After Kit drove away, they put away the dishes, cleaned up after dinner and Tina grabbed another letter from the top.

“My dearest Tina, my last letter was probably too long and too boring since all I did was complaining about my feelings and trying to explain my current emotions. I hope you were patient enough to read all the never-ending things I had to say to you. It was so overwhelming in the beginning that I felt compelled to tell you how it makes me feel to be so far away from you due to my own foolish doing. Neither time nor distance will ever diminish my love and soon, I hope, there will be no time and no distance between us.

Today I felt less depressed but still worried that our separation will put a strain on your feeling for me, that you will get tired waiting and move on. Just a thought of this possibility hurts me so much I want to cry.”

Tina couldn’t help the tears. Reading those words, seeing familiar handwriting was overwhelming. She felt like Bette’s spirit just entered the room and filled it with life and hope. Alice was unusually quite as Tina read the next letter, her eyes following the words on the paper.

Tina finished reading and glanced at her friend. Alice shivered visibly and looked around the room. “Tee, do you feel it? It’s like Bette is here. It’s so eerie.”

“Oh my God, you feel it too?” Tina put the letter down on the table and touched her chest. “My heart is beating so wildly, it’s almost hard to breathe.”

“Let’s take a break. Letters won’t go anywhere and I need a drink. This is just too freaky and surreal.”

While Tina got up to open another bottle of Viognier from the local winery they discovered on one of the scouting trips for the documentary, Alice carefully turned the letter over too look at Bette’s signature. “Oh, Tina. This is so exciting. You know, we can use it in your next documentary series. I see Oscar nomination, I see awards and Galas…”

“Al, before you start dreaming big again remember, this is personal. No one can know about this.”

“Of course,” Alice put the letter back in the envelope. “I would never do anything to jeopardize Bette’s return of her life.” She paused and grinned, “But as a writer, I just see so much potential in this.”