Islands In The Sand

Bette had tried her whole life to make her father proud of
her but it was something that she didn’t seem to be able to do. But finally she
now had hopes that with this interview for the position of Director at the
Whitney, she knew it would finally happen.

Yes her father loved her after all he had paid for her Ivy League
education but he never expected anything less from her than perfection and the
one thing that was not perfect about his child was her sexuality and for this
he withheld his love, affection, and acceptance from her.

She remembered that Christmas so well when she brought her
then girlfriend home and the disastrous scene that had followed. He had berated
her life as experimental and a passing phase. He insisted it was time for her
to grow up, get married, and give him some grandchildren before he was too old
to enjoy them. Her happiness did not matter to him the only thing of importance
was his own level of comfort and his idea of the perfect life that he had
planned years ago for his favorite child.

As Bette took her seat near the back of the plane her mind
wondered onto the purpose of this midweek trip. The Whitney had called her
three weeks ago at the CAC and offered the up and coming position of Director
for the famous museum. Bette hoped with the acquiring of this position her
father would finally respect her and the choices she made for her life.

Glancing to her left she noticed the petite blond in the seat
next to her was so engrossed in her book that she had not noticed anyone sit in
the seat next to her. Clearing her throat to get the woman’s attention she gave
a small smile and introduced her self when the woman looked up from her reading
material.

She stuck out her hand and was met with a firm but soft hand
shake along with a name Tina Kennard. As Bette’s fingers gracefully slid into
the woman’s waiting grasp she couldn’t help but notice the rock that sparkled
in the light on her ring finger. But little did she know at the time that this
person would soon become the most important person in her life. In fact, some
would even consider her the center of Bette’s universe and Bette couldn’t be
happier about it.