Inez’s braids bounced gently against her shoulders as she walked through the noisy hallway at Lewisburg Middle School. The noise didn’t bother her, though. All of the social activity around her was energizing, and she glanced around the hall to find familiar faces, searching for someone to chat to. She was about to walk up to one of her groups of friends to say hi, when she heard the sound of an unpleasant voice cutting through the friendly chatter.

“Hey, new girl! What’s your name?” It was one of the rowdy seventh grade boys who always seemed to be surrounded by a pack of other boys. Inez didn’t remember his name, and didn’t care to. She turned to see who he was harassing this time. 

“I’m Betty,” a petite brunette said softly. She looked at the boy warily, but offered a small smile. 

“Well, Betty, welcome to our school. We wanted to give you a special hello because we heard a nasty rumor about the new girl. That’s you, ‘Betty,’’’ he said, inexplicably air-quoting her name as if she had made it up on the spot, rather than been given it at birth.  

She stared at him, worry clear on her face, but didn’t speak. Inez started making her way through the crowd toward the scene that was unfolding, sure that it wasn’t going to end well. 

“We heard that you don’t have a dad,” the boy sneered. “You live alone with your mom, in a tiny apartment, don’t you? You probably even share a bed with her,” he snickered. 

“I live with my mom,” Betty confirmed, her face blank. 

The boy whispered something to the others next to him and they all chortled before he spoke again.

“Do you know what they call a kid who doesn’t have a dad?” 

Betty shook her head, frowning. 

“A bastard,” he spit. “You, Betty, are a bastard child. How does it feel, huh? Knowing your daddy didn’t want anything to do with you or your mom?” 

Betty looked as if he’d slapped her. The shock and hurt and humiliation on her face was painful to look at. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. 

Finally, Inez had reached the center of the action and she stepped in front of Betty, facing the bully and his accomplices. 

“That is enough,” she said loudly. “Who do you think you are to speak to another person like that? You are pathetic. Now leave Betty alone.” Her bold and unflinching delivery took the boy aback. He was clearly not used to being stood up to. 

He stuttered as he tried to come back with a clever response, before finally managing to say, “Whatever, you’re just a couple of girls. You’re not worth my time.” He spun away dramatically and stomped off, the other boys quickly following his example. 

The bystanders who had gathered around to see what the fuss was all about took one look at Inez’s fierce expression and rapidly dispersed. Nobody wanted to be at the business end of Inez’s righteous indignation. 

When everybody was gone, Inez turned around and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Inez,” she beamed. 

Betty couldn’t help but smile with gratitude, even as she wiped away a stray tear was still drying on her cheek. Her expression soon turned to amusement at Inez’s drastic change in demeanor. Just a moment ago, she was a formidable guardian angel that seemed to materialize straight from Heaven; now she was a friendly ray of sunshine. Betty took her hand and shook it. 

“I’m Betty,” she said. “Thanks for doing that,” she gestured vaguely in the direction the boys had gone. 

“Don’t mention it,” Inez said with a wink. “Boys will be boys, I guess… but personally, I sometimes think us girls would be better off without them,” she chuckled. Betty couldn’t disagree at the moment. 

“Is that just… normal, then? Bullies like that?” Betty asked with concern. “I’ve been homeschooled up until now—independent study mostly. This is very new to me.”

“Well, that explains why I don’t recognize you from elementary. As for the bullies, no, that’s not really normal. It would be hard to get away with that kind of behavior on the regular. Sometimes we get a butthead who wants to act up, but there’s usually someone close by to put them in line.”

“Like you?” Betty inquired.

“Yeah, like me,” Inez laughed. “Ain’t nobody going to get away with that when I’m around,” she winked again. 

“How did you get them to listen to you like that? You’re so brave.” 

Inez stopped to gently grab Betty’s arm and pull her closer to whisper in her ear. “I have a secret weapon,” she said quietly. Betty looked back at her, intrigued. 

“My dad’s the sheriff,” Inez admitted, with another laugh. “And everybody knows it. So nobody is going to mess with me. Plus, I’m loud,” she shrugged. 

Betty nodded appreciatively. “Seems like you’re a good friend to have around,” she smiled. 

“I am, in fact.” With that, Inez linked her arm with Betty’s and led her to the MPR for the morning assembly. 

By the time the school bell rung at the end of that day, Betty felt like she’d known Inez for much longer than just a few hours. Inez offered to walk her home after she discovered that Betty’s apartment was within walking distance from the school, and that walking was her main mode of transportation since her mom had to work long hours. Usually Inez would have been picked up by her dad in his police car after school, but that wasn’t until after her extra-curricular activities. 

“What activity are you supposed to do today?” Betty asked. “I don’t want you to miss it because of me.”

“Oh, it’s just chess club. I don’t mind skipping it today. That way I can walk you home, and then use your phone to call my dad at work and let him know where to pick me up today.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden,” Betty said. 

“Absolutely. You are not a burden,” she reassured her. “Let’s go!”

The girls walked and talked, getting to know each other. Betty learned that Inez was one of four kids in her family. She had two sisters and one brother, and she was the eldest. Her mom stayed at home to take care of the baby, and run a bakery business at the same time, and her dad was the sheriff as she had already mentioned. Her family lived in a relatively nice part of town, in a modest but lovely home. 

Betty shared her shortened life story with her new friend. How she was an only child and had been with just her mom since she could remember. How her mom worked so hard to take care of them, and how close they were. 

“She sounds amazing,” Inez said. “I can’t wait to meet her!”

“She won’t be home until late tonight, but I’m sure you can meet her sometime. I mean, that’s assuming you want to hang out…” Betty blushed, knowing she’d just made an assumption that would be embarrassing if it wasn’t true. 

“I would love to hang out. Sounds like fun!” Inez beamed at her, and her anxiety eased. Then she glanced down at Betty’s hands and gasped. 

“Betty! You don’t have gloves!” She said worriedly. “It’s freezing out here!” 

It was early winter, and the snow was already sticking on the ground, obscuring sidewalk chalk drawings beneath their feet and dusting the tops of bushes and trees. Betty agreed that it was quite cold, but she tugged her sleeves over her hands and shrugged. 

“I must have lost them,” she mumbled. The truth was that she had outgrown her last pair, and her mom couldn’t afford new ones until she got her paycheck next week. Inez looked at her suspiciously, then shook her head slightly and pulled one of her fleece gloves off of her own hand. 

“Here, borrow one of mine. We can wear them on our outside hands and then hold our other hands in my jacket pocket,” she suggested, giving Betty no time to argue as she shoved the glove into her hand and then held her uncovered hand out expectantly. Betty wanted to protest, because she felt bad taking one of Inez’s gloves, but she got the impression that it would be of no use. She hurriedly slid the glove onto her hand and then put her other hand into Inez’s, who slid them into her pocket together. Betty had to admit that it felt so much better now that her fingers weren’t about to freeze off. 

They walked all the way to Betty’s apartment like that, and if they weren’t already friends by that point, it was set in stone after that. From that day forward, they were together anytime they could be. At school, they passed notes back and forth in the classes they shared. In the evenings, they often had sleepovers with Betty staying over at Inez’s house where they could play video games on her brand new Sega. Betty had never played video games before, and was intrigued by the moderately luxurious yet down-to-earth lifestyle that Inez’s family enjoyed. 

They weren’t rich, exactly, but Inez’s father earned a reasonably good salary as the Sheriff, and her mother owned and ran her own bakery, which brought in a reasonable income as well. They were able to buy nice things for her from time to time, but they did so in moderation. They believed in the value of hard work, and never wanted Inez or her siblings to take things for granted. So far, as much as Betty could tell, they had done a great job. Inez had a wonderful sense of gratitude and an unflinching readiness to roll up her sleeves when needed. 

When they had sleepovers at Betty’s, they either slept in the single bedroom that Betty shared with Clara and shared Betty’s twin trundle bed, or they set up a tent in backyard next to the garden and slept there. 

Betty’s “apartment” was actually a small, standalone cottage built as an additional dwelling behind the main house. It was in a somewhat suburban neighborhood that had houses on generous plots of land. The main house was where their landlord, Mrs. Thomas lived. She was a kind, elderly widow who lived alone and generally kept to herself. 

Although the apartment was small, and had only one bedroom, it was cozy and clean. It had its own driveway and a small porch, and behind it was a garden and a good amount of space beyond that and to the sides that were part of the main house’s backyard. So even though it wasn’t always the easiest place to have friends over, Betty made it work by taking advantage of the outdoor space as much as she could in the warmer months. 

As Betty and Inez grew older, and became teenagers, they began making a tradition of sitting up on the roof and talking, sometimes after the sun sank down and long into the night. Betty didn’t have a curfew, and when Inez was with her that meant that neither did she. They played games like twenty questions, and told each other the truth about the things that were stressing them out in life. Once, after Betty had started dating James, she was venting to Inez about something hurtful he’d done. Inez reached over and touched Betty’s hand, and that comfort meant more to Betty than she could say. “It’s nice to have a friend,” she thought as she fell asleep that night. Inez was the best one she could have ever asked for.

Betty didn’t know it, but all those years—from the very first moment Inez laid eyes on her in middle school—Inez had fallen in love with her at first sight. She loved Betty in secret, and without reason, although at first she was too young to understand it. All she knew was that on the first day they’d met, when she’d lent Betty her glove and held her other hand inside her pocket, she’d felt something stir inside her that she’d never felt before. She could’ve spent forever like that, with Betty’s hand in her pocket.

By the time the girls started high school, Inez understood the nature of her feelings for Betty but made a conscious decision not to act on them. She didn’t want to risk their friendship, which meant the world to her. Betty didn’t ever show signs of feeling anything more than friendship for her, but Inez still felt the warmth of her love. Betty’s love in any form made Inez’s heart feel painted golden, and she had to protect that. 

Inez didn’t believe she would ever find a love that could compare to how she felt for Betty, so she decided that romance wasn’t in the cards for her. She kept her romantic side frozen deep blue, like an iceberg, hidden and immovable under the surface. It was like dancing with her hands tied; the full extent of her feelings couldn’t be expressed, but they were still always there, aching to be freed. 

When Betty began dating James, Inez tried to be a supportive friend. She wanted her to be happy, and James seemed to make her happy—at least at first. But after a few months, she noticed that Betty started to become more and more insecure. She seemed to be under the false belief that she wasn’t pretty. Yet, everyone who even glanced at Betty would agree that she was beautiful. It was as if the only one who didn’t see her beauty was the face in the mirror looking back at her. 

Betty always tried to put on a happy face. She was like a bundle of gentle sunshine, tied together with a smile. Inez worried what would happen if she ever came undone.

For Betty, it seemed to be true that love was all she wanted, because she was giving it away like it was extra change, hoping it would end up in James’ pocket. But he always seemed to leave her out like a penny in the rain. Her disappointment every time he let her down was something she tried to hide from James, not wanting to appear needy or clingy. 

But Inez saw it, and she hurt for her. Together, the girls paid the price for James’ lack of devotion. Betty would cry over him every time he wounded her, and Inez would comfort her, shushing her when she whispered that perhaps she wasn’t the “golden one,” the girl who the ever-popular James had chosen to be by his side. Inez couldn’t say much to ease the sadness of her beloved friend, but she offered her presence and her silent adoration. The truth, of course, was that Inez wished that Betty were the girl by her side, as more than just best friends. She imagined keeping a picture of Betty’s face in an invisible locket around her neck, one that only she knew was there. It was the most that she could have. 

On the night of prom, after James broke his promise to Betty and then later drove off with Augustina, Inez hoped that it would finally be over for good between them. For the rest of the school year, James was just gone, and Inez was beyond grateful for that blessing. But before long, Betty was off to New York for her summer internship and while Inez was incredibly happy for her, she missed her more than words for those months she was gone. 

She still remembered stumbling through the long goodbye the night before Betty’s departure. She gave her one last kiss on the cheek and wished her the best of luck with her internship. “If you can, would you call me from the airport before you catch your flight?” Inez asked. “I want to make sure you get there safely from the train station.” Betty had agreed, and had done just that. Then she once again said goodbye and wished her a safe flight.

Each day that Betty was gone, Inez had played back her favorite memories she’d had with her friend over the years. The more she thought about her and missed her, the more she felt herself falling in love with her all over again. It was falling in love in the cruelest way; falling for Betty when she felt worlds away. The feeling of unrequited love that she knew so much; that delicate beginning rush of hope when she stupidly imagined alternate universes where they were together; and the desperate pining over her heart’s desire—these emotions swirled in her head, spinning faster than the plane that had taken Betty. 

She’d rehearsed speeches in her head that she might say to Betty, if she were braver.  “I guess you’re in New York today,” she said to the imaginary Betty in her head, the day after she’d left. “I don’t want to need you this way, but I do. You’ve only just left but this is when the feeling is sinking in that I won’t be able to see you for weeks and weeks. I don’t want to miss you like this. I wish you would come back and be here,” she continued. “But you’re having a great time, I’m sure. I can just picture you in taxi cabs on busy streets, having adventures and learning so much. But those taxis never bring you back to me, and that is the one thing I wish for. I can’t help but wish you took me with you.” Inez sighed, knowing that she would never say such words to her one true love. 

When Betty returned, Inez was relieved to have her back and excited to start their senior year of school together. She worried about James reappearing and worming his way back into Betty’s life, but that worry was temporarily eased when he switched his homeroom class to avoid her. Inez was finally hopeful that he was out of the picture permanently, when he did the unexpected and knocked on Betty’s door that fateful night. Betty’s few other friends who were over at her place that night may have been peeking through the curtains to watch James’ grand apology, giggling and swooning over how romantic he was—but Inez wasn’t fooled for a moment. She knew that no good would come from this. 

Unfortunately, Betty fell for his attempt to win her back—hook, line, and sinker. After that, she was with James again and Inez could do nothing but support her friend despite her misgivings about him. But as the years passed and the couple managed to stay together, Inez lost any hope that she’d ever be free from the curse of having to watch James dominate the life of the woman she loved. 

The worst time for her was after they graduated, and Betty and James got engaged and then decided to move away from their hometown. As the move date drew closer and closer, Inez willed herself to lock away her feelings. She knew that she couldn’t get attached to her dashed dreams that Betty would stay and live close by forever. But her love for this woman haunted her. She couldn’t put it down, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she shouldn’t have played so nonchalant all those years. If she had known that James would eventually take her to live hours away, could she have done something to stop it?

After the move, she often found herself breaking down into tears. It wasn’t fair that Betty wasn’t around. She woke up at 4:00 AM on the second day that she was gone, face wet with tears from the dream she’d had about Betty slowly forgetting her until she didn’t know her at all. The next day, she’d called her to reassure herself that their friendship wasn’t going to fade away. Betty had given her the words that she needed, and had said it in a simple way: “You will never lose me,” she had promised. Those were the words that Inez held onto in the years after that. 

As she watched from afar, Betty became smaller and smaller to fit into James’ world. Inez was angry every time she heard a new story about a seemingly small (or not so small) way that he had mistreated her. She never let Betty see the full extent of her anger, but beneath the surface she was scathing. She knew that Betty should be mad, too, at her own treatment. But Betty knew that her anger would get her nowhere in the world that her husband had pulled her into. And so Inez took her time, waiting for what she felt was the inevitable breaking point. James had taken everything from her—and Inez couldn’t wait to see him lose his “forever.” 

She watched him climb over good people, like her and Betty, to get to where he wanted in life. She watched him become the master of spin, disguising his couple of side flings with flimsy excuses of spending time with co-workers and friends. Betty was a good wife, and good wives always know; and so Inez watched as her best friend slowly went mad in a marriage that was draining the life out of her. James had made her like that, and it was something Inez would always hate him for. 

The day that Betty had called her and told her she was leaving James was one of the best days of Inez’s life. Of course, her heart was breaking for her friend and the pain she was going through. But she was getting her back. Betty was coming home, and Inez was hopeful that with Clara’s help, the two of them would be able to put Betty back together, help her find herself again, and watch her step into a life that she truly loved. 

Betty didn’t know it, but when she was on her way back to her hometown, Inez made a phone call of her own. 

When James picked up, he sounded suspicious. “Who is this?” he asked gruffly. 

“It’s Inez,” she answered, pausing to let him react. She heard his scoff before he spoke again. 

“What do you want?” he asked shortly. “Did Betty ask you to call me?”

“Oh no,” she chuckled. “She doesn’t know I’m doing this. I have a few choice words for you.” 

“Really, and what are those exactly?” 

“You never deserved her. She should have left you there in the rain on her porch. Or, better yet, she should have broken up with you the first time you treated her as anything less than the absolute gem that she is.”

“Wow, whatever Inez,” he retorted. “You’re just jealous that she never saw you the way she saw me. You’re a pathetic, lonely loser. And the best part is, she will never love you back.”

Inez recoiled at his words. He knew? Had he known all this time? Her shock quickly wore off and turned to fury. What did he think she would say to that? A scorpion stings when fighting back, and she sure as hell was going to strike to kill. 

“First of all, you’re wrong. I’ve never been jealous of you, and I never will. You have nothing that truly matters in life anymore. You have lost her forever, and I feel no sympathy for you. Meanwhile, I have her back now and I think we both know that having someone like Betty in life is a gift. You will never have that again.”

James snarled his next words. “You’re crazy, you know that? No one likes a mad woman. It’s not a good look.” 

Inez laughed to herself, thinking that him calling her crazy and angry would only make her more crazy and angry. He may have thought he knew who he was dealing with, but he didn’t. He could poke that bear until her claws came out, and then he wouldn’t know what hit him. Inez could find ways to get revenge on him—but she realized, after a moment of seething, that he simply wasn’t worth it. 

“Your opinion doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. I just wanted you to know that you lost the best thing that ever happened to you. You get to live with that. Goodbye, James.” She held out the phone and silently mouthed “fuck you forever” before snapping it shut with finality. And that was that—she felt some of her rage dissipate, determined to move ahead instead of letting James take up another ounce of her energy or attention. Sure, she could turn into a fire-breathing dragon and burn his life to the ground, or fire cannons at his yacht until he sunk to the bottom of the ocean; but she knew that the best revenge would be to help Betty forget about him. 

When Betty finally arrived at home, Inez hopped into her car and drove the 15 minutes from her house to Betty’s. The moment she wrapped her arms around her friend, whom she’d missed so much, was like a sigh of relief after a very long time of holding her breath. 

As the women laid in their beds that night, Inez didn’t plan on telling Betty what she’d come to understand about her sexuality over the past year or so. But Betty was such a good friend and a good listener, and Inez found herself wanting to open up. Betty’s reaction to Inez’s declaration that she was gay was as perfect as she could have asked for. She felt silly that she hadn’t trusted her with the sensitive information sooner, but she knew that she hadn’t been truly ready until that moment. 

What came next was even more unexpected. When Inez admitted to Betty that she was in love with her, the moment felt frozen in time. It was surreal, after all these years of loving her in secret, to finally say it out loud. She was terrified of what Betty would say next, but she waited patiently for her to process it. 

“I…” Betty began, uncertainly. “I don’t know what to say,” she chuckled nervously. “I love you so much, Inez. You’ve been the best friend I could ever ask for.” Inez couldn’t stop herself from flinching slightly at the word “friend.” 

“I just don’t know how I feel about you romantically, you know?” She looked worriedly at Inez’s face. “I’ve never really considered that.”

Inez swallowed hard. “I know, it’s okay,” she said with a small smile. “You’re straight. I know that. I’m not asking you for anything, I just… I wanted you to know.” 

Betty let out a slow breath. “Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m completely straight, actually.” 

Inez’s gaze snapped to attention on Betty’s face, but she didn’t say anything yet. She waited for Betty to tell her more. 

“When I went to New York in high school, I had a summer fling,” she said. 

“Right, with Peter. I remember,” Inez nodded along.

“Well yes, with Peter. But that wasn’t the whole time. After Peter, there was another. I never told anyone about her, but her name was Hanna. She was really sweet and fun and… well, Dot encouraged me to explore freely so I did. We had a couple of weeks together before I left.” Betty felt herself flush slightly, remembering the time she’d spent with Hanna. 

Inez stared at her, clearly shocked. “Wow, I had no idea. Have you ever thought about what that might mean? Are you bisexual?” 

“I don’t really know, I honestly haven’t thought about it in years. I was never with another woman after that, because I had James and that was that. It didn’t seem to matter. But now…” she looked conflicted. “I don’t want to say anything just yet. I don’t want to hurt you. I just think I need some time… need some space, to think about all of this.” 

“I know,” Inez said, and felt a tear roll down her cheek, preparing for her heart to be broken. It was one thing to know that Betty wasn’t interested in women and so she couldn’t love her back in the same way. That was what she’d expected. But this was something different. She very possibly could love her back, and that wasn’t something Inez was prepared to hope for. “Do you think I should go home?” She asked, forcing her voice to remain neutral. 

“No, you don’t need to leave,” Betty said, panic in her voice. “I don’t want you to go. Can we just put this aside for now and revisit it later?” She reached a hand to place it gently on Inez’s. Inez closed her eyes tightly, overwhelmed at the unexpected touch at such a vulnerable time. 

“Of course we can,” she said, opening her eyes to meet Betty’s gaze. “Nothing has to change, okay? You can think about things for as long as you need, or never mention it again if you prefer. As long as I still have you, I’ll be happy.” 

Betty smiled gratefully, but she knew in her heart that things would have to change after this. One way or another, Betty couldn’t pretend that she didn’t now know what Inez felt for her. She would have to take extreme care to handle it in a way that wouldn’t hurt her.  

The next morning, Betty had errands to run in town and she left Inez and her mom to spend some time together. The two had always been close, since Clara had essentially became a second mother to Inez, and they were happy to sit in the garden and sip tea while Betty took care of the things she needed to do. Before she left, she touched Inez on the arm and said, “I just want you to know that you mean so much to me. I really appreciate you telling me everything you did. I don’t know if I feel the same way yet, but thank you for giving me the chance the figure it out.” 

Inez nodded, but found her throat felt too thick with emotion to respond. She watched Betty go, and couldn’t help but hear those words echoing in her mind. “I don’t know if I feel the same way,” was an honest and fair statement, but it was nevertheless hard to hear, and it hurt more than she would have expected. 

 It was several days before the topic came up again, and when it did, it was very unexpected. Inez got a call late one night from Betty, and as soon as she answered it she could tell that her friend was very emotional. 

“Hi,” she said softly, “Is this a good time to talk?” 

“Yes, of course. What’s wrong?” Inez asked in concern. 

“Inez, I’m so sorry. I did you wrong, made mistakes, and put you through all of this,” she said in a rush. “I’ve left you hanging since you told me that you loved me.” 

“I know,” Inez chuckled, “but it’s okay. You needed time, and that’s okay,” she reassured her. 

“But the truth is that I was just afraid. I spent so many years pouring my love into James and getting so little in return. Whereas with you, ever since the day we met, you’ve given me all of the love I could ever need. I was afraid to see it, afraid to trust that a love that good could be real.” Betty sobbed quietly. “Inez, I know how I feel now. I know that I love you, too. I always have.” 

Inez lost all control of her emotions then, and felt her face crumple under the weight of them. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she let out a cry of disbelief and joy. “You do?” She finally managed to ask. 

“Yes,” Betty said firmly. “I love you, Inez. I want to be with you.” 

A fresh wave of shock and elation rolled over Inez as she processed these words. “How can this be real?” She choked out. “This is too good to be true.”

Betty laughed, then said, “It really does feel that way, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth. I missed you so much when I was gone. I tried to focus on my life with James, but deep down I was never happy being so far away from you.”

“Really?” Inez laughed through her tears. “Honestly, when you gone, did you ever think of me?” 

“Only every day, from when I woke up in the morning to when I went to sleep at night,” Betty chuckled. 

After a moment of both of them laughing and crying, Betty continued. 

“My life has felt like a prison in so many ways. It’s been years of labor, trying to earn his love, only to be trapped behind locks and ceilings that he’s constructed to keep me emotionally at arm’s length. It’s been gray and blue and fights and tunnels… gray as I watched myself daily disappearing, and blue as I waited in the shade of how he was feeling, for just one hour of sunshine—just one glimpse of his smile. The fights were exhausting, and the tunnels I tried to dig to reach him got me nowhere. I was handcuffed to the spell I was under. But all those nights,” she paused, thinking back to those lonely years, “you kept me going.”

Betty met Inez’s eyes. “You were with me in my dreams. And now… well, now I’m free.” She exhaled deeply, letting the truth wash over her. She was free. “I’m fresh out the slammer,” she chuckled. “And I’m running back home to you.”

Inez’s breath hitched at those words. “Can I come over?” She whispered through the phone. 

“Please,” Betty answered. “I’ll see you soon. I’ll be waiting at the front gate.”

Fifteen minutes later, Inez’s car pulled into the driveway. She parked, then jumped out and jogged over to the small front garden gate where Betty stood waiting for her. Betty opened the gate and stepped into Inez’s waiting arms. They held each other, crying once again. Then Inez pulled back slightly, looking at Betty with love and desire. She glanced at Betty’s lips, a question in her eyes, and Betty nodded before Inez brought her lips to meet hers. Their first kiss was everything, and they lingered for long moments before Betty started crying softly again and had to pull back.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” she whispered ruefully. 

“What, thirteen years? Eh, that’s nothing,” Inez joked. “I’m just so happy I have you back now.” She said, more seriously. “It was worth it, anyway.” She gently stroked Betty’s hair and wiped away the tears from her face. “Leave those all in our past,” she said. “We have our whole future together now, as much of it as you want.” 

Betty couldn’t help but feel completely and utterly at peace, knowing that this was true. She laughed through her happy tears and nodded in agreement. “We’re at the starting line. I know it’s gonna be alright now. I did my time. I’ve earned my happy ending with you, and there’s no way I’m gonna screw up now that I know what’s at stake. I will never lose my baby again.” She leaned in for another sweet kiss, which Inez was happy to supply. 

~

Betty and Inez stood hand in hand, facing each other. Betty wore a long cream-colored gown that was adorned with lace, and yet striking in it’s beautiful simplicity. Inez wore a white wrap dress that hit just above her knee and showed off all of her curves with elegance. The two made a gorgeous pair, and all eyes were on them as they stood together, preparing to take their vows. 

Clara stood behind them, in her place as the officiant. Her face was radiant as she looked at her daughter and the beautiful woman who loved her.

“Friends and family, thank you so much for joining us on this very special day, as we witness and celebrate Betty and Inez joining together in marriage. I am beyond thrilled to have Inez join our family, and there are not adequate words to express how thankful I am for her. I have never seen Betty as happy as she is with Inez. They are truly meant to be,” she beamed. 

The joy and love on the brides’ faces was radiant as they gazed at each other, both wiping tears of joy from their eyes. 

“They have chosen to write their own vows, and would like to share them now,” Clara continued, gesturing to Inez to go first. 

Inez took a long breath in, her hands shaking ever so slightly as she unfolded a piece of paper with her handwritten vows on it. 

“Betty, I’m sometimes asked when it was that I first fell in love with you. My answer is always the same: I fell in love with you when I saw your face—that’s when. I may not have realized or understood at the time, but my heart was yours from the moment we met.  

“Now, in some stroke of luck that I can hardly believe has happened to me, I get to see your face every day. Every day with you is everything I could have asked for, and any day without you in it is not complete. When we’re not together—that’s when I miss you. Through the good and the bad—that’s when I need you. When I’m laughing, and when I’m crying—that’s when I want you. When it’s sunny or storming—that’s when I love you. 

“Simply put, you feel like home. With you, I have the best time going out and doing fun things together, because you turn everything into an adventure just by being by my side. At the same time, I’m perfectly content to stay in bed all weekend, especially considering how you’ve turned our bed into a sacred oasis,” she said with a dramatic wink, to the indulgent laughter of their family and friends. “It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing; if I’m with you, that’s all I need. I love you, Betty, and I always will.”

All three women standing at the altar wiped tears of love and joy from their faces before Betty pulled out her own piece of paper. She took a deep breath, smiled lovingly at Inez, and started to read. 

“Babe,”  Betty began. “Your love is the greatest surprise and the greatest gift I have received in life. My life changed direction in the best possible way that night years ago, when you told me that you were in love with me. At first, I was afraid of what I felt, because I knew that if I admitted that I loved you as well, then it would change everything. I knew that dating you at that point in time would be difficult, not only because of the timing, but because of the implications of me dating a woman. I knew that I would essentially be coming out, and that would be difficult. I had a bad feeling… but that just was my fear talking. I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us.

“I know that together, there is nothing we can’t do. If I asked you, ‘Can we dance through an avalanche?’ I know that you’d say that we got it. I know that life can be messy. I can be a mess sometimes. But even when I’m a mess, I know that I’m the mess that you wanted. I’ve had times in my past when I thought that I was somehow too much. I believed that loving me was a hard thing to do, and there was no one in the world who could take it. But you have proven that wrong. You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it—your love for me, and our destiny to be together. Because it’s gravity keeping you with me. Our love is inescapable and eternal. 

“I know that if everything ended right now, I’d be able to die happy knowing that I got to love you. I’d kiss you as the lights went down, swaying as the room burned down; I’d hold you as the water rushes in. Until the very end, babe, I have your back, everyday. I love you so much, and I’m so happy to be able to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Inez reached for Betty’s hands, intertwining them with her own, and brought one of them up to her lips to press a kiss gently on Betty’s knuckles. 

Clara continued the ceremony with an exchange of rings, and some more traditional vows, before pronouncing Betty and Inez married with great enthusiasm. “You may kiss,” she said, and their loved ones cheered as they sealed their love. Shortly after that, the church bells were ringing as the newlyweds were cheered out to the awaiting limo with a shower of rice. The tradition was silly, but they both thought it would be a romantic moment to include in their special day, and they laughed as they walked hand in hand through the onslaught. 

Betty felt the love and warmth flowing from Inez’s hand into her own, and she held on tight. As she glanced down, she thought to herself with a smile that the rice on the ground looked like snow; it brought her back to that day, so many years ago, when Inez had walked her home, sharing her glove and holding Betty’s hand. 

Life may have taken her the long way around, but it had brought her back to exactly where she needed to be. She knew that she would hold onto her happy ending forever. 

Songs Used:

• Dancing With Our Hands Tied
• It’s Nice To Have A Friend
• Tied Together With A Smile
• Come Back, Be Here
• Mad Woman
• That’s When 
• Fresh Out The Slammer