The two weeks had flown by, just as Bette had expected.  She had kept to herself mainly, but did manage to spend some time with Kit.  Work had been insane as the search for Bette’s replacement had thrown everything into a uproar.  Bette tried to stay out of things as much as possible, just wrapping up projects and last minute details that she wanted completed before she left.  Franklin could still not believe that she was leaving, but knew that there was absolutely nothing in his power that could be done to get her to stay.  Peggy Peabody was a formidable opponent and he knew when to give in.

The nights were busy for Bette as well.  She had decided to keep the house, not able to just put away all of the pieces of their seven and a half years together.  She knew that she should take the pictures down, should put away wedding presents, should just shut down the house, but this was easier thought than done.  One night, she just walked slowly from room to room, smiling at times remembering something special, crying at other times at memories that were not to be lived again.  After she got to New York, she had instructed her attorney to contact Tina concerning her half of the house.  Bette knew that she would just buy Tina out and then deal with the future of the house at a later time.  Tina had already cleared out all of her belongings and so all that was left were Bette’s possessions and the things that Tina did not want.  Bette did not think that Tina had taken a single picture, photo album, personal item that was in any way connected to the time that they had spent together.  That, thought Bette, was one of the most hurtful pieces in all of this.  It screamed to Bette that Tina wanted to just forget.  Forget the bad along with the good.  Forget that the couple Bette and Tina had ever existed.  Bette knew that they had moved on, but she would never, not for a day, forget Tina or any of the memories that they had. 

She walked up to the mantle and held the photograph of the two of them from their commitment ceremony, held four years earlier.  At that time, she had known that they were invincible, that nothing would ever come between them.  They would never allow that.  How could they?  They loved each other more than could be comprehended.  Bette let out a sigh and said to herself, what is that about hindsight?