Chapter 14

Bette pulled up to her destination and slammed the gearshift into park before turning the car off and taking a deep breath. She still allowed her hands to beat against the steering wheel in an effort to expel the anger she had flowing through her.

“What the fuck?” Bette muttered as she saw Megan’s car parked in the far corner of the parking lot.

Bette reached for her cell phone and called the house hoping Tina would answer. When Bette’s own voice announced they were unable to answer the phone, she knew Tina likely had her hands full with Angelica and simply allowed the machine to pick up. Bette’s thoughts were interrupted when the beep cued her to leave a message.

“Babe it’s me,” Bette began with remorse in her voice. “I went out for a drive and ended up at the gallery. I didn’t go over to Tracy’s house, although I still think that’s a good idea to ring her damn neck. Anyway, Megan’s car is parked here so I’m going to go in and make sure nothing’s wrong, but I’ll be home soon. I’m sorry about…” Bette cringed with the machine beeped again, cutting her message off.

Bette opened the door and stepped out of her car while sliding her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She locked her car and quickly jogged to Megan’s trendy one, glancing inside to find it empty. She quickly jogged to the entrance to the gallery and opened the door using her key. Bette stepped inside and approached the alarm system mounted on the wall. When she saw it wasn’t set, she fought against the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of her stomach. She turned around and locked the door behind her, once again holding her cell phone in her hand, in case she needed to call for help.

Bette carefully flicked on lights as she walked through her building toward the back gallery that she and Megan claimed as their workspace. Bette saw a small light shining from the back gallery, confirming what she first thought, someone was in the building. Bette looked around the corner cautiously and saw Megan there, sitting in front of the sculpture that Bette had worked on most of the day, touching the clay with a steady hand.

“Is it not up to your standards?” Bette asked breaking the silence and startling Megan to the point of her jumping off the stool and holding her chest as her heart raced.

“You scared me.”

“What?” Bette mocked with an underlying anger in her voice. “You couldn’t smell my perfume this time?”

“Somebody’s cranky,” Megan recovered with a winning smile.

“What are you doing here Megan?”

“What am I doing Bette?”

“Do you really want to play this game?” Bette asked still angry.

“I wasn’t aware we were playing one.”

“What are you doing here?” Bette demanded.

“I’m working,” Megan simply stated without allowing her emotions to float to the surface. “I had an inspiration and just couldn’t leave so Jordon agreed to leave me in here for the night so I could bring my vision to life.”

Bette kicked the pencil halves to the side as she picked up Megan’s sketchpad and allowed her eyes to travel the length of the page, taking in every stroke the charcoal pencil created, displaying intricate details on the page. Bette had to admit the sketch was exquisite and just the thought of seeing it portrayed on a larger scale gave her goose bumps. However, Bette’s anger quickly rose to the surface once again and she refused to give Megan an inch, knowing she would attempt to metaphorically take a mile.

“This is your inspiration?” Bette held the sketchpad up to reflect the page to Megan.

“For that piece, but I had one regarding this one too and have no issue working through the night to make it a reality.”

Megan kicked the sketch that was sitting by the stool in Bette’s direction. She bent down and picked it up seeing the obvious mark-ups Megan did to the original sketch.

“How often do you just change midstream?”

“When it strikes me,” Megan answered back just as direct as Bette was asking the questions. “This show is very important to me.”

“So I’ve heard,” Bette dropped both sketchpads on the floor near her feet and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Do you want to tell me now or later what’s gotten you so rattled?”

“It’s personal,” Bette cut the conversation off before it even began.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me about it.”

“I don’t think so,” Bette said as she arched her eyebrow in challenge. “I am, however, willing to talk about how you were shut in my gallery most of the night without my knowledge.”

“Don’t blame Jordon, it was my fault.”

“I had no intention of blaming Jordon,” Bette said to inform Megan that the responsibility for that fact rested squarely on her shoulders.

“I see,” Megan paused before asking her next set of questions. “Well putting your unwarranted anger aside, what do you think of the changes? Was it not worth the extra effort?”

“Why does it matter what I think? You seem to do what you want regardless of my input.”

“I chose you for your eye and experience so obviously I care what you think.”

Bette felt her anger subside slightly, bending over once more, and retrieving the sketches from the floor near her feet. She looked over both of them carefully and constructed the perfect feedback to offer to Megan.

“The changes in the piece I’m working on makes it shallow to me,” Bette said honestly. “The piece of the mother holding the child while still in her womb is powerful and will move a lot of people, including me, but you already knew that didn’t you?”

“That you have a thing for pregnant women?” Megan teased seeing Bette relax more before her eyes.

“Not women,” Bette shook her head. “One woman, pregnant or otherwise, moves me when nothing else seems to be able.”

“Tina,” Megan simply stated.

“That’s the one.”

“Is she the one I should thank for your misplaced anger when you walked in here?”

“No,” Bette said with a small smile forming. “That would be my daughter.”

“Too much of Tina in her that she moved you in the wrong direction?”

“Too much of me actually,” Bette said deep in thought. “Too impulsive, heated, defiant to the point of being dangerous.”

“You think you’re dangerous?”

“I think the passion that you keep rewarding with praise is the same passion that lands me into trouble more often than I care to admit.”

“But Tina offers a balance?” Megan prodded as she sat down on the stool facing Bette’s direction.

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Bette chuckled remembering how angry Tina was at Angelica before Bette left the house. “She has her own anger masking as passion. She’s just better at reining it in before she cuts off her nose to spite her face.”

“So your daughter is more like you, which caused you anger, because you feel there was a level of danger involved in whatever she did?”

“Long story,” Bette slid down the wall to sit on the floor with her knees crunched up against her chest.

“We obviously have time,” Megan pointed out. “She has the characteristic of most great artists.”

“What’s that?”

“Passion,” Megan said with a smile. “Couple that with risk taking and she may be one of our greatest artists if you direct her toward that future.”

“Believe me, passion had nothing to do with her actions tonight. That was pure stupidity on her part.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“She came home sick after what I would call binge drinking,” Bette said as she blinked back tears.

“That’s a tough one,” Megan agreed as she watched Bette’s internal struggle.

“I’m struggling between anger and disappointment.”

“I’ve heard it’s never easy to be a parent,” Megan said to show her support. “It never stops either. My mom worries about me just as much as she did from the day I was born. Do you find that to be the case?”

“Absolutely,” Bette said shaking her head as she thought back to Angelica’s condition when she left. “But I was so angry I walked out and left Tina there to handle it.”

“I bet she appreciated that,” Megan said sarcastically.

“I thought it best given my level of anger,” Bette said with a small smile gracing her face. “Imagine what it would have been if I hadn’t left when I did? You saw how angry I was when I walked in here.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“Are you trying to anger me more with these questions?” Bette smiled to show her good nature. “Besides, now you can at least go home and rest since I can lock up and set the alarm.”

“I’m not sure I can,” Megan admitted. “I can’t seem to shut my mind off in regards to this show.”

“Is it always like this for you?”

“No,” Megan took a sip of water from a bottle she had near her on the floor. “This show strikes a cord with me though.”

“You’re dedicated to it,” Bette simply said.

“I am.”

“I am too, as well as financially dependent on the success of this show. Yet, for some odd reason, it’s more personal for you than for me when I have more riding on it. Why is that?”

“You’ll have to guess Bette.”

“If I care enough to,” Bette said trying to regain control of the conversation.

Bette rose to her feet and walked over to the sculpture she had worked on throughout the day. She let her hands glide across the base of it first, moving their way up to what would eventually be the leg of a young woman. Megan watched as Bette walked around the sculpture, deep in thought.

“The perfect image of a strong woman,” Megan began to describe what would be the end result of their work. “Physically strong, yet still womanly enough to evoke arousal.”

Bette let her hands touch more of what would eventually be the woman’s leg. Her thoughts drifted to earlier that night when she touched Tina’s strong legs and they were able to share in a much-needed intimate moment. Bette’s eyes closed briefly as her breath caught in her throat.

“A perfect curve to her calf, leading to a shapely thigh, and upward,” Megan spoke with a seductive voice. “But you know all about touching a woman if I remember correctly.”

Megan got up and moved to face Bette and watch her reaction as she touched the piece she had poured herself into several hours earlier.

“There’s nothing like a woman,” Megan said when Bette faced her, their lips inches apart.

Bette opened her eyes to see Megan standing close to her, staring back at her with a seductive, yet challenging look on her face.

“There’s nothing like Tina,” Bette said with a smile to politely put Megan in her respective place.

Tina quickly walked into the kitchen and opened the drawer where she kept the silverware. She bent down and retrieved a pot from below that drawer and walked down the hall and into Angelica’s room.

Tina stood there for a brief moment hearing her daughter snore, oblivious to the fact that morning had arrived.

“It’s morning!” Tina yelled as she used the wooden spoon she retrieved from the silverware drawer to bang against the metal pot in her hand. “It’s time to eat!”

Angelica held her head as she struggled to make sense of the loud noises coming from the doorway of her room.

“Oh my God,” Angelica moaned as she held her hands over her ears. “Please make it stop.”

“No such luck,” Tina said in anger as she pulled the covers off Angelica and dropped them on the floor. “It’s time to get up and eat.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Then you’ll suffer trying won’t you?”

“Please Mom,” Angelica begged as she struggled to get up out of her bed.

“Begging won’t help Angelica.”

“I think I’ll throw up again.”

“Then you might think twice before you lie to us and do something you damn well know we wouldn’t approve of.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it Angelica! Sorry doesn’t erase what you did, and it certainly doesn’t make me trust you or be less disappointed.”

“I know you’re angry,” Angelica began to defend herself but was quickly interrupted by Tina.

“You don’t know Angelica!” Tina screamed causing Angelica’s head to throb even worse. “Don’t start a sentence with ‘you know’ when you have no idea what it’s like to be as scared as Mama B and I were. You know what happens to kids that binge drink Angelica? Some of them don’t survive to have a morning like the one you’re about to have!”

Tina stormed out of Angelica’s room yelling over her shoulder that she had 20 minutes to get ready for the day and then they were leaving. She walked to the machine and hit the blinking button, already knowing that she heard Bette’s voice leaving a message while she was busy wiping Angelica’s mouth after she had once again gotten sick.

Tina half listened to the message while she sent a text to Bette that she and Angelica would be at The Planet for breakfast and then off to the movie studio so Angelica could enjoy a long day of manual labor as the beginning of her punishment.

Angelica appeared with 5 minutes to spare as she swallowed the nauseous feeling in her stomach. Tina was getting her shoes on and hadn’t known Angelica was there until she spoke.

“Where are we going?”

“First to The Planet where you’ll choke down the greasiest breakfast they have as the start of your punishment,” Tina was clearly still angry. “Then you’re going to have the hardest day you’ve had in a long time at the movie studio.”

“Can’t I go to Mama B’s gallery?”

“No.”

Angelica knew not to push the issue and simply followed Tina outside and to the car. She noticed that Bette’s car was missing, but thought better of asking where she had gone so early in the morning.

Alice took a sip of her coffee as she watched the morning customers pour into The Planet crowding the restaurant before she thought most should be up and functioning.

“Why is it that people seem to be up even earlier these days just to annoy me and crowd my favorite breakfast establishment?”

“How completely self-centered of you to think they’re all here just to annoy you,” Kristen said nudging Alice’s leg under the table.

“Oh look,” Alice quickly changed the subject. “There’s Dana.”

Shane and Helena scooted over to make room at their small table for their friend. Dana had a look of determination on her face as she approached the table and threw a small black book down in front of Alice.

“There,” Dana said looking up at the ceiling. “We’re even now! You can’t come back and say I didn’t try!”

“Who are you talking to?” Alice asked.

“God.”

“God?” Alice sounded shocked. “What is this little book thing?”

“A bible.”

“Oh hell no!” Alice exclaimed using her fork to push it in Shane’s direction.

“What’s going on Dane?” Shane asked curious as to what prompted Dana’s religious side to emerge.

“I made a promise that if I got out of last night alive,” Dana explained. “I would try to convert Alice to believing in God.”

“And who did you make this ridiculous bargain with?”

“God,” Dana said as if Alice should obviously be following her logic. “I’ve done my penance though! If you don’t believe that’s your own problem.”

“Well what kind of trouble did you get yourself into when we left you?” Alice asked. “Did you pick up some crazy dyke that threatened to love you until the day she dies after a roll in the hay?”

“No, that happens to Shane.”

“Very nice Dane,” Shane leaned back and finished her coffee.

“What is it then?” Helena prodded eager to hear the story.

“I escaped the wrath of Porter.”

“Now you have my full attention,” Alice leaned forward pushing her mug of hot coffee out of the way. “Why would you be incurring the wrath of Porter?”

“I’m not sure it’s even my story to tell,” Dana said quickly backpedaling. “Maybe we should just wait and see if Bette and Tina tell you.”

“I think not!” Alice gasped in horror. “If you have a story about Bette then we need to hear it!”

“It’s not really about her though.”

“Stop beating around the bush,” Alice urged. “Just out with it and we’ll keep it to ourselves if we need to.”

“Yeah right,” Dana snorted. “I believe that one!”

“Is it Tina?”

“No.”

“Angelica?” Alice pushed.

Dana remained silent and avoided Alice’s gaze causing Alice to gasp once more.

“If it’s about my Earth Daughter then I need to know,” Alice said trying to use her leverage as Angelica’s Earth Mother to prompt Dana into talking. “It’s like my right as Earth Mother to know everything going on so I can shape and mold Angelica into a contributing member of society as she gets older.”

“Wow she’s in trouble,” Shane said rolling her eyes.

“Say what you will but I am a damn good Earth Mother!”

“Is Angelica ok?” Helena asked obviously concerned.

“Likely hurting with a bitch of a hangover,” Dana admitted.

“Hangover?” Shane asked shocked to hear that word associated with Angelica.

“Are you telling us that my Earth Daughter got trashed last night at the ripe old age of 14?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Dana said sadly. “Her friends called me to pick her up.”

“Why not me?” Alice asked offended at her rank in the pecking order.

“You’ll have to ask them.”

“What exactly happened?” Helena asked ignoring the banter between Dana and Alice.

“She went to Tracy’s where there was a party,” Dana relayed the story. “She had a few shots and some beer all within an hour and threw up the rest of the night.”

“Oh I remember those days,” Helena said shaking her head.

“What? Don’t tell me a Peabody actually tied one on back in the day?”

“I’ll have you know Alice,” Helena began to defend herself. “I did as well as my daughter. I sheltered Jung Li so much that when she went away to university she became out of control experimenting with things.”

“So your theory is it’s best that she experience things this young so people can cover for her?” Kristen challenged.

“Absolutely not,” Helena gasped.

“I didn’t cover for her,” Dana said. “I took her home where she belonged.”

“And into the Lion’s den so to speak?”

“What was I supposed to do Alice?”

“Take her to your place and allow her to sober up first so it wasn’t as bad as I’m sure it was.”

“I’ll remind her friends to call you next time,” Dana said as she rolled her eyes. “There were other places I wanted to be than standing before Bette while the entire scene unfolded. That reminds me, Alice I told Tina that you told me windows were best done before the sun comes up, so cover for me because that was my excuse to get the hell out of there.”

“You don’t really think that Tina would actually believe I know a damn thing about windows do you?”

“Or any cleaning for that matter,” Kristen added with a smile. “How did you leave it?”

“In the hands of a very confused Bette and an extremely angry Tina,” Dana said as Tina and Angelica walked into The Planet.

“Oh here comes trouble,” Helena mumbled as Angelica walked toward the table behind Tina as if she were walking down death row. “Avoid all eye contact.”

“Good morning,” Alice said with a smile plastered on her face.

“Not very,” Tina mumbled sitting down. “Grab a chair over there.”

Angelica slowly dragged a chair over to the table and sat down between Shane and Helena.

“Hey PJ,” Shane put her arm around Angelica feeling sympathetic to her current state. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” Angelica mumbled.

“What can I get my favorite niece to eat?” Kit asked coming up behind Angelica.

“Nothing right now Auntie Kit,” Angelica responded but was overruled quickly by Tina.

“She’ll have a large plate of scrambled eggs with cheese melted all on top of them.”

“Ok,” Kit said sheepishly. “What have I missed?”

“Did you want to tell your Aunt what you’ve done or shall I?”

“We actually already know,” Alice said sadly.

“I don’t.”

“Tell Auntie Kit,” Tina urged Angelica. “Tell her how you went to a party and drank yourself sick so you threw up the entire night.”

“You did what?” Kit asked shocked at the revelation. “That isn’t like you Angelica. What would make you do such a thing?”

“Everyone else was doing it,” Angelica responded sounding worse with each word that left her mouth.

“Not true,” Tina said in anger. “Your other friends that we approve of were sober! Thank God they had enough sense to call someone.”

“It’s that Tracy,” Helena said. “There was something that just struck me as odd about her.”

“Besides that she has a crush on Bette?” Alice asked.

“She doesn’t!”

“Angelica?” Tina snapped her head around quickly to stare her down. “Did you have something you wanted to say?”

“No,” Angelica answered sadly as her plate of eggs was placed in front of her and her hand flew to her mouth to keep from repeating the majority of last night.

“Sit there and finish those eggs in record time,” Tina demanded. “We’ll be heading to the studio shortly.”

Bette checked her cell phone as it vibrated once more telling her she had an unread message. She pulled it out as Megan stood her ground invading her personal space. Bette broke the tension filled stare between them to look down at her phone.

“It’s from Tina,” Bette said filling the silence that fell into the air.

“You have to run home?” Megan challenged.

“I don’t have to run anywhere,” Bette stated. “But I will meet her at her work to apologize for walking out earlier.”

“Do you think she’ll forgive you?”

“I think our love allows us to forgive maybe more than others would.”

“I can only imagine the type of woman Tina must be,” Megan said as she walked away to put some space between her and Bette.

“Why the sudden interest in my Wife?”

“I wouldn’t call it sudden,” Megan said offhandedly. “I’ve always had an interest in you and you’ve led me to believe she’s a major part of your life.”

“The biggest,” Bette finished sending a message back to Tina that she’d meet her at the studio within an hour before putting her phone away. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to leave and meet her with my heart in my hand and an apology.”

Bette walked out quickly with Megan behind her. Megan locked the door behind Bette and quickly walked back to the gallery where her work was held. She sat down on the stool in front of Bette’s work and sighed, feeling overwhelmed rather quickly.

“I’m not done Bette,” Megan mumbled to herself. “I’ll find out more about Tina before this is over.”