“Bette, what was to be done has already been done and over with.”

Bette looked at Kit for an answer. “Kit! What is he saying?”

Kit deflected to Jack. “Jack! What are you saying?”

Tina rolled her eyes. “What are all of you saying?”

Bette turned to Tina, ignoring Kit and Jack for the meantime. “Nowadays I am scared to even come out of the subway. Who knows what I would get to see today? First, Eric and Alice, then your father-in-law and my sister, what’s next?”

“Bette!” Kit interjected. “We…”

“Oh, so now YOU (pointing her cane at Kit) and YOU (pointing her cane at Jack) are ‘WE’?”

Tina stifled a giggle. Watching Bette in action with that cane was definitely better than anything she would view as a Broadway or Hollywood producer. She did have several scores to settle with that cane though, she mused.

“No baby sis it’s not what you think. Please listen. Jack and I, we are two lonesome people with few close friends at this point in our lives, few that can understand our pain in this age. We lost our true loves years ago….”

Jack continued. “…And when two people go through similar trials and tribulations in life, they connect on some level through mutual understanding and respect. They find themselves sharing secrets and confiding in each other about things they cannot communicate to anyone else. They can grow close and form a friendship to help them ride out the rough waves…”

Bette and Tina exchanged knowing glances.

Kit finished. “It is a simple formula. Two strangers. One circumstance. Friendship and then problem solved. What say Tina?”

Tina simply bobbed her head up and down. They both sat lost deep in thought mulling over what Kit and Jack had just told them, picking up to drink their smoothies at the same time. In-sync once again, they sneaked glances at each other from time to time, only to look away and pretend to be part of the conversation.

“Anyway, Kit, I think Tina and I must get going if we are to get any shopping done in rush hour,” Jack said, standing up and breaking Bette and Tina out of their silent hide and seek game.

Kit and Jack hugged again as Bette sat scowling up at them. Tina simply smiled as she watched Bette.

“Call me before you leave for LA and we will get together”

“I will.”

“Nice meeting you Bette…Tina… Tina?!” He called out again as she seemed to be paying little attention to him.

“Oh yeah, lets go.”

Tina smiled and waved a quick ‘cya later’ to Bette, following Jack to his Ferrari. Bette watched on, suddenly feeling empty and lost without Tina by her side, not knowing when they will meet again. She looked to the seat that Tina had left abandoned beside her and noticed she had left her Diva magazine on the seat. Raising her hand to wave for attention, Bette was about to call out to Tina but caught sight of the writing on the back cover.

It contained a phone number and below, Tina had written “Merry Xmas. Call me. – T” Bette looked up rapidly to sneak a parting glance at Tina, only to see the Ferrari pull out and speed away.

Tina turned around in her car-seat as she saw Bette find her magazine, and subsequently, the phone number she had sneakily left for her. Both the women were grinning madly at no one in particular.

“Bette…Bette!” Kit called out a little louder to get Bette to pay attention.

“Oh yeah, lets go.”