Tina woke with a start; the sunlight was shining through the windows. She looked over and Bette was gone. She dressed quickly and rushed downstairs, she was wondering if last night was real. As she reached the first floor, she could smell freshly made coffee and hear breakfast cooking. When she rounded the corner Bette was standing over the stove and she could barely see her niece lounging on the floor watching tv.

“How long have you been up?”

“Morning baby,” Bette said and kissed her wife, “not long; about forty five minutes.”

“I wasn’t sure if last night was real.”

“It sure was.”

“Has she said anything?”

“Nothing other than how she likes her eggs.”

“We really have to talk about this.”

“I know sweetheart, let’s just eat and then we’ll talk.”

“We don’t even know what my brother will say. He might get mad and want her to go back home.”

“Well let’s just have some breakfast and we’ll talk then we’ll call him and make a decision.”

They sat in silence as they ate their breakfast, each one lost in their own thoughts. Bette was ready to take on a “third child,” Tina was nervous about talking to her brother for the first time in ten years, and Cassandra was upset that she might get sent back. After they finished their breakfast, they moved quietly around the kitchen cleaning it up, Cassandra memorizing where things went. She wanted to make sure they knew she’d help them around the house in exchange for a place to live. Bette and Tina let Cassandra know they were gonna call her dad, so she made herself at home once again on the living room floor and continued to watch tv as they went outside.

“What is it babe,” Bette asked after a moment of silence.

“I’m still a bit overwhelmed that she’s here. My little God-daughter is here.”

“I know, and she’s seeking our help,” Bette said and grasped Tina’s hand.

“Bette, why are you so sure of this? Why do you want her so bad?”

“She’s lost Tee, and she needs our help to make the right decisions. Do you really think living with your brother, in a city full of conservative people is gonna guide her to the right life? They won’t, they’re only gonna hurt her.”