“You’re too good to let go.”

Tina smiled politely; her disbelief in those words empowered them with a sharp sting.

15 Years Earlier

            “You’re never going to believe the night I had,” Tina said, emitting a ragged sigh.  She had just returned home from the store to find Bette on her couch and her mother getting ready to head to work.  The tension in the room was palpable.  What was the idiom?  So thick you could cut it with a knife?  Tina wanted to do more than cut it.  She wanted to tear it to pieces.

            “Actually, your mom told me all about it,” Bette said, squirming awkwardly in her seat.  At this admission, Tina froze in her spot.  Slowly, she turned around to face Bette. 

            “I know about John,” Bette said quietly, studying her clasped hands which lay uncomfortably in her lap.  “I know what they want you to do.” 

            “Baby, I’m not going anywhere,” Tina said, seeking to allay Bette’s obvious fears. 

            “That’s the thing,” Bette said, her eyes slowly welling up with tears.  “I think…  I think maybe you should.”

Two Weeks before Present Day

            “You’re finally here!” Dana shouted, jumping off her porch to meet Tina’s car in the driveway.  Dana had moved to LA several weeks before and had been waiting impatiently for her best friend to arrive.  When Tina began looking for jobs in Los Angeles, it only made sense for Dana to follow.  She could easily find a new, more experienced trainer in Hollywood, and her home would be contiguous to the majority of her tennis events.

            Tina turned off the ignition and slid her sunglasses to the top of her head as she stepped out the car, smiling. 

            “Have you been so terribly lonely?” Tina teased, hugging her friend.  She had genuinely missed spending time with this woman. 

            “Actually…” Dana smiled coyly, her shoulders pulling upwards into a bashful shrug. 

            “You dog!” Tina laughed, slapping her friend playfully on the arm.  “Who is she?” 

            “I can’t talk about it yet!” Dana said, getting flustered.  “I don’t want to jinx it.”

            “Why am I just now hearing about it?” Tina asked, standing akimbo on the driveway.

            “I only meet her last week!”

            “And does she have a name?”

            Dana pantomimed the zipping of her lips and tossed the key over her shoulder.  Tina looked at her with raised brows and waited expectantly.

            “Alright, alright,” Dana said, giving up any hope of jinx-proofing this sacred information.  “Alice.  Her name is Alice.”