SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

Chapter 14

Kate hadn’t been surprised to get a call from Rosemary Porter. The two women were still close and Kate knew how worried Rosemary was about Bette. Bette seemed to have drifted from her parents which Kate feared was now happening with Tina. So she was happy to finish work and meet Rosemary in a local café bar for a glass of wine and a chat about their daughters – the daughters who were now lovers again.
Kate smiled when Rosemary appeared – she was a dear friend and the whole situation with their daughters had not damaged Kate’s relationship with Rosemary like it had with Rosemary and Emma. They greeted one another with the sort of hug that old friends have for one another. Kate ordered a bottle of white wine and two glasses and they found a table near the window so they could watch a small part of New York switch from business to pleasure over the next 90 minutes or so.
“So how are you ? How is the appeal going ?” Rosemary asked removing her jacket and sitting down and smiling at Kate
“The appeal could well take me to my retirement and perhaps beyond – its slow – very slow. What about you ? How is the library ?”
“Well “ Rosemary smiled “ Nothing is certain yet but privately my boss told me that she is retiring before Christmas and she is going to recommend me as her successor. I would be Assistant Director of the Library”
“Oh – that is awesome – that is so what you deserve -I am thrilled for you “
“Thank you – its not certain yet so I am not making any announcements but  – it does look like it is on the cards. Its more responsibility but I think I am capable of it”
“I know that you are capable of it “ Kate said loyally
“Thank you – that is very sweet of you to say”
Their wine arrived at their table and Kate poured it
“So – lets drink to you – well done Rosie “
“Thank you Kate – Melvin is as proud as punch “
“So he should be – have you told Bette yet ?”
“I spoke to her on the phone the other day but I didn’t tell her. She had just got in from a night shift at the lab and she couldn’t go to bed because there was some work going on outside the apartment”
“Oh dear – how is she getting on with the job ?”
“She hasn’t really started – classes don’t start until mid September but she is gradually doing more and more. I think she has a pre-course reading to do which of course she is taking very seriously”
“it’s a really interesting career choice for her “
“I know – I really wasn’t sure about it at first but Melvin is delighted and he thinks she will be very good at it. I  know she has always been good at science but its not something I saw her doing – but she had so many offers and this was the one she wanted to take”
“What sort of offers did she get ?”
“Well Melvin’s boss who has known Bette since she was about 6 wanted her to come and do a law post graduate degree and join the Prosecutors office – I don’t think she was ever going to take that “
“Why not – it’s a good job “
“It is – but she would be Melvin’s daughter and she would hate to be regarded as that. Not as a insult to her father – but she wants to be her own woman – that is something that has come through loud and clear in the last four years. She did the whole round of graduate events and she didn’t really seem enthused by any of them. I know that she isn’t going to be earning a lot for the next year or so but once she becomes a Criminal Investigator the money is good and its certainly never going to be dull.”
“Well that’s true”
Kate took a sip of her wine “So what has she said about her and Tina “
Rosemary took her wine and took a long drink and sighed
“It makes me so sad that its such a sensitive issue between us as a family still. I was determined not to bring it up and in the end she said that she was seeing Tina that night. So I said “ can I ask how its going “ and she said that it was great – that Tina was still wonderful and they were getting to know one another again. That was it “ Rosemary looked sad “ I miss that part of my relationship with her when she would talk to me about her feelings. She tells us things – we have decent relationship but the days when she would sit and talk to me for hours about how she felt about Tina and how their relationship was going – I think they are gone. I just don’t know if that’s permanent or it will wear off the longer she is in New York and the past becomes that  – the past”
“Well I have seen a little more of Tina – not a lot more mind you. She sneaked into the house yesterday and Emma heard her. Tina fled before there was an full scale set to which I imagine was just postponing the inevitable “
Rosemary closed her eyes “I did wonder how Emma would take all of this “
“Not well “ Kate ate a pretzel from the bowl on the table between them “ She had been biting her tongue in the run up to them seeing one another again – under strict orders from me may I add. But on the day they met up “ Kate shook her head “I could fucking strangle her at times – she just wades in with no regard for the consequences of her actions “
“What happened ?” Rosemary was almost afraid to inquire.
“Tina showed up at about half eleven “
“30 minutes to deadline “
“Exactly – and she was as nervous as hell “
“I was terrified and I was across town in a meeting” Rosemary said smiling
“Exactly – so Tina shows up – just to see me and get some reassurance. She looked so scared”
“And Emma appeared stage left in her role of villain “
“That would be the one “ Kate said “Tina had dressed to impress and she’s 23 years old and yes I am biased but she’s a beautiful young woman.”
“Lots of boob on show ?” Rosemary asked “I tended to know when she and Bette had exchanged words because Tina’s cleavage became more on show “
“Well she probably gets that from me – it’s a sure fire way of getting back into Emma’s good books. Anyway – I digress –  Tina looked lovely – nice trousers, high heels and a top that was probably showing more boob than she would normally”
“Enter the baddie”
“Enter the baddie” agreed Kate “ And her opening words – after giving Tina a really black look was – so you are going ahead with this nonsense.”
Rosemary closed her eyes –  that really was a thoughtless thing to say “ I hesitate but go on – what happened next ?”
“Tina fired something back on the lines of – what are you going to do – send me away again to which Emma said it was an old story and didn’t she think that seeing her ex after four years was childish “
Rosemary could hardly believe what she was hearing – after all the crap that had gone on at the time and all the fall out that had continued to affect both families it had looked like if the girls got together again there would be closure one way or another – what had happened instead was Emma Kennard was lobbing grenades with no regard for what the consequences were.
Kate could see that Rosemary was both shocked and appalled.
“Feel free to call Emma anything you want because I have – she was being even more thoughtless than usual to say that to Tina and if its any help I am still utterly furious with her”
“What on earth possessed her to say that to Tina – half an hour before they were due to met up again ?”
“Because she is a silly cow “ Kate said smiling “I might love her and she is my wife but to be honest with you Rosie – I don’t like her at the moment. And what is worse is that she will not see her attitude as being wrong  – she doesn’t think their relationship stands an earthy chance of succeeding and Tina is better off finding a job. She is grumbling that all this time while she assumes Bette and Tina are sharing a bed Tina is not job hunting”
“So they are definitely sleeping together again “ Rosemary asked
Kate was puzzled at the question – it seemed the most obvious thing in the world that their daughters had become lovers again
“Yes – Tina is spending a lot of time at Bette’s apartment and when she is not there I am not sure where she goes – we don’t see her at home. Apart from yesterday when she dropped by just to get a bag of clothes I assume”
“So what is happening with them – are they a couple again ? Is Tina going to move in with Bette ?”
“I have no idea Rosemary. I have talked to Tina and she is besotted with Bette and she says she is just as lovely and they are slowly getting to know one another again. I assume they are making more progress in certain areas than others”
“So we have to just wait and see “
“It looks that way “
“Are you as worried as me ?” Rosemary asked after a few minutes
“Probably “ Kate said “ Made worse by knowing that Tina isn’t a child anymore and trying to intimidate her or bully her will only make her dig her heels in and do the exact opposite of what she thinks Emma wants. I don’t want to lose her – she’s all we have and we do both worship her”
“We lost a part of Bette four years ago and it hurt “
Kate looked at Rosemary “ We have both avoided discussing them for four years. We meet a couple of times a month and we never talk about what happened or what the fall out really was”
Rosemary poured more wine into both glasses “She blamed Melvin – well really she blamed Emma. Whenever she’d had too much wine she would really open up and let rip about Emma and how she hated her and how she had fucked everything up. I know it was just how she was dealing with it”
“How did she deal with it ?”
“The only signs we saw were her going into her shell. That was hard because it had been Tina who had drawn her out of her own little world when they had met and fell in love. It seemed that losing Tina made Bette withdrawn again”
“Tina said she had dated a lot of women at Yale – which is hardly surprising given how beautiful she is “
“She did date a lot of women and that’s all I know . I don’t know names or anything about them – do you know anything about any of Tina’s dates ?”
“A couple “
“Well that’s two more than me because Bette wouldn’t talk about her love life. She would tell us about classes and sport and what she was doing and her progress but nothing to do with her feelings. That is a mystery to us”  Rosemary shook her head “I know her though – she thought that if she didn’t tell us we couldn’t sabotage it”
“Yeah – and that’s what I think is going to happen now. There is no way we are going to find out about what they are feeling and how their relationship is going.. That makes me so sad “ Kate admitted “I expected to lose a version of her when she went to college but when she came back to New York I thought we would be able to work things through and be happy and communicate “
“And Emma is making that impossible “
“Precisely – you and I have to be strong Rosie -I know that Emma doesn’t feel what I do – you understand “
Rosemary nodded “I do and I just want her to be happy. Do you  think Tina wants it to work ?”
“I know that she’s never stopped loving Bette and I think if they  could find a way back to one another then Tina would be up for it. She did say that Bette had a few barriers up”
That had been an understatement of what Tina had implied but Kate didn’t want to hurt Rosemary’s feelings
“Bette was putting walls around her from the age of 7 – in sixteen years she’s just got better at it. Tina brought so many of those walls down when they met. It was my biggest fear – the one that you wake up having a nightmare about at 2am – that she would just go back into her own world again. And every time we have seen her in four years — Christmas and Thanksgiving and sometimes at Easter and for a couple of weeks over summer – those barriers were there and getting bigger and harder than ever for us to break through. Melvin buries it away but he misses his little girl – he had so many dreams about what they would do when she was an adult. He misses her “
Kate knew – and was grateful for Rosemary not saying as much – but the instigator of all of this four years ago had been Emma and now she was still against Tina and Bette.
“I am sure Bette is just finding her feet in her new life”
“Do you want them to get together again ?” Rosemary asked Kate
“I want what is best for my only child  – just like you do. I admit that I did think that in four years they would both find someone else and the memories of them being together would just fade. The way Tina has been talking  – I am not sure anymore. Of course it could be just because of the excitement of seeing Bette again -only time will tell if the excitement fades but I want Tina to be happy and Bette always made her happy “
Rosemary poured the last of the wine into Kate’s glass and stood up
“I am in the mood to get drunk – you with me ?”
“Sure “
Rosemary returned with another bottle of wine and a menu
“We better eat “ she remarked “Melvin is at some law thing – where’s Emma ?”
“I have no idea and I don’t much care “
Rosemary smiled “ You were always the only one who could pull her back from some disastrous idea “
“Yeah – well that was when we were at college – not when she is the main partner in a law firm that she established – she can be a real bossy bitch”
“But never with you “
Kate sighed “I go along with her for a quiet life – I realise my own compliancy in all of this. I was swayed by what Emma said – that it was for the best – that if they split up they would both find themselves and  all the stuff that I now see as bullshit. I hate that I let her down”
“Yes – well we both share that as well – Melvin went along with Emma as much as to keep the harmony between the four of us. You know he had been the last to find out about them and that had created a lot of tension. He didn’t want to rock the boat and he bought the same lines as we did from Emma”
Kate looked at the menu and sighed “ We cannot rewind history”
Rosemary sipped her wine “ But we can make amends”
Kate raised an eyebrow
“How ?”
“I want my daughter to be happy – just like you want Tina to be happy. I miss just having a easy relationship with her. Maybe – just maybe – if we support them we won’t lose them”
Kate nodded “ Maybe “
“I have never seen Bette as happy or content as she was when she was with Tina. Tina brings a side out in Bette that obviously all the lesbians she dated at Yale did not. If they become a couple – and  that is a possibility – I might see more of her. I know Emma is being a pain in the ass at the moment but one of you has to maintain a relationship with her. Tina is a smart girl – she knows Emma is a law to herself – we have to keep supporting them while they work things out and we need to compensate for Emma having a big old stick up her butt. It might not work but it has to be better than losing contact with our daughters “