Kit sighed heavily and pulled a free chair to the
table. She sat and started fanning her face with her apron. “Well I
just don’t know what to do with her. Ever since she was a little one, I
been looking after her, you know? Even before her Mama died and Melvin
started seeing more of his office walls than his own home… And then
that ***** Candace dumps her and she’s gone crazy! If that ***** hadn’t
moved to Hawaii, I could’ve killed her!” The others at the table nodded
weakly. They all saw how Kit was protective of Bette, and not a few of
them were secretly  afraid of crossing the Porter sisters.

    “Hey guys, remember the time Bette wouldn’t leave her apartment? How long was that? Two weeks? Three?”

    “Yeah we remember Baby. You had to bring her
breakfast everyday because the Planet doesn’t deliver.” Alice sang. The
fact that Dana was still mentioning the fact even though it was a year
old was kind of funny, but Alice didn’t want to encourage Dana. Once
she started gloating, she never stopped. Not even in bed. And Dana
gloating in bed was just about as pleasant as a dip into a swamp
swimming with leeches.

    “Al, are you sure this is wise? Forcing Bette into
having contact with the living, aside from the four of us? She might
withdraw totally, again.” Shane asked with concern. She loved Bette
like a sister too, although she would draw the line at  murder.

    Alice took a deep breath and launched into an
impassioned and heartfelt appeal to her friends, on behalf of Bette.

    “Baby, Shane, Kit, I know my plan seems a bit
drastic to all of  you, but,” she continued while the girls shook
their heads in disagreement. It’s not drastic, Shane mouthed to Dana,
who nodded.

    “But, we all know Bette. We love her. She’s such a
charming gorgeous witty intelligent person who could have any
woman  she wants, anytym, anywhere – in an ideal world. Our Bette
in  this world is too shy, too insecure, and just too afraid to do
anything at all. For the past two years, she’s been shutting herself
out of anything fun! She hasn’t been out at night since that night she
got drunk and vowed to never have ***** again. She hasn’t been on dates.
She doesn’t go out of the house other than to meet us with us, and only
after we’ve begged and cajoled her into it. Then to work, where she
looks at pictures of paintings all day.

    Is that a way to live, or not live? She’s our Bette.
Shane, didn’t she offer her home to you after that snake Cherie cleaned
you out and kicked you out? Kit, didn’t she lend you the capital for
the Planet? And Baby, didn’t she thank you long and profusely for each
and everyone of those breakfasts you brought?

    What I’m trying to say is, we are her sisters. We
are her family. If we don’t try to help her, who will? God knows she
can’t, even if she knew she needed help. Bette is… how shall I put
it?… Our Bette is special.”

    All heads around the table nodded in agreement. Not
a few heads not in the table, having heard the last part due to Alice’s
growing volume, also nodded in agreement.

    “Alright Alice. We hear you. But what about therapy?
Don’t you think Bette might benefit more from a therapist?”

    “Well Kit, that’s exactly what we’re going to find
out, after tonight.” Alice smiled confidently, “Tonight Bette’s depths
are going to be plumbed and she’s got to realize two things:

    One, she’s still alive.

    Two, life’s gonna come and get her whether she wants it to or not.”

TBC soon!