voice went unanswered as Bette heard clicking on her end of the conversation.

“Tina?”

Bette stopped walking and pulled the phone back, only to confirm what she already knew. She had no signal and as a result, her call with Tina was dropped. She quickly turned in her keys, signed her credit slip, and walked out front to get a taxi to the airport.

Bette entered the cab, telling the driver to take her to the airport as quickly as possible, and leaned her head back to gather her thoughts.

“I don’t know how quick I can get to you Tina,” Bette whispered. “But I’ll be on the first flight home to talk, it’s too important to do it over the phone. I need to show up with my heart.”