Thankful for What?

"Step away from the turkey," said Eliza. It was more to herself then it was to anyone else overeating. Eliza was sitting around the table with Julieanne, Ray, Julieanne's mother and their newly adopted mutt Frito, as in the chip. Julienne's dad was stuck in Europe-it was just rude that European business doesn't close for Thanksgiving.

Eliza looked around the table, she was Thankful for her group of friends, she had somewhere to go since her parents had decided on an impromptu vacation to Mexico without her. It also worked out that her and Julieanne were around for Ray, who shockingly couldn't get back home thanks to an eastcoast snow storm. Frito was most likly thankful that he finally had a home and as luck would have it a household that loved fritos.

"Okay if I don't step away right now I'm going to look like the turkey, stuffed with my butt stuck in the air.  And sadly I would look nearly as appealing." Eliza pushed herself away just to get wedged into the corner further by the motley dog. "No, no turkey for you. Remember you have a sensitive stomach?"

Ray smiled at Eliza.  She suddenly felt a small blip, not a full on flip but something.  She wasn't sure what that meant since it was Ray, her friend, her study partner, her partner in crime. 

"Aww look at the too of you.  Bonding over Turkey.  You both kind of cute, his stomach touches the ground and your button is popped on your jeans," Ray said, thankfully still giving Eliza that cute boyish smile that was causing the blip. 

"Hey mister, the button is popped so I can do this."  She bent down and started to rub Fritos little belly.  He wasn't fat yet, he wasn't even close but they were trying hard to make up for lost time while he had been goodness knows where out in the world.  "It's like Buda, you rub it for good luck." 

"Yeah i see the good luck coming right up," Ray said with a little chuckle.

"Where is my quiet study partner.  I don't like this lip.  If this is what i get for inviting you to Thanksgiving, getting you out of your studious element you can count out a Christmas invitation."

"Aw, come on.  No Christmas with you and Buda here?  Well that means wherever i go i might have a chance at the Turkey." 

"Well, I.  Oh, well that’s just.  How rude."  Eliza was speechless if not a little surprised.  She never heard Ray give her so much crap before, it was usually their other partner in crime.  She realized that maybe Ray was only quiet because he was constantly over shadowed.  There was that blip again, she thought.  Then she felt a little rumble, okay maybe it was a blip, and maybe it was from Ray but nope, this was defiantly a rumble and it was not from Ray. Eliza was kind of hoping everyone could leave soon because she wasn't sure her digestive system was loving the Turkey she had just devoured in record time.

Yes it was certain, Eliza was thankful for a lot, she was thankful for her friends, she was thankful for the food, she was suddenly thankful for those deep brown eyes and boyish smile that Ray kept flashing her and she would be even more thankful if the Turkey didn’t cause her indigestion, heartburn or the need to spend the remainder of the afternoon in their too small, outdated bathroom.

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Happy  Thanksgiving - I hope your bellies were full!