I veer my cart into the line. I’m armed with Ramens, Doritos—and vodka. A treat.

A woman behind me peers into the cart. Laughs.

“Your cart’s more exciting. Big Thanksgiving plans?”

“Sort of.” I cover up the vodka. Consider putting it back.

But Thanksgiving for one requires liquid courage.

Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA fiction program. His stories, “Soon,” “How To Be A Good Episcopalian,” “Tales From A Communion Line,” and “Community Time,” have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes. His work has been published in SmokeLong Quarterly, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, and Ariel Chart, among others.