So she sat Bette down, took her hands in her hands and looked her in the eyes.

“Now baby girl, tell me, what are you talking about, saying that you’re sorry. I’m the one who has to say that. I abandoned you and didn’t take care of you when you needed me the most.”

“No, no, Kit, you didn’t. I was the one who deceived you. I lied to you made you believe I still went to school when I wasn’t but I guess that’s what junks do.”

“Don’t say that, please don’t say that Bette. You’re no junky. Look at you, you’re beautiful. A spitting imagine of our mother.”

“You’re seeing the better part of me Kit. Believe me. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. No, wait, here me out. There’s no sweet talking about this.”

Bette told Kit what happened and didn’t leave anything out. She told her what happened to her when people found out she was bi-racial. She told her sister that she found out that for her benefit it was better for her to go through live acting being white. She hated it but to survive she had to.

She also told her sister about Kelly and her love for Kelly. And how Kelly’s dead was her wake-up call.

Finally she told Kit about Tina and her feelings for Tina. But also about her insecuraties about those feelings. She told Kit that she never met someone who, without second thoughts, followed the person they’d cared for. She only knew Tina for a week or two but it felt like she knew her for a lifetime. Somehow she felt like they had a connection.

Kit sat and listened to her sister. Some parts of the story, she stopped Bette and asked her questions but most parts, she listened. A lot of Bette’s behavior sounded familiar to her. It was as if she heard a combination of her biological mother’s story and her father’s anger.

When Bette was finished, she stood up and Bette also did. She looked Bette deep in her eyes and said:

“Baby girl, you’ve been through a lot of misery. But you survived because that’s what we Porters do. We’re survivers. Not all of it was beautiful. Some of it was downright shameful but…………remember one thing: I’m you’re sister. Never, ever be ashamed to tell me if you have a problem. Come to me, I will try to do everything I can to help you solve that problem. Mama’s death also took it’s toll on me but I had my music. I could sing my grieve away. You had nothing and nobody. Bette, baby don’t let that ever happen to you. Communicate!