“Running – she is only 5 “

Tina laughed “I know – Bette won’t let her – but maybe next year they will start running short distances. There are so many kids at Angie’s school who eat junk and need to exercise – Bette is wanting to maybe start a running club at the school and she would be one of the coaches. Angie just wants to be like Bette”

“And how does that make you feel ?”

“You mean do I get jealous ?  – Hell no. it’s the best thing and it makes my heart just sing when I see them doing things together. If Bette and I had not found one another again I would have told her all about her having African-American heritage but Bette can show her – Bette and Angie both have crazy wild dark hair – I am blonde and fair skinned. Angie loves that Bette is so like her and if Angie turns out to be as loving and kind and smart as Bette I will be a proud mom”

Tina’s mom smiled “ It is good that you can see them being close and not feel that you have been pushed to one side”

“I haven’t – Angie should be with Bette. Keeping them apart was wrong and this is just them catching up on lost time “

“Does Bette regret the years she and you were not together ?”

“We both do but I think we have both grown up and there is no point in regrets. There is work that we still have to do and we both know that but we are looking to the future  — getting married again is a big thing for both of us “

“Relationships take work – its been hard for your dad and I to get used to living together again. He isn’t used to having the space that he has here “

“Did he move back to Cedar Falls ?”

“No – we knew when he was due to be released and we started making plans from about a year out. He didn’t want to come back to North Carolina “

“So why here ?”

“I am not sure – I think he wanted to move to New York but the probation service found him the job here and it made sense. We are still trying to sell the old place – when that comes through we do want to move to somewhere different”