“Bette?”

“Yes?”

“Who’d you have a meeting with today?  After we had lunch?”  Tina figured that now was the time to tell Bette about her encounter with Candace earlier.  They had a nice dinner and were now sitting on the patio sipping drinks.  Earlier on they’d agree to continue considering donors for the insemination since neither were absolutely crazy about the other’s choice.  Bette apologized once again for flipping out earlier and Tina apologized for not being totally honest in the first place.  And now Tina felt she had reason to apologize again. 

“Oh, right.  I met with Candace Wright.  She’s an artist whose work I want to display during the Spring exhibit.  Since she’s in town for a lecture tour she agreed to meet with me.”

“Oh,” Tina responded nodding absently.  ‘So she really doesn’t live in LA’ she thought.  ‘It wasn’t just a line.’

“…Tina?”

Looking up, “What?”

“I said do you know of her?”

“No, I never heard of her.  What does she do?  Paint?  Sculpt?”

Bette considered her answer, “She does a little of it all actually.  But in particular I am interested in her photographs during her tour of Darfur.  From what I’ve seen of them so far, they are amazing and they really bring to reality the tragedy of what’s happening there.” 

“Darfur, wow that is amazing,” Tina said before taking another sip of wine. 

EARLIER

“So nice to finally meet you, Bette.  I’ve heard so much about the many wonderful things you’ve done here at CAC.  And Provacations last year was legendary.  With all the controversy and everything, man, I was so sorry to have missed it!”

Bette was pleased with Candace’s enthusiasm.  She hoped this would translate in her securing Candace’s work for the Spring exhibit.  “Thank you so much,” she said gesturing for Candace to take a seat opposite hers.  “And what you’ve done in Darfur is astounding.  Is it true that you mailed a picture a day to George W Bush during your time there?”

Bette watched as Candace sat back with a satisfied smile on her face.  “Yes, it is absolutely true.  The U.S. government was just sitting by while this genocide took place.  People were killed by the hundreds of thousands.  Whole communities were displaced by the Janjaweed who had wiped out entire villages, destroyed food and water supplies, and systematically murdered, tortured, and raped hundreds of thousands of Darfurians. While these attacks occurred with the direct support of the Sudanese government and their armed forces, we continue to war against a country which was no real threat to us in the first place.  So yes, I thought that old GW needed to see exactly what was happening to these people.  And since they couldn’t speak out on their own behalf, I decided to take matters in my own hands.”