Bette chuckled, “I know …”

“So this gallery of yours,” Helena asked intrusively, “is it famous?”

“No,” Bette set down her knife and fork, “no, not yet, but someday I hope to gain recognition,”

“Recognition … or notoriety?” Helena replied, “because it seems to me that all great art institutions get to be known because of the foundations they rock,” she paused, “are you the kind of person who rocks foundations Bette?”

Bette stared back at her, “Don’t you think that’s kind of a personal question?”

Helena shrugged, shivering a little, the weather had turned colder and her damp clothes didn’t help, she looked at Bette and then sneezed, loudly,

“You look cold,” Bette stated, “we should go …”

“No, I’m fine,” Helena protested, knowing it was useless, “I’m just gonna use the bathroom,” she added, “then we can go,”

She’d just about left the table when Bette’s cell phone rang,

“Hey Al,”

Alice walked about her room in her underwear picking out something nice to put on, “We’re meeting in The Planet at half-eight,” she stated, “I’m really getting to like it there …”

“Er …”

Alice sensed the tone, “What?”

“Nothing,” Bette was quick to reply, “nothing, it’s just … I’m in Long Beach,”

“Long Beach California?” Alice checked,

“No … Long Beach Idaho … Yes! Long Beach California,” Bette replied, annoyed with Alice’s ridiculousness some times,

“Why?” Alice asked quietly,

“I came here with Helena …”

Bette waited as Alice went quiet, her silence saying more than her words would.

“Go on …” Bette prompted, “just say it,”

“I’m not saying anything,” Alice muttered, preparing to hang up, “shall I say we’ll see you if we see you?”

Bette sighed, “Sure …”

~

The drive back to West Hollywood seemed to take longer than the drive out, as Bette tried hard to stop herself from asking any of the questions that forced themselves to the front of her mind. Struggling with the idea that whilst she enjoyed Helena’s company there was nothing concrete in their hanging out together. Knowing that Helena’s response to that would come like a line from a film or book, leaving her as equally confused if not more than before.

Helena stopped her as they walked up towards the gate from the parking lot, pulling Bette back, “I just wanted you to know I had fun today,”

Bette smiled, “Me too,”

Across the street a dark blue limousine with blacked out windows sat a safe distance away from the two women, it’s occupant in the backseat just watching,

“Helena?”

Helena shushed Bette with a finger against her lips, “Don’t,”

“But …”

Helena shook her head, “It’ll ruin it,”

Bette let out a frustrated sigh, the two of them stopping as she unlocked the gate with her passkey,

Behind them the driver of the car got out and opened up the back, revealing stockings first ending in expensive Italian shoes as a smartly coiffured, middle aged woman got out.

“Helena?”

Helena turned and sighed, “Hello Mummy,”

tbc ….