For Dana
I sit at a booth at the back of the bar. My leg bounces nervously under the table as I watch the front door. I scan everyone as they enter, watching for her. My heart races in my chest every time the door opens. My hopes rising and falling like a loose balloon floating to the ceiling only to pop and fall back to the floor as soon as it hits the heat of a fluorescent bulb. I catch my reflection in the mirror behind the bar across the room. I adjust my long blond hair to fall down my back instead of over my shoulders where it obscures the neckline of my sapphire blue velvet dress. It’s one of the only things I own that make my eyes look truly blue, rather than the …