Chapter 3 –


It had been three days sine Tina had given Bette back her ring. It took her a full day to get out of bed after that. Bette had now taken to wearing it around her neck on a chain that Tina had given her years ago. Bette had tried to call Tina on numerous occasions, never getting an answer. She was finally beginning to understand that Tina was really walking away. Bette began to work again, but found that she didnt accomplish much. Mostly, she ended up staring out the window of the CAC thinking about Tina. Today was no different. Sitting in her office, Bette was remembering day past, when Tina was the only thing that existed in her life. Her thoughts were ripped away from the love they shared by the ringing of her phone.
Hello.
Hey Bette, its Shane. I was hoping that you would want to hook up for lunch? About 130 at the planet? Bette considered this and said, How about someplace else? Marina is still not talking to me, and I would rather not go in there right now. I know a great little Thai place down on Santa Monica blvd.
Yeah, I know the place. Great. Ill see you then. And with that Shane hung up.
Bette had already decided to head up to the mountains for the weekend to try and do some soul searching, so she closed up her office and headed home to pack before meeting Shane.

Alice and Tina were at the planet having lunch when Shane arrived. Hey guys! She said while making her round of hugs. Hey Shane! Shane turned and looked directly at Tina taking her in. Damn, Shane thought, she really looks different. Maybe this is actually doing her some good. Tina ordered Shane an espresso and came to sit back down just in time to hear Shane telling Alice that she was having lunch with Bette later that day.
How is she doing? Tina asked. Shane considered her words carefully before speaking.
Well, T, she um is kind of just going through the motions of life right now. She asks about you constantly.
She calls me constantly. Tina said with a bit of a smile. Deep down, Tina missed Bette. She knew that she still loved her, but couldnt begin to think about what it would take to forgive her. She sighed and sat back in her chair.
Well, I have to run… Tina… Do you want me?Shanes voice trailed off.
No. Dont tell her anything. Ill deal with her in my own time. But thanks for offering. Have a good lunch.
Shane kissed her on the cheek and headed out the door, proud of Tina for being so strong right now.

Bette was running late for lunch with Shane, and she was cursing herself for it. She arrived fifteen minutes late, and began apologizing the minute she saw her friend.
Shane, I am so sorry, I was packing, and then traffic was a *****. she plopped herself into a chair. Im sorry.
Shane was a bit shocked at hearing Bette apologize, and talk of packing.
Where are you going? she asked as Bette ordered her lunch.
Oh, I rented a little cabin in the mountains for a week. I ended things with Candace and havent had any luck in contacting Tina, so I thought I would go and do some soul searching. Re-evaluate my life and try and think of a way to prove to Tina how sorry I am and that I need her.”
“Wow, thats not something I can picture you doing. Tina, um she well” she trailed off trying to find the right words.
“I know – she needs her space. I just miss her so much Shane. Shes all I think about. I cant believe that I cheated on her. I cant believe that I was so willing to throw it all away. Bette had tears moistening her eyes now. “I don know what I am going to do if she doesnt forgive me.”
Shane looked away from Bette. It was hard to see her this way. Bette was the most together person she knew. Even through all of this, Shane thought that Bette would find a way to keep her composure. Yet, seeing her true emotions comforted Shane. She could see the pain in her eyes; the true feeling of loss rang in her voice. She really did love Tina.
“Bette, why did you do it?” she asked.
Their food arrived and Bette sat looking down at the plate. When she looked up at Shane, tears were streaming sown her face.
“I dont know. Things between Tina and I had been tense, we werent communicating, and I felt so much pressure. I felt like. Like I was losing myself. Everything became so mundane and routine” she let out a small smile”so boring.” Shane smiled at that remembering the intervention.
Bette continued speaking, ” I needed something that Tina couldnt give me. It wasnt the *****. I think it was the excitement of something new. I never would have hurt Tina, I love he so much. But I didnt realize. I took her for granted.”
Shane reached out to touch Bettes hand across the table.
“So, now youre going off to find yourself in the mountains. Sounds a little out of character for you.”
“Well, I figured that I have nothing left to lose right now. I need to make some changes in my life, in myself. How is Tina, Shane?”
“She’s ok. She’s trying to come to terms with it all.” Bette looked at Shane and tried to smile. Bette asked Shane about her love life and thus started a long conversation about being a free spirit. Before they knew it, it was three o’clock and Bette said she wanted to get on the road before traffic got worse. She hugged Shane and got in her car, heading toward Santa Monica and the PCH. Shane watched her friend leave thinking about the circle of life. She truly hoped that Bette was able to find what she was looking for in the mountains. She hoped that it would make a difference in the way she treated Tina. And, she hoped that Tina would find it in her heart to forgive Bette.

Bette was cruising along the PCH enjoying the beauty of the scenery. She was listening to Sarah Mclachlan sing of lost loves and broken hearts. Her own heart was very heavy but her soul was beginning to feel a bit more centered. Like she was doing the right thing. Bette looked to her right and saw the Pacific Ocean in the distance. To her left were the jagged walls of the mountain. I love this drive, she thought.

Up ahead in the distance, beyond a sever curve, a truck had stalled on the road. The driver got out and looked around, making sure no traffic was coming before he began pushing the truck to the right side of the shoulder. The driver didnt realize that he stopped about five feet too short of the shoulder, leaving the tail end of the truck jutting out into the road.

Bette was speeding as she rounded the corner. She had been thinking about Tina, and how much she truly loved her. Bette looked at the time on the dash to check her progress on the road, it was 4:20 p.m., good she thought, Ill be there by 7. Bette looked up just in time to notice the truck. ‘*****!’ she thought. She tried to swerve to the left, but her front bumper clipped the back end of the truck. Her car was airborne, flipping in the air before smashing into the side of the mountain and rolling once more before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. The Saab was upside down, on its roof, steam coming from the engine.

Tina was sitting in her car at a traffic light when she felt like the wind had been sucked out of her body. She sat there froze, in a panic until the episode subsided. ‘What the ***** was that all about?’ she wondered. Since, Tina kept a journal of any health issues, she instinctively looked at the clock to memorize the time. It was 4:22p.m.When the light turned green, she pulled over into a parking lot until her hands stopped shaking.

Shane puled up to Alices apartment an hour later; happy that she had gone to talk to Bette. She had a good feeling that Tina and Bette would have a chance if they could just concentrate on the love they shared. Shane silently wished that she could find a love like that. Alice was sitting at her desk, working on her chart. Shane watched as the lined swept across the computer screen and connected with the highlighted names. She sighed while looking at her own name. ‘So many women’ she thought, ‘ but no one to love.’
“Hey Shane,” Alice said without looking up. “How was Bette?”
Shane walked to the kitchen and grabbed a water from the fridge.
“Good. Shes headed to the mountains to do some soul searching.” Alice looked at Shane quizzically and said, “Bette Porter? In the mountains?”
Shane sat down looking at Alice “yeah, thats what I thought at first. But after you think about it, it seems like a good idea. What better way to fin out what you are looking for then somewhere secluded? Besides, she said that she wouldnt call Tina the whole time she was gone, so it gives T time to herself.”
Alice pondered this and decided that it was cool. Then she turned her computer to face Shane and asked, “Do you see anything weird here?”
Shane sighed again and looked at the screen. With so many names it was hard for her to find what Alice was referring to, then she noticed it. A direct line leading from Dana’s fiance Tanya, to Gabby, Alices ex.
‘Uh – oh’ she thought and let out a whistle. “Looks like theres trouble in paradise.”
Alice closed the computer and said, “I knew that ***** was trouble but I thought that she was just a star-*****. I wonder how she hooked up with gabby? I need to call Dana, break the news to her. I bet it was Gabby that put the line on the chart, that *****!”
Shane smiled as she watched Alice pick up her cell phone. Even with Bette and Tina’s break up, some things about ***** life never changed. She leaned back in her chair to rest her eyes, wondering what or better yet, who she was going to do tonight.
END Chapter 3