She blew air through her puffed cheeks and waited for Bette to finish her last sentence on the topic of brush strokes.

“Bette, I’m going to use the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”

“You want me to come with?” Bette offered.

“No, no. I don’t need mommy to change my diaper.” She smirked.

Tina was a smartass sometimes and Bette loved it. A great sense of humor in a woman was exactly what turned her on the most.

—- 

Tina rinsed her hands from the sink and roamed the small building looking for Bette. She saw her across the room in what seemed in deep conversation with an older man. She thought she’d give them a few minutes before joining her again and decided to look around the rest of the exhibit.

Bette finished speaking with Franklin, the director of the California Art Center. He offered, the young gallery owner a position, but Bette had let him down. She loved running things on her own account and just didn’t see herself working for anyone.

She wondered where Tina could be.

“It represents love.” A voice behind her broke Tina out of her reverie. For some reason, Tina couldn’t will herself to take her eyes off the painting before her. She felt something, she felt art.

The woman continued from behind her.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

Tina only nodded with tears in her eyes. This is exactly what she thought about when she encountered the painting. Again she willed herself not to cry.

What was happening to her? The brush strokes of the greens and yellows and grey… Oh my! Everything Bette had spoken to her about earlier had suddenly made sense to her. How could this be? It felt incredible.

“This piece sadly isn’t up for sale.  The artist Z only requested that it be displayed.”

“Alison Coons, art curator for Scarlett.” Tina turned to take the woman’s hand.  She turned back around and took in the painting, the art.

How could it be? The painting in its entirety, expressed everything she had felt at that very moment, simply love. Love not just found for her late parents that she had missed deeply but of new love with Bette.