“That’s too bad.”

“Well, you were the one who made sure I had food in my stomach and kept me off of skid row.  You did, Bette.  My aunt was chowing down on filet mignon and pomme frites while I was hoping I could scrape together enough for Tito’s Tacos.”

“Jeez.”

“So, the old broad keels over.  Drops dead.  Next thing I know, the Gravy Train pulls up to my door and drops off about fifteen original paintings.  All that time I was desperate and got nothin’, then when I’m making it hand over fist, when the last thing I need is a handout, she bequeaths paintings that are worth a fortune.”

“Wow.”

“Bette, you saved my life.  You believed in me when no one else did.  You got me noticed, showed my work and now, I’m set.  I have a practice that brings in over a million a year and it grows every year.  And I make a bundle teaching at Columbia, UCLA, USC.  Bette, I’d have nothing if it weren’t for you.  The other fourteen paintings are in storage.  That Calder I knew I wanted you to have.  I knew you’d love it.  It’s beautiful of course, but when I look at it, I see my aunt’s scorn and hear her sarcasm.  It doesn’t make me particularly happy.”

“Do you have any idea how much it’s worth?”  Bette asked incredulously.

“To me, not much.  In the open market, a nice piece of change.”

“Yeah, Sotheby’s is asking nearly a quarter of a million for the companion piece at auction in a few weeks.”

“You know your Calder.”

“I’m really blown away, Eileen.”

“Listen babe, I’ve got a hundred things to do before tomorrow morning.  Do what you wish with the Calder.  If you want to donate it to the CAC, that’s cool.  If you want to use it as your foundation piece when you re-open the Bette Porter gallery, that’s tres cool.”

“Whoa, no one said anything about that.”

“Bette, you should.  You’re not the same person you were a few years ago.  That spark is gone, that joie de vie is missing.  Maybe the CAC is bringing you down.  Maybe it’s this thing with Tina.  I know you don’t want to talk about it, but if this separation is doing this to you, then you need to start working on getting that straight.  Whatever it takes, babe, whatever it takes.  That’s my advice.”