Shane jumped off the chair and walked over to a very stressed looking Alice and put her hands on her shoulders, ” relax, I’m gonna get your woman, but first relax”.

Alice looked up at Shane and smiled sadly, ” you wanna hear something funny?”

Shane nodded yes.

Alice smiled faintly again, ” this is my first going away party”.

Shane sighed and pulled Alice into a hug, ” oh baby, it’s gonna be fine. Remember, a year won’t be a year”.

Just when Alice let go of Shane, she looked at the door and saw Bette with food and a bag of records for Carmen, ” ok Yoda, time to go”.

——————

Back at the apartment, Dana was finishing up putting her earrings on and the last touch of make up. She was closing the drawer and accidentally knocked one of Alice’s frames over. When Dana reached over to stand it back up, she noticed there was a picture taped on the back of it. She carefully removed it and noticed that the picture was worn out, crumpled, creased, and stained with what looked like water drops smearing the image. Dana felt her tears start to form when she saw the picture. It was a picture of her and Alice the first year they met. Alice’s hair was darker and a bit longer, while she looked the same. She remembered the picture, but she never saw it the same way. She noticed Alice was looking at her, almost admiringly and with one of the biggest smiles she has ever seen on Alice. When she turned the picture around she felt herself cringe when she read what Alice must’ve written after she left the first time. In what Dana assumed were tear stained letters, were the words, ” goodbye Dana”.

The buzzer knocked Dana out of her stance and she wiped her tears away as she walked towards the door. There was Shane with a smile on her face, ” you ready Fairbanks?”

Dana smiled and laughed to herself, ” No”.

Shane pulled Dana into a hug, ” I’m guessing you’re not just talking about the party”.

Dana smiled, ” wowyou really are Yoda”.

———————-

They were all gathered around a big sign that said, ” Good Luck Dana!” in big bold letters, everyone waiting for Dana to get there already. Finally the door swung open and everyone screamed, ” Congratulations Dana!”.