She went back to Angie’s room, and fulfilled her daughter’s artistic demands, drawing first a pink bunny with floppy ears, a gray elephant, a green turtle, and an orange kitty at Angelica’s behest.  Tina turned the art session into a lesson of sorts, labelling each picture and quizzing Angie on the characteristics of each animal. She was beginning to enjoy herself, feeling proud of the way Angelica’s mind quickly absorbed and retained information, when Bette appeared in the doorway.

“There you are,” Tina said, no trace left of her earlier annoyance remaining.  “Where have you been?”

Bette shuffled in wearily and sat down next to Tina on the floor, looking a bit incongruous in her work attire, sitting with her legs crossed in front of Angie’s child-sized “art table”.

“It was the worst day ever.  Then my phone died on the way home, so I couldn’t call.  Sorry.  I guess I forgot to recharge it.  Did you try to call me?”

Tina nodded, slightly chagrined. “I did. It’s okay, though. We haven’t been home long.”

Angelica wandered across the table, wedging her small body in the space between her mommies. She liked being in the middle of them and started to protest as Tina struggled to her feet.

“Could you watch her, babe?  I know you’re tired, but I’m beat.  I’ve just got to lie down for awhile.  You two eat without me,” Tina said apologetically, without waiting for a response from Bette.  She blew a kiss in their general direction and ran for the safety of the master bedroom, closing the door and exhaling a sigh of relief.  Alone at last.  She would make it up to Bette tomorrow, somehow.  Or maybe tonight, if Bette is in the mood, she thought with a smile.

She pulled on her silk pyjamas and climbed into bed, asleep almost the moment her head hit the pillow.  She didn’t wake the rest of the night, even when Bette dared to call her name a few times in the hopes of possibly waking her under the pretext of “seeing if she was awake”.  As Tina slept on, dreaming and totally at peace, she had no way of knowing that Bette lay awake starring into the dark for awhile before drifting into a less satisfying rest.