“I promise you – Bette looks gentle and easy going but she wouldn’t let anyone hurt Angie or me or anyone we love. “
“And you are a pretty determined young lady”
“I am. In different ways we have all got back what we lost – from our freedom to our family. Let’s just close ranks and enjoy being a family – I don’t want anything to come between us ever again dad”
New York minute

Chapter 95

Bette was working at her desk writing a letter to a client about the providence of a piece of art that he had sent to her to be assessed. It had been a long day and it didn’t look like it was going to end for at least the next hour. It had been a stressful day with a lot of stuff going on – half of the antique collectors and dealers in the city seemed to have been on the phone to her today. She couldn’t refuse to talk to these people but it also meant that it wasn’t easy to get them off the phone so she could get on with some work. She glanced up and looked at the security camera – someone had just come into the gallery. As James had gone home and locked up it was either him or a burglar or Tina – he hoped that it was her partner. She went back to the letter with one ear alert for a sound that would reveal who her visitor was
“Hello there “
Hello “Bette smiled at Tina who walked into the room.
“I have been ringing up “
“Really?” Bette searched her desk for her phone, finding it under some papers. She saw that there had been three missed calls.
“You should have called my landline “
“It was busy -all the time”
“It’s been like that all day. I have barely got a thing done “
Tina sat down “Anything I can do?”
Bette raised her eyebrow “Is there someone missing from this scene between us?”
“You mean Angie?”
“The talkative one – not very tall “
Tina laughed “I know exactly who you mean. Dad and I took her for her lunch and on the way back she said that one of her new friends had invited everyone round for tea”
“Which friend is this?”
“He’s called Stefan – I have spoken to his mom a few times – she’s a lawyer – nice woman called Julie. Julie gave all the kids notes to give to their parents”
“And she lost it?”
“No – it was where she put it – in her book”
“So when are we getting her back?”
“I was just on my way to get her now, I was wondering if you want to come with me and call it a night “
Bette sighed “I should but I have so much to do”
“Come on Bette”
“Tina – I would love nothing more than to be with you and Angie and not working my way through letters and emails but I am snowed under and Christmas is one of my best times of the year for making money.”
“It’s not easy to get Angie to settle down without you “
Bette sighed “I know “
“Work from home”
“Once I get home I will just want to be with you and read to Angie and there will be something nice to eat and drink and I won’t get anything done”
“We are your family – that’s what we are for “
“I know that – do you have to rush off now?”
“No – I was told to take as long as I like”
“Oh – strict instructions “
“You know her”
“Let me finish this letter – it’s complicated and I need to get the words right”
“Okay”
Bette typed a few more sentences, checking her notes as she typed
“How was your dad?” she asked after a few minutes
“He’s fine – he was really pleased to see Angie and we went for a hotdog which Angie argues is a sufficient lunch for everyone. Then to disprove what she had been saying for 15 minutes I had to give her an apple and a cereal bar because she was still hungry”
“Kid’s got worms” Bette remarked as she typed
“She’s got a lot of energy – she is not a sitting down type of kid – unless a book or a cartoon is good enough to get her attention.”
“Dad thinks she’s going to be an athlete”
“I can see her being a good runner – she’s tall already and Marcus was about 6ft 4 wasn’t he?”
“Yeah – we should have a bet as to how old she is before she is taller than both of us”
“15” Bette said “By the time she is 15 she will be leggy and beautiful and she will have her choice of what she wants to do with her life. I can live with her being taller than me”
“You could be right – she’s going to be someone special”
“You and I may be biased “Bette looked down at her notes and typed a few more words “So what did you and your dad talk about?”
“We talked about me being gay and not being able to talk about things. There was a lot of discussion about how everything would have been different if I had been able to come out to them “
Bette looked up and frowned. She looked away from Tina and back to her computer screen.
“He said they might have been able to deal with it and that would have been a game changer. I wouldn’t have had to mess around like some tart screwing any boy that looked at me – that would have been thing don’t you think “
“Do you think that?”
“Well yes obviously “
“Really – you think everything that happened all stems from you not being able to come out as a lesbian “
“Well – of course “
“I don’t agree “
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think it mattered whether your folks knew or cared about your sexuality. YOU were not ready to face it – they could have been the gayest friendly family on the planet – it doesn’t matter – you couldn’t deal with it. Everyone is different about when they are ready to deal with their feelings. Plus – I think – if you want me to be honest – I think pinning everything on you and your sexuality is a handy get out card for your dad”
Tina looked at Bette with some degree of hurt and surprise
“Bette “
“I mean it – your sexuality is a red herring “
“You are joking “
“No – who says that he wouldn’t have acted in the same way if he had found out that you were sleeping with some cute blonde high school cheer leader – he would have blamed her and her family for corrupting you “
Tina’s face flushed “If I could have come out I wouldn’t have been having sex with boys”
“It doesn’t take away from what he did Tina”
Tina was confused “You like him – why are you saying this?”
“I do like him – he’s a lovely man and he is putting his life back together after prison and I think he’s doing well – they both are”
“But “ Tina demanded
“But I am not happy about him somehow making out that you were to blame in ANY way shape or form for what happened. I imagine that you were not the only girl in your high school who was having lots of sex with more than one bloke. Guess what – it’s been happening forever and it probably will always happen forever. What is less common is the horny boy being killed for doing what boys of his age are all about”
“Why are you saying this – you are being horrible about him”
Bette sighed “I am not being horrible. I am in your corner – -you know that. I just think that you have gone through enough crap by blaming yourself for all these years – you have to get that out of your head. You being gay or bisexual or straight is not what is important in this thing. Your dad killed David for his own reasons. Yes – it’s in the past and everyone has suffered enough but you have taken the blame for too long. I will not have your dad or anyone else say that it was your fault in any way. And if I hear him say anything along the lines of what you just said he said – then there is going to be an argument because I don’t want shit like that said about you”
Tina stood up “Don’t you dare say anything to him”
“I won’t – as long as he doesn’t say in my hearing that basically if you had come out when you were 15-16 that David would still be alive because that is getting him off the hook”
Bette had bitten her tongue more than once over Tina’s parents but this wasn’t something she could let go by for the sake of family peace. But it had been a long day, she was feeling slightly nauseous – probably because she hadn’t eaten in over six hours and hearing Tina taking the blame had been too much for her to remain silent
“Don’t ruin my relationship with him “
“I have no intention of saying anything to him Tina. I am just saying to you that he cannot say things like he said today and not have me say thing”
“Don’t “
Bette could see that Tina was getting close to freaking out. She got up and walked round to her
“Sweetheart – I love you – I am not going to risk anything with your dad. But if he cannot take some criticism then it’s not much of a relationship”
“What do you expect – they have only been back for a couple of months”
Bette could see that Tina was breathing deeply – she put her hands on Tina’s arms
“Babe – look at me it”
Tina did – there were tears in her eyes. Bette cursed – how had she disintegrated so quickly. Bette took a breath – this was when she had to be calm because Tina was anything but calm
“Tina – you kept this buried deep inside you for years. You have said it so many times that it affected you – you kept a horrible secret buried so deeply that you couldn’t tell me even though we were married. Babe – it was not your fault and I will not let anyone tell you that it was”
Bette took hold of Tina and pulled her close. She half expected Tina to pull away but the blonde didn’t resist her and she put her arms around her
“It’s okay “ Bette whispered “It’s okay – I am not going to cause trouble with your dad and he isn’t going to leave you again”
“I don’t want to lose either of them – I love having them around”
“I know that – sash – I am sorry for hurting you – I didn’t mean it – I am just looking out for you”
Tina sniffed and held tighter onto Bette. Bette stroked Tina’s long blonde hair for several minutes. Well that had been unexpected – Bette had been thinking that given everything Tina was dealing very well with the family reunion – well she wasn’t if this little outburst was anything to go by.
Bette moved back a little and rubbed the tear from Tina’s eyes
“How about we got collect our pocket rocket and I take my laptop home and try and work?”
Tina knew that Bette had only made this suggestion because of Tina’s tears. She nodded
“Thank you “
“No disturbing me”
“I promise” Tina said
“It’s very dangerous to promise me that nothing is going to disturb me”
“Well apart from Angie”
“Yes” Bette said smiling “She is very good at getting me to stop doing anything that I should be and going off and getting involved in her crazy world”
“You love it” Tina smiled for the first time
“Yes – I love her and I love you so much” Bette kissed Tina on the lips” It’s going to be okay”
Tina sniffed her tears back and rubbed her eyes
“I will get my stuff “
Bette spent a few minutes collecting all her things before taking Tina’s hand and walking through the barely lit gallery and after locking up again and setting the alarm they set off to collect their daughter.