~~~~~

     "It’s not unusual to meet separately in couple therapy."

     Tina bobbed her head. "I understand."

     "I want to get as much information as I can before I meet with you together. The last time Bette came to see me was in 2005 after you initiated the first sexual encounter after her affair." Off of Tina’s surprised look, Dr. Foxworthy smiled reassuringly. "She gave me permission to divulge it."

     "Of course." She smiled back apprehensively, confidentiality the last thing on her mind.

     "The experience was quite jarring for Bette. But then, it wasn’t about reconciliation or forgiveness, was it? It was probably the first time that you had taken the lead. At what point in the relationship did you discover that you had lost control?"

     Tina tried not to scoff. Can I really pinpoint the moment when Bette turned my life upside down?

~~~~~

     "So Eric called … "

     Tina looked up from her scriptment across the cramped office she shared with Janet, another reader. "Oh, yeah? I only stepped out for a second – "

     "No, last Friday. You left early because you said that you were coming down with something. He wanted to stop by your place and get his things before you and a bunch of girls from the office were going to the coast for the weekend." She paused a moment for dramatic effect. "Which is funny ‘cause I don’t remember us planning anything … "

     Tina froze. "What’d you tell him?"

     "I covered for you. The poor guy: he doesn’t have a clue why you broke up with him. Or myself for that matter." Janet grinned conspiratorially. "C’mon, Tina, you can trust me: us D-girls gotta stick together!"

     She held her tongue. Tina had only been in California for two years, but she was fully aware that "Trust me" in L.A.-speak meant "Run like the wind in the other direction". Just then, the door opened and Laura, the receptionist, brought in a bouquet of red roses and set them down on her desk.

     "Ooh, Tina, I think Eric wants to get back together with you!"

     Before she could respond, Janet snatched up the envelope and removed the card. "Huh. It’s blank." She squinted in confusion. "There’s an earring taped to the card. What the hell does that mean?"

     They turned to Tina: she laughed nervously, unable to stop the flush rising from her neck. Both women gawked in realization and spoke at the same time.

     "Oh, my God, these aren’t from Eric, are they?" – "You spent the whole weekend in bed?!" – "So who’s the Mystery Man?"

     Tina replied mercurially, "Y’know, I prefer the term ‘Mystery Person’."

     "Okayyy, ‘Mystery Person’ then … " Janet drawled.

     "Well, the person is an art curator with a masters from Yale … owns their own gallery … "

     Laura’s mic pack started to buzz and she reluctantly turned to go. "Ugh, Mondays! All these damn phone calls … I have to go back up front: save the juicy stuff for me!"

     As soon as she left, Janet signaled for Tina to continue. "Yeah, yeah … "

     "They’re incredibly accomplished … " Tina took a deep breath. "And … she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life."

     Janet sat back in her chair and stared at Tina for a long moment. "Girl, you are gone."

     And she was. Starting with that one kiss, a great divide separated Tina from the world she used to live in, all because she had stepped outside the social boundary and committed the transgression of falling for another woman. If she had gotten drunk and made out with a cocktail waitress in Tijuana, she would’ve been exalted as a wild and crazy party girl. Instead, this act of intimacy made her out to be – God forbid – a lesbian.

~~~~~