“Oh my God, Tina! Did she say what I think she said? Bette exclaimed. “She said Ma”!

Tina smiled and nodded in agreement. ” I think so! I think she did”!

“I told you she was a genus”! Bette replied excitedly.

Bette reached out as Tina handed the baby to her and gave her a gigantic squeeze as she kissed those chunky little cheeks that she loved so much. She looked back at Tina with a beaming smile, so proud of their daughter. Tina’s eyes welled up with tears as she stepped close and put her arms around them both and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. They stood ther for a time, so much enjoying this tender moment.

Tina suddenly remembered the sauce cooking on the stove. “Oh, the sauce”! Tina turned back to the stove and gave the pot another stir. “It’s almost ready. I’ll get the pasta cooking. Why don’t you go get changed, I’ll finish dinner”.

“Okay, Mommy”, Bette said as she continued to beam with pride at their daughter. She gave Angelica a few more kisses and another big squeeze and put her back in the playpen. As she walked out of the kitchen, she turned and stuck her head around the door and said, “This would be a great time to break out that wine. We need to celebrate”!

“I think you’re right”, Tina smiled in agreement.

Walking into the bedroom, still smiling to herself, Bette felt happier in that moment than she had been in a long time.

Bette strolled back into the kitchen, Can I help”? she asked Tina.

“Yes, would you mind fixing us a salad”?

She looked down at Sweetness, still in her playpen and said, “Ma is going to fix us a salad”, in a happy singing voice. Tina laughed at Bette. “Mommy thinks Ma is funny”, she then said to Angelica.

Tina was at the stove waiting for the pasta to finish. “Shouldn’t be much longer”, she said.

Bette set the table, put the salads down and pulled out the bottle of wine. She took two wine glasses from the cabnet and poured each of them a glass. “Tina”, she said, “let’s make a toast to our baby girl’s first word”. Tina took the glass from Bette and they tapped them together, “Here’s to you, Sweetness and to this wounderful dinner Mommy made for us”, Bette said, with such pride in her voice. They both sipped from their glasses at the same time, then sat down to eat.