"Okay, but since you no longer work as a gallery owner I assume it failed your expectations."

"Not really." Bette said before she could stop herself.

Uh oh. Please don't ask why.

"How come?

Okay, not a why, but still the same thing.

"What do you mean?" Bette stalled.

"You've saved up for this gallery since -- quote -- you can remember. And you were practically working all your energies towards it. How can it not be a failure?"

I met Tina there. "It brought me to where I am today."

"So you've always wanted to be Dean?"

"No, but it's amazing where life takes you." Bette replied.

"And where has life taken you, Ms. Porter?"

Bette glanced at the crib, where Angelica was happily throwing her stuffed toys overboard.

"Tell me about working for The CAC."

"Disastrous." Bette said.

In more ways than one.

"Why so?"

"Well, because there's a lot of red tape going on. Plenty of bureaucratic maneuvering." Bette said. "Politics gets in the way of the focus of showing good art."

"So why'd you take it?"

"It had more money."

"You don't strike me as someone who'd sacrifice art for money, Ms. Porter."

I did it for Tina, Bette thought. The family we wanted to have. "It was the logical choice, after giving up my gallery where money was sacrificed for art."

The teenager actually laughed at this. "I see. What did TK have to say about that?"

Bette paused. "What do you mean?"

"She was going to live with someone radically unhappy; with someone who was giving up her dreams for the sake of some financial stability. I want to know what the people who love you would say with such a move."

"She, uh..." Bette struggled here.

Remembering how Tina had tried to convince her that The Bette Porter Gallery was the better option, but would understand Bette's decision. How many times Tina held her in reassurance that no matter what, she would stand by Bette.

The way she would exaggerate her workday at Alphaville just to give Bette the opportunity to share how miserable her own day at The CAC was.

The way things finally snapped and fell apart with Provocations, Bette's hard-fought show.

"She supported me." Bette said.

"How did that relationship end?"

Excuse me? "I'm sorry?"

"The CAC. How'd you get out of that?"

Bette had to laugh at the wording of the sentence. That was one way to describe her ouster from The CAC. "I was fired."

"Why?"

"I was deemed too difficult to work with."

"Politics?"

Helena. "Of sorts."

"When?"

"A year ago, just about."

"Oh." Pause. "Wait, you were fired after your baby was born?"

"Just before."

"Your boss must be a total jerk."

He was. "Yes, well..."

"But you worked right away?"

"No. I felt burned out."

"With a newborn, that must've sucked."

"It did."

Andrea paused. "Promise not to tell TK about my next question?"

"I promise."

"Is that why you broke up?"

"Among other things."

"Oh." Not the answer Andrea was looking for, but she had to respect that.

"Why do you want to be a curator?" Bette asked.

"Get paid to look at pretty things? And tell stupid artists why I hate their work?" Andrea asked. "Why wouldn't I want to be a curator?"

Bette laughed. She remembered that there was a time, that was the whole point of her own career choice. "Fair enough."

"Well, thank you, Ms. Bette Porter. Do you mind if I call you if I have any more questions?"

"No, go ahead. Did Tina give you my cell number?