Kirsten sat at the table with Angelica. It was early evening and Angie watched this woman opposite her…Kirsten was waiting for Bette. They were all going to the fireworks. It was a week since Kirsten and Bette “joined” and several days later she was sitting here at the table with the daughter. Angelica knew Kirsten slept with her mom, she could hear it in Bette’s voice when she told Angie about the plans tonight. Angie didn’t mind. She knew that her mom was a grown woman with needs, she knew the only love her mom would ever have would be Tina. Didn’t mean Angie had to like the fact that her mommy was now with another person though. But try as she might Angie couldn’t help but like this one, Kirsten was in a sense…cool. She had spent the last ten minutes talking about stuff that happened while on duty…Angie quizzed her and listened to the stories….inadvertently thinking about the option of growing up to be a cop. “I worked in a couple of juvenile detention centers when i was just starting out years and years ago, Angie…you don’t ever want to ge put in one of those detention centers now…kids get beat up all the time by guards, other kids…once i had to break up a parent and child..the mom was slammin her kid’s head yelling at him for all the dumb choices he made…pshh kinda makes you wonder doesn’t it?”    “how long were you a cop”   “15 years now”  “ever shot your gun?”   “twice”  “what happened?”   “first time this junkie came at me with a knife, did him  in the kneecap…second time i accidently pulled the trigger and hit the sidewalk, got suprised…my very first day too”   Angelica took a sip of her juice…Kirsten reached over and took the pitcher full of iced tea juice…she picked it up and re-filled Angelica’s cup. “Both those times was about ten years ago, never shot a bullet since, only took my gun out once”   “people usually choke right?”   “that’s right they do..you have a couple or more big police officers yelling at you, it’s pretty intimidating” Angelica took a deep gulp of her juice…”so you and my mom are an item now?”   “yes”  “do i have any say in the matter”  Kirsten leaned in close, she put her arms on the table and looked into Angie’s eyes….”your opinion is very important and yes it does matter”.  Angelica wasn’t expecting this…she was expecting a loop-hole answer that one could look closely at and  conclude  ’NO your opinion means *****’. Angelica just nodded and shrugged in a way Kirsten knew to be “if you must”. To Angelica she felt like it was almost easier identifying with Kirsten more than her mom, maybe just due to the age difference. Kirsten was younger, and obviously knew how to speak to a girl. Angie felt like telling Kirsten everything that happened, but she kept her mouth shut by drinking juice, it wasn’t to put herself out there just yet. Wait and See. That was her new motto. Little did Angelica know…Kirsten was about to become her idol…and little did any of them know….they would become a trio of sorts, pulling each other up…staying together to numb the pain. They were going to be like wounded people, the only healing possible being each other. each was hurt in their own way, hurt by life, by people, by themselves. Angelica would need both adults to hold herself up, to heal, to overcome yearnings and sadness. Bette needed someone o love again, or come close to…she needed someone to help her feel strong again. Kirsten would for the first time feel love for more than one person, for the first time feel like she needed them, to take care of them…Kirsten was going to need Bette and Angelica, cuz just that night her little sister came rolling into town looking for her. And Dina had a very different take on life than her older sister.