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"Cheers," Bridget said as she clicked her wine glass with Vera's. It was a warm, breezy late summer evening and they had been sitting outside talking for the last hour.
"You know," Vera started, then paused, clearing her throat, "I…" she shook her head lightly as if changing her mind and took another sip of her wine.
"Ask me,” Bridget said with a warm smile. Their friendship had long withstood all awkwardness. Bridget knew sometimes all Vera needed to open up was a gentle push.
"I never realized at the time how important Franky was to you. I know it's been years and you've put Wentworth behind you, but I still feel very guilty about the way I treated you back then.” Vera sighed, content she managed to get it all out finally.
In the years since Bridget had left Wentworth, they had never really discussed all that went on between the prison walls. They’d just moved on. Or so Bridget thought. Clearly that was not the case for both of them.
"Vera, you did what you thought was right at the time. You couldn't have known what was going on between Franky and I, and I certainly was not going to tell you," Bridget said with a chuckle and Vera joined her.
"Even when I confronted you, you denied it! right to my face!" Vera's voice went up an octave at the end.
"Well I couldn't possibly tell you I was in love with an inmate, could I?"
"No, ahm, I suppose not. Not then."
"Or that she had feelings for me."
"Right", Vera nodded, swirling her wine glass in her hand, and staring into it as if some insight would reveal itself if she only looked harder.
"Or…." Bridget continued and paused, causing Vera to focus on her instead of the wine swirling in her glass.
"Or?"
"Or that she had just tried to kiss me and I almost let her right before you showed up at the library that day.” Bridget said as her all knowing smirk turned into a full blown smile at Vera's shocked face.
"She what?!"
"That's what I-" the realization sunk in of what exactly she had walked into that day at the library. "I should have known," she said, trying to suppress a smile as Bridget gave her a wink and took another sip of her wine.
"When did you first realize you had feelings for her…?" Vera finally asked the one question that was always in the back of her mind. As if the answer will determine whether the friendship Bridget had offered her at the time was genuine or a tactic.
Bridget took in the question. Her mind a rapidly growing tornado of old memories. "D'you wanna take a chair?"..."do you ever see yourself leaving this place?"...."suits you by the way, how does it taste"?..."do you miss me?"...
"Ahm…”Vera cleared her throat, ripping Bridget away from her storming memories.
"For the longest time…I thought it was during one of our first sessions. But now, in hindsight, I think I already felt something the very first time I saw her." Bridget was looking at Vera's blank expression, trying to read her thoughts.
"Tacky," Vera said dryly and then burst into laughter. Bridget couldn't help but laugh at the truthfulness of that simple statement and nudged Vera's side with her elbow.
"I've always known, I suppose. In one way or another. I was just drawn to her. Right from the start.” Bridget said and stared up at the dusky skies.
"You've been through a lot. Both of you. Together and apart. I should have seen it then. That it was more serious, that what you had was real. I'm sorry Bridget"
"All water under the bridge now Vera, but thank you for acknowledging that. And I'm sorry too, I should have been honest with you, even more so after her escape. I was torn. I had to-" Vera stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I know".
They were both a bit startled as they heard the glass patio door open behind them.
"Mommy! Dinner is ready!"
"And that's our cue" Bridget smiled as she got up and waited for Vera to do the same. The intoxicating aroma in the kitchen was the first thing they noticed as they walked in.
"Are you ladies ready to eat?" Franky asked from behind the kitchen island as she plated the food onto their plates.
"I AM!" their daughter shouted so loud Vera jumped a little.
"There you go bub" Franky placed her plate before her and she happily started eating, oblivious to the three of them.
"Veers" Franky placed a plate in front of Vera who gasped a little at the dish causing both Bridget and Franky to smile at each other.
"And for you." Franky placed a plate in front of Bridget and gave her a soft kiss. "Thank you baby, this looks delicious". As Bridget looked around the table she couldn't help but smile to herself. How far they've come. She knew that had Franky asked her to paint her a picture of the future, this would have been it.