Chapter Three

It was one of those rare days in RMBP Gallery. Rare because it was quiet. The last show, Dissolvation (*), had wrapped up two days ago and the next artist was a really special one. This particular woman wanted to be there from the very first preparations on and there was no way she’d allow them to start preparing when she wasn’t there – and she was on a holiday.
The gallery was only a few years old, but already very succesful. Bette’s father had been a famous collector and the name was known very well in the art world. Rachel had the charm and brains to get everything and anything she wanted done.
Bette Porter was sitting at her desk, gathering some information on Jodi Lerner, the sculptor that had a reputation of being a tough one.
Bette heard a buzz and her assistant’s voice. “Ms Porter, have you got any idea when Ms Mathews will be back?’
“That’ll be tomorrow, Allison.”
Rachel was spending time with her married lover, Tina Kennard. It was a bitter thought to Bette. She still wondered how it was that Rachel got away with everything. She probably told this absolutely beautiful and charming woman that was risking her marriage, her wealth, her safe life for this love affair that she actually cared for her. Bette knew better: Rachel Mathews didn’t do love. She didn’t do caring for. She was only protective of her closest friends, of which she had only two: Samuel, who had moved to New York three years ago to be with his wife and herself, Bette Porter.
Rachel had come back to the gallery to have lunch with Bette and she had expted her business partner and best friend to be smug like she always was when she came back from Tina. Today, however, she had been exceptionally silent.
“Ms Porter?” Allison’s voice woke Bette from her musings.
“I’m sorry?”
“Ms Kennard is here to see Ms Mathews, should I ring Ms Mathews on her mobile phone?”
Bette’s heart jumped at the mention of Tina’s name. She wondered what the blonde was doing here – she knew that Rachel and her knew each other’s schedules.
“Euh – no, no. I don’t think Rachel would appreciate that. She has taken the day off.”
“But this is not a customer or an artist. Don’t you think she wouldn’t mind if she heard it was ms Kennard asking for her?”
Shit. How much did Allison know? “What exactly do you mean?” she asked sharply. Then she figured Tina was probably standing there. “Don’t answer that. And if I tell you that Rachel doesn’t want to be disturbed, calls are not to be connected, is that so bloody hard to understand?”
“I’m sorry Ms Porter – I” Bette heard the tremble in Allison’s voice and sighed. She rubbed her forehead.
“No, I am sorry for being snappy. Can you send Tina to my office? Thank you.”
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. A smile crossed Bette’s face, that would be Tina. She didn’t get many chances to be alone with her.
“Come in.”
The smile quickly faded when she saw the state Tina was in. Manifestly, Allison hadn’t said anything about the way Tina looked as the woman had been standing there herself and her assistant was sensitive enough.
Tina had red, swollen eyes and her skin looked flushed. Her hair was a complete mess and something seemed off with her clothes. They didn’t match and the buttons were tied the wrong way.
Bette took off her glasses, stood up and walked to Tina. “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.
Tina burst out in tears and threw her arms around Bette. The brunette hadn’t expected this, but hugged the blonde back. It had been something she had been wanting to do for so long and she really had to stop herself from kissing her neck.
Bette’s nose picked up the smell of Tina’s hair and it was absolutely delicious. She would want this moment to last forever, but obviously something was very wrong with Tina looking like this, sobbing so hard like this, with her, Bette, a woman she only knew as her lover’s best friend – her forbidden lover’s best friend, so it wasn’t that they met that much.
“What’s wrong?” Bette asked after a while. “Do you want something to drink? A tea? Tell me what’s happened – who’s done this you, baby?”
The word had left her lips before she realised it and she felt the blush creeping on her cheeks, but Tina didn’t seem to notice. Bette brought her to the couch in her office and made sure she sat comfortably before going over to her desk to ring Allison.
“Can you bring a cup of tea please?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
The silence was only broken by Tina’s cries and the despair sounding through in them. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Bette hurried towards it. She didn’t want Allison to see Tina crying like that – she would only ask questions.
“Thanks,” Bette quickly said before closing the door. She caught a look of wonder on her assistant’s face, but didn’t really care.
She went to sit next to Tina, offering her the tea. Tina gratefully took it, taking a large sip. Bette hesitated and then put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She pressed a light kiss on the blonde’s temple and they sat there for a while, Bette gently rocking Tina in her arms.
This was so surreal to the brunette, it was like a dream come true but not entirely. It was clear that Tina wasn’t feeling good at all and she only wanted her to be happy.
“So, what has happened? Do you want to tell me?”
For the first time that day, Tina looked Bette in the eye. The brunette was overwhelmed to see such an amount of shame and doubt in them. Tina’s voice cracked when she spoke: “It was Eric. He raped me. My own husband raped me.”

(*) I am aware Dissolvation is not a word, it is a combination of Dissolve and Salvation.