“Ma’amis this what happened?”

“Sir I think our sexual preference is irrelevant here!”

“I asked you a question.”

“No, I was not shacked up with Bette. We were simply talking.”

“I’ve heard enough of this. We’re taking all three of you in.”

“WHAT! Your arresting me because I’m *****?”

“No Ms. Porter, that’s you’re problem, I’m arresting all three of you for domestic disturbance. “Small town, small minds!” She replied deliberately “Ma’am, I’m going to forget you said that. Joey, read them their rights.”

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say.”

As officer Mitchell continued to read them their rights the other handcuffed them. As they started to leave the room Tina heard her cell phone ringing in her purse. Desperately she pleaded with the officers.

“Please, I need to answer that!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but you are under arrest. You’ll be able to make a phone call from the station.”

“You don’t understand! It’s my father, he’s in the hospital and he’s very ill!”

The police officers ignored Tina’s pleas and escorted them to the two cruisers outside. Mitchell placed Bette in one car while Eric and Tina rode with Green in the other. Tina sat silently sobbing as the reality of the situation sank in. She wouldn’t be able to see her father until this mess was cleared up. She was being arrested and humiliated.

“All because of you!” she said out loud.

“What?” Eric replied

“You! You just don’t get the hint do you? Well let me say this loud and clear. I do NOT want to marry you. I DON’T love you. In fact there is nothing about you that I even like anymore. So please, get it through your head. We’re through. But because of you, I’m in the back of a police car being arrested while my dying father sits in a hospital bed alone. God only knows what my family is thinking right now thanks to you.”

“These are choices you made Tina, not me.”

“Oh don’t start that self-righteous bullshit with me Eric.”

“Be quiet back there you two!” Demanded Green.

Tina started thinking about her father and felt anxiety building up. She tried not to panic knowing that she had left her purse with her medication in Bette’s room. Calmly she inhaled and exhaled her eyes welting up with tears she began to crywishing it was Bette beside her now instead of Eric.

Bette sat angry in the car, angry at the turn of events today. Angry that she came to comfort Tina and ended up getting arrested, angry that she was in this car and not with her in the other. It was all a mess and she knew that as upset as she was Tina must be even worse. She closed her eyes and thought of the kiss they shared right before that bafoon showed up. She realized that she had almost told Tina she loved her. Was it meant to be that she was interrupted? She tried over the ringing in her ears to hear her heart. She had followed it every step of the way. But now look where she was…in a police car going to jail. “What next Bette…Thelma and Louise?” she thought. But as the cars entered the parking lot to the station, and parked next to each other. Everything again became crystal clear as she saw Tina’s heartbroken face looking back at her through the window. Suddenly Bette heard it, she heard her heart crying out to her. ”My kismet, my fate.” she felt the calm soothing feeling of contentment. 

As Tina’s eyes met with Bette’s she knew, she didn’t need to hear it. She could see it clearly. Bette loved her, she was sure of it. Bette raised her cuffed hand to the fogged up window and wrote backwords as best she could  KISMET.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>