“Thanks.”

Russ held the turkey while Shane opened the door.  He tipped his head sideways, cuing his request to enter.  Shane opened the door wide and Russ placed the turkey on the kitchen table.

Russ already knew about the mother and daughter.  The child seemed generally okay and, when she wasn’t using, Trisha seemed to be a good mother, though it seemed to him that every day  she was using more and more.  He had decided he would stay out of their business as long as the kid was safe.  Even if the kid’s situation wasn’t ideal, it was better than she’d get if she went into the City’s custody.

“Your mother is making you a great Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Um, I thought I would cook.  She’s been sick.  The flu.”  Shane looked at the man defiantly, warning him that it would be dangerous to contradict her characterization of her mother’s condition…

“The flu can really wipe you out.  Have you got recipes for these things?”

“There were some in the box.”  Shane held up the sheet that she had found in the box.

Russ skimmed the recipes.  He doubted that she would understand some of the instructions and he knew she did not have the cooking equipment or the skills for what she would understand.  As he returned the sheet to Shane, he said “There is a lot to do to make Thanksgiving dinner.  Did you know that some people start cooking the night before?”

“They do?”

“For instance, today in my family, my sisters all went to my mother’s kitchen this afternoon and they’ll be cooking up a storm for hours.”

Shane looked worriedly at the table full of unfamiliar ingredients.

“Hey, I’m Russ.  Your mother sometimes helps me out by tidying up my apartment.”

Shane knew that he paid her mother to clean his apartment, but she wasn’t sure how that factored in her relationship with this man.  She looked at him closely before deciding.  “I’m Shane.”

“Good.  Now we know each other’s names.  I was thinking that, since I have to stay home tonight, you could ask me for help if you get stuck.”

“Alright.”