The next picture was taken in the very early years of their friendship.  It was the first tennis tournament that they had all gone to watch Dana playing in.  It wasn’t a major tournament but Dana had done well and only been beaten in the final.  Harrison had taken the picture of them all with Dana who was holding the small plate she had been awarded.  Bette and Tina stood at the back with their arms around each other’s waists. Always embarrassed at being the centre of attention Dana was trying to casually hold the plate discreetly by her side while Alice was tugging furiously on her arm encouraging her to hold it up and looking at her with pride.  Shane was standing on the other side of Dana with an amused look on her face.  Alice laughed out loud as she looked at the picture.  She remembered the moment as if it were yesterday.  “You have to hold it up above your head like you actually won it Dane” Alice had  pleaded, “otherwise your grand-kids are just going to think you stole it”

Alice could see why Dana had chosen this picture.  It was a memory of happier times when their friendship was rock solid and everything in life seemed uncomplicated and it was a picture of Dana with a trophy which no matter how insignificant and how humble she always was about it Alice knew meant a lot to the tennis player.

Alice moved this photo to reveal the final one and was more than surprised at what she saw.  It was taken in Dana’s condo about six weeks before she died.  She was in the middle of her chemo and had been feeling awful the whole week.  She and Alice hadn’t ventured outside in days except for their journey to the hospital.  For her own sanity as much as for Dana, Alice had invited everyone over for lunch.  Dana had tried hard to be in good spirits but was feeling so miserable it had been difficult.   Just before she had gone to lie down Bette had taken this photo of them all at the table.  Bette had captured one of the few moments in the day when Dana had been able to enjoy the company and she was smiling a genuine Dana Fairbanks smile despite the huge dark circles under her eye’s and the bandana tied around her head. 

Alice was a little surprised that Dana had chosen that picture as one of her absolute favourites but Alice figured that even the smallest moment of happiness in those terrible times must have meant  a lot to Dana.  She flicked back to the earlier photo of them practically with their backs to each other and looked at it for a long time trying to work out what it was that Dana had seen in the photo that made it special.  Stumped, Alice eventually gave up and looked to the package she had earlier set aside wondering if the answer lay within it but simultaneously afraid to find out.