Bette was happy. Things were going well. Better than well…fucking splendid. It was a weird thought to think, happiness coming without any badness attached. It had been a very long time since Bette felt mostly happiness and no sadness. She had her job and, though very stressful, it was coming along nicely. Her supervisor could sense Bette’s growing ambitions, and often gave her demanding tasks to oversee, make her toughen up and able to deal with the precarious Art World. Friends-wise, she was beginning to open up more, though that department always took a back-seat in her life. In the beginning weeks of the new month however, Bette noticed she had lunch sometimes in the lunch room…having a conversation with a bright eager young assistant curator, or having a smoke outside with one of the senior directors. Bette felt that she no longer had as big an urge to keep to herself. Of course these changes were largely attributed to Tina. That woman brought out the best in her. They were now living together too, in Tina’s house. Though Bette had a longer commute to work, and extra stress of renting out her apartment..it was all worth it. Worth it to wake up and look over and see her T sound asleep. Sometimes Bette woke up in the middle of the night, in a  sort of panic..the sheets were tight around her legs…feelings of tightness in her chest. Bette would lift her head, her eyes adjusting to the darkness..sometimes it would be raining outside and the pitter-patter deepened the gloom. For a brief second Bette thought there was nothing left. That she had lost everything. Only upon seeing Tina did her heart slow down, and she would fall asleep on her side playing with T’s hair..looking at the shape of her pale shoulder. In the mornings either Bette or Tina would make breakfast, but more often both would fend for themselves. Bette would shower fast, wash her face, brush..dress…gobble down a cereal and put her lunch of salad in her bag. Then brushing her teeth she would kiss her love goodbye and drive off to work.

They got use to the routine of being around each other constantly. Sex was most definitely easier,…frantic at first..soon over the weeks it slowed to satisfactorily four or three times a week..to quench their thirst for each others bodies. But if they brought the best out of each other they also brought out the worst. Fights, when it did happen..were short-lived but vicious. Tina with her passivity enraged Bette when she needed to make a point..Tina reacted angrily at Bette’s disregard for little things, like taking out the garbage or doing the dishes at least once a week. However after getting red in the face and eyeing each other like pit bulls, one or the other would start to grin…but they mostly got along after an hour of cooling down. Jealousy was a curse too. One evening they were at a cocktail party an art opening and Tina was at the table getting caviar when she turned around and saw Bette talking to her colleague, another curator. Bette had her hand on her arm, she was laughing with her head thrown back. The curator, a young man in his twenties, was obviously smitten. Tina had felt her blood boil…she was load on champagne too. On the way home she refused to talk to Bette, Bette was too drunk to ask why not. They took a cab home and while Bette was paying the cabbie Tina stormed into the house and quickly went to bed…Bette passed out on the couch, too lethargic to make it to the bedroom. In the morning she would wonder why she was on the couch. They never talked about it. Tina never mentioned it, though for a couple days she gave Bette devil-looks. Bette thought it was because she was working so hard so she tried to spend more time with her. It blew over eventually.

            This morning now, Bette drove to her favorite coffee shop. she was running a little late and Tina had already left for an early meeting. She was wearing her couture suit, she had a meeting herself at noon and she wanted to prepare and review profiles beforehand. she stood in line…then ordered a raspberry scone, a triple espresso and a the local newspaper. She stood by the side counter, looking at the front page and holding onto her wrapped scone. When they called out her coffee she took it, turned around, and was stopped dead in her tracks.

            Paxton. Disheveled. Unshaven. Looking horribly down on his look. At first her heartstrings were pulled, then they hardened. She had moved on, why was he here…looking at her? Waiting for her?  “Bette? Can I please talk to you here, at this table…it won’t take a minute”  Bette sighed, looked at her watch then nodded. She was curious and concerned. “Paxton, what is wrong with you, you look terrible” Paxton hung his head then reached over and took a bite out of her scone…Bette ignored that and asked once again..”I have a meeting and I have stuff to do at work Pax” He nodded, then said..”I lost my job, they laid off 40 percent of the people, I broke up with my girlfriend…she moved back to New York for business.”  Bette cocked her head, rubbed his shoulder…”Pax I’m so sorry, so sorry”  He nodded then took hold of her hands and looked deeply in her eyes…”Bette I’ve been thinking, I was foolish to divorce you…your the only woman who really knows me, understands me…and i-i guess I understand why you had an affair..i wasn’t being receptive or ‘there’ for you…Bette, I want to be with you again. I want to make it work”

TBC