Fan Fiction
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Eternal Flames—Chapter 7
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She just hoped it would be a happy one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tina stared at her phone for the third time in ten minutes, Bette’s number glowing on the screen. It was 6:30 PM on a Thursday, which meant it was a reasonable time to call. Carson was at the kitchen table doing homework, occasionally glancing over with expectant eyes. She’d promised him they would call today, and Carson had an excellent memory for promises.
“Are you going to call her or just keep staring at the phone?” Carson asked without looking up from his math worksheet.
“I’m working up the courage.”
“Mom, it’s Bette. She loves us.”
If only it were that simple. Tina took a deep breath and hit the call button before she could change her mind again. The phone rang once, twice, three times. Maybe Bette was in court, or with a client, or—
“Tina?” Bette’s voice was surprised, maybe even slightly alarmed. “Is everything okay? Is Carson all right?”
The immediate concern in her voice made Tina’s chest tighten with affection. Even after everything, Bette’s first thought was their wellbeing.
“We’re fine,” Tina said quickly. “Better than fine, actually. Bette, I’m… we’re in the city.”
There was a long pause. “What city?”
“New York. We’re in New York.”
The silence that followed was so complete that Tina wondered if the call had dropped. “Bette? Are you there?”
“I’m here.” Bette’s voice was carefully controlled, giving nothing away. “What do you mean you’re in New York?”
“I mean Carson and I moved here. We’re living here now. In Manhattan.”
“You moved to New York.” It wasn’t a question, more like Bette was trying to process the information. “When?”
“Two days ago. We flew in Tuesday afternoon.”
Another pause. “And you didn’t think to mention this before you got on a plane?”
Tina could hear the edge in Bette’s voice now, something between shock and what might have been anger. “I wanted to tell you, but I also wanted to make sure we were really doing it. That it wasn’t just another impulsive decision.”
“Moving across the country seems pretty impulsive.”
“It’s not impulsive. It’s planned. I got a job at New York Presbyterian, Carson’s enrolled at P.S. 290, we have an apartment. This isn’t some crazy gesture, Bette. This is us building a life.”
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Yesterday I saw your latest post and mis-read it as “17” not “7”. So, I was looking forward to a week-end of a fresh story. Then in no time I was rudely awaken to the “7”, not “17”.
Your story is a new slice of Tina & Betta. And, I’m loving it! I’m just wanting more and more!!! Thanks! Keep writing!
Bette said yes to coffee, it’s progress.
“Maybe eight-year-olds knew something about love that adults forgot.
Maybe sometimes, it really was as simple as being brave enough to try.”
Those two lines are so true.
This is one very much, well-written story. It’s not easy to create good, believable dialogues, and you do it amazingly.