In fact, Bette’s reaction to the new revelation of parenthood had certainly been a new response to Tina. The old Bette would have created such a scene in that diner the staff and the customers would never have forgotten the two of them. But life had changed Bette and her response was not something Tina was familiar with, so she silently prayed that Bette would stay strong and not give in to the urges that would numb her feelings like she had turned to in the past.

The next morning in the gray pre dawn hours Tina was awakened by the sound of mail dropping in the slot and thought for a fleeting second that it seemed too early before drifting back off to sleep.

Rolling over in the bed she wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked at the glowing numbers on the clock beside her bed. She had slept almost 10 hours. She could not remember having slept this late in years.

Throwing on her robe she moved from the bathroom on her way to the small kitchen for a cup of coffee. That’s when she noticed a brown envelope laying in the foyer in front of the door. Scooping in up she laid it on the table as she begin to pour her first cup of the morning.

Having drank half of the coffee she felt she was awake enough now to give her focused attention to the piece of mail that had been delivered so early this morning. Picking up the envelope she noticed there were no addresses listed on the outside, so it did not come through the postal service. Only one explanation existed for its appearance in her mail slot, it had been hand delivered and Bette came to mind.

Nervously she opened it and a ring came sliding out into the palm of her hand. As she looked at it more closely she recognized it as her commitment ring! It couldn’t be the same ring she had left it in LA. But upon closer inspection she knew it was the same ring Bette had bought for her years ago. Tears formed in her eyes as she put her hand into the envelope and pulled out a worn photo of her and Bette taken right before she had found out about the affair.