Root put a hand on the banister to help her balance as she lifted her foot. She slipped her heel on and straightened up. She was waiting for her mom to finish getting ready so they could head to Mrs. Reese's Thanksgiving dinner.

Last year, Root's mother had thought it was her birthday and she'd stolen a bottle of bourbon. Now, Root was glad her mother was doing better and Root was bringing her along.

"Mom!" Root called up the stairs. "Are you ready? Sameen will be here any minute!"

Her mom appeared at the top of the stairs in jeans and a T-shirt. Root sighed. She'd hoped her mother would dress up like everyone else, but at least she looked presentable.

A car honked outside as Root's mom started down the stairs. Root headed for the front door.

"I'll meet you outside," she said, taking her sweater off the hook and going outside. She hopped off the porch and hurried to John's car, pulling on her sweater. She laughed as Sameen rolled down the window. "Hey, hot stuff. It's a getting a little dark for sunglasses."

Sameen reached up to lower her sunglasses and glared at Root. "I hate this dress. Mrs. Reese forced it on me."

Root peeked into the window to see Sameen wearing a cute, dark red dress. She looked nice and Root was impressed she could drive in those heels. Root self-consciously ran a hand over the front of her own dress. It was new, she'd bought it with her own money a few weeks ago, and it felt a little too fancy, especially next to her mother.

Sameen noticed her face and lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head. "You look great, Root. You've never worn that before, right? I would have noticed."

Root blushed and turned away. She spotted her mom coming down the walkway and smiled, tense. The car doors unlocked behind her.

"Do you want the front seat?" Root asked her mom.

"That's alright," her mother said, reaching for the back door. "Sit with your friend."

Root nodded and walked around the front of the car, pulled open the passenger door, and slide in. She buckled her seatbelt as Sameen pulled into the street.

They rode along in silence for a while. Root hadn't been able to figure out if her mother remembered Sameen from Championships last year. Root talked about her, but her mother had never brought it up. Root had kept them apart as much as possible.

"So," her mother started, "how are your classes going, Sameen?"

Sameen glanced at Root and shrugged. "They're going well, Mrs. Groves. Root and I are fighting for top of our class."

"That's great," she smiled, folding her hands in her lap. Root noticed for the first time how small she looked. "Do you work at the ice cream store, too?"

"No," Sameen answered, clicking her turn signal on, "I work at Lambert's."

"I'm sure you meet a lot of young men there. Maybe Sam should hang out there and meet someone."

Root rolled her eyes and turned away to look out the window. Her mother was so determined to see Root as straight. There were plenty of things to talk about without bringing up boys. At least, Root supposed, her mother hadn't asked if they were dating. God knows how she'd answer that.

Sameen's face drew down, her fingers tightening on the wheel, but she answered politely. "Yes, boys are always wrecking their cars."

Root's mother laughed. "That's true. Is this your car?"

"That's enough questions," Root said sharply.

"It's alright," Sameen said quietly, turning onto her street. "No, this is my brother John's car. I'm not 16 yet, but Mrs. Reese lets me drive it around town to practice."

They stopped in front of the house and Root quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. She slammed the door a little harder than she meant to. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands over her dress again. Sameen stepped around the car and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You ok?" she asked, running her hand soothingly down Root's arm.

Root nodded and started walking to the front door. "Yeah," she said, "I'm ok. Just tired."

"It's only going to get worse," Sameen snorted, hopping up the stairs with ease, despite her fancy shoes. "Marla is here."

Root groaned as Sameen turned her head and revealed a large lipstick kiss on her cheek. Root unlocked to front door and led them into the house. "Not Aunty Marla. Her hugs are crushing."

"You have a key?" her mother asked confused. "Why?"

"Mrs. Reese let me keep it even after you came back. I'm over here all the time."

Her mother nodded, still frowning. Mrs. Reese appeared in front of them.

"Hello!" she greeted them cheerfully. "Girls, the other children are in the living room. Why don't you join them?"

Root nodded and followed Sameen down the hall. She stopped in the doorway to glance over her shoulder at her mother. Someone offered her a glass of wine, but Root watched her mother decline, shaking her head politely.

Root smiled and turned to join her friends. Maybe this wouldn't be a terrible night after all.

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Root stretched her arms in front of her as she stumbled across the yard. John stepped along behind her, his hands covering her eyes. They were headed to the driveway to open Root's birthday present from Mrs. Reese. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was excited.

"Oh man!" Sameen said next to her, sounding impressed. "I want one. Mrs. Reese, can I get one?"

Mrs. Reese chuckled to Root's left. "Your birthday is soon. Who knows what you're going to get."

Root laughed and reached to the side, her fingers brushing against Sameen's shoulder. "Are you talking about my birthday present? What is it?"

John pulled Root to a stop and dropped his hands. Root gasped. In front of her was a shiny, black Vespa Scooter. It was beautiful with a tan leather seat and shiny silver mirrors. Root turned to look at Mrs. Reese, her eyes welling up.

"I can't accept this," she whispered. "I don't deserve it."

Mrs. Reese smiled and walked towards her. She put her hands on Root's shoulder. "Honey, you're my fourth child. You deserve this and more."

Root nodded and flung herself at Mrs. Reese, wrapping her arms around her waist as tears rolled down her face. "Thank you so much."

Root pulled away and wiped her face, stepping towards the bike. It was tall, almost to her chest. She sniffled once, looking around.

"Can I ride it now? Do I need a helmet?" she asked.

Lionel stepped forward and held two helmets out, one black and one dark blue. "We got two. Figured pipsqueak here would need her own."

Sameen rolled her eyes and snatched the black helmet from his hand. "You better watch it. We have wheels now. I could run your ass over."

"Language," Mrs. Reese chuckled. She smiled at Root. "Take it for a spin. Remember we're having dinner with your mother later."

Root grinned and took the second helmet from Lionel. She put it on, snapping it shut. She ran a hand reverently over the seat.

"Oh!" Sameen snorted. "Wait a second."

Root watched her turn and run into the house, shoving the helmet onto her head. Shrugging, Root put her hands on the grip and swung a leg over. She was thrilled to have a motor scooter. Now it wouldn't take 45 minutes to get to school in the morning and she could be at Sameen's in no time. She checked the mirrors.

They'd gone to the DMV earlier so Root could take her driving test and get her license. She'd passed with a perfect score and she looked great in her license photo. No one but Sameen knew she'd practiced taking pictures until midnight the day before.

Root heard the front door close and looked to see Sameen running across the yard towards them carrying Root's leather jacket. She handed it to Root and buckled her helmet as Root slid it on.

"Can't go around driving motor scooters without looking cool," Sameen said as she threw her leg over the bike and sat behind Root. She scooted forward until they were pressed together. "I can only be seen with cool kids."

"Then you picked the wrong best friend," Root joked, kicking up the kickstand and straightening the bike. She posed as Mrs. Reese snapped a picture. "Here we go!"

Root turned the key in the ignition and pressed her foot to the pedal, launching them forward into the street. Sameen's arms reached around to hold Root's stomach. Root smiled as Sameen turned her head and laid it against Root's back.

She shifted gears, racing through Bishop towards the edge of town. It was still an hour or so until sundown and they had plenty of time to ride around the open country and make it back in time for dinner. The window whistled against Root's helmet and she felt light, like she could drive for hours.

When Root was younger, before she'd met Hanna, she'd been so nervous all the time. Her mother had just started drinking and her father was always away on business. Root used to sit in her room and look out the window at the stars, wondering what was out there and if she'd ever get a chance to find out.

They blew passed the town sign that read 'Thanks for Visiting!' and headed out into the fading light. Root felt wild, the rumbling of the Vespa beneath her and the strong arms wrapped around her body warming her core.

Root had never felt carefree. She'd never been able to really relax or enjoy herself. She was so nervous sometimes about her future, her mother, her feelings. Root had found an old cassette tape in a Goodwill a few years ago, and it had explained a method for compartmentalizing. Put your anger in this jar, your worry in another.

It had worked for a while, Root telling herself that she could keep a lid on everything, but recently, since she met Sameen, it was harder and harder to keep it inside. Sameen's hands shifted to Root's hips and she leaned to the side, peeking around Root at the countryside. Root could feel Sameen's legs against her own, could imagine her long ponytail flowing behind her.

She didn't know what they were or where they were headed, but she knew that Sameen was permanent. The way Sameen's thumbs slipped under her shirt to brush the skin just above her shorts was permanent. The smile that found its way across her face whenever Sameen rolled her eyes was permanent.

The sky had darkened, red and orange making the clouds glow. Root turned her lights on and pushed her handle down to switch her left turn signal on. She heard Sameen scoff behind her; there was no one around to see the turn signal.

Root turned down the dirt path to the hill. She stuck a foot out, letting her sneakers brush across the rocky ground as she pressed the brakes and brought them to a stop. She kicked out the stand as Sameen hopped off the bike and took her helmet off.

"I like this bike," Sameen said, looking it over and patting her hair down. "I can take a look at it in the shop, if you want? See if I can make some improvements?"

Root shrugged and unbuckled her helmet, hanging it from the handlebars. She felt extremely cool, being 16, wearing a leather jacket, and casually sitting on a motorbike. She grinned at Sameen.

"Do your worst."

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Sameen leaned back on her hands and looked up at the stars. They were on the roof of the treehouse, the sounds of the boys playing football in the yard below floating up to them. The second they'd finished opening Christmas presents from various relatives, they'd raced outside and up the tree to avoid any more socializing.

Sameen hated the holidays. They were fun, and the presents were good, but it was just too much all jammed together. She didn't have the energy. At least this part was nice.

Sameen turned her head to look at Root and smiled slightly. Root had her eyes fixed on the sky, her mouth moving slightly as she named constellations. Sameen leaned forward to take her heels off.

"I'm glad we can see Orion again," Sameen commented, throwing her shoes off the side of the treehouse.

Root smiled at her. "Me too. He points to the future."

"You said that last year," Sameen scoffed. "Get some original material."

Root watched her with an odd expression. Sameen shifted uncomfortably. Root had been looking at her like that more and more recently. Sameen didn't know what it meant, but she had a feeling she'd find out soon enough. She turned to look back at the stars.

She and Root hadn't talked about their kiss on Halloween. Sameen thought she wanted to, but she didn't know what good it would do. If Root wanted to kiss again…Well, she knew where to find her. Sameen bounced her feet idly against the wooden boards.

"Are you going to come to Championships again?" Sameen asked. "I know it's still months away and we haven't qualified yet."

"Of course," Root smiled. "With you on the team, we're sure to get another gold medal."

"It's not medals," Sameen rolled her eyes, "but I get your point."

Root scratched her arm. "I wish I could compete this year. On the Science Bowl Team."

"Next year, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Mr. Ingram tried to get Control to let me join this year, but she said it was against the rules and could disqualify our school altogether. So, next year. For sure."

Sameen sighed and took off her cardigan. "I swear to God, I'm going to college somewhere it snows."

Sameen's hands got stuck in the sweater and trapped her arms behind her. Root laughed and reached over to free her, her fingers lingering on Sameen's. Sameen coughed and threw her sweater off the treehouse to land near her shoes.

"I forgot," Sameen mumbled, reaching into her dress pocket and pulling out a small envelope. "Here's your gift."

Root frowned and took it from her. "I left yours in your room. I thought we'd do it later."

Sameen shrugged. "Just open it."

She watched as Root delicately tore off the edge of the envelope and pulled out two tickets. Sameen had bought them tickets to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. There had only been one concert on Valentine's Day, so Sameen didn't even have to do that much research.

Root stared down at the tickets in her hands for a long time. Sameen scratched her ear.

"Um, Root?" Sameen asked when the silence had gotten unbearable. "Do you like them? I just picked a place. We could find a different – "

Root leaned forward quickly and kissed Sameen, her hand resting lightly on Sameen's waist. Sameen tensed, surprised. Before she could relax into it, Root pulled away and dropped her head onto Sameen's shoulders.

"Thank you," Root whispered into Sameen's neck. "I love it."

Sameen sighed, relaxing slightly. "I'm glad."

Root pulled away, shifting to sit up, her knees bent in front of her. She fixed her eyes onto the stars. Sameen ran her eyes over Root, taking in her clenched jaw and the way her feet bounced nervously.

"Now I know why Mrs. Reese gave me that fancy dress," Root chuckled, reaching up to tie her hair in a ponytail. "My mom gave me a bible."

Sameen smirked. "I may have told her my plan. Mrs. Reese," she clarified, "not your mom."

Root exhaled loudly, putting her hands on her knees. "You talk a tough game, Sameen, but you're a softy."

"I am not a softy," Sameen scowled. "That's ridiculous."

"I'm just saying," Root shrugged, "you remember almost everything I say and you buy me cool things."

Sameen shifted to closer to Root and they looked up at the stars for a few minutes.

"I like seeing you happy," Sameen said softly. "It's nice."

She didn't look at Root, hating how vulnerable she felt. She swallowed and reached out, sliding her hand under Root's and pulling it down to the roof. She curled her fingers through Root's. Root drew a shaky breath, her body betraying her, and closed her hand around Sameen's. They held hands and watched the sky until Mrs. Reese told them it was time for bed.

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Root ran her hand along Sameen's leg as she watched some band perform on the TV. Sameen was slumped against the arm of the couch, her legs across Root's lap, and her torso twisted to see the screen. She glanced over at Root and rolled her eyes.

"Can you turn it up?" she scowled. "These losers can't appreciate good music."

Root chuckled and picked up the remote. They were at Martine's again, if only because she was the only person their age that threw New Year's Eve parties. Luckily, she seemed to be avoiding them. She turned the volume up and squinted at the screen to read the band's name. 'My Chemical Romance.' Root laughed loudly.

"Sameen," she gasped, "you like My Chemical Romance?"

Sameen slowly turned to glare at Root. "You listen to that touchy-feely crap, but when I listen to music, good music, about anger and hating children, I'm the weird one?"

Root held her hands up, biting her lip. Of course Sameen liked MCR because they were angry. Root listened to their music on occasion and she was going to say so, but now Sameen was all worked up.

"I'm not going to judge you," she shook her head. "You can hate other children all you want."

Sameen growled and turned away, rolling onto her stomach. Root smiled and started running her hands over the Sameen's legs again. For someone so short, Sameen had long legs. They were muscular. Even when she was lying down, Sameen's legs were rock solid.

Root ran her eyes up Sameen's legs. Sameen's had a nice butt, too. Root wondered what Sameen would do if she reached out and laid a hand on it. She giggled to herself.

Root reached up to lightly tug on Sameen's ponytail. Sameen glanced back at her, still annoyed.

"Are we kissing at Midnight?" Root asked, shrugging nonchalantly. "Like last, uh, year?"

She'd almost said 'like last week?' Root had been so overwhelmed by the orchestra tickets that she'd let her guard down and kissed Sameen. It was all she could think about now. Sameen hadn't run away, though. She'd taken Root's hand and they'd gone to bed like normal.

"Yeah," Sameen said, turning back to the tv. "Of course."

Root grinned at the back of Sameen's head. The countdown started and Sameen sat up, dropping her feet to the ground. Root scooted towards her eagerly. Sameen's hand came up to brush Root's hair out of her face, her fingertips hot against Root's cheek, and her eyes dropped to Root's lips.

The more they kissed, the harder it was for Root to believe that Sameen didn't like her. Sameen didn't look at anyone else like this, like she cared about them. Even when Sameen was dating Tomas, she seemed to hate being close with him. Sameen had let Root kiss her, had held Root's hand.

Root was only dimly aware of the kids around them shouting 'Happy New Year' as she leaned her face into Sameen's. Their lips brushed lightly, Root hesitant to push too far, and she felt Sameen sigh against her. The couch shifted and Sameen pressed her lips harder against Root's, her hand holding Root's head in place.

"Check out the dykes!"

Sameen's weight was gone from Root in an instant. Root opened her eyes to see Sameen's hands fisted in Hersch's jacket. She yanked him down to her height and growled in his face, her teeth bared.

"You call her that again and I'll fucking kill you," Sameen threatened, looking menacing despite her small size.

John appeared out of the crowd and pulled her away. Root couldn't focus on what happened next, how Zoe and Joss appeared and they all walked home. Sameen's words repeated on a loop in her head.

'You call her that again.' She didn't say 'You call us that again.' Root kicked herself as she followed Sameen upstairs to the bedroom, as she showered, as they fell asleep. Sameen wasn't a lesbian. Sameen couldn't like her like that. It wasn't like that.

Root stared up at the ceiling in the dark, feeling hollow. She was so close. For a moment, as Root let a tear roll down her cheek, invisible in the dark, she let herself be angry at Sameen. She couldn't do this forever, couldn't go back and forth between friends and more, friends and nothing. Something had to give.

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"Holy shit! No fucking way!" Sameen shouted jumping in the air. She ran across the front yard and slammed into the side of the car. "You bought me a 1982 Esquire!"

Root stood on the front porch and watched Sameen stare into the window of the long car Mrs. Reese had bought her for her birthday. Sameen had gotten her license earlier that day, not with a perfect score like Root, but she passed, and now they were looking at her car.

It was long and white with wooden paneling on the sides. Root knew that the back seat, a bucket seat, folded down all the way. Maybe they could put a bed back there. She'd helped Mrs. Reese pick the car by stealing Sameen's List of Best Cars back in November.

Mrs. Reese handed Root the keys, laughing. "I'd correct her language, but it doesn't seem to be doing any good."

Root gave a short laugh and walked down the steps. She headed for Sameen who was running around the car, pointing things out to Lionel and John. Root wished she felt more like celebrating, but the last couple of weeks had been hard. She'd pulled away from Sameen a little bit, trying to get herself under control. She couldn't have feelings for Sameen forever.

"Hey," she said, getting Sameen's attention. She held up the keys. "Wanna go for a drive?"

Sameen's face lit up and she slid over the hood of the car, landing her feet in front of Root. She snatched the keys from her hands and unlocked the car, dropping down onto the large, white leather seats. Sameen winced.

"The leather is really hot on my legs," she frowned, peeling her thighs from the seat with loud squelches. "I guess I better get some seat covers before our trip."

Root watched her start the car and pull her seatbelt on. Sameen looked over at her as she pulled her sunglasses out of her shirt pocket.

"You coming?" Sameen asked, unfolding the glasses and putting them on her face.

Root nodded and walked around the car. She pulled the door handle, stumbling when the door didn't open. Sameen reached across the car, her fingertips just brushing the lock on the door. Root laughed. Sameen wasn't tall enough to unlock the car.

Sameen rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt. She scooted against the armrests and unlocked the car. Root pulled the door open.

"No short jokes," Sameen warned her as she buckled in again. She pulled her door shut. "If I see you adjust your seat for more leg space, the trip is off."

Root laughed, enjoying herself despite her grumpy mood. She buckled in, kicked off her sneakers, and put her feet up on the dashboard. Sameen waved to Mrs. Reese and shifted into 1st gear. They rolled out of the driveway onto the street, heading out of town.

"Where do you want to go?" Sameen asked. "The hill?"

"No," Root said, putting her feet down and wiggling her butt in the seat. "Wanna go to the DQ in Corpus?"

Sameen nodded and hit the gas, racing passed city limits. They drove for a while, idly chatting about school and the presents they got. Sameen still wouldn't tell Root what John had gotten her. Eventually, Sameen turned on the radio and Root took her seatbelt off.

She rolled down her window, the old hand crank harder than she expected. With a groan, she got the window all the way down. Root put her hands on the door and lifted herself out the window, the wind whipping through her hair. She looked up at the sky, moving her knee to balance against the door.

The sky had darkened since they'd left home, the heavy air smelling like rain. A few droplets fell and hit Root in the face, feeling sharp like ice. Root lifted her arms into the air and screamed, the empty countryside swallowing her voice.

Sameen's hand hooked into the back of her shorts. Root put her arms back down and ducked her head to look into the car. Sameen was watching the road, but she glanced at Root quickly.

"I don't need you dying," Sameen joked. "I spent a lot of money on those orchestra tickets."

Root laughed and slid onto the seat. She looked over her shoulder at the back. Root climbed over the armrests between the seats. The large, leather bucket seat was nice, almost wide enough across for Root to lay down. Root leaned forward to check out the trunk space, sticking her arms over the seat. She started to climb over when Sameen hit a bump, knocking her into the back.

"Sorry," Sameen apologized. "Didn't see the bump."

Root rolled over. "I'm fine," she called to the front, staring at the roof of the car. "I shouldn't have stuck my butt out, it's so distracting."

Sameen's laugh floated back to her and she sat up. Even with the backseat still vertical, there was a lot of space down here. They could definitely fit a queen mattress in with the seats down. Root leaned forward and rested her arms on the leather.

"We should put a bed back here. It would help with camping and stuff," Root suggested.

"Alright," Sameen shrugged. "We'd save some money like that."

Root nodded and started climbing over the backseat again. For once, she was thankful she was so skinny, there was barely any room between the seat tops and the ceiling. She dropped into the backseat with a sharp breath.

"Hey, Root?" Sameen said, sounding odd.

Root frowned, her eyebrows dropping down. "Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something," she said, clicking on her turn signal and turning onto the road into Corpus Christi. "It's…important, I guess."

Root's heart skipped a beat. Sameen sounded nervous and that scared Root more than anything. She licked her lips.

"What is it?"

Sameen took her sunglasses off and looked at her through the rearview mirror. "You know…that I like girls, right?"

Sameen looked back at the road, but Root stared into the rearview, her heart loud in her ears. Sameen liked girls.

"You like girls? As…For dating?"

Sameen laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, Root. For dating."

"But," Root rubbed her hands together, her palms sweating, "but you liked Tomas."

"Ok, first of all," Sameen said, holding up a finger, "I didn't like Tomas. I just thought he was pretty. Second of all," she turned into the Dairy Queen parking lot, the car rattling over the gravel, "I like both. I'm bisexual."

Root closed her eyes and the car jerked into neutral. She heard the parking brake click. Sameen liked girls. Romantically. Sameen liked girls. Why had bisexuality not occurred to her? Root cursed herself in her head. She wasn't crazy. Sameen liked girls.

"Root?"

Root opened her eyes. Sameen had turned around in her seat and was staring at her, her face neutral. Root smiled. Sameen was so predictable. It took her who knows how long to work up the courage to tell Root she liked girls and then, when Root doesn't immediately say she's ok, she shuts down.

"That's great, Sameen," Root said. "I'm really glad you told me."

Sameen nodded sharply and unbuckled her seatbelt. Root leaned forward as Sameen opened the door.

"Wait, uh," Root hesitated as Sameen turned to look at her, "Did you, uh, do you like someone?"

Sameen rolled her eyes. "Yes. I like someone. Obviously."

She stepped out into the parking lot. Root laughed and wiped her hands across her face. Sameen was infuriating sometimes. All the time. The knot in Root's chest relaxed and she took a deep breath, sliding to the edge of the seat and pushing open the door.

Sameen was waiting for her by the DQ entrance. She held her hand out as Root walked closer. Grinning, Root took it and they walked inside, the sky opening and rain falling down. They were going to be here for a while.

Just like last time, a list of gifts:

Root's Birthday
From Sameen: "The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For" by Alison Bechdel
From John: The Complete set of The L Words DVDS (Zoe and Joss' idea)
From Lionel: A kit to build a robot dog
From Her Mom: A super frilly church dress
From Mrs. Reese: A Vespa
.

Christmas
To Root
From Sameen: Two tickets to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Valentine's Day.
From John: A Sephora Gift Card
From Lionel: Alien and Ghost stickers for her Vespa (and Sameen's car)
From her Mom: A fancy bible
From Mrs. Reese: A Fancy dress for the Symphony

To Sameen:
From Root: A shirt that says "Girls don't like boys, Girls like Heavy Metal"
From John: "Bisexuality for Dummies" (He told her to open it alone)
From Lionel: A personalized step-stool
From Mrs. Reese: A hula girl bobblehead ("You'll get it later")

To John:
From Root: The Polyamory Kama Sutra
From Sameen: Gift Card to Alan's Sex Imporium
From Lionel: Sign to hang on their bedroom door that says "Don't Enter: I've got my hands full"
From Mrs. Reese: 2 SAT prep books and 3 tickets to DisneyWorld

To Lionel:
From Root: A Book called "A complete guide to high school (and getting babes!)"
From Sameen: The same personalized step-stool
From John: Earplugs and an eye mask
From Mrs. Reese: Tickets to a Mets Game in Dallas

To Mrs. Reese:
From All: Go to Sears and take family photos in dumb, matching sweaters.

To Root's Mom:
From Root: Several PFLAG books

Shaw's Birthday
From Root: Matching rings (GAY)
From John: A hand-painted map of Iran ("Not from me, from a professional...on Etsy")
From Mrs. Reese: A 1982 Ford Country Esquire
wikipedia/commons/6/63/1982_country_squire_