“Angie” she yelled, for the fourth time. “For Christ’s sake Angel it’s 8.15, if we don’t leave right this minute I’m gonna be dropping you off ten blocks from school”

“Easy mama” Angie drawled and she flopped down the staircase with one shoe on and one in her hand. Tina threw her the backpack and rolled her eyes.

“Easy.” She scoffed,holding her hands up “easy she says …… kid you get more like your mom every day.” And then pushing Angie before her she walked them out the door and pulled it closed behind her.    “FUCK”

“Mama!!” exclaimed Angie, in mock disbelief, her parents said fuck all the time, it was probably their favourite word.

“Fuck,” sighed Tina, shaking her head, “I left the keys inside” and she pulled out her cell phone to call Kit. Angie sat herself down on the step, assuming she wouldn’t be making it to her lesson on time.

In New York Bette was already in the hotel gym, appreciating the ‘own time’ she had to do exercise, using it as a way to wake up for the day, feeling decidedly un-refreshed; half of her still on LA time and the other half of her unable to sleep without Tina’s body pressed up against her. She hated to travel like this, for so long, but every now and then the Gallery would call her away or her position as Dean of one of the top rated Arts schools in the country would require her to share her wisdom with others. This trip combined both and would have her in New York for two weeks poaching an exhibition from MOMA (and hopefully giving them one in return) and speaking to Terry Letts at NYU about their Arts program. She was looking forward to getting started, she was looking forward to finishing and getting home. It couldn’t really have come at a worse time, Tina had taken on a student to work with her over the summer vacation and she started today, they hadn’t even worked out where she was staying. Bette felt like she was leaving Tina in the lurch after promising she’d be around to help, she sighed, and increased the weights on the shoulder press.

When Tina had said she wanted to quit the movie business and go back to school Bette had been in full support of that. It was clear that whilst Tina loved making movies and developing a script the harshness and undermining nature of the business upset her, made her anxious and unsure of herself and it saddened Bette to see. In college there was a nursery for Angie, her time was more flexible and she was able to work a lot from home on her studies and then her papers. She seemed to love it, and was never happier. It was like all Tina’s anxieties and confusion drew her towards wanting to have a better understanding of it. Bette knew she was an excellent psychologist. When Alice had finally left Helena and come to realise she had to be on her own Tina had been the one to help her through it, and Alice said that as a therapist and as a friend there was no one better.