“Well, I need to go,” Tina said as she edged toward the car door.

“Wait,” Bette reached out, her fingertips missing Tina’s arm as she moved. “I want to thank you again T…for letting Angie live with me during the week.”

“Bette, please.” Tina moved closer and laid her hand on Bette’s arm. “No matter what happens in our relationship, you must know you are a wonderful mother and how much I trust you with Angie.” Tina gently squeezed Bette’s arm, seeing the vulnerability shining in Bette’s eyes. The same look she got whenever her parenting skills were brought up. “We…and that includes you, are great parents.” Tina smiled. “We may not always agree…”

“But,” Bette smiled back, “we talk it through until we get it right.”

“Yes,” Tina added softly. They both smiled, proud of the work they had put into parenting Angie as a solid team.

“Besides,” Tina added. “We agree that at 16, this is an incredibly important and difficult time in Angie’s childhood, and she needs all the experience, wisdom and love her biracial mother can wrap her in.”

As if she knew she was the topic of conversation, Angie came out of the house, her arms wrapped around what looked to be a picture frame. Walking up to Tina, she allowed her mother to wrap her arms around her. “Hey, baby girl,” Tina warbled. “How did you know I was hoping for one more hug for the road?”

Angie laughed as she snuggled closer in. “Mama T, your new house is only 15 minutes away.”

“I know,” Tina smiled into her daughter’s hair. “But, I can never get enough hugs from you, no matter how close I am.” Taking a step back, she held Angie at arm’s length and looked down at what she was holding onto. “Whatcha got?” She asked, smiling.

Angie looked down at the picture frame, then turned it toward Tina. “It’s for…you know…” shrugging her shoulder, Angie looked into her mother’s eyes. “For remembering,” she said so softly, Tina leaned in to make sure she heard her. Looking down she saw that Angie had two different pictures in the frame. One was of the three of them right after Angie was born, and the second was also of the three of them as they posed in front of Angie’s new high school just the month before.

“Oh baby, you know I don’t need pictures to remember who my family is.” Both she and Bette knew Angie would be feeling some insecurities around her family of three now living in separate homes, and no matter how much pain they both were going through, had worked hard to make sure that Angie didn’t take on any responsibility for their breakup. She put one arm around Angie and the other around Bette. “No matter where we live, whether it is together or separately, we are a family…you, me and Mama B…forever.”

Bette wrapped her arms around Tina and Angie and trying to smile through the ache, whispered, “forever.”

Tina gently took the picture frame from her daughter’s arms and reaching in the window, placed it on the passenger seat of her car. Smiling, she winked at Angie. “It doesn’t hurt to have reminders, though. Thank you, baby girl.”

Not wanting this good-bye to get too maudlin, now that Angie was a part of it, Bette straighten up and laid her arm across Angie’s shoulders. “Okay, well then, off with you! Angie and I have parties to plan, kegs of beer to buy.” All three laughed at Bette’s attempt at humor. “We’ll see you on Saturday morning, right T?”

“Yeah,” Tina responded. “I’ll be here at 10 to pick you up, Ang. Be sure to pack an overnight bag with all your ‘can’t live without for 24 hours,’ stuff.”

“Okay,” Angie responded as she shuffled her feet. “Bye Mama T.”

“Bye T,” Bette added in a whisper, her voice deserting her as the reality set in that Tina truly was walking away from her…from them.

“Ok, you two…see you later.”

Tina stood now, in the driveway of the home she was no longer residing in, and watched her beautiful daughter walk back inside, her arm wrapped around her other mother’s waist. Realizing just how much she was giving up, Tina turned back to her packed car. “Let’s go Kennard,” she whispered to herself as she got into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut on one version of her future. “You gotta create your own happiness now.”

The End