Fan Fiction
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Chapters 3-4
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(Bette smiles at her) Me too.
Conversation continues and Bette is thrilled again with how well things are going, and how at ease they both remain with each other. She feels though that the past needs to be addressed, even though that risks derailing their so far very successful evening. She takes a large gulp of wine before proceeding.
(Bette) I think if we’re going to move forward in any way, as professional acquaintances, friends, I think there’s some history we need to discuss.
(Tina) Well, I don’t agree, but I’ll humour you. What is it you want to talk about?
(Bette) My leaving you
Tina sighs and takes a sip of her wine
(Tina) OK. You chose your career over us, Bette. It’s fine. I was devastated at the time, obviously, but I came to terms with that a long time ago
(Bette) My career had stalled here, I couldn’t see a way out. California offered a clear path through the DAs office. And your career was obviously by then flourishing. I suspect you would have done the same in my position.
(Tina) Probably
Bette looks at her for a moment.
(Bette) Wow you’ve never admitted that before
(Tina shrugs) I could have gone with you. It would have been hard to basically start again, but I was young, I think I could have found success in California also. But I wasn’t prepared to risk it. I placed all the blame on you at the time, but really I chose my career over us also.
(Bette) Do you regret it?
(Tina) I think it’s pointless to reflect on. We were both so ambitious. The only way to remain together was for one of us to sacrifice that ambition for the relationship, and I think if we had done that there would have been so much resentment that it never would have worked out anyway.
(Bette) So what about now then? We have our careers, and all of our success, and now we find ourselves older and wiser, and living in the same city.
(Tina smiles) Let’s just have dinner Bette
Bette looks at her carefully.
(Bette) OK
They finish their wines, and decide to walk the several blocks to their apartments. As they walk the familiar streets where all their years together took place they get lost in discussing old favourite eateries and bars, bands they would see, friends they’ve lost contact with along the way. At some point during the walk Tina gets caught up in the nostalgia and decides to stop second guessing herself. She slips her hand into Bette’s, and they walk the rest of the way with their fingers entwined, as they have so many times before. When they arrive at Tina’s apartment block they smile at one another and both step towards each other to get lost in a kiss full of memory.
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Interesting dilemma. Would need to wise, experienced women of integrity to pull it off and have privacy free from the poparazzi meddling and haters.
Relationship wise, our ladies would have to set UNcrossible boundaries when it comes to avoiding even the hint of impropriety. So far,they are talking about the likely landmines.
Thing is tho, they are not gonna like hearing or seeing peeps hit on their soulmate while having to adhere to a”no strings attached” platonic ‘ship.
There is an example of a US Senator married to a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist: Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Connie Shultz of Creators Syndicate. Married in 2004 and Brown won his senate seat in 2006. Shultz did resign the newspaper she wrote for during her husband’s Senate campaign. Shultz can be a columnist, just not represent that she is independent with respect to her reporting to her husband or any of his political endeavors. For she obviously is not. With respect to Bette and Tina? My recommendation for both is full disclosure to the public – if they are going to see each other, they see each other and make a simple announcement. “Because of our personal relationship, Senator Bette Porter and Columnist Tina Kinnard are no longer independent with respect to each other.” It is the secret connection which is unethical…. once made public, then the consumers of their work can make their own judgements with full knowledge of the situation. Tina would have to work out her own employment issues. If she is as good as she appears, well then some other news organization would scoop her up in a moment if the current one did not like the situation. And Bette is subject to the approval of her constituents but only every 6 years.
Fantastic story by the way….. crisp, unique and very adult. Both are equally human….
I wondered if there might be an example! Thanks for the info and taking the time to comment :)
I guess in terms of Bette and Tina’s situation here I imagined since Tina is so senior at the NYT that her impartiality being compromised as editor would call into question the paper generally, as she’s responsible for the editorial decisions. I imagine even if she left the paper (which she’d probably be reluctant to do so early in her reconnection with Bette) the same issue would arise elsewhere due to her seniority. But that’s very interesting to know how it has been handled in the real world!!
Thanks so much for reading and for your nice comments!
Excellent example of a fine power couple. Love Connie & Sherrod!!!
Yes full disclosure, hopefully b4 media has a chance to “out” them