“Beats me dude.”  Maddy said and Keith shrugged, starting to
play another tune as the rest of the band filtered in for their practice.

~*~*~*~*~*

            Tina sat on the couch, and
dialed Bette’s number, she was totally dumbfound about the conversation that
she’d had with Cass.  First the woman had
made her look into herself, like no one had in years.  Tina found that she didn’t like the person
that she’d become, the pawn of Bette’s life.  The phone kept ringing, and finally.

            “Bette Porter.”  Bette said and she could tell that Bette was
in the car, with the top down.  She
sounded mildly annoyed that someone was calling her, and Tina sighed, it was
going to be one of those conversations.

            “Hey babe…”  Tina said, trying to inject some joy into her
voice, even though she knew it was fake.  She hated not being truthful, and the truth
was she was falling out of love with Bette, that being away from her was making
her see that she wasn’t the same with her as she was without her.

            “Tee, hi.”  Bette said, her voice disappointed it seemed
with her call, and Bette looked into her rearview mirror.

            “I was just calling to say hi,
and find out how you are doing?”  Tina
offered in her demure way, and Bette shrugged as if saying, uh huh.

            “I’m ok, I’m…  On my way to meet…  With an artist actually.”  Bette said, lying in a way, praying that her
card was still there, what had she been thinking?  She’d been excited about the prospect of
feeling alive again, finding passion in something other than nothing.

            “Ok, cool.  Anyone I know?”  Tina asked, finding common ground there, and
Bette slid her sunglasses on and said in a cool voice.

            “He’s unknown.  Tina, I have to let you go, I’ll call you
later this week, ok?”  Bette asked, and
hung up almost before Tina could get in a good bye.

            “Well that was fruitless.”  Tina groaned, throwing the phone across the
room, watching it skitter into the kitchen. 
She sighed, biting her lip and thinking of all the things Cass had made
her think of.

            She wasn’t the same person she
was when she’d met Bette, she was no long independent, or driven.  She was… 
Empty.  What drove her to live now?  Work?  She
didn’t work, she volunteered at the Center, she wasn’t ready to try for another
baby, and she sure as ***** wasn’t finding her reason to live in the bedroom or
even the house she dwelled in with Bette Porter.  Devoid. 
Vacant.