“Hey..,um..hi Bette…its me, can we meet? I really want to talk with you. Please Bette, I understand how it must have looked to you in the morning. Please let me explain. I need to. I will be waiting for your call. Bye”

Bette was so taken aback on hearing Tina’s voice over the phone that she pressed hard on the brakes. The vehicle came to a sudden stop inviting screeches of tires, loud horns and curses from the other car drivers behind.

“Shit !!” Bette hissed.

She started the car again and drove into the traffic while thinking about Tina’s phone message.

“Hey Bette, its me again. Where are you? Its nearing my flight time and I don’t want to go like this without talking with you. Please talk to me. Baby… Call me back. Its driving me crazy not being able to talk with you. Please babe. Please hear me out before you drive up to any conclusions. Its not what it looked like. Baby….i am waiting for your call.”

There was something in the way Tina had said it over the phone that tugged at Bette’s heart. There was longing, concern and… and there was love in her voice. Was it possible Bette wondered.

“You still love her. You are still in love with her dammit !” She heard herself say. “and you can’t stand seeing her hurting and in pain.”

“Fuck !”

Suddenly Bette found herself turning around into an alley and driving off in the direction of rush hour traffic.

“Come on you moron !! Give way this is not a park for Godsake !!!” she cursed at the taxi driver who was driving lazily along the road not really looking for passengers.

“Move people !!!” Bette wondered why it is that when you are in a hurry that you get held up in traffic or encounter stupid people who have nothing better to do than roam around aimlessly on the road.

~~~~~~~~

“All passengers of American Airlines flight 529 to Los Angeles are now requested to come to the check-in counters please”

Tina looked up from her laptop. She collected her bags and got up to walk towards the check-in counter. After walking a few steps she turned and looked around. Her eyes expectantly searched through the crowd of people at the terminal. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. She was disappointed and she had to except, was hurt too at what she didn’t find. But why had she turned around? What had made her do so? What was she looking for? What was she hoping to find? She sighed again and resumed walking towards the gates.

~~~~~~~

She hurriedly parked the car and jumped out of the door. She ran towards the entrance like a mad woman not really caring what people might think about her.

‘Please let me make it God…please.’

“This is the last call to board for the passengers of AA flight 529 to Los Angeles.”

“Shit!!”

Bette reached the counter out of breath.

“Excuse me, can you please let me know if the American Airlines flight to Los Angeles has taken off yet?”

“Yes, the plane is moving towards the runway now.”

“Ohhhh……”

“Are you okay?” The attendant asked when she saw Bette’s pale expression.

“hmm? yeah….” She said wiping at the tears that welled up in her eyes.

Bette turned and walked on with a heavy heart once again that day.

The buzz of her phone brought her out of her trance.

“Lets just get this over with. Jesus, can’t I even get one fucking break just this once?” She flipped the phone open without giving much thought to it. She was just too exhausted for that.

“Hello……”

tbc?