“Another insightful excerpt,” Matthew declaimed as he ran backwards facing the sister who chased him.  “Constance was with Gerald, who was with Eileen, who was with Lana, with Joey, with Carly, with Adam, with Nadine, with Gorgo, with Isabelle, with Tank. It’s a circle of fuckers.”

Alice stopped, “Fine.  Keep the book.  Recite every part of it to one and all.  Sleep with it under your pillow.  Slather it with maple syrup and have it for breakfast.  I don’t care.”

“You’ll care when Lenore sees it.” The boy had stopped, holding the book up in the air waving it back and forth in an attempt to lure his sister back into the chase.

“Would you stop calling her ‘Lenore’. Jesus, inside our own house we should be able to call her ‘Mommy’.”

“She wants us to call her Lenore.”

“You don’t have to do everything she says.  What’s the worst she could do–send you to live with your father?”

“At least my father would want me.”

“Fuck you, you prickless shit.”

@@@@@@@

Shane was on the floor doing her homework at the coffee table, her back against the couch that doubled as her bed.  When she heard the key in the door lock, her pulse sped up with contradictory feelings of dread and hope.  She could never know what to expect when her mother came home.

“Shane sweetie, where are you?” Trisha burst through the door and called excitedly.

Shane stood and walked cautiously towards her mother, not committing to any particular response until she could gauge the mood of the mercurial woman.

“Shaney,” her mother grabbed the ten-year old and squeezed her tight.  “We are going to have the best Thanksgiving dinner ever!”

A muffled, “How?” came from Shane’s mouth, which was still held in place against her mother’s shoulder.

“These nice people deliver food baskets that have everything we need to make a feast!”  Trisha smiled excitedly at Shane.  “I signed us up for the last slot, and they’ll deliver the basket tomorrow!”

When Shane didn’t respond, her mother released her grip and pushed her daughter back so she could see her face.  Shane was impassive and her mother paused, trying to read her daughter’s expression, and the older woman didn’t speak again until she could.

“Shaney, don’t be embarrassed.  It’s only this one time and everyone needs a little help sometimes. Think of it as a loan. It’s okay to take this because next year we are going to be back home in Texas. I’ll have a job and we’ll have a nice home. You can go back to your old school and we will have a refrigerator full of all kinds of food. Even ice cream.  Then we will help out another family and give them a food basket like the one we’re getting.”

Trisha looked hopefully at Shane as the youngster thought for a few moments about what her mother had said.  The child slowly began to smile until it grew broad and her eyes sparkled, “What will we have?”

Trisha giggled with relief, “Well, a turkey, of course.  Cornbread stuffing.  Mashed potatoes. Candied yams.  Cranberry sauce.”

“The jiggly kind from the can?”

“Of course,” Trisha replied as she grabbed Shane at the waist and shook her from side to side so that she swayed just like the cranberry sauce.

“Mom, stop,” Shane protested unconvincingly as she laughed.

“Okay, I’ll stop but only because I want your tummy in shape for our feast in two days.”

“Will there be pumpkin pie?”

“With whipped cream!”