“Yes and no,” Tina answered honestly, thinking about how much she could actually reveal without scaring Bette with the intensity of her feelings.

“What do you mean? Oh wait, let me guess. You love somebody but this person doesn’t love you or doesn’t know you love him. Am I close?” Bette looked like a child who was playing an interesting game but wasn’t aware of all the rules.

“Yes, the second assumption would be correct with a slightest modification, though. It’s not a him…it’s a her,” Tina answered quietly, afraid to look at Bette.

“Oh, I see. I didn’t want to presume that if all your friends are gay ladies that you were one also,” Bette said, suddenly feeling relief and sadness at the same time. ‘I wonder who this lucky lady is that has captured Tina’s heart,’ she thought, knowing that she already felt jealous of this unknown person.

“Actually, I realized that I’m gay just recently. I used to have a boyfriend but it didn’t work out because he’s done something unforgivable and dreadful. But I didn’t turn gay because of one asshole guy…oops, sorry, I mean bastard…”

Tina bit her lip but Bette just laughed and said, “Don’t try to spare me from the language of your time. I’ve already heard enough from Alice and I think if everybody would just act natural and be themselves, I might learn to adapt quicker to this new century.”

“Oh, okay. I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Tina said, secretly relieved that she can be herself with Bette around.

“So, you were saying?” Bette encouraged Tina to continue.

“Where was I? Oh, I didn’t turn gay because I was disappointed in one guy. I just gradually began to realize that something was always missing in my relationships with men. I always felt much safer and comfortable around girls. I didn’t have to pretend and it was easier to be myself with them. At the time I thought that I felt that way because I was in relationships with men and wanted to be loved by them and so I tried to be what they wanted me to be. And it never worked out because the true me would always come out in the end and the guys didn’t want to accept the changes. And then, almost out of the blue, I realized that I was in love with a woman. It was the most freeing and remarkable feeling that I’ve had in a long time,” Tina smiled but Bette could see that this smile was full of sadness.