“I think she will want to help Kit and that just opens a huge box of trouble as far as I am concerned. If she goes to LA she is only going to get into it with Alice again and God – well you know how she has always just hated Jenny.”
“She disliked her from the start “
“She was right and we were wrong. I do know that Kit needs help and I swear that I am not sympathetic to her situation. But at the same time I do not want Bette getting hurt. She is so much more sensitive than anyone else realizes and she will take this hard. I am worried Shane “
“All you can do is what she did when she had to tell you that she had been talking to your dad. She didn’t hide it from you – she did tell you in the most sensitive way she could and she was there to catch you when you fell apart. That is all you can do Tina. Don’t treat her like a child – she is a mature woman and can handle hearing the truth. Then you just have to react to how she reacts. You might have to peel her off the ceiling or you might have to catch her – but you do have to tell her Tina “

NEW YORK MINUTE

CHAPTER 102

Tina waited until everything had calmed down in the apartment. That meant Angie was safely tucked up in bed and they had eaten dinner and Sheba was having her after-dinner nap. Bette had been doing some paperwork but when Tina came back from putting Angie to bed she was looking through a store catalogue. Tina sat down beside her and smiled
“What are you looking for?”
“I think I would like to wear a suit for the wedding – maybe a dark one and I was just looking at boots – I would like to wear a pair of killer boots for the wedding “
“You know I love you in a pair of boots “
“Do you my sweet?” Bette said faking innocence
“You damn well know that I do “
Bette nodded as if this was a new piece of information she had been given by her partner. Tina laughed and took the catalogue from her hands and kissed her fully on the lips. Bette returned the kiss and for several minutes they swapped sweet, tender kisses. Finally Tina ended the kiss – they needed to talk and the more they kissed the less Tina would want to have what would be a difficult conversation with her future wife.
Tina eased away and looked at Bette
“We have to talk “
Bette raised an eyebrow
“That sounds serious “
“It is “
“Are you alright – health wise?”
“Yes”
“Is it Angie?”
“No – our daughter is noisy and untidy and too damn smart for her own good but she is perfect other than that. This is about Kit “
Bette frowned “What has she done now? – And how do you know? Has Shane heard something from the west coast?”
Tina took a deep breath “Roger is in town “
“Roger?”
Tina nodded
“Roger as in Kit’s husband the 6ft 4in drag queen?”
“That would be the very same “
“So why is he in town, how do you know this and what does this have to do with me and Kit?”
“He’s in town for a series of gigs. I know this because he rang me this morning – around noon and I went down and had a coffee with him. I then went and had a couple of beers at Shane’s bar because I needed to talk to her. I wanted to use her as a sounding board about what I was going to do and how I was going to tell you “
Bette sniffed “Let me think – she’s bust the café and she wants me to bail it out with a free loan?”
“No – not the café – it’s doing really well”
“Is it remind me to ask to see the books. It might be time to sell my share in the café and put the money into Angie’s college fund – or to split it between Angie and our future baby”
Tina was briefly thrown by Bette’s sudden discussion about selling her share in the café back in LA. She had never mentioned that before and Tina wondered where it had come from. Tina shook her head
“It’s not the café “
Bette raised an eyebrow at Tina and tried to read the serious look on her partner’s face. Tina looked like she really didn’t want to be having this conversation. Bette’s mind went back to when she had been forced to tell Tina that she had had a conversation with Tina’s father. That had been one shitty conversation and she still wasn’t sure how well she had dealt with it. And now it looked like Tina was wrestling with telling Bette something equally difficult – but this was not about Tina’s dad – this was Bette’s half-sister Kit. In an instant Bette knew what Tina was trying to tell her
“She’s drinking again – or she’s taking drugs “
Tina looked shocked as well as relieved that Bette had guessed what she was going to tell her. Tina nodded and Bette closed her eyes
“The silly bitch – what the hell was she thinking?”
“I don’t know – I don’t think Roger knew “
“It must have come as a shock to him – poor sod “
“He’s not got much of a clue about what to do “
“So if Roger is in New York – are you saying that Kit is as well? “
“She’s in LA “Tina said reassuring Bette that she was not about to run into her sister on the sidewalk.
Bette’s eyebrow shot up like the lid of a jack in the box
“He’s in New York -she’s in LA getting drunk as a skunk – do not tell me that he’s been fucking stupid enough to leave Kit under the supervision of Dumb and Devious?”
Tina smiled – “Dumb and Devious “had to be Alice and Jenny “Yes”
“Oh sweet Jesus – I don’t know the man that well but how fucking stupid is that? If they are supposed to be keeping her on the straight and narrow – well it will have taken her about 5 minutes to give them the slip and she will be under a bar stool somewhere in some LA dive “
“That was what we thought. I tried to hide it from Roger but – yeah – she’s not going to have much problem giving them the slip”
“How long has she been drinking again?”
“At least 15 months “
Bette sighed and shook her head “That is truly sad “
“He’s a good man and he is just at his wits end. You know how devious she is when she wants to go off and do something she shouldn’t “
Bette took Tina’s hand “How many times did I bail her out of trouble?”
“That’s what I was thinking earlier on. This has brought some memories back- like the time she passed out when you were launching an exhibition “
“I really don’t want to have to remember some of that stuff “
“It come back to you. Do you remember it nearly finished you and me before we started? I thought you were being unfaithful to me because you kept standing me up and taking odd phone calls. And it was you trying to not tell me about your train wreck sister “
“God yes – I just didn’t want to tell you about her. But I realized that if I didn’t tell you it would wreck my life as well because of how much I was into you – the last thing I wanted was to lose you because you were so different and I loved you so much”
“I loved you too — I was suddenly in this new world of lesbians and I was so out of my comfort zone and you were leaving me in a heap when we had any sexual encounter. I was struggling with taking that final step and you were being so patient and loving. I was scared senseless that you were getting your jollies somewhere else because I hadn’t slept with you “
Bette touched Tina’s face and lent forward and gave her a long kiss
“You were worth waiting for – and you changed my life then and you changed it again when you came back into it. I love you Tina”
“I love you – you were the one who took away all the fears about being gay. I don’t know what my life would have been like if you hadn’t showed up and been so amazing”
“We are getting off the point “Bette said after a few minutes
“We are “
Bette kissed Tina’s hand and stood up
“I need some coffee and maybe some ice cream – would you like some?”
“Ice cream would be good – you better not tell Angie that we have extra ice cream when she has gone to bed “
“My lips are sealed – some things need to be a secret between adults”
Tina watched as Bette headed towards the kitchen – well on the plus side Bette hadn’t had to be peeled from the ceiling – the old Bette may have but this version was much calmer but it probably hadn’t sunk in yet. And Tina might have got out of telling Bette the basic news but she hadn’t told her that Roger wanted Bette’s help – that might spark a different reaction entirely.
Bette returned in a few minutes with two bowls of chocolate ice cream complete with extra chocolate sauce and sprinkles on. She handed one bowl to Tina
“The deluxe extra ice cream version “
“Indeed “
Bette sat down and took a spoonful of ice cream “So tell me what Roger told you – and why is he telling you?”
“She won’t get help or treatment – he wants you to talk to her – he says you are the only person who can help her”
Tina watched Bette carefully. The brunette finished her mouthful of ice cream and put the spoon back in the bowl and put the bowl down on the catalogue on the coffee table.
“He wants me to persuade Kit to go into rehab – does he also want me to pay for it as well?”
“He didn’t say but – well he’s in New York working because he needs the money”
Bette rubbed her hands together and looked at Tina
“What did you tell him?”
“I said that he had a fucking cheek given the way that they all have treated you. I came close to losing it with him which wasn’t fair on him. He just wants to do the best for his partner – the thing was that I was doing the same. I said that I didn’t want you to get involved. Kit didn’t want to know when you needed someone – none of them did”
Bette pressed her head into the back of the sofa and exhaled
“It’s not that simple though is it?”
“No it isn’t and I do realize that but I was put on the spot totally out of the blue. But I stand by my earlier point – why the hell should you help Kit when she rejected you when you needed someone -anyone to be there for you when you hit rock bottom and you walked out. And I will never forgive her for the way she spoke to you when you went back with Angie and I. she had a chance to make amends but she changed from the wedding when she was the one who encouraged me to go and speak to you. How does she go from that position to being so sure that you were going to fuck up and hurt Angie and me? .If there is anyone who knows what a great and truly amazing heart you have its your sister”
Bette smiled “Thank you for your loyalty “
“Well what do you expect? – I don’t want you hurting and I don’t think this is going to go well do you?”
“No – it might get messy “
“Exactly and call me over protective and silly things like that – but I don’t want that for the woman I love and I intend to marry “
“How bad is it with her?”
“He said she’as a mess. How many months would it take you from starting to drink again to being a wreck?”
“About 15 minutes “Bette said “But then very few recovering addicts have the best of health and Kit had over a decade of snorting coke and drinking and she probably doesn’t know what else. At her age – well it’s even more serious”
“So are you prepared to help her?”
Bette picked her ice cream up again and looked at Tina
“I don’t know “
Tina raised an eyebrow – Bette didn’t often do self-doubt. So for her to say “I don’t know” – really meant that she needed time to weigh this whole situation up. She ate a spoonful of ice-cream and waited to see what Bette would say
“I know your instinct is that you want to help. Apparently Alice told Roger that there was no way you would refuse to help “
Tina knew that this would not go down well.
“Alice can go fuck herself “Bette replied looking annoyed. “ She is delusional if she thinks she knows anything about me any more – not that she knew me when we were back in LA anyway. Alice lives in her own little world and that’as a truly pathetic world to inhabit. I prefer reality as defined by my partner, my daughter and my business. Alice doesn’t know me and if Roger really listens to her then he is a bloody fool “
“Maybe he wants to believe that you are going to help him. “ Tina squeezed Bette’s hand “If it was you I would be desperate to help you and I would do anything. You know that and I know you would be the same if anything happened to me or Ang”
“True – I don’t know what to do Tina – this has taken me back “
“I know – that was why I went to Shane’s bar to talk to her “
“What did our wise old owl Shane have to say?”
“I was toying with not telling you “
Bette smiled “And yet you seem to be telling me right now “
“I thought about it for all of a maybe 20 minutes. I know that is not the route for us to start taking. We have started again and we have both said that we want to treat one another with love and respect and we do. I would be treating you like a child and you and I wouldn’t even treat our daughter like that. We may tell her things in certain ways but we do not hide lots of things from her – we respect our daughter and we respect one another. So I am sorry that I even thought it. I was way off beam “
“It’s okay – you were blindsided as much as I just have been. We will face this together.”
Tina smiled – back in the bad old days even a hint that Tina had considered not telling Bette something would be the lit blue-touch paper for a full scale row.
“And Shane told you that you had to tell me?”
“She just reminded me that you are a grown up and you had to deal with it in your own way – she was right. I was just trying to protect you and I know that you are a big girl – so I was wrong “
Bette smiled and lent closer to Tina “Say this very quietly but you and I are in danger of growing up “
“Nah “Tina said “That would never happen – Angie is more mature than us “she joked. Bette grinned and looked at Tina again
“Would you help Kit?”
“I care about you – yes I am also protective of you. “
“What are you concerned about?”
“That you have to go back to LA which I know is something that you really hate. When we went there the last time you hated it – I hated seeing you hating it. You argued with Kit and Alice. I remember you coming back to our hotel room on the Monday night in the middle of my two day interview and you had been to see Kit and Alice. You looked utterly drained and miserable. I remember that night so clearly. I remember you saying that it was sad because you would probably never see her again and that she drove you crazy for talking crazy Alice stuff. I don’t want you to face her again if she upsets you. You held your hands up back in January and said that there was nothing left to say to Alice and if there was anything left to say to Kit she wasn’t damn well listening. That hasn’t changed Bette – Alice hasn’t tried to get in touch with you since and all Shane gets nowadays is the odd drunken text calling her a traitor for abandoning LA in favor of New York. Shane told me today that she had never been happier than she is now – she is so glad to get away from the west coast. Alice should stick that in her pipe and smoke it. I hated you being miserable and I don’t want you to go back to LA if it’s going to be the self and same”
“I don’t think I would want to go over there without you and Angie and we are not taking her out of school and when she is off for her Christmas holidays – you and I have a date with a judge who will marry us” Bette agreed
Tina touched Bette face and kissed her on the lips “I don’t want you to get hurt and I do fear that you will. I don’t know if he’s asking you to see her because you genuinely are the only person who can help her or he just wants you to fund her rehab “
“How much rehab did I pay for before she finally kicked the drugs and the booze?”
“You never told me and I didn’t think it was my business to ask “
Bette shook her head “Kit has to want to do this for herself. Without her commitment and some therapy to help her – well it’s just throwing money again. I don’t object in principle to paying for rehab for her – I just don’t know if she would be committed to it. I don’t know enough about what is happening Tina and to be honest – the way I am feeling – I am not sure I want to know “
New York minute