When James opened the door to the supermarket, a bell rang above his head. The jingling continued to vibrate a few moments after everyone had entered. Thomas discovered a time-worn supermarket, the metal shelves of which were beginning to rust. At the cash desk, a pitiful-looking young man was reading a magazine lying on the counter.

— We take care of the shopping, Tracy said. Alicia, take Thomas to look at the sunglasses during this time. We'll meet you there as soon as we're done.

After a slight nod from Thomas, James and Tracy walked down the aisles of the supermarket.

— Come. We'll find you something.

Thomas did not need to be asked and followed Alicia. She took up a position in front of a turnstile where a few pairs of sunglasses were stored. As she rotated the display, she inspected each pair with some thoroughness. Her gaze fixed on glasses with rectangular lenses of small sizes, she grabbed the pair and pointed them at Thomas's head.

— Here, try this, she said, putting the pair on her nose.

Alicia then withdrew hers, bent the branches and hung it over the collar of her T-shirt, which under the weight had slightly enlarged her cleavage. As Thomas tried to see his face through the tiny mirror above the turnstile, Alicia, who was watching him intently, pouted.

— Wait, I think I can find you better, she said, scrolling through the different pairs.

Again, his gaze fixed on one of them. A slight smile crossed Alicia's face, the meaning of which he couldn't make out.

— Try this one, I'll bet it looks a lot better on you, she said, placing the pair on Thomas's face herself. Yes, that doesn't seem bad to me.

Thomas inspected his appearance in front of the mirror. The large glasses hid part of her face. However, the delicacy of the temples of the frame made this pair anything but coarse.

At the same time, Tracy and James arrived, the latter pushing a cart full of some groceries and a large keg of beer.

— Ready to go ? asked Tracy.

— Yes, I think the choice is made, replied Alicia.

Thomas nodded and the whole family walked over to the cash register, where the young man continued to read his magazine. When he noticed the arrival of his clients, he hastily removed the magazine and stood in front of his computer.

After James had finished placing the purchases on the checkout mat, Thomas grabbed the sunglasses that remained on his face.

— Put them on with the rest of the groceries, James said.

— It’s nice, but I'll pay for them myself, Thomas replied. My parents just gave me money for purchases like that.

— Come on, give me that, James retorted. Think of it as an improvised gift.

Thomas was embarrassed, he appreciated the gesture but didn't want to take advantage of the kindness of his foster family. The gestures of attention he had already received seemed like enough.

Tracy paid, then everyone walked outside. Thomas and Alicia took it upon themselves to place the few bags in the trunk of the SUV, and James put the massive keg of beers in without any difficulty. They were joined by Tracy, gone to put the cart away, and they all got into the car.

* * *

The houses paraded under the admiring gaze of Thomas. He finally saw with his own eyes a characteristic part of American life. If in France, the houses are almost all fenced by a hedge or a simple fence, this was not the case in the United States. As the car drove through the neighborhood, Thomas felt the charm of those wide open streets and could smell a sweet smell of cut grass through the lowered window. The houses weren't particularly luxurious and all looked more or less alike, however the streets were well kept and the vegetation very present. In this setting that seemed to come straight out of the series, Thomas saw a group of children playing ball. Farther on, young girls were engaged in a water gun battle, and a grandmother took great care of the plants in her garden.

A few minutes after this show, the car slowed down and pulled into a one-way alley. A thick forest stood a few dozen yards away, just behind what looked like a large roundabout without a central reservation, as if the construction of the neighborhood had not been completed. Soon James turned right and stopped the car in front of a large garage door as white as this one.

— We have arrived, he said. Thomas, welcome to your new home.

As everyone got out of the car and headed for the trunk, Thomas took a moment to gaze at the house in front of him. Like all the others, she was not particularly pretty, but not ugly either, just as she was not faded but did not look recent. The Walker's house was, after all, a most mundane house, and absolutely not a waterfront villa as Alicia had rightly pointed out.

— Thomas, please come help me.

Thomas didn't need to be asked and joined James in the back of the vehicle.

— The girls left to drop the groceries inside. I'm gonna need you to bring that beer kettle to the garage.

— No problem.

So James flicked one of the buttons on the tiny remote control he had in his hand. A slight screech of metal was heard as the garage door began to rise. Thomas grabbed one of the handles on the beer keg and James did the same on the other side. They lifted the large object the few yards that separated them from inside the garage. Despite all the force Thomas was putting into the exercise, the was leaned very significantly in James's side, a sign that James was doing most of the work. After putting the was on the ground and releasing his left hand, Thomas began to inspect the garage with his eyes. Like the 4x4, the interior of it was immaculate. A small workbench took place at the back, next to storage compartments of different sizes.

Suddenly Thomas was surprised by James holding his shoulders tightly. The latter looked him straight in the eyes and said:

— I'm sorry to have to use this ploy but I had to talk to you without the girls knowing

— Ok, Thomas answered timidly

— I won't lecture you on the rules of this house, Tracy will surely do anyway. But I wanted to talk to you one-on-one to tell you something equally important.

Thomas was starting to get nervous. James now adopted a serious tone which, added to his massive build, made Thomas a little uneasy.

— You will be fed, housed and laundered. We welcome you with open arms under our roof, and we are happy to have you with us. Now you are part of our family.

At these warm words, Thomas felt a little more relaxed.

— That's why you have to think of Alicia as your sister. I therefore ask you to watch over her. Like a big brother, he insisted.

Thomas had a hard time understanding why James brought up Alicia, and whether it was advice or a rebuke.

— Thomas, can I trust you?

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts and shyly nodded.

— Sorry to put you through this from the start, but I'm a protective father, we don't get over it. And I hate boys who hover around my daughter.