Throughout the evening Melvin could be heard speaking highly of Kit, Bette and Tina and how proud he was of their accomplishments. If he had any issue with accepting Tina as his daughter-in-law and her baby as his grand-daughter he certainly didn’t let on in public.

It was Tina that suggested they invite Melvin and Kit to the house in West Hollywood to have dinner. She even offered to cook. Bette had wanted the chance to talk to Melvin on her own first, but Tina insisted that she wanted to be the one to forge her own relationship with Melvin. She appreciated Bette wanting to protect her but Bette was the one that needed protecting. Tina had seen enough of Melvin’s manipulative behavior to recognize if this was just an act or if Melvin genuinely wanted a chance to be in their lives.

The West Hollywood house was under renovation with the addition of the second level but the kitchen, bathrooms, living areas and master bedroom on the first floor were still intact. However, with construction workers in and out constantly and all the banging Bette decided that she would move to the beach with Tina until the work was done. The arrangement worked out perfectly since Bette would soon take possession of the gallery space just a few miles from Tina’s condo. Bette told Tina of her plans to leave the CAC and open her own gallery. Tina was thrilled at the prospect. She knew Bette was unhappy at the CAC and having Helena on the board made it made it unbearable.

***

Kit kept her gaze on Tina and Melvin for a long while. She studied their posture. They seemed to be comfortable and truly engaging over their shared passion for gardening. Tina had a gift for finding common ground. “I really believe it’s going to be different this time baby sis. If anyone can civilize Melvin Porter it’s Tina Kennard-Porter. If it wasn’t for her I probably would have walked out of your life again five years ago, but I stuck around and you finally came around and look at us now. I’m just asking you not to shut the door in his face without listening and giving him a chance. Just follow her lead.”

Kit wasn’t trying to defend Melvin. God knew if they were keeping a scorecard Kit’s disappointments in life would far outweigh Bette’s when it came to how Melvin treated them, but she believed it would be a loss to all of them if they didn’t make the effort to reunite as a family; especially now that Tina was having a baby and her son David would become a part of their future.

Bette hugged her sister. Her reflections on the past, reconciling with her sister, her love for Tina, the prospect of motherhood, memories of her parents, … this made her realize that she couldn’t be frivolous with how significant this moment was in her life. Her conduct would shape the relationship with her father, her wife, her sister, her nephew, her daughter and the family dynamics to bring them through whatever the future held. Bette’s fall from grace taught her that she wasn’t perfect and had no right to judge others by a moral standard that she herself could not uphold. From what Kit was telling her it appeared their father had also made that realization.