Bette found the chain convenience store, the one that she and Coleman had stopped at when they had arrived yesterday.  She went inside and straight to the candy aisle and scanned the rows.  Her heart was beating heavy now, worrying that the candy bar was no longer in productions, but finally on the bottom row, near the end she found a box and she bent down and grabbed first one, and then another.  It had been a long time since she had had one as well.

When she went to pay for them, she thought briefly about getting a pack of cigarettes.  Her nerves were on edge and she thought the nicotine would go a long way to calming them, but she didn’t want to get busted with a fake ID in her aunt’s home town, so she skipped the smokes and paid for her items and then got in her aunt’s car and headed toward the gas station and garage.

When she arrived, she noticed that all three stall doors were down and that the shades in the office window where down as well.  She parked the car by the office and got out and went to the first metal door.  She held one of the candy bars behind her back and rapped on the door with the other hand and waited.

There was no immediate response.  Bette leaned in and listened then.  She could make out the sound of a radio and some clanking and moving around.

So she knocked again and called out, “Tina?  Hey are you in there?”

Within a few seconds the middle door flew up and Tina stood there holding it above her head.  “Bette?  What’s wrong?  Is Miriam okay?” she asked looking worried.

“She’s fine,” Bette said coming over to her.

“What’s going on?  What are you doing here?” Tina asked.

Bette took a deep breath.  “I’m an idiot, Tina.  I know that.”

“Bette, it’s okay, you’ve already apologized,” Tina said. 

She had spent the last two hours in her shop fiddling with her truck’s transmission, thinking about Bette and everything that had transpired.  She realized once and for all that the two had indeed grown apart.  Bette wanted to live in a world that Tina would never be able to access.  But instead of growing more bitter, Tina had started telling herself it wasn’t Bette’s fault and that she had to accept that she would never be pretty enough, smart enough, or rich enough for Bette.  It was as it was, and she knew she could not change things.