Bette smirked before continuing with the explanation for her bad behavior.  “I’m just going out.  I don’t want a lover.  I fucked up with Tina and I regret it.”

“You have a strange way of punishing yourself, Bette.”

“It wouldn’t be so complicated if she’d just talk to me, but what am I supposed to do?”

“Maybe not go out with everyone you see at Milk–right in front of Tina, I might add.  Are you trying to make her jealous?”

“No.”  Bette stared off past the metal and bronze sculptures.  “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“That’s a bad idea, girlfriend.  You saw her reaction to finding out about you and the carpenter.”

“Candace.”

“Yeah.”  Alice really felt for Tina.  She refused to say the carpenter’s name.  “What you’re doing now just makes it all a whole lot worse.”

“I don’t want it to be.  I want to make it right.  I don’t know how.  I don’t know what I need to do to make this right.  If she’d just talk to me.”

“Bette,” Alice started, pulling her to face her.  “Tina is dating.  She’s going out every week.  You’ve just been too busy to notice.”

Bette was stunned.  “What?  She’s dating?  Who?”

“Different people, nothing serious”

“People?  Men or women?”

Alice glared at her.

“She’s moved on?  She won’t talk to me.  She won’t see me and now you tell me she’s…*****!”

“So Bette, that’s what you think it means, huh?  What do you think Tina thinks when she hears about you, when she sees you?  You know you’re not givin’ her props when you do ***** like that.”

Bette didn’t have an answer for her.  She knew that her recent behavior was misguided at best, but she wanted to feel good.  Life without Tina made her feel dreadful.  This uncomplicated ***** she’d been having wasn’t producing the results she hoped.  It didn’t make her feel good, but it did help her forget.  “So Tina’s not really dating?”

“No,” Alice said shaking her head at both Bette’s stupidity and self-centeredness.  Alice allowed Bette the time to mull over what she had said.  She walked quietly beside her, looking at the art and people watching.  Several sculptures later, Alice blurted out loudly, “Good God!  Do you think the model had some work done or what?  Granted, it’s just a representation, but even under bronze and patina you can tell that silicone was involved.”