Chapter 12

When Bette arrived home, she was greeted by a dark house.  The ray of hope came from the small light coming from the bedroom. 

She left her attaché by the door and hung her jacket before venturing to the bedroom.  She hated this feeling of trepidation but was determined that she wasn’t going to be intimidated.  Tina was her closest friend and the mother of her child and there were going to be times when Jodi had to make allowances for that.

She pushed the door open and leaned on the entrance waiting for Jodi to look up from the book she was reading and acknowledge her.

“Hi” she signed to Jodi when she looked up. 

“Hi” Jodi responded. 

There was an awkward moment of no conversing before Bette entered the room and started to get ready for bed.  After finishing in the bedroom, she crawled into bed beside Jodi, and patted her arm to get her attention.

Jodi looked at her expectantly.

“Tina had some news for me.  She’s pregnant.”  Bette smiled at Jodi, hoping to share in some of the joy Bette felt about the news, or at least appeasement for missing tonight.

“Oh”  She signed and went back to her book.

Bette frowned, “What the fuck?” she asked herself.  She got Jodi’s attention again and asked her if she wasn’t at all interested in the news.

“Who’s the father?” Jodi asked.  “Or,” she continued ” the mother, depending on who she’s with now?”

Bette was dumbstruck. She had no idea where this nastiness had come from or frankly at whom it was aimed.  As far as she knew, Jodi and Tina were amiable.

Jodi saw the shocked expression and looked down, embarrassed for what she had said.”  I’m sorry” she apologized.

“Why would you say that? “

I don’t know.  I guess I get tired of Tina being able to do whatever she wants, whenever.  She seems to have this freedom that others don’t”

Again, Bette struggled to follow this line of thinking. “Why do you think that?  Don’t you have the freedom to do what you want to do”