“Kit.”

“I’m just sayin’.”

Bette sighed heavily, kissed her sister goodnight and walked out to the waiting cab. She’d make arrangements to get her car in the morning.

***

Bette had sobered somewhat on the ride home. She paid the driver and walked to her front door. Being the consciences sort the cabbie didn’t pull away until he was sure that Bette had entered her home safely. She walked straight to the master bedroom and turned on the bedside light immediately noticing that the room appeared to be tidier than she’d left it. She didn’t remember making the bed and she was sure that she’d left her laptop atop it. However these days she’d spent so much time in a drunken stupor that she couldn’t trust her own mind. She picked up the laptop and moved it to the desk where she had an outlet to recharge the drained battery. When the power came on the screen lit up and Candace’s picture of them together in bed came to life. Bette was confused as to why that image was on her computer and for a second she feared that Candace had broken into her house. She stared at it for several seconds trying to recall when Candace had taken it but it was obviously done while she slept. She slammed the lid angrily and walked over to the closet to begin getting undressed. She removed her shoes and started to lift the edge of her blouse but stops when she opens the closet door to find Tina’s side empty. She looked around the room again and it suddenly dawned on her that her wife must have been in the house. She stared at the computer and finally put two and two together. Tina must have been the one to straighten up and seeing the computer on the bed must have opened the email and no doubt had seen the photo. Having Tina’s things in the house gave Bette hope that maybe she’d come back some day but that night seeing all the empty hangers on her side took that last shred of hope away.

“Fuck you Candace.” She yells at the top of her lungs.

Bette was feeling more lost and alone than ever before in her life. Even when Tina detached herself emotionally after losing the baby at least she felt her physical presence. She’d hoped that Kit might be able to talk Tina into at least giving her a chance to explain but there was nothing she could say now that would explain Candace’s email after she’d explicitly told her wife that it was over between them.