“You seem very sad about what’s happened to Helena. Was she someone special to you?”

“Honestly, I hated her when she was with Tina. In some ways she was like Bette to an extreme. She had this total need for control, but when I was sick …”

Her guide placed a hand on Dana’s back trying to sooth what was obviously a painful topic.

“What happened, Dana?”

“She arranged for a private jet to take us to a WNBA game and they made a big deal out of me being there and the crowd cheered for me. It’s one of the best memories that I have.”

“She sounds like a good person.”

“She was, she is, I just don’t get what’s going on with her these days.” She paused before diving right into the rest. “That’s Max. When we first met he was still going by Moira, but then asked us to start calling him Max. I’ll admit it, it was weird to deal with, but again, this happened when I was sick. His mom died last week.”

“I know. Lovely woman. She wishes that they had had more time to talk about things.”
“I guess that’s what we all want.”

“Very observant, Dana. Maybe we are making some progress here. Now who is that blond woman who always seems to be laughing?”

Dana smiled as she looked down at her best friend.

“That’s Alice. She’s my best friend. She was more than that. I think she was my soul-mate.”

“Is it difficult to watch her with someone else?”

“Well, I try not to watch at those times when I really shouldn’t be watching, but I think Tasha makes Alice happy and that’s what’s important.”

“See it’s not all horrible. Alice is happy.”

“They went on, didn’t they? I mean, you were right, I’m not a part of their lives anymore.”

“No, Dana, I don’t think that I was. I think that you are absolutely right that they are completely fucking up their lives, except for Alice, and that you have every right to be yelling at them.”

Dana laughed.

“OK, that was funny.”

“I’m working on it. And I think that as they go through these difficult time, they know that you are watching over them. By the way, who’s the scrawny boy who needs a haircut?”

Dana looked to where her guide was pointing.

“Oh, that’s Shane, and she’s a girl.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s okay, you’re not the first one to make that mistake. She’s had a really rough life, but somehow always manages to come out okay. She’s strong, but not as strong as she wants people to think. I think that Paige is really good for her. She needs someone to keep her out of trouble. I mean, did you see those ads? Could they be any worse?”

“It does seem that things have certainly gotten strange down there since your death.”

Dana shook her head trying to express her total frustration with just how strange her friends and their lives had gotten.

“It’s like a bad TV show that should have been canceled two years ago instead of torturing us.”

“Well Dana,” the guide said standing and offering her a hand. “I think that’s enough for today. Bobby Riggs is still screaming about wanting a rematch so I think you should meet him at the courts.”

“Right. Same time tomorrow?” she asked indicating the couch.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”