Johnny woke up from a nap, feeling somewhat groggy from the unexpected afternoon sleep. After checking out Barranca - who seemed to be healing slowly, perhaps enjoying his break from the day-to-day – he went to the saloon for a couple of beers and some lunch, and finding nothing of interest there had returned to his room to rest before supper. Wondering what time it was, he got up from his bed, and after splashing water on his face, went back downstairs. He could hear the grandfather clock mark 7:30, and realized he was just on time for dinner. Rubbing his face, he headed through the door, noticing the same pattern as the previous night – Martha setting the places, Sue and Polly bringing the food to the table, the cook and dishwasher heading out. Smiling in greeting, he took the same seat he had used for the previous meals and waited for everyone to be seated before helping himself to the food in front of him. As the conversation started to flow, he joined in, surprised at how easy he found it.
When the meal was done, the clearing started and Polly then proceeded to bring out pieces of the shortcake she had made that morning. Martha smiled brightly when she saw the dessert, crying "thank you, Mama" with obvious delight when it was placed in front of her. Johnny tried a bite, and again was amazed by how delicious the dessert was – light, fluffy, with a creamy frosting and a sweet strawberry filling.
As everyone was eating their dessert, Martha looked up and asked "Mama, can we play cards tonight?". "I don't know," Polly replied, "I think everyone is kinda tired, and Johnny probably has plans". Johnny looked up "I'd be happy to play" he said, surprising himself somewhat. But he realized he was not looking forward to returning to the saloon, and that really, he would rather spend time here – actually, if he was truthful, he would like to spend more time with just Polly. "Please, Mama" Martha cajoled, turning puppy dog eyes to her mother. "I'll play' Sue said. "Okay then," said Polly, giving in, "go find the matches". Johnny looked up surprised, but when the girl started to hand out the matches and Polly dealt the cards, he realized they were playing poker for matchsticks. He chuckled to himself, imagining if anyone from home were to see this.
After playing for some time, and Martha seeming to accumulate a large number of matchsticks, Polly called bed time. While the little girl pouted slightly, she got up to go easier than the night the before, again turning to him saying "good night, Johnny" and giving him a hug. He was better prepared for the move this time, and easily hugged her back, saying "good night" and giving her a light pat on her backside as she moved away. Polly went to follow her, but Sue stepped in and said "I'll take her up – I promised her another story last night". Polly looked surprised, but stepped back, letting the older woman take the girl upstairs. She turned back to Johnny, gathering up the cards. He started to put the matches back in their box. "Would you like some more coffee?" Polly asked, in the same way as last night. "Sure", Johnny replied "unless you need to get to bed?". Polly smiled, "I can stay up for a bit." She came back with two full cups. "Never thought I would see Johnny Madrid playing poker for matchsticks", she teased, looking at him, seeming to test how he would take the comment. Johnny laughed, happy that she recognized the situation as well "cain't say I like the thought of the guys at home seeing it, but it was fun. I know I said this yesterday, but Martha really is a delight." Polly smiled at the compliment to her daughter.
As he watched Polly moving the cards around, he asked "wanna play some more?" "For matches?" she asked, surprised. "Sure", he replied. Watching as she dealt out the cards and the matches again, he asked "how did Martha start to play?" Polly smiled, "Martin … Sue's husband" she said, looking at him to make sure he knew who she was speaking about and going on when Johnny nodded, "well, he kept playin' after they came here – not in the same way as before but for fun. And Martha would see him practicin' and would want to play with him, so he taught her. I was fit to be tied at first, but he figured it was important for her to learn the game, and was going to teach her how to recognize when someone was cheatin' when she got older." Looking at him to see if he was still interested, she continued "he spoiled Martha somethin' fierce – her doll, Sally, that she carries around, well he found it somewhere and just had to get it for her. He got her other ones as well, and other stuff too. Whenever there was a new dress at the store, he'd be over there lookin' at it, tryin' to see if it was right for her. She's really been missin' him".
"What happened?" he asked, after she laid down her hand, winning the pot. "Did you guys get hit by that influenza last year?" she asked as she dealt their next hand. "Yeah, we lost a couple of hands, and some people in town died." "Well", she continued "it was really bad here too – Martha got it - we were real worried about her – but just when she seemed to be gettin' better, Martin came down with it too. And, well …" she stopped speaking and he could tell that she was missing him, just like Martha. "Sue is startin' to get better, but …" she let the words hang. "It takes time," he said, thinking of Theresa and how she had been since Peter.
Johnny laid down a straight, making a motion to take the next pot, but Polly smiled and put down a flush, laughing at the surprised expression on his face. He looked up at the sound and smiled into her face, and proceeded to change the topic to something happier. And then they continued to talk into the night, about the past, present, and even, tentatively, their ideas for the future.