“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know.  Camping?  Hiking?”

Bette stared at him trying to figure out if he was serious.  He had to be joking, so she laughed.

“Okay, not those.  How about joining The Center or HRC and doing some activism work.”

“Think again.”

“Well, what do you like to do?”

Bette shrugged.  What was she supposed to tell her assistant?  *I’ve been taken in the bathroom of Milk, I fucked this totally strange woman’s brains out while she was reclined in the passenger’s seat of my Saab, I brought a woman back to the place I shared with Tina and let her go down on me for half an hour.  I actually went to Candace’s house and let her do what she wanted for several days.  I’ve been looking for something to excite me for months now and nothing works.  I don’t feel better, I don’t feel worse.  I just don’t feel.*

“Oh, I’ve got it.  Just remembered.  I’ll be right back.” James hurriedly left the room, leaving the sliding door open as he trotted down the hall.  Bette returned to the ***** News that she had opened on her desk.  There wasn’t one damn thing she was interested in doing, but there was a weekend club in the Valley that looked promising.  At least there would be different women there.

When James returned, he was holding a white sheet of paper.  “You’re on the UCLA Art and Architecture mailing list for lectures and exhibitions and there are a few good things coming up.”  He looked down at the paper and began reading.  “An installation of the female nude is going up in the sculpture garden on campus.  Twelve new pieces will be added to the permanent exhibit–that’s tonight.  There’s a series of lectures by four people who have been short-listed for a position in the Art department.  First one’s tomorrow night beginning at 6:00pm in Royce Hall, then one on Wednesday in Perloff, and the last two next Friday—one at 4 o’clock and one at 7:30, both at the Art school.” 

Bette’s ears perked up.  Whenever she had a case of the blues, even if those blues were chronic, she could count on the subject of art to lift her spirits.  “What’s tomorrow’s lecture?”