“It takes me calling you on my daughter’s phone after two weeks of you not speaking a word to me for you to answer?”  

“I-I clearly don’t have anything more to say to you, Tina.”

“You never listened to my side of the story.”

“There was no point. Both Bette and you are to blame, you play these little games with people and expect us to sit and watch.”

“Excuse me? I have been nothing more than faithful to you.”

“So I’m assuming Angie told you we have been talking.”

“No actually she didn’t. I found out when she told Bette.”

“And Bette had to go running to you?”

“I am her mother and so is Bette, of course she would tell me.”

“I told her not to tell you.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Because I knew our talks would come to an end if she did.”

“You think I’m that big of an asshole? I would keep you guys from talking?”

“When Bette is involved, yeah, yeah I do.”

“We make decisions to protect our daughter, together.”

“Protect her? From me? You feel you have to protect her from me?”

“You know Carrie, I have been defending you to Bette. I told her that you guys talking behind our backs shouldn’t be such a big problem. But what fucking pisses me off is that you told her not to mention it to anyone. And you told her; her own mother was controlling.”

“I’m not going to lie to the girl.”

“She’s still just a child, Carrie.”

“She’s a lot more grown than you think she is.”

“But at the end of the day she is still a child.” I exclaim. “Do you hate me so much you have some kind of vengeance towards me and you’re getting your way through Angie?”

I hear no response from the other line. I wait and listen for even the slightest breath but I hear nothing. Suddenly I hear the dial tone. She hung up on me.

I roll my eyes to myself before I remember to delete the call from Angie’s phone. 

____

Bette

My eyes slowly peel open and I come to senses with my surroundings. I lay there in my bed staring at the ceiling before I turned over and looked at the empty spot beside me. So cold. So lonely. I smile thinking of Tina. All those times I took for granted waking up next to her. My hand reaches out and I caress the sheets. If only she were here. To feel the heat from her body. To feel her beautiful soft skin.