“It’s OK. Your home is here for you when you are ready to be here. I trust your decision and I’ll be so happy to have you home.”

They sat quietly on the couch for a time. Touching but not talking and for both of them, they felt that their oneness was descending upon them like the brush stroke of a great painter.

“Baby, I need to go. Do you want me to take Angelica with me?”

“No  …   No,     don’t wake her. I will be working from home tomorrow. It will be fine. She’s fine.”

“Bette, please remember that I love you. I love you more than words can tell you. No matter what Baby, I love you soooo much.”

“Tina, you’re sounding a little cryptic.”

“No, it’s nothing other than I never want to leave you thinking anything other than that I love you. It’s just that simple. I’ll call you when I’m getting ready for bed to say goodnight.”

“OK, be careful driving home.  I love you. Talk to you later.”

Tina hugged Bette and kissed her. She held Betts beautiful face in her hands.  Looking at her with so much love. She turned to leave and waved to Bette from the curb. Bette closed the door and turned to lean against it. As she leaned against the door, “ I     Love      You      Tina,” came softly from her lips. “I love you.”

11:00

Bette is getting ready for bed thinking that Tina will be calling anytime. She closes up the house and checks on Angelica and goes to her bedroom to read until Tina calls.

12:00

Bette puts down her book and notices the hour. Now she begins to worry a little. “Tina, why haven’t you called?” She looks at the clock again and then at the phone. She picks up the phone and hears the dial tone. She puts the phone back in it’s cradle. She gets up, now, wide awake and worried. She wouldn’t normally be so worried but Tina was so weird when she left. What was she doing? Was she going somewhere? Was she going to see someone. Bette could not stand it any more. She picked up the phone and called Tina’s number. The phone rang and voice mail picked up, “Hi this is Tina, I’m sorry I am not available to take your call. Please leave a message.”

“Tina, it’s me.  I,    I’m sorry to call you. I know you said that you had something to take care of but, it’s getting late and you hadn’t called,  so……. call me   …….   as soon as you get this message.”

Bette’s brain is working overtime, “Oh Bette, get a hold of yourself. Tina’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. She’ll call you. Just calm down.”  

She cannot get Tina’s words out of her mind. “Bette, please remember that I love you. I love you more than words can tell you. No matter what Baby, I love you soooo much.”

Now her mind is on overload. “I need to go to Tina’s.   No … Bette  …  Don’t interfere, she’ll call you.”

“I’m calling Alice.”

Bette dials Alice’s number and wakes her. “Alice.”

Groggy and asleep, “Yeah.”

“Alice, I am so sorry to call you but I’m worried.”

“Who’s this?”

“Alice, wake up, it’s Bette and I need to talk to you.”

“OK,  ok,  ok Bette, I’m here.”  Alice was just barely there her deep sleep had been help along with some wine.

“Alice, I can’t find Tina.”

“She’s at your house.”

“She left to go home a couple of hours ago. I tried to call her but there was no answer. Alice, I’m scared.”

“Bette, I’m sure everything is OK. She probably just went by her office and got busy and forgot to call. I’m sure she is fine. She’ll call you, now go to bed.”

“Alice, she was so cryptic when she ……” Before Bette could finish the sentence, her cell phone rang.

“Alice hang on my cell phone is ringing. Why would she call my cell phone?”

Picking up her cell phone Bette looked at the caller ID and it was Tina.

“Oh thank God, I was so worried.”

”Is this Bette Porter?”

“Yes. Who is this?”