“Is that all? I can fix that.”

“But Alice said that it was really bad and….”

“Everything is so dramatic with you young people.” her mother said rolling her eyes at the desperation in Tina’s voice. “Nothing is ever as bad as it seems Tina. My god, do you ever listen to me?” she shook her head. Tina could only look down at her hands as her mother chided her like a school child. “Now I’m willing to help your little friend, if your willing to do something for me?”

Tina looked up and her mouth was fixed to say ’what’ before she thought about her answer, “How can I help you mother?”

“Well Richard has to make appearances all over the state for the next two weeks. It would benefit his campaign if we all appeared as a family. You’re the perfect image of what every girl should be so…” she saw Tina’s eyebrow shoot up and continued. “Their words not mine, but of course we can’t mention your little dalliances into the lesbian community. Just wouldn’t sit right with the voters.”

“So in order for you fix what you caused in the first place I have to go around with you guys and pass as Marcia Brady? The doting step-daughter?”

“Those are the terms, yes.”

Tina sat back and looked her mother’s smug small smile. The way in which she was quick to jump to someone’s rescue is suspect in itself. But now she was calm after her counteroffer and seemed confident Tina would agree.

“You did this on purpose.” her mother just gave a her lop-sided grin. “ You knew I was dream casting that’s why you didn’t bother to ask me, you needed me here for this campaign.” Tina looked at her mother who gave a small laugh and finally looked up to Tina. “You knew I’d come up here for you but…” Tina couldn’t even finish her thought she was mad at her mother. The manipulative things her mother would do to assure her happiness is unbelievable. She pushed the chair back and stood up. She began to pace the room slowly, weighing each option. Truth be told there was no option, if it helped Bette get better then she do it ten times over.

“Awww, come on Tina tell me her name and I’ll make it all better.” she said leaning back in her chair sniggering at her daughter’s obvious imposition.

Tina placed her hands on her hips and swallowed back everything that she wanted spew at her mother and said, “Elizabeth. E – Elizabeth Porter.”

Her mother put both feet on the ground and stood up abruptly, “As in Melvin and Phaedra’s Elizabeth Porter?”

“I don’t know.” Tina said with a questioning look stuck on her face at her mother’s sudden change of demeanor.

“Tell me Tina, does she have big brown eyes and on the top of her right hand she has a birth mark that looks like a set of wings?” Tina closed her eyes and pulled the memory of Bette helping her with her coat as she saw a the very birth mark her mother mentioned.

“Yea she does. But…”

“Fucking bitch!” her mother exclaimed and disappeared before Tina could finish her question.

“What the hell just happened here?” Tina asked herself.

　

TBC…………………………