Tina Kennard and Helena Peabody dissolved their business partnership and the sale of Kennard/Peabody Film Production Company was finalized. The proceeds provided financial security for the Kennard-Porter household and allowed Tina to pursue her passion of working with underprivileged youth. In addition to being the Executive Director of the WEHO Youth & Family Center Tina also spearheaded a program that helps hearing impaired children with learning disabilities.

After almost five years as the Dean of the School of Arts for CU, Bette had lost some of her fervor for the job. She still had a strong reputation in the art world and had no trouble finding investors when she decided to open her own gallery.

After being served with the restraining order Jodi Lerner disappeared only to emerge three months later with a new installation at the Hammer Museum called “Core Values”. The piece was meant to defame Bette Porter but had the opposite effect. Bette received sympathy and support while Jodi was deemed to have an obsessive love disorder among other mental problems. Since Jodi Lerner had used the installation for her personal agenda she was sued for breach of contract by the museum. The Hammer immediately removed the damaging exhibit and made a public apology to Bette Porter and her family. Another breach of contract law-suit was pending against Jodi in New York City. Her reputation was ruined and she is rumored to have been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital by her older half-brother Tom Maner.

Six months after Bette and Tina got back together as lovers and life-partners they moved into a new home. They had successfully sold their previous two homes and purchased a 2 story, 5 bedroom house. Bette, Tina, Angelica and family dog Riley couldn’t be happier.

2 years later…

Forty-two year old Bette Porter was a stunningly beautiful woman, but all the attention she was receiving tonight had less to do with her beauty and more to do with her monumental achievement of securing “The Allyn Barnes Retrospective” for the A-PK Art Gallery in West Hollywood, CA.

As she walked around the gallery Bette Porter could not have been more pleased at the turnout. The attendance broke all records. Not only were the numbers impressive but the event also attracted the most influential and renowned patrons of the arts. The media was present in force, and everyone wanted a personal interview with the new darling of the art world. There was no doubt that this coup would guarantee success for West Hollywood’s newest art gallery owner.

Jodi turned her attention to Bette and they commenced to have their conversation in sign language.

Jodi: Will you please ask her to leave. We need to spend some time together. I know you are upset with me right now but we can fix this.

Bette: First of all Tina isn’t going anywhere unless she wants to. I’m not asking her to leave. She belongs here more so than you. By the way I know Tina is too much of a lady to bitch slap you and kick your ass but if you ever disrespect her like that again I’ll do it myself.

Jodi: Fine I don’t care if she stays. She doesn’t understand what we are saying anyway.

Bette: Jodi I have nothing to say to you. I don’t want to hear anything that you have to say to me. We’re over and done with. There is nothing to fix. I tried ending this amicably. We could have continued to work together but you elected to force my hand. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you. I don’t want to think about you ever again. You are no longer welcome in my home Jodi. If you show up here again I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and harassment. Now get the hell out of my house. I suggest you get on the next flight to New York or wherever the hell you’re going. I’m not putting up with any more of your shit. If it takes my filing legal action against you I will.

As Bette signs this Tina is thinking ‘the alpha Bette I know and love is emerging’. Jodi was unaware that Tina had learned sign language and was proficient enough to follow the entire conversation. She thought she had shut Tina out by just conversing in sign language and took it as a good sign when Bette did the same. She thought it meant she still had power over Bette. Little did she know Bette was also purposely signing to give Tina the upper hand. She had a feeling Tina was in full protective mode and would have something to say to this cretin.

Tina watched intently as they continue their conversation so she doesn’t miss anything. This final showdown with Jodi was actually a good thing for Bette. Standing up to Jodi on her own was giving Bette her confidence back, and having Tina’s silent presence in the room supporting her was all the reassurance she needed. She was finally rid of Jodi Lerner. She could now move on with her life. Jodi on the other hand acted as if she hadn’t “heard” a word Bette said.

Tina was always attractive but since the birth of her daughter her beauty has transcended mere attractiveness to radiance. Her confidence, style and sense of self-worth are epitomized in her unique swagger. When she walks into a room her smile alone can light it up. Like Bette she’s also demanding of herself to keep physically fit and does so by jogging and working out at the gym. Although her sculpted body is less defined than Bette’s with softer curves she gives Bette a run for her money in backless dresses or when she wears her suede vest shirtless. At the age of 38 Tina was smokin’ hot.

Career wise Tina and Helena’s Film Production Company was doing so well that they were considering several offers from mega-movie studios for a possible buy-out. Helena and Winnie had finally reconciled to where Helena now had joint custody of her two pre-teen children. She wanted to spend more time in New York to be closer to them. Tina was becoming a lot more invested in the WeHo Family and Youth Center so the timing was right to think about dissolving the business partnership but that did not interfere with their lifelong friendship. Helena and Peggy were both devoted to the Kennard-Porter family as god-mother and grandmother to Angelica.

In her personal life Tina wasn’t looking for lasting love or long-term commitment. What she needed was to work on opening her heart to fully trust again. Although she’d forgiven Bette the affair the betrayal of their forever love was the deepest cut. Though the scars were barely visible Tina’s heart had not completely healed yet. Most of the pieces had found their way back home but it was a repentant journey to get to a place where she could once again entrust someone else with her most cherished possession. She guarded her heart like she guarded her daughter. Never again would Tina be so careless as to even allow a crack much less heartbreak.

In the past two years while Bette was committed to Jodi Tina stayed single but never lacked for female companionship. Angie was the most important person in her life therefore she was selective about the women she dated and slow to bring any of them home to meet her family. Sam Makavejev was the closest that Tina has come to anything steady. They’d dated exclusively for over a year. Sam’s acceptance that Bette and Angie own Tina’s heart allowed her to happily share in their lives. Sam was a dark haired beauty of Yugoslavian decent. They met when she worked as the Director of Photography on several of Tina and Helena’s film projects. She was fun, carefree, and like Tina not looking for anything more than a good time but their relationship is bonded in a true friendship that they would seek even if it were platonic. What they have together works well for them and they are both happy with the status quo.

Earlier in the day Tom had gone to Jodi’s loft in Los Angeles to pack up her things in preparation for the move to New York. Upon entering her home he was surprised to find her sitting at the dining room table.

Tom signs to Jodi: “What are you doing here? I thought you had left for New York?”

Jodi signs back with a smirk on her face that is classic Jodi: “I changed my mind.”

Tom is Jodi’s older half-brother. He was nine years old when it was determined that Jodi’s hearing loss was permanent. The entire family assimilated themselves into her new world but Tom’s devotion to his five year old sister was un-paralleled. He vowed to always be by her side and has kept his word for thirty three years.

Jodi is fluent in sign language and lip reading. She is also verbal so she rarely needs him as an interpreter. Tom’s role as her constant companion is really more custodial. Like any big brother he looks out for his little sister and most of the time that means saving her from herself. Finding Jodi in the apartment when she should have been on a plane to New York was a foreboding that they were entering into one of her dark periods.

Raised by overindulgent parents Tom and Jodi were nurtured in an environment where they did not have any limitations imposed on them. They were confident precocious children who were held in high regard. This narcissistic upbringing may have served to propel achievement beyond expectation; however it may have also retarded their development of social skills and acceptable social behavior. This was especially true of Jodi.

Tom sat across from the 38 year old egomaniacal eccentric and wondered what was going on in her head. He couldn’t help but think back to a time four years ago when Jodi was in a relationship with Brittany. Brittany was a graduate student at Columbia University where Jodi had been a professor. Brittany ended the relationship because she wanted monogamy and Jodi refused to curtail her incessant cheating. Jodi didn’t take rejection well and Tom had to intervene when her vengeful actions against Brittany had spiraled out of control. Now Bette Porter was the object of her adoration and she too had rejected Jodi. He could only imagine the severity of the repercussions this time since the breakup also ended her prestige position at one of the top rated art colleges.

***

Jodi didn’t have any discipline in her work or in her life. She was free-spirited, uninhibited, impulsive, and unsophisticated. She was insensitive and given to bouts of anger, outburst, and rage. Tom for the most part could rein her in when it got to be too self-destructive, however what concerned him now was the increase and intensity of her erratic behaviors. She always had a proclivity for controlling behavior in her relationships. For the most part it was subtle. Before Brittany she had never dated anyone long enough to see the affect. It was different with Bette Porter. He literally watched as Jodi’s emotional and verbal abuse diminished her girlfriend to a mere shadow of the woman he had met two years earlier.

Due to the nature of her work Jodi traveled extensively and had never settled down long enough in any one place to really build a life. It was rare that she ever took a job that lasted longer than a few months. Her sex life was reflective of her nomadic life-style. So when Jodi met the Dean of the School of Arts at California University two years ago Tom had never imagined she’d settle down to a long-term, committed relationship with the mother of a four year old child.

Jodi didn’t do long-term, she didn’t do monogamy, and she definitely didn’t do children. Bette Porter was stunningly beautiful and in Jodi’s words she was “wicked hot” but there was something else about her that captured Jodi’s interest. Bette was so obviously out of her league that she was captivated with the idea of owning Bette Porter’s heart, body, soul and mind just to see if she could destroy her.

Once Bette agreed to date her she systematically went about stripping her of power and control in every aspect of the relationship. She’d thought she’d accomplished her purpose but she’d underestimated Bette Porter. Jodi Lerner would recover professionally but the personal loss was more than she could tolerate. She had stayed in Los Angeles to get her revenge. She wasn’t ready to let Bette go … but if she had to then it would be on her terms.

At age 40 Bette is even more stunningly beautiful than she was when she and Tina met 14 years earlier. Her eyes were still her most alluring feature. One could drown in their depths whenever she focused her attention on them. She’d never again abused her body as she did after the breakup. If anything she was fastidious about maintaining a regular exercise regimen that included swimming, running, and cycling. Her dedication to the task was evident by her awe inspiring sculpted back, toned legs and rock hard abs but by no means was she masculine. Additionally, having to care for Angelica inspired her to learn how to cook nutritional meals which also helped in keeping her healthy and fit. Her mental and emotional well-being however remained fragile and continued to be somewhat of a concern.

As the Dean of the School of Arts at CU for the past four years Bette still enjoyed her job but she hasn’t found the same passion she experienced when she was directly involved in the art world. Art is her life blood and lately she’s been thinking about making a career change. It was always a dream of hers to own a gallery but she took the more secure financial route by becoming the Director of the CAC. Now that she’s more established and has a solid reputation and connections in the art community she’s considering a go at making a living doing what she loves best. She was still frequently sought out by influential and renowned patrons of the arts for her expertise and had no doubts of her success should she venture out as an independent art consultant and gallery owner.

As assured as Bette was in her professional accomplishments the opposite could be said of her personal life. Bette had shied away from commitment but now as she’s approaching middle age she wants more than casual relationships. She’s still hopeful that she will find lasting love and someone to grow old with. She’d always thought that ‘that someone’ would be Tina Kennard and in a way it was but fate had changed their destiny as life-long partners and lovers to platonic friendship and co-parents of their six year old daughter when it put Candace Jewel in her path and led her off course into an illicit affair. Unbeknownst to Bette fate was about to intervene once again; but this time to get her back on course even though it took a circuitous route.