Chapter One

Everything was pearly white. Gardens, cars, trees, the pavement, the roofs of houses and buildings were all covered in a widespread blanket of snow. It was quiet in this part of town. People preferred to keep inside and enjoy the enchanting image from inside, where they didn’t get wet and didn’t have to watch out for their children not to get hurt.
It had been snowing non-stop in New York for the past three days. The thick, white blanket was scarcely ripped apart at some places, traces of men and women not being able to let their work rest and enjoy this family time. A lot of them probably didn’t have family and rather locked themselves up in an office, somewhere high above the ground in a skyscraper in the city. Their working place could be seen as symbolic – way up high from the real world, working hard but never reaching the top.

Tina Kennard was not one of these people. She couldn’t deny that she once would be one if she continued to take this work load. She was mighty proud of herself for allowing herself to take a few days off. She was equally proud of her girlfriend, who had promised to do the same thing. Bette Porter didn’t have to ask for these days off, she gave them herself. She worked at home as a painter and a writer, her dream to take up sculpting as well. It was the only good thing that had come out of first relationship with a sculptor, who had hurt her immensely and who she was trying every day to block from her mind. That was easy, though. Only one loving smile from Tina would do that.

Tina was looking out of the window pensively. She was wandering back to the days at college, where she had first met Bette. She remembered how she had been instantly attracted to this marvellous woman, how she had greedily taken her energy, just by spending time with her. From the looks, the too-many-to-be-an-accident touches, the soft whispers at night, she had known she was more to Bette than a friend. Still, she hadn’t been able to lead her safe life with her boyfriend Eric behind. She had regretted it immensely for the years following. She had shared a few drunk kisses with Bette, a few wild nights when Eric wasn’t there to remind her where her heart should have belonged.