Tina stepped outside of the hotel ballroom and moved to a quiet corner in the massive hallway to take the call. She looked around to see if Helena was in sight but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Helena. Where are you?”

“I’m outside. I’m grabbing a cab to take me home. Want to come with me?”

“I can’t. I have to stay until the end. Peggy and Martha want publicity photos with all the honorees and one of the local TV stations is doing a brief interview for the evening news. Why don’t you come back inside and have dinner. We’ll leave together and go back to my place like we planned.”

“I can’t go back in there Tina. I won’t be ridiculed. I’m sure everyone is in there having a laugh at my expense.”

“No one is laughing Helena. Your mother was visibly upset.”

“She didn’t need to call me up there to humiliate me in front of all those people just to make her stupid announcement about her precious Bette Porter; other daughter my ass. I’m her only daughter. No matter what she says or does she can’t change that. I don’t even know why I came tonight. After she ambushed me in the limo I should have just grabbed a cab and gone home. I should know by now I can’t trust her. She’s already taken everything that rightfully belongs to me and handed it over to fucking Bette Porter what more does she need to do to make her point?”

“Helena this isn’t about Bette. She didn’t even take her moment in the spotlight to gloat which she had every right to do after all the shit you pulled. You brought this all upon yourself.”

“Oh so I see Bette’s managed to turn you against me too has she? I thought we were friends Tina.”

“We’re not friends Helena but I’m trying to be a friend to you. I really think you need someone in your corner right now but I can’t excuse or overlook what you’ve done.

“I haven’t done anything. This is all Bette’s fault. She’s turned my mother against me.”

“All Bette did was love your mother, protect her and take care of her. You made the choices that alienated you from Peggy. You are the one that has this unfounded grudge against Bette. Frankly I don’t understand any of it. What did you hope to accomplish with this scheme of yours? I can’t believe you lied to me about using the grant to further your own agenda. Had the review board not agreed with your selection they could have withdrawn the funds. My having a personal relationship with you could have been misconstrued as nepotism and my good name would have been compromised? Did you even give that any thought?”