CHAPTER ONE

Bette Porter sat staring at the mass of paper work that occupied her desk. The various collection dates and invoices jumbled into an untidy heap. Instead of following her customary method of organising the various papers into an organised pile and then sorting into the gallery's various files, she simply sat head in hands unable to move. Outside the door Jimmy her junior assistant stood watching her with the delivery boy next to him.

"I wouldn't go in if I were you," Jimmy warned, holding his hand out for the package.

"What's up with her?" Dave asked, handing over a document envelope for Jimmy to sign for.

"Rumour on the great vine has it that she split up with her girlfriend last week, she has been a complete mess ever since."

Dave looked into to the room his head slightly cocked to one side. The he gave a startled look.

"That's the Bette Porter. The lesbian curator of the gallery?"

"The very same," Jimmy said.

"She was on TV a few weeks ago, had some perky blonde with her. I wouldn't have minded a bit of that I can tell you". He grinned at Jimmy who didn't smile back.

"Anyway," Dave added "I thought, well you know dykes didn't really go in for that whole long term thing."

Jimmy gave him a contemptuous look. "Actually she and her partner were together for 7 years before the split. In fact when you saw her appear on TV they had recently lost their child to a miscarriage!"

Dave looked taken aback and Jimmy blushed. It had been none of his business to say anything. If the truth be told he hadn't really known Bette and Tina that well. He had been introduced to them as a couple once or twice at various 'artsy' parties but had not known either of them very well. However he was very attached to Bette. She was a true task master and you had to be on your toes to get things right, but she also knew when to congratulate and praise which made it all the worth while. He also had never met anyone with such daring artistic vision. He thought back to the 'Provocations' exhibit that the gallery had been loaned a while ago. It had been a very daring series of works that many of the public had considered pornographic and blasphemous. Bette however had stuck to what she believed in and fought hard to get the gallery ready in time for the opening night. It had of course been a complete success. It was hard to believe that Leo the director of the board had wanted only a month prior to this to fire her.

Just as Jimmy drifted out of his day dream he saw Bette stumble slowly to her feet and grab her coat. As she left without saying a word Jimmy winced. He knew she had probably gone to lunch, but she should say something. What if Leo called to ask where she had gone? Just as he was thinking this the red light on his desk sparked to life and the phone rang.

"Hello."

"It's Leo, where is Bette? I can't seem to get hold of her on her desk phone and her mobile is off."

"I think she went to lunch sir, she said this morning she was having problems with her phone."

There was silence for a moment at the other end of the line. "When she gets in send her straight to my office please Jimmy."

"Ok sir," Jimmy added. He massaged his head with his hands. Bette, he thought, come on you need to pull it together.

Outside Bette walked blindly down the road. It was a warm day under the Californian sun, but Bette drew her coat more tightly around her, she always felt cold these days. She stopped a little way down the street and realised that she was outside The Planet Café. Looking through the windows she could see all the guys Alice, Shane, Dana and that awful Tonya. She couldn't believe that Dana was still with that psycho. A few weeks previously Alice had voiced her concern that Tonya may have been a grifter who had potentially killed Dana's beloved cat Mr Piddles. Bette remembered how Dana had tactfully broached the subject of getting another cat soon and Toya had swiftly turned the conversation aside to Dana's up and coming tennis tournament. Bette smiled to herself. It was the first smile she had allowed herself in days. Distractedly she looked over to the bar to see if Marina was serving and there she saw her. Tina had a tray of espressos clasped in her delicate hands, the dark blackness of the tray contrasting against the seductive paleness of her skin. She looked so normal, she looked so…happy. Bette felt sick, it was obscene had she meant nothing to her at all? How could Tina be so happy when she felt so miserable? There was a petite blonde girl hovering nervously around the table. Her eyes looked wide with awe at the group and she fiddled awkwardly with her fingers. Through the dark glass of the café's window Bette could make out she was wearing one of the 'Lesbian Wanted' t-shirts the girls had bought back from a recent party. She prayed that the woman was just another of Shane's conquests, oh please let her be with Shane.

Suddenly Bette felt lost. Where could she go, she dared not face The Planet. She walked quickly back down the road, stumbling over every obstacle. This wasn't like her, she was Bette Porter, and she always knew exactly what was going on. Her life was organised around her little black filo-fax and that meant that everything worked out. Only it wasn't was it? Dejectedly she looked up the street at the gallery entrance and then back at her watch. Although she had gone on lunch early she still had another fifteen minutes before she needed to be back, but also she could not face returning back to work just yet. Looking across the road she noticed a small bar. This was what Tina had done, she could not even get lunch at her traditional haunts anymore, Tina had turned her world upside down. Taking a last look back at the gallery Bette made her way down the dark steps into the bar's shaded entrance.