Chapter 17

It was late that evening and Tina, Alice and Dana were curled up on the couch watching a movie.  Alice looked over and saw that Dana was sound asleep.  She tapped Tina and whispered. 

“So…How’d it go?”

Tina smiled at her friend’s interest.

“It was good…really good.”

“Did you tell her…ya know, about the ‘accident’?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Sooooo?”

“It was so hard Al…to tell her….but Al, she was amazing…she was so…I don’t know…tuned in….selfless?…caring?…everything…?  You know, in my wildest imagination I could never have imagined a better day.  It was amazing…Shit Al, you’d think after all this time…and…everything…You’d think maybe I might respond…I don’t know, differently.  God what that woman does to me.”

“Tina, you say that like it’s a bad thing.  No one has ever questioned that she loves you…well…maybe for a while there, but not really…and that doesn’t count, Porter lost her mind…did you ever get a good look at that carpenter chick…Jeez…Pleeeeeze.  She had to be out of her fucking mind.”

Tina giggled at her friend’s ranting.

“You know Al, every rational bone in my body tells me to walk, no run away from her…I keep telling myself that I have to get strong on my own…you know…build a life away from Bette….that I can’t use her as a crutch…but Al…it feels so fucking good to be …be at the center of all that…I don’t know…to be loved by her again.”

Tina wiped a tear from her face and looked at her friend.

“TK, I get all that, but you can get strong and still be with Bette.   You were always strong.  But shit Tina, even strong people have a limit. A broken marriage and 2 miscarriages so close to each other, Shit TK anyone would lose it.”

“I hope you’re right Al, I really hate feeling like a fragile bird or something…I can’t wait till I can get back to exercising and running.  I really miss it…”

Alice was quiet for a moment.

“Sooooo, did you kiss her?”

Tina gave Alice a sly smile and said.

“I’ll never tell.”

Alice pointed at Tina and jumped up on her haunches.

“You so did…now you have to tell.”

Tina looked down, and then looked back at her friend with tears in her eyes.

“It felt so go Al, please tell me I’m not a fool for letting her in again.  I just I can’t help it.  I want her…I want to be with her, ya know?”

Alice, put her arm around her friend.

“TK, I for one was pissed at Bette.  She really hurt you…but she never stopped loving you, and she’s tried really hard to become a better person.  If it feels good, it feels good.  Remember…life is short…you deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks Al.”

The women sat quietly for a few moments until Tina spoke as if in trance.

“What kind of woman lives like a recluse and still can look so fucking hot in designer pants and heels.  Shit Al she looks fucking better than when I left.  Her hair Al, I almost died.  It’s so long and wild.  Shit Al, I am so fucking gone already.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing TK?”

“Maybe.  She’s driving me to my therapy appointment tomorrow and she wants to have a business lunch on Tuesday …you know to discuss our assets and stuff and then she asked if we could go on a date on Wednesday.”

“And you said?”

“I told her I have to see what the therapist thinks about the whole thing…but shit Al…I can’t wait to see her again.”

Alice gave her friend a small smile and put her arm around her as they sat in silence.