The Alpha and the Fox

Chapter Four

     Henry got up from the couch and shut the T.V. off. He smiled at Ryan and headed towards the kitchen. Ryan followed slowly, keeping a safe distance between them.

"Ryan the bathroom down here is right down that hallway. The first door on the right. Go ahead and wash up while Henry and I set the table." Maria gestured towards the hallway that was just off the living room a few feet away from the stairs.

Ryan silently padded down the hallway to the door she had mentioned. He, out of habit, knocked first and then entered. The bathroom was very neat and tidy. The white tiles of the floor, the white sink, the toilet, and the counter all looked freshly cleaned. The walls were a soft baby blue color while the hand towels were navy blue. Ryan stepped up to the sink and reached for the soap. The soap bottle looked very fancy and said it smelt like peaches. Ryan shrugged and used it. After washing and drying his hands Ryan returned to the kitchen.

Maria and Henry had set the table and brought the food to it as well. The food sat in the middle so it was easy for them all to reach. Each of them had a glass of what looked to Ryan, like bubbly water.

"Help yourself Ryan, there's plenty." Maria said, "Take as much as you'd like."

Ryan hesitated looking at the assortment of food. He was unsure of what to eat as this was more food in one meal that he was usually allowed in days. The relocation center had given him food, but he'd only been there a week or so, and it still wasn't nearly as much as was currently spread out in front of him. He slowly took a bit of everything, making sure the foods on his plate didn't touch.

Henry and Maria decided to make a mental note that he doesn't like his food touching. Maria looked over at Ryan who had his food arranged on his plate, but had not touched it since, as if he was waiting for permission.

"Do you usually say grace, Ryan?" Henry asked. Ryan shook his head no in response. "That's alright. Go ahead and eat up then." Henry replied, closing his eyes for a brief moment before picking up his fork and eating.

Ryan looked at Maria confused. He was allowed to eat right now? He didn't have to wait for them to be full first? He could have as much as he wanted? They didn't force him to say grace, whatever that meant?

Maria smiled softly, unaware of the questions running through his head. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before she too began to eat. Ryan followed soon after, beginning to eat as well.

When everyone had finished, Henry and Maria both had made sure Ryan had eaten his fill, making sure he was actually full and not just saying it to please them, they began cleaning up.

"You should try the sprite, Ryan." Henry said as he lifted Ryan's empty plate and placed it on the stack already in his hands.

After finishing his drink Ryan began clearing the table as well bringing the dishes into the kitchen. He set them on the counter next to Maria who was currently washing them in the sink. Henry began scraping food off the plates into the trash, Maria kept washing, and Ryan went back into the dining room to grab more dishes. Once all the dishes were in the kitchen Ryan picked up a dish towel from the counter and began drying and stacking the dishes Maria had washed and rinsed. When Henry was finished scraping plates he began putting away the dishes Ryan had dried. They continued working as a team until all the dishes were done and put away.

That was a new experience for Ryan. Whenever he had to clean it was always alone and took a very long time. Maria rinsed and dried out the sink before gathering all the rags and taking them down the same hallway Ryan had gone down when using the bathroom. He curiously followed until he stopped in the doorway of the room she had entered. It was a laundry room. She placed the dirty rags into the washing machine and then added towels from the hamper that was tucked between the washer and the wall.

While he was looking around he didn't realize Maria had turned to look at him. He jumped slightly when she began talking. "Hi Ryan. Would you like to help?"

He nodded shyly. "Here this load is just towels. I've already washed Henry's and I's clothes. All you have to do is pull them out of the hamper. Shake them out a little to make sure they're not all balled up. And place them in the washer." As Maria said this she demonstrated. She then stepped out of the way so Ryan could take over.

Ryan began to put them in the washer just as she had shown him. Maria began folding her and Henry's clothes that were in the dryer. When Ryan finished he began hanging up the shirts that she had draped over the dryer door. Maria smiled and thanked him. Ryan nodded to her in reply and they lapsed back into a comfortable silence. They placed the folded clothes into a laundry basket and Maria carried them upstairs to her room leaving Ryan downstairs with Henry.

Henry had returned to the living room with the T.V. volume down low, watching football. Ryan went to sit on the floor before he remembered Henry's words and sat in the chair he had sat in before dinner. Maria came down the stairs minutes later and sat next to Henry on the couch. They all sat in comfortable silence watching the T.V.