As Bette had turned feeling the hairs on the back on her neck stand up, she looked at Ozzie first and saw that he was with Allyn and another woman. Bette assumed that it was Allyn’s wife as she had shared that she was bringing her to enjoy the show. What Bette wasn’t expecting was for that wife to look as familiar as she did. The shock hit her first of just who it might be and the energy of that propelled her forward towards the threesome.

She saw Ozzie’s beaming face and then Allyn’s and then she spotted Allyn’s wife… her hand up at her mouth but the emotion behind it came pouring through. Then suddenly, the gates to her past memories burst open and flew in front of her mind at breakneck speed. As she moved within ten feet of the group, she knew in that instant who was standing before her and her actions mimicked the woman in front of her as her hand went up to her mouth to try and hold in the emotions bursting forth from her heart and mind.

The two women met in the middle and embraced tightly, no words spoken yet as the emotions came pouring out of both of them. Soon, Allyn and Ozzie guided them into Allyn’s office and then backed out and closed the door quietly, leaving them to come to terms with whose presence they were in. They embraced again to reconnect from their hearts and stood there for the longest time intertwined.

“Mother?” Bette whispered. “Is it really you?” She was feeling so many emotions as she held her mother close. This was a day she had dreamt of so many times and here, it finally arrived. What a road she had traveled to get to this point of her life. She just wished that Tina were here to witness and enjoy it as well.

“Yes, my precious love, it is… I can’t believe that you are here standing in front of me in my arms once again. It has been such a long time and I never dreamt this would ever happen after the toxic words your father shared with me that day that he threw me out of my own home and your life. I’m so sorry that it took this long to reconnect back up with you. I’m ashamed of myself for being so afraid for so long.