Everything Dana could find out about the reader proved that Alice Pieszecki was extremely qualified to write Dana’s story.  It should have been a relief for Dana.  Instead it only made her more nervous.  Reading Alice’s work had made Dana realize the extent at which the two would have to interact during Dana’s rehabilitation.  Dana had, in light of her rising celebrity status the past several years, become more comfortable in her own shoes.  However, her accident had proven to not only physically injure the athlete but her confidence had taken a huge blow as well.  For a long time Dana knew she would never be the smartest, prettiest, or funniest person in any group setting.  The one thing she did know was that she was a good tennis player that could, if she worked hard enough, be a champion.  So working hard was exactly what Dana did and sure enough, she’d become a champion.  As much as she still wished she said the right thing at times, or didn’t trip over her own feet, her ability to play tennis, and play tennis well, allowed her to care less and less about her other short comings. 

Dana knew tennis, so that was enough.  That was why she was so scared about her future dealings with Alice Pieszecki.  Dana no longer had the ability to hide behind her tennis abilities.  Alice wouldn’t be seeing Dana Fairbanks: professional tennis player.  Alice would only be seeing the Dana that walked with a limp and a cane.  A Dana Fairbanks that couldn’t walk up or down a flight of stairs without stopping to let the burning in her left side subside before continuing on slowly.  This Dana Fairbanks disgusted Dana.

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At a minute to 8:00pm Alice strolled into the restaurant and was led to a back corner where Dana was already seated.  Thanking the hostess, Alice approached Dana on her own.  From what she could tell the athlete was lost in her own thoughts as she stared out the window, a slight frown etched upon her face.  Alice took a moment to observe the woman.  Naturally, she’d come across a number of photos from newspapers and sports magazines over the course of her initial research of Dana Fairbanks.  Although it was easy to tell that the athlete had lost a good amount of weight in addition to her tan, Alice was struck by her beauty nonetheless.  Shaking her head at that last thought, Alice took several steps toward the table and cleared her voice slightly to gain Dana’ attention.