BETTE-  "She is.  But I can't do this anymore Joyce, I just can't.  I've lost everythingher too, and this is my gift to her in a wayit's not like she is going to miss me.  Joyce please, she's the birth mother and she now has a man in her life, a potential father figure.  I'm not going to get any sort of custody.  She doesn't stand a chance of having me in her life, apart from the outside.  She'll forget me soon anywayany memory her young mind was able to form of meit'll be gone soon.  I may as well be out of her life for good.  So it's really a gift to herit'll spare her the pain I can neither hide nor change"

JOYCE-  (She interrupts and she's getting more annoyed)  "Gift?  What kind of gift is THAT?"

BETTE-  "The only kind I can give herit's a selfless one, not done for me at allfor onceit's just all for her."

JOYCE-  (Joyce doesn't understand what Bette is saying)  "What the hec does that mean?  Bette listen, I'm not your mother, I'm your lawyer, but you really need to think about this.  Please think about it and call me in a couple of days.  Ok?"

BETTE-  "Fine, but nothing is going to change.  I'll be making arrangements for my move as well.  I'll be in touch.  Bye."  (She hangs up.  One tear, a vestige of the floodgates of the earlier part of the day, trickles down her face.  But there's no sympathy elsewhere in the roomKit had been just outside the door and stopped just as she heard Bette talking on the phone.  She heard everything.)

KIT-  "What the hell are you doing?"

BETTE-  (She turns and looks at Kit)  "What are YOU doing?  Eavesdropping"

KIT-  (She's angry and fuming)  "Don't change the subjectwhat the fuck are you doing?  What position?  Who was that on the phone?"

BETTE-  "The lawyer."

KIT-  "What position?  Who is Justin?"

BETTE-  "Kit this really is none of your concern"  (Kit interrupts by walking up to her, sitting down next to her and steadily but calmly turning Bette to face her.) 

KIT-  "Don't you dare, don't you DARE say that to me.  What the hell is going on?   And where the hell do you think you're going in the midst of all of this?  How dare you even think of leaving this childhow DARE YOU"

BETTE-  (She slowly intensifying as she speaks)  "How DARE I????  Kit stop itit's over.  Both you and Iand everybody knows itthere's no point in carrying on this charadepretending like we're going to somehow work things out, or somehow miraculously continue as parents while never again as lovers.  It's over.  It was over even before I took Angelicait's timefrig, it was time a while ago for me to move on.  There's no point to me and there wasn't any point to me holding on to my former lover and her child, standing around helplessly and hopelessly as I watched them move away, as I stood witness to losing them.  It's like when daddy was sick.  Daddy was rightthere was no point to me sitting around back then watching an old man die while my career was on hold at the CAC"  (Kit's eyes open wide and she's heard enoughshe administers a slap across her beloved sister's face that send it swinging in the opposite direction.  Bette whimpers and the new tears appear as she holds her face.  This is now the second time a profound blow has struck her in this bedroom.)

KIT-  (She stands)  "You explain to me what the hell is going on or that slap is going to be the last thing ever said between us.  You're not going to run away from this.  But if nothing else you're sure as hell going to explain yourself to meI deserve an explanationI need to know what I'm going to tell your daughter one day if ever she knocks on my door asking where the hell her mother went.  Because as angry as you are now, as hurt and devastated as you might feel, you know that Tina is going to make sure Angelica knows about her other motherthe woman that she once loved.  You know that Tina is going to want Angelica to have you in her life because Tina knows firsthand the beauty and love and grace that you brought to her own life.  She is not as selfish and self-centred as youshe will not run from this and I know she will not turn that little girl against youanything like that is going to be brought upon yourself and this child by no one other than you.  Yes Bette, you seeI remember DaddyI remember Daddy in all his gloryand you're reminding me of him beyond belief right nowbut don't you dare sit there and talk of his dying like you had better things to do with your life than be with your father as he left this world.  Do not insult me or his memory like that.  I won't permit it.  Now, you tell me what I'm going to tell your daughter one dayyou explain yourself to meNOW"

BETTE-  (Holding her face stilland then wiping the tears)  "I'm leaving.  I accepted the position.  Justin Morneau called me yesterday morning.  They offered me the position at the Whitney, in New York.  I knew ahead of time that I was likely going to get the call.  I leave Monday but I may be back again sometime later to finish collecting my things and tying up loose ends.  I'm keeping the house for now.  The job pays handsomely.  I know I can count on Shane to look after things until I clear everything up and then maybe rent the place."  (She grasps Kit's hand.)  "Kit, it's over, you know it's over.  There's no point in staying here anymore.  The life I had is over.  I can barely go on as it is, but this opportunity somehow gives me a new start, a window out of this just dark and horrible place I've been in now for the longest time.  And as much as I understand you and I love you, and I appreciate you and what you're trying to do, you need to respect my decision.  I'm not running away.  I was pushed away, in the worst possible wayshe shut me out, she dismantled our relationship and our familyshe doesn't love me anymorewithout her I"  (her voice cracksand she changes the subject a bit)  "and she's taking Angelica from me.   Without Angelicathere is nothing.  I can't live here, in this place, among these friends, and watch her and her mother from a distance.  I can't be relegated to 'auntie Bette', the artsy lesbian influence in her lifeI can't exist in those kinds of conditions, the ones Tina's imposing.  The only thing left now is to move on and this position is the only way I can do that right now.  Please try and understand.  And whatever you do, you can't tell anyone what I'm doing.  Please Kit.  It's my decision, please"

(Kit looked at Bette, her eyes watered and the tears welled up, she sat back down and started to cry, holding her hand over her mouth as Bette reached up and now, switching roles, comforted her sister.  Kit cried openlyshe didn't want to lose both Angelica and her sisterit was too muchjust too much.  Now she too was inconsolable.)

(At Tina's place, Alice was helping put Angelica to sleepshe had been restless and cried.  Angelica was unsettled.)

TINA-  "She's been good up until recently.  I don't know why she's crying so much now.  She's so agitated it seems."  (Alice looks at Tina and then looks at Angelica on the bed.  Alice was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.)

ALICE-  "Well, if I wasn't blessed with the maturity of being almost 30 years her senior, I'd probably be crying like a baby myself right now.in fact, I might just break out into cries any second now too.  She knowsyou know?  She senses what's going on and she knows that at some point today she was parting, she was being sent awayshe knows there was a goodbye in there somewhereshe knows something is missing.  I'd be pretty pissed myself.  In fact I am pretty pissed, if I do say so myself."

TINA-  "Alice I love you, but that's not open for discussion.  She went too far.  Taking my child Almy child."