(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

Till We Meet Again | A Bette-Tina Beginning Chapter 13

They entered the Mocca Espresso Lounge. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable even though the walls were laden with pretentious art that made Bette cringe a bit. Techno music blared in the background loud enough to notice but not disturb conversations.

“Is this place alright for you?” Tina asked Bette, unsure as to what Bette was used to.

“Any place out of that weather would do for now, T.” Bette replied as she took off her wet jacket and Tina proceeded to take off her raincoat. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded and Bette and Tina were seated near the plasma screen TV at the back of the room. Bette ordered two hot café lattes for both of them after consulting with Tina and told the server that they might order food later.

Tina walked up to the counter and requested some towels. She proceeded to wipe down their table and chairs. Bette looked on amused.

“Out with it. What have I done now?” Tina said as she saw Bette smirking at her

“Nothing…Just, don’t you think the towels could be put to better use, like maybe on ourselves?” Bette pointed to herself and Tina.

Tina glared at Bette and then she noticed how see-through Bette’s white blouse was. She could make out her bra and nipples that were screaming for attention. She swallowed nervously.

“Umm, Bette, I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her wallet from her handbag and proceeded to walk, no run, out of the café.

“What…where are you…” but Tina had already vanished from sight.

Bette looked on completely puzzled as she sipped the hot café latte that the server had brought back. Several patrons were now gazing at her and she glared back at them, oblivious to exactly what they were staring at. She turned her attention to the TV that was on CNN, with Lou Dobbs in his typical monotone on illegal aliens and how they were invading America. Bette leaned back in the lounge chair and scowled at the hatemonger.

“I cannot believe this guy. We are squandering millions of dollars in an illegal war overseas, killing thousands of women and children for oil profits, and this idiot is telling me that I should worry about the threat from a migrant worker picking lettuce and tomato in the hot sun and his children who are attending school here. What the fuck is this world coming to?” Bette seethed out loud. By now she had garnered the attention of a lot more people and continued to rant away.

Tina returned with a shawl in hand to see Bette talking to the television. She smiled at being spot on about Bette; she was an armchair politician after all! Then she noticed other patrons staring at Bette and her protective instincts kicked in. She approached Bette swiftly, and with shaking hands, put the shawl she had just bought around her, covering her up.

“What…hey T…where did you go and what is this…?” Bette stared down at the knitted blue shawl that Tina had bought and wrapped around her.

“Bette, your girls are screaming for attention. If you hadn’t noticed, your blouse is quite see-through.” She lowered her voice, “Why do you think everyone else in the café is looking our way?”

“Oh, I thought they were probably enjoying my clever wisdom and insight. And I know I am eye-candy.” Bette grinned. Tina regarded her seriously.

Bette put her hand on Tina’s. “Thank you T,” she said, gazing tenderly into her eyes.

Tina smiled shyly, “It was nothing. And it will keep you warm too.” She absentmindedly grazed Bette’s hand with her thumb before she picked up her now lukewarm latte, staring off into the distance.

Bette cleared her throat. Tina looked at her and blushed.

“So…”

“So…”

They both smiled.

“Who would like to go first?”

“I am a bit embarrassed Bette.”

“There is nothing to be embarrassed about T. We are in this together and if we hope to help each other than we have to be completely honest with each other. Alright?”

“Completely honest?”

“Absolutely and totally honest.” Bette confirmed with a nod.

Tina took a deep breathe. “Alright, here goes…Eric and I … we … well … we cannot have children together as you know and … we don’t really …hardly… heisnothappywithoursexlife,” she finished hurriedly, shutting her eyes tightly and blushing furiously.

Bette took another sip of her coffee, studying Tina. She did not want to cause her further distress by making any jokes about her lack of sex life. And it wasn’t like she could brag about her own sex life at the moment.

“Why do you think that is Tina?” Bette coaxed gently.

Tina opened her eyes, expecting to see Bette amused, smirking or looking down at her. But she only saw care and concern in her eyes, and a steely warmth that calmed her nerves.

“I…I don’t know…”

“Is it something he does? Or doesn’t do?” Bette tried to encourage Tina to open up.

Tina frowned. “No…no…it’s not him, he is a really great husband usually,” she smiled. “It’s just me…And I want to adopt a child immediately while he wants to wait now and spend more time with me. I just don’t get it.”

“You want to bring a child into an unstable relationship?”

“It isn’t unstable—we get along well most of the time. He is very good to me,” Tina said defensively.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. And you love him right?”
Tina nodded.

“And that also means you are attracted to him, right?” Bette pressed on.

Tina shrugged. “Sure, Eric is very attractive.”

Bette raised her eyebrow. She noted that Tina had admitted that Eric was attractive but had not admitted to any feelings of attraction. “Has he been bothering you about this problem?”

“For a while he dropped little hints and clues. And then for Christmas, he went over the top.” Tina pushed the wet curls off her face, puffing her cheeks and blowing out slowly.

“What happened?” Bette winced as she thought about her own miserable Christmas with Alice.

“He bought some…lingerie…books…and well, a bungee cord…for encouragement,” Tina stammered, trying to avoid looking at Bette.

“I get the lingerie and books… but the bungee cord? Are you into bungee jumping?” Bette was puzzled again.

Tina became more flushed. “No, he…it was kind of like a sex accessory to be hung from the ceiling…and well, one would sit and swing on…”

Bette spluttered her coffee… “Wow, Tina, that is really something I do NOT want to picture,” she said chuckling, shaking her head to clear away any images of Tina and Eric fucking.

“Excuse me, what do you mean by that?” Tina was on the defensive.

Bette raised an eyebrow. “Well, unless you want me to…”

Tina looked horrified. “NO!”

Hearing her loud outburst, the patrons in the lounge turned their attention to Bette and Tina, and then one by one returned to their conversations.

“Bette, you are such an embarrassment!” Tina hissed

“I know, I try. Should I try harder?” Bette grinned and then stopped as soon as she saw tears in Tina’s eyes.

“Oh shit. T…you know I am an ass, I didn’t mean that. I am sorry. Please don’t cry due to a jerk like me.”

“Bette, don’t flatter yourself. I simply have some allergies.” Tina smirked. “But thanks for your apology.”

“You…you…”

“I know, I learn from the best,” Tina winked, scrunching up her face and closing both eyes.
Bette laughed. “T…you cannot wink!”

“I can too…” she started to protest, looking around for some tissues, and for the first time, noticed the new cane leaning against Bette’s chair.

“Hey, nice new weapon Porter. You got it for Christmas?”

Bette winced. “Yeah, just one of the many things Alice and I fought about.”

“You don’t like it?”

“It reminds me of my disability Tina. It seemed like she was trying to put a new dress on broken old me, minimize my pain by throwing money at the physical manifestation of my injury…”

“Bette…I am sure that is not what she intended to do,” Tina interrupted her softly.

Bette sighed. “I know…I just cannot seem to get past this.”

Tina waited for Bette to open up. She could see her struggling to voice her thoughts.

“I keep having nightmares of the accident, and the long and painful therapy afterwards. (pause) I have never been back there but I remember everything so vividly, almost in slow-motion, maybe trying to figure out the exact moment that this (pointing to her knee) could have been prevented. (longer pause) In my obsession, my artwork has suffered. I went from being an up-and-coming artist to a nobody, a lecturer at community college. (bitter-sounding chuckle) And that changed the dynamics in my relationship with Alice. She has been working harder to support our lifestyle while I feel like even more of a failure! It just never seems to stop.” Bette puffed out her cheeks, blinked back her tears and stared miserably at her coffee.

Tina reached out and covered Bette’s hand with her own.
“Bette, we cannot change what happened. But we do have the ability to change what we are doing so that the future is better, no?”

Bette nodded. “Maybe…I just seem to have become so self-destructive. I swore to myself that I would never again stop to help anyone…T…I hated you…I hated you for so long…” Bette lowered her head at her admission, guilt stabbing her stronger than the pain, as Tina sat gaping in shock.

The words pierced her heart, almost wounding her soul. “You…you… hated me?” Tina managed to gasp out, removing her hand from Bette’s.

“Yes…” Bette replied, almost inaudibly, immediately missing the touch of Tina’s hand in her own.

“What changed?” It was Tina’s turn to laugh bitterly. “Why are you here with me, Bette?”

“In the hospital…when we met again…I saw the same sadness and longing in your eyes, the same vacancy that stares back at me when I look into the mirror.” Bette finally met Tina’s gaze, guilt clouding her eyes. “And…I feel responsible for it,” she finished softly.

Tina wanted to cradle Bette up in her arms and take away all her pain. Something in Bette’s admission, maybe her vulnerability and misconceived guilt, tugged at her heart strings.

“Bette. I want you to listen to me and listen carefully, alright?” Tina demanded.

Bette nodded silently.

“My life today, whatever is wrong with it, is NOT your fault. You are NOT responsible for the choice I ultimately made, just like I am NOT responsible for the horrible accident that changed your life. We are only responsible for our actions and we must take responsibility for where we are today in our relationships. (pause) I am not saying that you are hundred percent to blame for your failing relationship with Alice because it always takes two to make and break a relationship. The same is true for Eric and me. But you are not responsible for the outcome of my life and I am not responsible for the outcome of yours. Can you deal with that, Ms. Porter?” Tina looked at Bette expectedly.

“I suppose…” Bette started to say until she met Tina’s hard unflinching gaze. “Erm, okay. I can deal with it.”

“Good.” They both grinned at each other.

“Breaking News…” They both glanced at the television screen to catch the news alert. “Parents and concerned citizens can take a breather. Law enforcement officials have finally nabbed the real Blackbeast. In a press release this afternoon, police revealed the identity of the Blackbeast to be that of an artist named Jodi Lerner. She has pleaded guilty and will face trial for the kidnapping of eleven children in the state of New York…”

Bette sat scowling at the TV screen.

“Finally! Tina exclaimed. “God, are all artists demented?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Bette teasing her lightly.

Bette smirked. “I see your sense of humor is improving. But T, tell me seriously, are all teachers so boring?”

“Bette, if you are forgetting, you are a teacher too.” Tina laughed.

“No, I am a college lecturer…”

“And THAT is a teaching position.” Tina insisted.

“But I don’t teach. I just lecture. And well, D-grade.” Bette grinned with self-satisfaction.
“Oh, that was absolutely brilliant…See I turned d-e-g-r-a-d-e into D-g-r-a-d-e, making it a pun. God I am so good,” Bette patted herself on the shoulder.

Tina rolled her eyes. “Don’t orgasm over yourself now. We are in public.”

“But you admit that I am right?” Bette was relentless, almost childish.

“Whatever. It is so pointless arguing with you.” Tina smiled. “But so much fun,” she added silently.

“But you have fun trying, no?” Bette gave a lop-sided smile as Tina looked at her in mock disbelief and shock.

“Yes, how boring and uneventful would life be without the need to argue with Bette Porter,” Tina mused. “Let me get back to you on that.”

“I won’t be holding my breathe.”

“Don’t. I smell really good I am told.”

“Whoever told you that must have some sort of olfactory nerve dysfunction,” Bette said scrunching up her face and holding her nose with her hand.

“Now am I supposed to pat you on the back for knowing SOMETHING about our sensory system?”

“Oh T…if only you knew how much I know about our senses…especially touch,” Bette replied flirtatious.

“I don’t even want to know!” Tina shrieked, getting the attention of other diners.

“Says the woman who cannot help getting horizontal with me.”

“Bette, you are absolutely sick!”

“Says the virus.”

They were interrupted by the server.
“Hello, I must ask you to keep it down a bit. Other patrons are getting disturbed. Can I get you two something else?”

“I am sorry.” Tina said, a bit embarrassed. Bette just glared at the server. “WE are sorry,” Tina corrected herself, looking pointedly at Bette. “And no, not for now, thank you.”

Tina poked her tongue out at Bette as the server left them in peace again.

“I can suggest some places where that can go.”

“If I wanted your suggestion, oh-great-one, I would have asked.”

They continued their banter till they were interrupted again.

“I’m sorry. Were we loud again?”

Bette just mumbled. “I can think of ways we can get louder.”

Tina kicked Bette under the table.

“Owwwww…T…my knee…” Bette cried out in pain.

“Oh my god, Bette, are you alright. I am so sorry.” Tina got up and rushed to her side, trying to ascertain the damage she had done.

“Ha! See I told you I could get you down on your knees!” Bette grinned. Tina resisted the urge to really aim and kick Bette in her bad knee.

The server looked on impatiently. “Excuse me. Can I get you two something else? It is dinner time and we will be closing in two hours.”

“WHAT?!” Tina shrieked again. And sure enough, as she looked at her watched, it was already eight. Where did the time go?

“This is all YOUR fault!” she wagged her finger at Bette

“What? It is only eight. Aww…is it past your bedtime already Tina?”

“Shut up! Whatever! Umm, I have to get back home. Eric must be wondering what happened to me.”

“Has he called?”

Tina checked her phone. “No.” She frowned.

“Well…” Bette and Tina exchanged knowing glances.

“We will have dinner,” they both chimed together.

They sat and talked into the night about their pasts and their hopes and desires for the future. They spoke about Eric and Alice—how wrong they both were and at times, just how right. But in this web of entangled mis-matched relationships, it did not matter who was right or wrong. Someone had to take the first step. And Bette and Tina did just that.