Chapter 1: The Bestower of Universal Friendship
Bette sighed deeply as she exhaled the smoke that had been held captive in her mouth for far too long. She looked at her cigarette and laughed softly while easing her left foot out of her flip-flop. As she tapped her index finger on top of the addictive stick, the molded, gray tubular ashes were released from their misery. Her eyes stung from the rising swirl of smoke greeting her as she sat outside on the front porch steps.
She tentatively blinked her eyes a few times while reminiscent thoughts invaded her mindlessness. "When did life become so fucking complicated?" she questioned softly, to no one in particular. Looking up at the dreary Saturday morning sky, Bette willed the rain to begin falling. "Looks like a good day for a pity party." she spoke. Again to no one in particular. "Happy Anniversary" she mumbled sadly. Focusing her dark eyes on the ground, she could feel them well to the brim with tears threatening to overflow. She knew if she blinked, it was over.
Her thoughts transported her quickly back to a time and place that she loved remembering. Her senses began assimilating pieces of wonderful memories and wreaking havoc on her mind. Snippets of her previous life played vividly across the widescreen of her mind. It had been almost two years since her life came to a screeching halt, but it seemed like yesterday. Actually it seemed more like today, this morning in fact. The sounds, smells and visual images seemed so near.
Two plus years ago, Bette was the epitome of happiness. She had a pact with life, and both parties were holding up their ends of the deal. All good things were coming her way and she was a proud recipient of seemingly endless goodness. She prided herself in who she was and the life she was living. Her very being exuded confidence, albeit sometimes to a fault. She was no stranger to hard work, difficult people and unreasonable demands. She stopped at nothing to achieve her goals and whatever it took; she rose to the occasion repeatedly and on cue. Her gallery, family, friendships and above all, her marriage were reaping the benefits of the diligent work that she had consistently sown into them.
Jonathan McKenzie was everything Bette had ever hoped for in a man. He shared the same zest for life and was also driven to excel at an early age. Success was engrained in both Bette and Jonathan from birth and ran freely through their veins. Doting parents authored their stories long before they loved their children into existence. Jonathan and Bette were destined to be great in whatever they did. And indeed they were. Jonathan was an accomplished civil rights attorney and just as radical as Bette. A sought after representative of those whom society looked down.upon. He was always willing to give of his time. That is until it impeded the window he so diligently set aside to spend with his wife. They made a striking couple, often being mistaken for brother and sister. Jonathan was a shade darker than Bette yet reflecting mixed heritage as well. His very light brown eyes totally contrasted those of his wife. He embraced himself as a person, celebrated his individuality and prided himself on being a non-conformist. As soon as Jonathan graduated from high school, he let his hair grow into shoulder- length, well-kept dreadlocks. His brothers tagged him with the nickname 'Ziggy' after one of Jonathan's favorite singers Ziggy Marley. From that point on, almost everyone (except his father) started calling Jonathan 'Ziggy'. His father, (Jonathan Sr.) claimed that his boy could never get into college, much less law school with dreadlocks. Ziggy thought otherwise. He placed a bet with his father and collected $300 from his dad on graduation day from Stanford Law. He collected an additional $500 on his wedding day when his father didn't believe he could not only date but marry Bette Porter, the upcoming mover and shaker of the art world. Ziggy loved telling that story and his wife loved hearing it. They loved each other immensely. Or, so it seemed.
Bette's thoughts were interrupted when two soft hands covered her eyes from behind causing her to jump.
"Guess who sweetums?" the melodious voice sang . Bette inhaled the fresh, clean fruity scent of her roommate.
"Um, let's see Spongebob Squarepants?" Bette asked sarcastically.
"That horrid little yellow creature who lives in the sea?" "Ah, no indeed. It is I , your wonderful friend and roommate" the anonymous woman sang while sweeping a hand graciously up to her chest and revealing a perfect smile. "And"she hesitated while wrinkling her brow "I'm going to be tardy for work if I don't hurry up."
"It's Saturday Hel," Bette replied flatly taking a long drag of her cigarette. She smiled in anticipation of a quick retort from the clean smelling woman behind her.
"You haven't been gone from the rat race that long lovey; you of all people know that art never sleeps. So, what are you going to do today sweetums, have another pity party aye?"
"How'd you guess?" Bette replied sarcastically.
"Come do a bit of yoga with me for a few. We'll both feel better. Lord knows I need a calming remedy before I face those raving lunatics today" chimed Helena. Bette conceded and followed her concerned friend to the backyard in an attempt to relax her tired mind, body and spirit. As she rolled out her mat, Bette couldn't help but reflect on how thankful she was for Helena. Theirs was a relationship that had come full circle. They met while Bette was living in NY over 5 years ago through Helena's mother Peggy. Peggy and Bette worked together on occasion and shared a unique and somewhat nurturing bond. Peggy claimed to have been a lesbian in 1974 and thought she was in touch with the world on a deeper level of sorts including being able to relate to her lesbian daughter. Bette admired the knowledge, gall and wit of the boastful, seasoned art connoisseur. Peggy was as eccentric as the day is long. After she and Bette began conversing regularly about art and life, Peggy had this 'brilliant' idea (at least in her mind) to have Bette educate Helena on the business of buying & selling art since she was so well versed and experienced in this area.
Helena was totally insulted by the mere thought of being schooled by someone. Especially an arrogant little gallery owner who thought she ruled the world. Bette lived and breathed art. It was her passion and she wore it well. She reveled in its history and was frequently sought by experts and wannabe's alike for her opinions on anything art related. Helena & Bette despised each other from the start. When Bette first went to meet with Helena per Peggy's suggestion, Helena told her the whole thing had been a misunderstanding and quickly sent her back home. Since then, whenever their paths crossed at meetings, seminars, artists' events etc, many glaring looks & icy words were exchanged between them. Once Bette had even pressed the close button on an elevator while Helena quickly and unsuccessfully attempted to enter. Both were intelligent, driven and beautiful women in their own right, perhaps with more similarities than differences in the grand scheme of things. The coarse thread that bound them closer than anything else was one of sadness, loss and desperation. They both lost their spouses a couple of years ago around the same time. Helena's wife was killed in a car accident and Bette's husband suddenly left her without warning. She hadn't seen nor heard from him since, but knew that he was still around from the tales of others. TBC...
