Tina had spent the night sleeping. Or trying to. She’d had a lousy night, tossing and turning and having bad dreams she couldn’t quite remember. All night she tossed and turned, pounding her pillow and alternately folding her covers neatly over her and then kicking them to the foot of the bed. She was furious with Bette for reducing her to this hot and bothered creature who was behaving like a teenager in the throes of her first big infatuation.____ I hope Bette Porter is having as hard a time falling asleep as I am ___Tina sighed into her pillow. Why was she feeling like this?, wasn’t she the one who asked for friendship?. By the time morning arrived, she needed more sleep__but it wouldn’t come, so she mostly lay there thinking about her life and the impact that Bette had in it. Just then the phone behind her rang and she got up to go answer it.

“Hello” Tina said, hoping it was Bette and trying not to sound excited.

“Tina” Henry said, clearly trying to sound warm. “Hi sweetheart, how are you?”

“I’m fine, but no longer your sweetheart.” Tina reminded him. Sounding disappointed that it wasn’t Bette.

On the other end, Henry sighed. “Tina, listen__I need to talk to you. I need to come home… I think it’s time I came home.”

Tina couldn’t believe it. She was clearly frustrated.“You’re not serious”

“Of course I am,” he said, indignant. “I … made a big mistake cheating on you ,Tina. And I know I did some very regrettable things, but…”

“You liked your life better when you were married to me?”

“Yes,that’s what I’m trying to say.. I miss you. I guess you meant more to me than I realized.”

“Wow, you really know how to woo a girl”

“Tina, please quit being sarcastic and give me a chance. I want to work things out.”

If it had happened when they had first got married, Tina might have listened to him. Even as hurt and as angry as she had been, she would have jumped at any chance to restore her marriage. But now that wasn’t the case. She’d learned a lot about life, and love,and living since then. For a moment ,she considered telling Henry that if he kept calling her, she would have a restraining order taken out on him____but then she realized that she no longer cared enough about him to even be angry anymore. She felt no need for revenge, only the need to end the conversation.