Consequently, Tina kicked her out of their home and refused to allow her back in. For the next three months, Bette tried everything she could think to do to apologize and seek redemption for her inappropriate actions. Though Bette had not committed the ultimate act of betrayal in having sex or an affair, Tina refused to see and understand that. She was caught up in her own personal emotional turmoil and depression, and couldn’t handle the thought of Bette’s actions with the other woman.

Tina’s continued rejections of her partner’s loving attentions were part of the reason that put Bette into the circumstance with the other woman because of Tina’s constant refusal to allow Bette back into the relationship after the miscarriage. In addition to that, her hormones were all over the board with her new pregnancy that Bette was totally unaware of. Tina’s intentions were to tell her wife about the new pregnancy until she confessed to kissing another.

When the extended family members became aware of Bette’s decision to step outside of her marriage with Tina and involve another woman, even if it was only a kiss, it resulted in them pulling back from their relationship with her as well. They lost respect for her and turned their backs. This devastated Bette even further when her sister, Kit Porter joined them.

At the end of month three, and feeling hopeless and in utter despair, Bette sadly gave up, and shortly after, went to see her lawyer to have the house, artwork and other valuables put into Tina’s name. She sold her car, took half of the money in the couple’s savings account and applied to have their marriage dissolved. Her boss, Franklin Phillips at the California Arts Center had dismissed her shortly after her last highly successful show and had then arranged for the Board to buy out her contract of her remaining two years. Bette was given a check for a substantial amount to start her new life on.

Since the extended family had also turned their backs on her along with her sister, she had no choice but to save her own sanity and move on, so she chose to move to New York City since it was an art center and quietly disappeared one day when all of her plans came into fruition. After putting most of her things into storage, she packed what she thought she might need initially and then bought herself a one-way plane ticket.

When she arrived at JFK International, she first checked into a hotel for a week as she then bought a newspaper and began the task of looking for a place to rent and also for possible places of employment. On the second day, she opened up her bank account so that she’d have some established part of her self for the next part of her journey in her new home in this most amazing city. She was on her way to see a newly refurbished apartment that was available when she stopped to make sure of the time for her interview for employment at an art gallery.

Bette had been fired from her employment with the CAC because her supervisor, Franklin Phillips didn’t appreciate her methods of organization, operation and construction even though she created incredible shows for the center that brought in so many more patrons. So, for her, working in an art gallery would be an incredible step up from where she had worked her butt off being unappreciated.

After placing her phone in her bag, in the next instant she felt her shoulder contact the wall rather painfully and abruptly as she was pushed hard and in the next instant felt her bag being ripped out of her possession. Bette watched helplessly as a young man took off running in the opposite direction. All she could think about in that moment was that all of her important possessions were in that bag and she saw it all disappear in an instant. She found herself collapsing against the wall as her feet went out from under her. Bette Porter felt her life sucked out of her. It was all too much.

She felt herself crumple into a ball against the cold hard wall and then lay her head down on her arms upon her knees and sobbed.