“I swear.  Shut the fuck up.”

“Your mom.  She’s clean now.  She’s working.  I’ve got her address.”  Mark opened the envelope and pulled out some of the papers.  He looked down at them.  She lives at…”

Shane pulled herself out of the chair. Pleading eyes gazed at Carmen to free her from this.                                 

“Name one friend who would have done what I did?  Name one person who cares enough to go out there and find your family.  Carmen would you?”

Shane frowned and pointed at him.  “None of them would have.  They don’t think they know what’s best.  They accept that it’s my life.  It wasn’t for you to do.”

Shane turned and fled inside the house. 

“Finish the fuck up, Mark.”  Carmen followed, leaving Mark still standing by the shed looking forlorn.  He didn’t understand women.  Mark recalled how he thought stripping before Jenny would somehow even the score and that hadn’t.  There was nothing he could do to make it right with Shane.

* * * * *

It was almost eleven o’clock and Alice hadn’t heard from Dana.  She had called her cell phone dozens of times.  At first it rang numerous times, but around the ninth or tenth call, it went directly to voicemail. 

Alice flipped her phone open and pushed redial. 

The phone vibrated inside her gym bag, but Dana paid no attention.  Dana was leaning against the kitchen door that led to the alley.  Lara was standing next to the refrigerator, about two feet from Dana.  “God, Dana,” Lara whispered.  “I’d love to be able to just see you walk into the Planet and not want you the way I do.”

Alice listened to the voicemail message.  “Dana, here.  I’m on the court or in the gym or on the court or out for a run or on the court.  Leave a message and I’ll get back to you soon.”

Alice waited for the tone and left another message.  “Dana, it’s Alice,” she tried to sound carefree, but she was upset.  She needed to talk to her.  “You’re probably with some of your tennis gang.  I called Harrison and he said he thought you might be going out with them.”  Alice hadn’t called Harrison, but she wanted Dana to believe that she wasn’t sitting around thinking that Dana was out with Lara.  That was exactly what Alice thought, but she didn’t want Dana to know that.  “If you feel like coming by later, I’ll be up late.  Oh, and Dana, I went to Victoria’s Secret today.”  Alice hung up.  She thought she sounded breezy and at ease.