”Did you check on the turkey?” Bette asked.

The table was set and the entire extended family was expected for Thanksgiving.

”It’s got at least another hour,” Tina replied. ”Don’t worry, I’ve done it a dozen times.”

”Why would you have cooked that many turkeys?” Bette asked. ”I’ve never even cooked one.”

”That’s because someone always hosts you at their dinner parties,” Tina replied. ”Now that we’re living together, we’re going to be hosting Thanksgiving meals for our friends.”

”So this year isn’t an aberration?” Bette asked.

”No, it’s a new tradition,” Tina replied. ”Too often we get caught up in the hectic pace of our respective lives. This is a chance to take a step back. Reflect. And be grateful.”

”You went to meditation class this morning didn’t you?”

”I did, but we should express gratitude regardless of our spiritual affiliation,” Tina said, continuing to peel vegetables as they spoke. ”You don’t have to thank ”God” whatever that concept represents in your mind.”

”Because no one is solely responsible for what they have?” Bette clarified. ”For what they’ve achieved?”

”If I’ve had success, it’s because family, friends and societal structure helped me reach my goals.”

”You can even be grateful for people who drive you crazy because you know you’re less likely to emulate their behavior,” Bette suggested.

”Kind of…’thank you for being an asshole, I will never do what you just did…’?” Tina said.

”Exactly.”

”An educated society is a more just society,” Tina continued.

”Do you value justice over truth?” Bette asked.

”It’s situational,” Tina replied. ”I need to know the circumstances before I decide if truth wins out.”

”So honesty is not always the best policy?”

”In a relationship it’s the only way,” Tina replied. ”Otherwise you always wonder if your partner is hiding something. If I know you’re willing to open up to me, even when it’s uncomfortable, it lets us have a connection that no one else can access.”

”That’s part of what makes it a partnership,” Bette pondered. ”But you’re not always completely honest with everyone else?”

”Sometimes you have to have a wall between yourself and other people,” Tina replied. ”The little bit of mystery that allows you to keep a part of you to yourself.”

”What detail are you willing to share with me that I don’t know yet?”