The first time Tina had met Bette, they were ten and thirteen years old; Bette being three years her senior. Her father had taken her on a business trip to Philadelphia. Her mother was skeptical, but Philip assured her the trip would be educational for his young daughter, and with enough prodding, she relented.

One afternoon he surprised her by picking her up from the hotel pool early. Prior to that her days were spent playing under the care of a personal au paire, Philip had secured before the trip. He swept her up in his arms and told her about a park he had seen on his way to a meeting that morning, and wondered if she’d like to spend the rest of the day with him. She was delighted.

He walked her around the park until they found a sand pit. “Why don’t you go over and see if those other girls want to play,” he said. “Go on, it’s okay. I’ll just watch from that bench over there.” Tina looked over at the bench where a lone woman was quietly reading. “I thought we were spending the day together.”

Her father leaned down and said, “We are. Your old man just needs to rest a moment, and then we’ll finish our walk, I promise.” Tina reluctantly walked over to the sand pit and sat on one of the swings. She watched her father embrace the woman and immediately engage in conversation. “Hey, do you want to play Frisbee with me and my little sister?” Tina shielded her eyes from the sun. When they adjusted, she saw Kit standing in front of her. “This is dumb, I want to go home.” Kit turned to Bette and said, “Look, your mother left me in charge so it’s my way or the highway.”

Waving her hand toward the field, Kit said, “Come on, little one, we’ll go over there.” Kit walked off and Bette, twirling the Frisbee around her fingertips said, “Well? I’m not playing with her by myself, so, come on.”

Tina looked back at her father as Bette began leading her toward the field. He waved and smiled, which put her at ease.