“What’s Dana doing? What another glass Tina?”

“Yes please. Don’t be shy, up to the rim Shaney.”

“YahDana’s insisting to talk to Bette right away but at the same time she wants to be modest or something and not bother the talk with the fanatics.”

“I could go clear them out”

“NO! You shouldn’t Shane. I mean, give the gal a chance huh? She’s practicing being courageous here. Let her do it. And just watch.”

“Watch what?”

“You really should sit here right next to Tina. You’re gonna get a stiff neck turning around again and again. Tina, already half way? Girl alcohol is a privilege so slow down.”

“Alicefree booze, then it must be a right, right Shaney?”

“Sure”

Clearly Tina was just getting started. Apparently her goal was to finish the whole bottle of red wine as she took it from Shane’s side and set it right in front of her, while taking another swig. 

Meanwhile, Dana finally got to Bette inside the little circle. I watched carefully as she whispered something to Bette’s ear and then Bette quickly excused herself up and away from the crowd to talk privately alone with Dana just a few feet. And the show has begun.

I whispered to Shane to watch Dana and drunk Tina somehow caught on and watched ahead too. At first she was looking for Eric, who disappeared to the inside wing of the gallery and then she reluctantly watched Bette and Dana with an annoyed face directly at Bette while pouring herself another glass.

I studied Dana’s body language. They were quite far from us so we couldn’t hear a single thing. It was like watching this movie unfold only in mute. You know how people like Bette talk with their handswell Dana talked with her face. Her cringes, squints, blinks, the different arches her eyebrow makes, that’s Dana for you. Learn to read her facial expressions, you might as well be deaf around her.

From our view it was quite a show really. There was Bette and Dana right in front of us, about 30 feet give or take, and us three silently watching the two of them from our table, very curious of what’s about to happen. So here’s what I saw.