Mary and I smiled as we heard the two mommies applaud and praise as the mission was accomplished. Bette said that she would have to get a potty chair like that too.

Tina put a warm jacket on Angelica and kissed she and her teddy goodbye. We said our goodnights, went out the door and into the mini-van on our way home with me driving. Mary sat next to me in front, while Bette and Angelica sat in the back, the baby strapped securely in her car seat. She was wide awake chattering with her mother, all the way to Orange Grove.

When we arrived at the apartment, Bette went in with Angelica while Mary and I unloaded the luggage inside our door. We each had our own tasks to do while Bette read the baby to sleep in her crib and set out her clothes for school.

I took a quick shower and just wanted to go to bed but I fought sleep until Bette slipped in along side me because I wanted to talk to her about this skydiving thing.

She did not say anything when she came to bed because she probably thought I was sleeping.

“We need to talk,” I told her, laying flat on my back with my head turned toward her.

“Oh?” She turned her head toward me. We could see enough of each other in the semi-darkness to catch our expressions. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m getting more and more disturbed about this skydiving thing you keep talking about.”

She turned her whole body toward me and reached out for my hand. “I know you are, sweetie.”

“What do you know?”

“You’re worried something might happen to me.”

“Yes, I am but there’s more to it than that.”

“Like what?”

“Well, in the first place you didn’t seem to mind when I turned down the chance to go with you.”

“That’s because I understood,” she said, with patience. “It was a lot to ask and I know you well enough by now to know that there are some things that you won’t do.”

“But I mean, instead of insisting I go, or trying to convince me it’s not that dangerous, you just started to wonder who else you could ask.”