Tina snickered, observing her girlfriend’s playfulness. She lifted her eyes, when her mother emerged. ”Mom!” She beamed.

Amy smiled and looked at Bette with amiable curiosity. She streched her hand. ”Amy Kennard, the mother of these two”

Bette straightened up and smiled a genuine smile. ”Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Kennard. Bette Porter, please call me Bette” She replied, shaking woman’s hand.

”Likewise, Bette” Amy said. ”I guess Karen is being an insolent fellow here?”

”Mooom!” Karen outcried in a huff, to which everyone chuckled.

”You can come with us, if you want” Bette suggested graciously.

”Yay!”

”Your homework will be waiting for you” Amy scolded her youngest daughter teasingly. ”And you” She pointed on Bette. ”Are invited to have dinner with us next Saturday”

Bette widened her eyes, not expecting the invitation. She glanced at Tina for rescue, but the blonde simply looked happy.

”Umm.. yeah!” Bette stuttered, grinning awkwadly. ”I mean, thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Kennard. I’ll definitely come!”

”Great then!”

Tina, Karen and overwhelmed Bette made their way out the front door. While Tina was arguing with Karen about who’s going to sit in a front passenger seat, Bette hastened to light a cigarette, thinking that her stay in the Kennard residence today could certainly be called an ordeal. ’Dinner next Saturday? Of course! Easy as pie! Some chitchat with my girlfriend’s folks is the most favourite thing of mine!’ Bette thought ironically, inhaling the smoke deep in her lungs. She gathered her speed, when realized that she lagged behind a bit. Coming through the gate, Bette noticed Tina and Karen talking with some man. Then all the three pairs of eyes fixed on her suddenly.

”Bette! Come here, meet my father!”

’You’ve got to be fucking kidding me’ was the immediate thought in Bette’s mind. Why hasn’t she just phoned Tina up again?

”Mr. Kennard, pleased to meet you. Bette Porter” She introduced herself politely. Though should have dismissed the politeness, she thought, the man had simply nodded for God’s sake. He detected the cigarette fixed between Bette’s fingers and sharply gazed into her eyes again, obviously judging.

”I see” Albert Kennard finally uttered, looking down at the brunette, since he was very tall and powerfully built. His eyes were hazel, like Tina’s, only Tina’s weren’t that hawkish and didn’t reflect condemn. Albert pointed to Bette’s Lexus. ”Is that your car?”