Why didn’t she stop for that woman? Why hadn’t she done anything? Why was it bothering her so much? She guessed it was seeing a woman and her young daughter that had made the impression. In different – very different – circumstances, that might have been Bette and Angelica standing out there. Bette was still brooding when Tina poked her head into the dining room.

“Bette?”

“Hm?”

“What are you thinking about? I had to call you three times.”

“Sorry,” Bette murmured, her reverie broken. “I was in my own little world, I guess.” She stood up from the table and gave Tina a quick kiss. “How was your day?”

“Fine. How was yours?”

“Okay. I burnt the chicken, but I went and got another one.”

Tina rolled her eyes and smiled. “It’s alright. Is everything else ready? I’m starving.”

“Yes.”

“Great, I’m going to go wash up and get out of this suit. When I come back down, we can eat.” Tina turned to leave, then turned back and gave Bette a curious look. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Bette forced a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine, T. I’ll set everything out. Tell Angie to get washed up, too.”

“Alright.”

Bette went back into the kitchen and got everything on serving dishes, making trip after trip into the dining room. As she set out the food for her family, she wondered about the woman she had seen. Had she gotten enough money to eat tonight? Where were she and her daughter going to sleep? It was so cold… the streets weren’t safe for a woman and a small daughter. The city’s shelters weren’t much better, either.

As the family sat down to eat, Bette tried to set aside the worrying thoughts. The woman would figure it out. Someone would take pity on her and help.

That someone should have been me, she thought. The guilt she felt was her companion all throughout dinner, despite her best efforts to shake it off. She had tuned out Tina and Angelica’s voices, and was lost in her own thoughts, until she realized that Angelica and Tina were both looking at her, as if awaiting a response.