"My Dearest Captain Ham," I wrote down, hoping the Captain would laugh when he read it. "I can't say I have any talent for writing letters, but I'll try. I want you to know I miss you terribly, but don't worry too much. You were right, the newsies will take care of me. Everyone has been so nice to me that, out of context, it would be disgustingly pleasant. They call me Navy, which I must say is much better than 'Ham.' I can't write much, everyone is going to play poker soon and naturally I wouldn't miss it. You've only been gone for a few hours so there isn't much to report. I love you! Safe sailing. -Mary" I finished my letter by drawing a heart in the corner. I finished addressing the envelope and brought it over to Mr. Kloppman. I returned to my seat on the couch by Trip who smiled at me.

"Hungry?" She asked.

"Kinda. Are you?"

"Sure, ya got any money?"

"A little." I looked down, I only had a few dollars to live off of.

"A little? We'll just get somethin' from a vendor." She said standing up from her slouched position. "Go getcha money and ask if anyone else if they wanna go while yer up there." Nodding, I turned and went from the first to third floor quickly. Russia said she was spending the night with her family, Kiki was out for a walk and Little wasn't hungry. The guys took a trip to Brooklyn so it was just going to be me and Trip, who smiled when I reported this all back to her.

"So, before when Little asked about you and Skittery, yeah, well you didn't really answer. What's the deal there?"

"Deal? There really isn't one. I was ... er ..." I didn't really want to admit to breaking down but I didn't want to lie. "Well, crying after the Captain left and Skittery just kept me distracted and we sold papers. That's all."

Trip nodded and tripped on a rock. She caught herself and giggled. We were on a busy street and vendors tried to out-scream each other. It was almost time for them to finish for their day so their voices were hoarse and raspy. We stopped at one with a few dozen apples in crates. The owner was grumbling about a poor selling day as he started packing up. "Excuse me?" I asked over his nearly incoherent grumbling which stopped abruptly.

"Whaddaya want?" He asked grumpily.

"What do you think I want?" I asked. "If apples are the only thing you have and I'm holding a nickel, what I want shouldn't be a giant mystery." Trip laughed and I smirked. "Give me two."

The man grunted and we exchanged a nickel for the apples. I handed one to Trip who took it with a quick thanks. "Some days Denton takes us out to eat or we go by ourselves, but this is much cheaper." She added between bites. I nodded in agreement as we rounded a corner.

"Are you playing poker tonight?" I asked.

"Er, probably not. I can't say I have an affinity for it, plus I like knowing what's going on. I usually hover and look at the cards. More fun that way. Do you play?"

"Sometimes, I just lose a lot." I laughed. Truthfully, all I had a terrible poker face and a lot of luck.

"Just so you know, Slight will feel the need to interrogate you later tonight." Trip warned, changing the subject.

"Oh boy, that'll be fun." I said sarcastically. "Slight's the one with a southern accent, right?"

"Yes ma'am. Our darlin' Ms. Slight is a Ten-nes-seee native." Trip poorly imitated a southern accent right before we entered the lodging house, causing both of us to laugh. People were still scattered

"Trip!" Said a boy eagerly before blushing and looking at the ground. The curly-haired teenager was obviously embarrassed for the zealous in his greeting and drew back in volume and excitement almost instantly."Er ... hi?"

"Hey David!" She replied enthusiastically and at the same time reassuring him that he hadn't done anything wrong. He looked up from the ground, which he had been fascinated with a moment earlier, this time smiling. "I missed you this morning. Where were you?"

"I'm pretty sure I should be asking that question!" He teased, gaining confidence. "Jack told me you slept in, so don't bother saying you didn't."

"Yeah!" Trip shot up defensively. "I did better than Little! She just took the whole day off."

Little who was talking to Jack and Kiki nearby yelled out, "I was sick!"

"Sure..." Jack added, clearly joking.

"Alright, who's brave enough ta be dealt in for a game a' poker?" Called out the Italian who's name was ... Racetrack maybe? Yeah that sounds right. Me and about seven other newsies sat down at a well-worn table. I can't brag having profited much from the game, but I broke even. We were all laughing and having fun until Mr. Kloppman declared it time for us to go to the bunk rooms and sleep.

As I headed up the stairs behind Trip she asked, "Ready for you interrogation?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I said yawning slightly.

So yeah, I'm not really good at writing long chapters ...

The updates have been slow I know. I've been incredibly busy with volleyball practices and games everyday. Kudos to you for being patient with me, my loves. Thank you for your cooperation which was needed for domination in the nation. (Good Lord, I'm quoting my math teacher ...)