Till We Meet Again | A Bette-Tina Beginning Chapter 3

At the Gym

Bette had just finished her afternoon ritual of pumping weights at the gym after her lecture and was changing out of her work-out clothes. While her ‘handicap’ may have slowed her down, she had followed a tough workout regiment to compensate for the loss of movement. She still walked with the support of a cane occasionally, but every day, she tested her limits at the gym, taking her anger, frustration and bitterness out on the weight machines.

Now she observed herself in the mirror, taking in the chiseled arms, muscular shoulders and abs and let out a low whistle. “Not bad Porter, I would certainly hit that!” Bette said jokingly to her reflection in the mirror.

“So shut up Shut up Shut up Don’t wanna hear it Get out Get out Get out Get out of my way Step up Step up Step up…The Simple Plan lyrics broke Bette out of her reverence and she jumped, not expecting the loud echo of the already-loud song in the locker room. She glanced at her phone. It was Alice. Who else would bug her while she was working out?

Bette answered the phone: “Hello, you have reached the cellphone of Bette Porter. She doesn’t really want to talk to you. Please leave a message after the long beep. Beeeeeee….”

Alice rolled her eyes on the other end. “Bette…Bette…” she interjected a bit sharply, “please, I don’t have time for this. Listen up. Mrs. Evans has to unexpectedly fly out of state and she cannot pick up her son from school. She asked if I could possibly pick him up but I have meetings all afternoon. Ever since the Blackbeast scare, she is quite concerned about leaving Trevor attended and does not want him to travel by himself. Can you please pick Trevor up from school? It is quite near the gym and a walking distance to the Subway.”

“What am I? Some child escort or protection service?” Bette was simply exasperated from running small errands for people that she did not even associate with. And here Alice wanted her to escort this child from school to protect him from the maniacal Blackbeast!

“No, but maybe if you can do that without raising nerves, it would probably make for a decent living wage and lessen the financial burden I carry from being the sole breadwinner in this relationship,” Alice retorted harshly. And immediately regretted it.

The words sliced through Bette, rubbing salt on wounds that had never healed. But she wasn’t about to tell her wife that she, the proud Bette Porter, had been affected by her words.

“Thank you Ms. Diva for the career advice. I was wondering when that excuse for a decent magazine started doing more charitable work. And what should I do if the Blackbeast takes me out and kidnaps Trevor?”

“Don’t worry Bette. He would either mistake you for the child and kidnap you thus solving all my problems or just be scared away by the utter crap that comes out of that mouth,” Alice retorted, unwilling to back down from a good spar of words.

Bette was not about to let Alice win. “I seem to remember days and nights when you yearned and screamed for some things coming out of my mouth,” she said in a low, husky voice.

Shocked out of her mind and rendered speechless for the first time in as long as Alice could remember, she almost dropped the phone. Was Bette flirting with her? How long had it been since she last heard Bette tease her flirtatiously? Alice let out a barely audible gasp as she felt herself aroused by Bette’s mere words.

Bette caught on. “What’s up Pieszecki? Cat got your tongue? Or are you thinking about the pleasures my tongue can bring you?”
Alice was still stunned at her body’s reaction to Bette but angry that Bette would use sex as a tool. But she still didn’t how to respond to Bette’s teasing. “Bette…please…Just, can you do me this one favor? I would owe you bigtime.”

Bette didn’t really have much to do this afternoon and it was not often that Alice asked her for a favor. Maybe she could show her wife that Bette Porter was still useful for some things.

“Alright Alice, you owe me bigtime! What school does that little kid go to and when does he get off?”
“He is at Shepaug Middle School, and gets off at 2:45 today.”

Alice sighed in relief. Maybe she could salvage her marriage yet if she could just get in touch with the soft-hearted Bette that still existed beneath the tough exterior.

“You are on for tonight, Porter. Bring your tongue, but leave the verbage behind” grinning as she hung up.

Bette stared at her phone, shaking her head. It was 2:30 already. She quickly put on her sweater, blue jeans and long black trench coat, grabbed her walking cane and headed out into the cold New York City weather.

———————————-
Diva HeadQuarters, NY
“Congratulations to Diva for becoming the number 2 magazine.” Helena Peabody raised her wine glass as a toast. She walked around confidently among the circle of excited women standing outside her CEO office. “Now ladies listen up. We are going for number 1 so pull up your socks and pantyhoses, start burning the midnight oil and if your husbands or partners” she broke off momentarily to look pointedly at Alice “leave you, well you are better off!”

The women cheered, jubilant that their hard work and long hours were paying off. Alice was especially pleased—since she had started at Diva, the magazine had tripled subscription and doubled sales of newsstand copies.

“Alright everyone, back to work” Helena turned to Alice, “can I see you in my office for a bit?”

“Sure,” Alice nodded and followed her beautiful brunette boss into the luxurious space, with a large mahogany desk, several expensive art pieces lining the walls and two plush leather couches. She sat down opposite Helena at the desk, wondering what this one-on-one meeting was about. While she didn’t harbor any personal interest in Helena, they were past formalities and shared a good rapport. Helena would even occasionally flirt with her and Alice would cleverly dodge or divert the statements and pretend to be naïve.

“Alice, how would you like to head up our international version of Diva in London?” Helena asked not wanting to tiptoe around the issue. “We are looking to expand operations and no one is better qualified than you to undertake the project. You have done a great job here in New York, and greener pastures await you yet.” Helena smiled, still in celebratory mode.

Alice was startled. “Helena…I am very flattered by your offer, but I cannot just pack up and leave for London. This is my home. I have family here. I also need to think of my wife, Bette…” She stopped as Helena started to frown.

Helena was not particularly fond of Bette. She saw Bette as a leech who simply lived off her wife, and did nothing to support her. Bette was a failure in life while Alice was a much-happening success story. Helena could not envision how and what kept Alice and Bette together. Besides she wanted the gorgeous blonde…She decided to test the waters…

“Alice…this is a great opportunity for you…You don’t need to make a decision now. Think about it. Talk to Bette even. We will wait for you. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, how are you and Bette doing? You haven’t taken a sick day or vacation in so long…Why don’t you guys get away for a weekend on an all-expenses paid trip to London and see how it is for both of you?” she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Alice blushed. “I don’t know Helena…I think you are right. Bette and I do need to get away and reconnect. Ever since the accident, she seems to have shut me out and poured herself into her work and I have just gotten busier…But we love each other… Well…” Alice stopped. She wasn’t sure if Bette still loved her and the thought of losing Bette suddenly overwhelmed her. Her eyes filled up with tears and …“I mean I do love her and miss her,” she finished swallowing her lump, not wanting to cry in front of Helena.

Helena could see how distraught Alice was. “Alice…maybe it is about time you find out how the two of you feel and where you are going…I am not anyone to judge your relationship, but it sounds like you need to talk to her and get some answers…” she stood up and walked over to Alice, rubbing her visible back, “and I will wait for your answer,” Helena finished tenderly and suggestively.

Alice almost jumped out of her skin as Helena’s hand made contact with her back. Shivers shot up and down her spine and she hated herself for how she was feeling. Suddenly, it dawned on her–Was Helena hitting on her? Damnit! Is that why she was offering her a major post in London? Is that why Helena was warm and friendly with her but a cold conniving bitch with everyone else? Alice was not sure what to make of Helena’s last line so she stood up, a bit angry and defensive, moving away. “Thanks Helena…I am sure everything will work out. I will talk to my wife and her insight.”

With that Alice almost bolted out of the office, as Helena watched on with an amused smirk on her face.
Back in the safety of her office, Alice took several deep breathes to calm her nerves. Sure, Helena was attractive, rich, powerful and absolutely charming. But Alice was m-a-r-r-i-e-d and in a monogamous relationship. There was no way she would cheat on Bette or even think about another woman.
She loved Bette, didn’t she? Alice needed to be reassured. She picked up the phone to dial Bette.

————————————–
NY Subway Station

Bette was at the station with Trevor, growing impatient by the minute due to the train delays. She couldn’t believe a boy the size of Trevor would need protection from anyone…She was getting more irritated by the second…

“So shut up Shut up Shut up Don’t wanna hear it …” Bette checked the ID. It was Alice. Letting go of Trevor, Bette got up and answered cheekily, not letting Alice get a word in, “Hello, this is the Blackbeast I have your wife because the kid with her was too big to kidnap. Please drop $5 million into Locker number 54739 at 24-7 Fitness Downtown and you can have your wife back safe and sound.”

“Oh Blackbeast. Please don’t hurt her. I will give you whatever you need. Just promise that you will keep her permanently.” Alice grinned, enjoying the game.

“Ha-ha-ha” Bette said dryly. “Seriously Alice, have you seen how big Trevor is? The Blackbeast would die if he picked him up! Hmm…” a thought struck her “hey…I suppose obesity could be good for some things…”

Alice: “Bette, be nice! You do have Trevor. No?”
Bette grinned. “Yes, ma’am. I have Trevor and I am waiting at the Subway for the train home. See there is something I can do properly!”

Alice felt proud of her wife no matter how ridiculous that sounds. Bette may be sarcastic but she still made her feel good at times. “Thank you Bette. I apologize for the inconvenience and for this morning…”
Bette could sense something was different about Alice but she barraged on, not willing to stop and think about it, “Oh Alice. It’s not your fault. Morning, noon, night—these are all natural elements of human existence. Don’t apologize for this morning.”
Alice sighed. “Bette! Anyway, I am gonna go now, but remember Porter, you are up for tonight, and I won’t be apologizing for anything I do then.”

Bette… “Yeah right…It has been so long…Are you sure you won’t be apologizing for forgetting how to do IT?” she turned out and gasped at the empty bench where Trevor was supposed to be, her smirk completely wiped off her face…she looked up and down the station, not catching sight of him… “FUCK! Alice I am gonna call you back,” she hung up and took off with the help of her cane, limping as fast as she could.

“What happened? Hello? Bette…Are you ok?” Alice said into the phone before she noticed Bette had hung up…She tried calling her back but Bette was not answering. She hoped everything was alright. Things could only get better after tonight, no?