Fraser woke up alone in Farang's bedroom. There was a folded towel for him to use at the end of the bed, but no sign of the man that had left it there. He threw on one of Farang's old T-shirts and padded to the bathroom, only to find Terrana playing in the hallway.

"Good morning" he said, suddenly conscious of how loud he may have been the night before, "How did you sleep..?"

Terrana looked at him funny, and Fraser felt his embarrassment growing.

"I sleep in my bed!" she told him frankly, resuming her doll's shopping trip at the bookshelf store.

Fraser breathed a sigh of relief. "And where's your daddy?" he asked.

"In the kissing" said Terrana.

"Kissing?" Fraser cried, glancing to the closed door, behind which he could make out Farang's barely audible voice, "Who? Kissing who?"

"Enni's mommy. In the kissing" she said, as the doll happily skipped along the shelf.

Fraser strode over to the door, throwing it open, and finding Farang leaning against the kitchen counter with a frown as he talked on the phone. He held up an apologetic finger when he spotted the guest. Just one minute... Fraser nodded affably and closed the door again.

"Terrana" he asked the little girl, "What's kissing?"

"The kissing room" she said simply, "We cook in the kissing and we sleep in the bed room!"

"The kitchen" he corrected sternly, "And is daddy talking to your friend's mom?"

"Yes, but he's sad" she explained, "I was supposed to play at Enni's house today but Enni is sick."

It was no wonder Farang had looked so stressed; his delicately constructed childcare plan was toppling like a house of cards. Terrana would have gone to Enni's house, eaten lunch there, been dropped off at her English lesson, caught a ride to Hareki's home afterwards, and from there Farang could have picked her up after dinner. 

"Daddy has to go to work. I go to work with Daddy!"

Farang came out of the kitchen rubbing his temples. The phone call had gotten him nowhere, and there wasn't much time left to come up with another plan. Fraser took hold of his arm, pointing to the message he'd typed out on his own phone screen.

He wanted to turn down his little angel's offer and think of an alternative, but Farang could only agree. After speaking with his daughter, she was quick to voice her excitement; Mr Fraser was going to be her playmate for half of the day. Farang gently cupped Fraser's head and kissed his hair in thanks.

"Me too! Me too!" said Terrana, offering her own little head for a share of his affection. 

Farang dropped a kiss on her hair and ruffled it, much to her delight. He jumped in the shower ahead of Fraser and rushed to get ready for his shift, but not before giving Terrana a very long lecture on behavior. She had to very good for Fraser, or risk not getting the car for her doll she'd had her eye on at the market.

The address for the English academy was sent via text, and with great reluctance and infinite gratitude, Farang left Terrana to Fraser's care. Their first stop was a visit to Mrs Warik in the hospital, then he only needed to feed Terrana lunch somewhere and drop her off for her English class. Farang had even shoved a twenty dollar bill into his hand to pay for their meal.

"Let's find a treat to bring for Grandma" Fraser suggested, ordering the taxi to take them to the mall near the hospital.

Terrana was very excited. She was seldom taken to such places unless there was a free event for children in the exhibition space. There were far too many stores that would catch her interest, and very little that her father could afford to buy her. Daddy's friend was quite the opposite. It didn't occur to him until the third store they visited, that he could also say 'no' when Terrana asked for things. 

Fraser's left hand full of shopping bags, his right holding Terrana's, they were about to go see Mrs Warik when a neat lady with a low bun stopped them.

"Hi Terrana!" she cried with a wave, "Who's this you're with?"

"I'm a friend of Farang's" said Fraser, addressing the stranger directly.

"I was asking Terrana" said the woman bluntly, "Is this someone you know? Would you like to come with me instead?"

Terrana shook her head and took a step behind Fraser's leg.

"Mr Fraser is Daddy's friend" she explained, "We going to give Grandma presents."

"Are you an English teacher?" the woman asked, "I wasn't aware there was a new hire at the center... Ashleigh hasn't mentioned anything."

Fraser looked to Terrana to help him understand but she didn't comprehend all that much herself.

"I'm not a teacher, no" he said, "Just a friend of her father's."

"Well, do you speak Modeshi then?" she asked.

"No..." he replied honestly.

The slim and elegant foreigner was a perplexing little mystery. Farang certainly couldn't speak English, so why they'd be friends was anyone's guess. Besides, one look at the store names printed on the side of his bags was enough to tell her which financial bracket he must belong to. Something wasn't right.

"How on earth do you know Farang then?" she asked, "The whole family of them, they're not exactly the social type. Just because he's managed to scrape together enough to send his daughter to the academy, it doesn't mean he speaks a word of English himself. I studied abroad for two years, so at least I can practice with Ashleigh at home... but I daresay Terrana isn't even close to her level, even though they've put them in the same class. 

Certain parents just can't afford the time or effort one needs to really see improvement. I've told him time and again he at least needs to hire a helper since she doesn't have a mother to take notice of these things... but still he refuses to listen. It's such a minor expense but I suppose it's a lot to someone like him. Some people just can't be helped."

Why this horrible woman was speaking to him at such length and with such little regard for Terrana listening in, Fraser didn't care to find out; but it was clear she needed to be taken down a peg or two.

"Terrana" he said, passing her the headphones from his pocket, "Do you want to watch a video on my phone?"

The woman rolled her eyes.

"Too much screen time rots their brains" the woman warned as Terrana put the headphones in, "Ashleigh is allowed thirty minutes of educational TV time a week once her homework is finished. It wouldn't surprise me if that one's been raised by TV. Honestly they don't-"

"I just didn't want her repeating what I'm about to say" said Fraser with a smile to the little girl, turning his attention once more to the stranger, "But talk like that in front of her again, you vacuous bitch, and I won't give a shit who hears me."

The woman's eyes were shaking.

"While I'm sure your perfect little princess is going to grow up needing therapy after all that exposure to your toxic bullshit, I'll be damned if I let you infect Terrana with it. There's no need to worry about the time and effort Farang puts into raising his daughter; there's no need to worry about anything that doesn't concern you in the slightest. So what if Terrana doesn't have a mother? There are plenty of people to care for her. Your unsolicited advice is not needed."

The stranger had never been so offended in her life. She stood scowling, unsure how to proceed.

"So go" said Fraser, "Fuck off, and don't talk so carelessly about the Warik family again."

When the headphones were removed from Terrana's ears, Ashleigh's mommy was gone.

"Was that woman your friend's mom?" Fraser asked her.

"Ashleigh's not my friend" Terrana replied, "She's always mean and steals the erasers. And she always cheats on me and Hareki!"

Fraser had to put aside his adult ear for a second. "Cheats?" he asked.

Terrana nodded sadly. "The teacher say 'no cheat!' but Ashleigh always cheat on us and copy our answers. And then Ashleigh tells her mommy we are bad, and Ashleigh's mommy tells the teacher."

"And what does your teacher say about it?"

"Grandma and Daddy no speak English, only Ashleigh mommy. Cannot tell teacher Ashleigh is lying..." Terrana told him sadly.

"Not to worry" said Fraser, "I can speak English just fine. Let's pick out a present for your teacher, and I'll talk to them myself when I drop you off after lunch..."

The little girl and her guardian angel were warmly welcomed by Mrs Warik at the hospital. She'd been visited by a friend and was keen to open the gifts Fraser had brought in front of a captive audience. Dr Perinna stopped by on his rounds just as they were getting ready to leave.

"You're doing a lot to help Farang's family..." he observed.

"I can afford to" said Fraser.

The doctor issued a word of warning to the well-meaning foreigner.

"Modeshi men have a lot of pride, you know? Farang works hard to provide for his family; be careful not to step too hard on his toes with your designer shoes... he may not thank you for all your help."

The advice duly noted, Fraser took Terrana to lunch at a mid-price eatery, and was as intrigued by the concept of a children's menu as she was. Aside from a couple of her richer friend's birthdays, she'd only really had fast food when eating out. Fraser did his best to read out the options one by one, and apologized for the lack of pictures that she compained were missing.

"Would your daughter like some coloring pages?" the wait staff asked him.

Fraser sought Terrana's opinion. She looked back at him with wide eyes.

"Can I have?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course!" Fraser replied, "Yes, bring them please."

Alone again at the table, Fraser leaned in and asked what was the matter. 

"Is they expensive..?" she asked him in a small voice, unused to getting so much of what she wanted without careful consideration from her guardians.

"Don't worry" he told her, "Your daddy gave me plenty of money to treat you."

After lunch, Fraser took Terrana to her English class, taking her teacher aside for a lengthy discussion about her progress and classmates. Mr Simon accepted the kind gifts he'd been given, and ensured Terrana's 'uncle' that he'd be keeping a closer eye on any cheating going on.

Before heading home to wait for Farang, Fraser switched out his shopping bags for a plastic bag borrowed from Mrs Warik's friend, and removed the pricetags on the new clothes he'd bought for Terrana. When shopping for Mr Simon, he'd spotted a suit he wanted to buy for Farang. He praised himself for his restraint, resolving to maintain his support for the family in a quieter manner. Only on the day that Farang came to accept him completely would he allow himself to buy it. Maybe for their wedding day...

Lost in fantasies of the two wearing tuxes, Terrana dressed in a frothy little princess dress as she scattered petals down the aisle, a text arrived from his brother.

'FEED CATS NEXT WEEKEND'

He promptly replied and rolled over on the mattress, falling asleep until his phone rang.

"Yes, I'll feed the damn cats" he said drowsily into the phone, "Enjoy your honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?" asked Bruce on the other end, "I'm too busy with work. Speaking of which, come meet me at the office for dinner. There are some things I want to discuss."

It was clear that Caleb must be avoiding him again.

"I'll come now or not at all" said Fraser, hoping to be finished by the time Farang arrived back.

Bruce sighed.

"Fine" he said, "between the two of you it's a wonder we haven't recorded losses this quarter. Just be thankful I'm willing to keep the lights on while you're out having fun, and don't forget all I've done for you when it's my turn."

"You like to have fun outside of work?" Fraser asked him with a smile, "I thought Caffray was your only love."

Bruce cleared his throat.

"I'll be in a meeting until three. I'll expect to see you when I come out."

Fraser stretched his limbs, his feet hitting the wall in the cramped little room. It was strange to think of Bruce doing anything besides his job; for as long as he could remember, he was always dragging his brother into meetings and chasing him down for decisions. 

Making the bed before he left, Fraser tucked his toiletry bag beside Farang's pillow, keen to come home again as quickly as possible.