“Zodiac says the time is right for a 70′s love groove, 70′s kind of love.” Bette sang to herself as she was fixing breakfast. She was startled by Shane standing in the doorway watching her cook and dance to the music playing in her head.


“70′s ohh ***** ….. Shane you scared me.”


“I’m sorry miss Jackson. But there was food cooking and I am a hungry girl.” Shane said with the biggest devilish smile on her face.


“Huh, what?” Bette asked but somehow she knew what she meant.


“70′s Love Groove is good, but, Love Scene and Would You Mind are great.” Shane said smiling while taking a seat and hiding her grin behind her coffee.


“Ohh….. ok you can’t say a thing to Tina she thinks we had our privacy last night. Oh my god, does Carmen know?”


“Aww relax Bette, Carmen could sleep through a earthquake. Which is what it sounded like last night.”


“Oh my god you heard everything?”


“No just the tail end of it when I went to the bathroom. Well now you must be tired. Or you must be one of the ones who get energized from *****.”


“I am not.”


“Oh yeah, what time did you get up?”


Bette scoffed and said ” 5:30.”


“And what have you done so far?”


“The laundry,…the living room…and just the bathroom.”


“And what’s for breakfast?”


Bette sighed and smiled saying ” Chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, toast, and bacon with coffee and orange juice.”


“My point exactly.”


“Hey baby.” Tina said walking into the kitchen and kissing Bette. ” Hey Shane.”


“Mornin’ Tina.” Shane said smiling at Bette who looked a little mortified by the sudden appearance of Tina.


“What’s your point?” Tina asked as she sat down at the table with her plate.


“Huh, oh that Bette here is definitely, a morning person.” seeing Carmen come into the kitchen Shane said ” Mornin’ baby.”


Tina leaned over and whispered into Bette’s ear ” If she only knew how much of night person you really are.” Bette quickly stood up and smiled at Tina as she turned to fix Carmen a plate. Bette whispered to her self ” Oh she knows.”


……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..



“Come on now woman, Shane ain’t gon kidnap the girl.” Carmen yelled from the car to Bette.


“Ok baby we’ll be home bout 7:30ish. Ok . Oh and Shane has a surprise for you.” Bette said smiling and turning away towards the car. She stopped turned back around and said ” I forgot something.” She smiled grabbed Tina and kissed her gently, several times. She sighed and turned saying “It’s gonna be a long day.” With that she hopped in the car with Carmen, still smiling at Tina.


“Ok well miss Tina, Bette wanted me to teach you to drive her baby, “The Phoenix” are you ready?”


“Whoa Bette wanted me to learn how to drive her Firebird? Are you serious?”


“Yes she wants you to be able to get around while she’s away in Cuba. And she doesn’t want you stuck in the house while she’s at work.”


“But I don’t have my license yet?”


“Don’t worry I won’t arrest you. Besides this is Georgia, we got young ones driving at 14, so you’ll fit right in.” Shane said smiling and reassuring Tina while tossing her the keys.


“Thank god it’s not a stick.” Tina said smiling and getting comfortable in Bette’s car.


……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


“Ok I want the 2nd through 8th floor rooms done by 6:00 tonight. We’re only doing the electrical today. So I want 20 amps in the bathrooms and kitchens and 15 amps in the bedrooms. We’ve got the Romex and pullers comin’ in bout 20 minutes in the meantime I want you guys to start getting set up. Electrical team on channel 4 today. Alright, let’s get to it.”


“Oh, Bette I need you to fill out your teams finance reports.” Carmen said grabbing Bette before she ran off to start her day.


“Ok guys I’ll be in the office for a little while, but I’ll be on channel 4, oh and Jeff and I will deal with the stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer hookups.” Bette said before tuning to head towards the office with Carmen.


“Well now miss Porter, you certainly are a live one this mornin’.”


“The faster this day goes by, the sooner I can get home.”Bette said smiling while making her way to Carmen’s desk.


“Hey Bette you wanted us to start on the 2nd floor, right?”


“Only if at the end of our shift you guys wanna be pullin wires up to the eighth floor.” Bette said sarcastically.


“Alright, gotcha.”


“Hey what was the surprise you got Shane to set up for Tina today?”


Smiling behind her coffee Bette said ” I got Shane to teach her how to drive my car today.”


“What ? Are serious? You’re letting someone, who isn’t you, drive your precious “Phoenix”, are you insane?”


“Nope, just in love.” she said smiling and heading back outside to work. She closed the door leaving behind a shocked Carmen with an open jaw.


……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


“Ok Tina now that you’ve learned how to let go of the brake, where do you wanna go?”


“I don’t know, do you mind if I just drive around for little while?”


“No, it’s cool with me, whatever you wanna do.” with that being said Tina just drove until she ended up at the one place she knew best, Gloria’s river. Tina parked the car and asked Shane if she wouldn’t mind walking with her. Shane and Tina walked along the embankment of the river discussing everything that found its way to their minds.


“So tell me about the Bette that you know?” Tina said with eyes all lit with happiness.


“Well, she is definitely a person who puts family ahead of anything else. When Carmen’s mother was sick she was the only person Carmen told me she could cry to. As you already know their family is very proud and image oriented, ya know? Bette is really the heart of them all. She’s Carmen’s sister, she’s Melvin’s center lately, she’s a mother to Jesse, and she is her mother to her family in Cuba. She really is everything to everybody.” Shane said looking into Tina’s eyes, seeing a real understanding rarely found by true friends.


“Wow. I didn’t know she was so much to so many people.”


“Yea ya know that’s what also sad to.”


“Sad?”


“She’s so many things to so many people and they all take what she gives to them only they don’t know how much she needs it back. So many people take without actually seeing her, ya know?”


“God I think I’m becoming one of those people?”


“How so?”


“Well the thing with my mother, ya know? Bette has really been the pillar that I need to hold me steady. She’s done all this without question or fear of the outcome. She’s really amazing. Like before we moved in with Carmen and I found out about my family, that’s when she took hold of me and really found me, despite the darkness I was trying to fall into. Ya know?”


“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”


“Oh no I don’t mind. My mother told me I was the product of rape. And that my father wasn’t my father at all. She basically told me that she’s hated me since I was born. I never felt so lost or alone in the world, that’s when Bette found me.” Tina said smiling through her tears to look up at Shane.


“Aww man I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring up hard ***** for ya.”

“No it’s ok because it brings back to the one real thing I’ve this summer,… Bette.”


“I know how ***** can be with your mother I went through it with mine, well not like your *****, but that same feeling of rejection from someone who’s an extension of you. It’s hard but you’ll get through it, and I know that you’ll be fine.” Tina was surprised by the statement Shane made because she always seemed to be a stoic person to her. ” and you’re really not becoming one of family members like that. You make her to happy.”


“You think so?” Tina asked glowing from all angles.


“***** yea, I’ve never seen her so…beaming. It’s like you’ve found a Bette that might’ve been lost.” Tina and Shane continued to walk and talk for a while until they decided to go home and surprise their young lovers. Tina and Shane decided to cook for Bette and Carmen they’re favorite meals.


……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


“Welcome ladies when you’re ready we’ll be waiting for you in the dining area.” Shane said playfully opening the door for Bette and Carmen. Tina was in the kitchen putting the final touches on their meal. Both Carmen and Bette raced to the bathrooms to shower and enjoy the rest of their surprises. Bete and Carmen came out of the shower practically at the same time. They walked in the kitchen and saw that the table was set for two people.


“Miss Porter your party is waiting for you on the sun porch.” Shane said smiling at her.


“Well thank you.” Bette said as she made her way outside to find Tina. She walked out onto to the porch and found Tina lighting the candles on their dinner table. Tina looked up, found Bette’s eyes and smiled at her.


“Good evening, baby.”


“Good evening, sweetie,” she kisses Bette “how was your day?”


“It’s all better now.” she said as she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Tina. Tina was going around the table making everything perfect and neat when Bette grabbed her wrist spun her around, kissed her and said, “I love you.”





TBC………………………………………………………………………………………………..