Then, she kissed Bette again before climbing out of her lap. “Thank you so much for new business suits, cookware set and especially the concert tickets Bette. They are my favorite band! Uh-Huh-Her, here we come!” she joyfully fisted the air. 
 
“You are welcome sweetie. It is good to see you like this. Thanks again for the new painting supplies and camera. I’ll be sure to put it to good use.” Bette smiled.  
 
Alice looked lovingly at Bette smiling. This was a rare sight. Maybe things might get better after all. She handed another present to Bette from behind the tree, “Open this up!” she said, still excited. 
 
Bette just shook her head and unwrapped the present. She starred at it for a while, turning it over in her hand, examining the physical and material manifestation of her slight disability. It was an expensive walking cane with a gold handle and ebony wood. Her name was engraved on it.  
 
“So how is it? Do you like it? I placed a special order and had it made especially for you!” Alice said excitedly. 
 
Bette laughed bitterly. “Yes, Al, thanks for reminding me that I am a cripple. It’s not like I can ever forget but now I have the most beautiful reminder for the most unpleasant and unfortunate thing in my life.” 
 
“What?!” Alice was aghast, “I thought you would like a new walking stick. I can see how worn down the old one is. God, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad! Why are you so damned sensitive?”  
 
“No Alice, the better question is why you are so goddamn insensitive?!” Bette shot back. 
 
Kit watched as her sister and sister-in-law built up to another fight in front of her, yet again. She shook her head sadly. This had to stop. 
 
“Listen, this is supposed to be MERRY Christmas, a time for joy and celebration. If you two are going to fight again, I’m outta here.” She gathered her keys and wallet. “Call me when you are done ruining each other’s day.” She walked into the hallway to fetch her coat. Bette glared at Alice and got up winching, and limped after Kit as fast as she could. 
 
“Kit, I am sorry, you don’t have to go anywhere. I hardly get to see you during the year or spend time with you. Stay for dinner, and I will take you to the airport tomorrow.” 
 
Kit sighed. “Baby sis, you have got to stop doing this to each other. You have so much love in your life. Why are you trying to throw it all away?” 
 
Bette blinked back her tears, swallowing the lump in her throat. She hardly allowed anyone to see her cry and only broke down in front of her sister, that too, rarely.  
 
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.” She whimpered and sobbed as Kit hugged her.  
 
“I’m gonna go out for a while and give you two some privacy. Make it up to her. When I come back, I expect a big tasty meal waiting for a very hungry wise Porter.” That made Bette smile. She wiped her eyes and nodded, going back into the living room as Kit left the house. Alice was nowhere in sight. She limped to the back door and peered outside. Alice was doing laps in their pool. 
 
Bette crossed the threshold and sat down on the ledge of the pool waiting for Alice to notice her or finish her laps. She took in the sight of her wife in a two-piece black bikini suit. No doubt Alice was sexy and they used to enjoy a great sex life, emphasis on ‘used to.’ Her sex drive had taken a nosedive after the accident and never really recovered. Alice never really complained, she seemed too busy at work and too tired to make love when she got home late in the night. 
 
Alice swam to her end and grabbed the ledge to position herself upright and catch her breathe, breaking Bette out of her thoughts. 
 
“Al…I am sorry. Please forgive me. It just reminded me of my shortcomings and I snapped. I know you did not mean any harm and intended well.” Bette looked at her downcast. 
 
“How many more times will you hurt my feelings only to come back to beg for forgiveness, Bette? When is this going to stop? Just because you have a small limp in your knee, everyone is supposed to treat you differently and not have any expectations of you. The world revolves around you and your pain and nothing else. And I am frankly sick and tired of it” 
 
“That is not true Alice.” 
 
Alice scoffed. “Really? When is the last time you came by my office to see how I am doing? When did you last offer to do the grocery, pick up the laundry or cook dinner? When I come back from work spent and exhausted, do you even bother to ask me about my day or do anything to alleviate my stress? No, you are either busy grading papers, locked up in your studio or watching TV. Do you even remember the last time we made love? Bette…tell me something. Why are you even with me? Why?!” 
 
“Because…I…I…love you, Al,” Bette choked out. The words sounded very strange, even to her ears. 
 
“HA! Well, you have a funny way of showing it.” Alice got out of the pool, put on her robe. 
 
“You don’t get it Bette do you? You almost died in that accident. I ALMOST lost you damnit! And I thank God every day that you are still alive and breathing. That I still have you in my life, and on most days, it does not matter why or how. I don’t care about your knee problem, Bette, there are people out there with much bigger issues than that. Get over yourself! I fell in love with the old Bette Porter. The amazingly beautiful, strong, courageous, intelligent, full-of-live and passionate person who could conquer anything and everything. You are nothing but a shadow of that person lost and wallowing in self-pity. Get over it and move on!” And with that, she stormed back in doors. 
 
Bette just sat there stunned. Memories of an old conversation floated back into her mind 
 
“So does that mean that you don’t love your wife?” 
No answer. 
“You cannot take that much time to respond!” 
“Alice and I are happy. We have made a good home for ourselves and lead a satisfying life.” 
“You didn’t answer my question though.” 
 
“Damnit!” Bette snapped out of her reverie … “Kit is right. We have to stop doing this to each other,” she repeated softly to herself. 
 
————————————————————————————————- 
 
“Eric, stop calling me. I am not ready to speak to you!” Tina snapped into the phone. It had been two days since their fight and Tina was still hurting. 
 
“Erm…T?” Bette spoke into the phone, a bit worried and scared by Tina’s tone.  
 
Tina recognized the voice and softened up immediately. Her insides melted inadvertently and her lips turned up into a smile. 
 
“Oh my god, Bette, I am so sorry. I thought it was Eric.” Tina gushed hurriedly, not wanting to spend much time talking about him at the moment. 
 
“Uh-huh…” Bette waited, pressing Tina to say more. 
 
“We just…we have been fighting…” Tina said absent-mindedly.  
 
“Well by the tone of your voice earlier, I don’t think anyone would want to be Eric right now! Heck, I don’t know why anyone would fight with you in that mood!” Bette joked into the phone, trying to lighten the mood. 
 
Tina chuckled. “Why Ms. Porter, are you saying that I sound dangerous when I am angry?” 
 
“Pure evil. The GodFather Part V. Mafia princess. The terror queen. You scared me out of my wits!” Bette replied dryly. “Oh wait, the last one is not possible, I take that back.” 
 
Tina gave another low chuckle. “Bette, you are really full of it, you know?” 
 
“Yes. It and shit, both. And nonsense, I think.” Bette answered, happy that she got Tina to laugh. 
 
Tina replied with another laugh. “You are too much Bette.” 
 
“Well, what fun would too little of me be? People love me in large doses.” It was so easy to get lost in useless banter with Tina. 
 
“Yes, I have noticed how much people love you. They cannot help falling all over you.” Tina teased back and then remembered the implication of what she said a bit too late. 
 
“Yeah, one blonde in particular. She just kept wanting to get horizontal with me on the train, talk about PDA, sheesh, and then left me her phone number. Imagine that!” Bette responded teasingly.  
 
“Aww, lucky you. Was she hot? Did she turn you on? She must have if you called her back!” Tina blushed but was not about to concede. She thanked the stars that Bette could not see her at the moment. 
 
“I’ll give her a 4/10 personally but…” 
 
“What?!” Tina shrilled into the phone. 
 
“Ouch! T, the last thing I need is to be deaf too!” Bette whined. 
 
“YOU gave me a 4/10?!” Tina gasped. “You…you…you know what, the numerical system is not even applicable to you!”  
 
“I know…I am about a 12/10 so that does break the numerical scale.” Bette replied smugly. 
 
“You…you…”  
 
“Yes, I know I am very sexy.” Bette growled sexily into the phone. 
 
“Uff!” Tina was flustered. “Enough! I don’t even know why I gave you my phone number!” 
 
“Because you enjoy talking to me and spending time with me. And because I am irresistible.”  
 
Tina rolled her eyes. “Did you hit your head too hard on the train and are now struggling for the right adjectives? I think you meant irritable.” 
 
“Yeah, and I called you to get free English lessons.” Bette chimed out. 
 
This was followed by an awkward silence… 
 
“Umm…T,” Bette cleared her throat nervously toying with her curls. 
 
“Yeah?” Tina replied equally nervously rubbing her chin. 
 
“Why did you give me your number?” Bette closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. 
 
“I…I don’t know. I just … wanted to talk to you again. I didn’t want to wait for another chance encounter.” She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Since we keep hurting each other every time we meet, I want to be fully prepared for the next time,” Tina joked. 
 
Bette chuckled deeply. “T?” 
 
“Yeah?” 
“What are you doing at 3pm today?” 
 
“I don’t have anything planned. Taking care of housework maybe. Why?” 
 
“Meet me at the waterfront downtown. I’ll be waiting.” 
 
“I’ll be there.”