“You have to stop thinking that there were paparazzi like there are today.”

“I don’t think I’m assuming anything wrong here.”

“The paparazzi back in their day were low life animals, not the handsomely paid photographical journalist of today. They were the underbelly of Hollywood, they paid off bellboys, waitresses, and doormen. They prayed for a concierge with a gambling problem, that is how they got their information. There weren’t any reality television shows, there was no such thing as unfettered access to your favorite celebrity.”

“Yeah, but the photos of your parents are…”

“Manufactured. This,” Tina held up her hand as a scale, “Is Kristof kissing his young starlet. This,” she moved her hand closer to Bette’s face. “Is Kristof dancing with his new bride. This is Teresa gazing lovingly into Kristof’s eyes. This is Teresa stroking Kristof’s head as he so gingerly kisses her baby bump.” Tina’s hand was practically touching Bette’s face by now as she continued on she held up her other hand moving it further back and away from Bette. “This is not Kristof twisting his wife’s arm out of the socket. This is not Kristof pulling his wife’s hair so hard she has bruises on her scalp. This is not Teresa breaking her husband’s nose to the point where he had to have reconstructive surgery. This is not Teresa stabbing her husband. What the people wanted they got. What the people wanted was a young couple in love that were crazy about each other.”

“This was a regular occurrence.” Bette said out loud and still shook herself with the revelation.

“I now realize that I’ve been holding my life together with both hands trying not to fall. I never thought it would come back like this on me.”

“You knew you wanted to write this story, your story?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, I sat there looking at the computer screen and it all just came back to me, so fast and so easily that I hardly remember typing it out. This alcohol addled brain, still works I guess.” Tina laughed a little as she let her fingers nip at the soft skin under her hand.

Bette stroked Tina’s hair back as she pressed her ear to Bette’s stomach and closed her eyes. “You need to eat something.” The loud grumble in Bette’s stomach made Tina smile.
“YOU need to eat something. As much as I’d love to feed you, I don’t have…”