When It All Became 2

Tina walked slowly from The Planet. She really did wish the best for Kit, but being that Kit was also Bette’s sister, being around her was difficult. Plus there was the added dimension of not betraying her secret to Kit. At least she didn’t get an indication that that had happened.

‘Where to go next?" Tina asked herself. She’d taken the day off from the center, calling it a mental health day. Hanging around with Alice was a possibility, but Tina had tried to reserve that option for when Alice invited her. Having lived on Alice’s couch for the past month, she was feeling more and more of a burden to her friend. And there was still the baby issue. She, he, whomever, was becoming more obvious each day.

Pulling the car into traffic, Tina started to drive, not really thinking much about a destination. Somehow, she ended up at the ocean, in Santa Monica. And why not, she thought to herself.

Tina felt there was little chance of meeting anyone she knew here, so it was safe to leave the baby-disguising coat behind. Unburdened by the extra fabric, she felt unexpectedly free. She even felt, surprisingly, a little happy.

Rather than her usual wallow in all things familiar, she strolled the beachfront path, just watching the interactions of those around her.

She knew that if she was being really honest with herself, she’d admit that it was mainly the mothers with children that caught her eye. Again Tina smiled as she thought of the life growing within her. At least that was something, so far, that was working. Perhaps not as planned, exactly, but the thought of her dream of motherhood fulfilled brought her whatever joy she could find these days.

Something new. Something fulfilling. A purpose that was all hers, and didn’t have to revolve around the universe of Bette Porter.

That last thought was a lie, Tina knew. Her child, fathered by Marcus Allenwood, would always reflect the future that she and Bette saw for themselves. At least, the one that Tina thought they had both seen for themselves.

Enough of those thoughts, though. It was a sunny day, warm but not too warm, and the weight of the pitiful gaze of her friends wasn’t upon her. Tina bought a Hawaiian ice and sat on a picnic bench, content to watch the rhythms of the ocean and the people.