The next day I came to the bench with determination. I would rectify my mistake. Mama and Papa raised me to treat others with respect, and this newsboy had not received my best. Papa had not yet returned from his most recent delivery, but the newsboy was there, calling out his headlines to the passing bankers. I headed in his direction, steeling myself for a conversation with a stranger.

"Excuse me, Mr. Conlon?" I asked. My voice was steady; that's good. I was looking up, ready for him to turn around so I could look him in the eye.

Only I wasn't. Ready, that is. He spun so quickly that I took a pace back and looked down. Mentally kicking myself, I squared my shoulders and looked up at his face for the first time, surprised at the intensity of his eyes.

"It's Spot."

"I—what?" I stuttered, my carefully planned speech flying right out of my head.

"Spot—to me friends, anyway. It's Ms. Fischer, right?" He said smoothly and with a hint of a grin.

"Katja," I replied firmly, proud of myself for speaking to a stranger so confidently. "And I came over to apologize. For yesterday." His eyes widened and a look of confusion clouded them. I could tell I was going to have to explain. "You were kind and helpful, and I could not even properly thank you for your actions. You deserved more than a mumble from me." My voice shook a bit as I spoke, but I was determined to finish. "I am sorry for treating you so poorly, and I wish to express my gratitude for your honesty."

Spot's surprise was evident. "Katja," he chuckled, "you thanked me. You and yer pa have been good customers, and ya've always treated me right. Most people don't take the time for a newsie, and they certainly don't take the time to apologize for not thanking one loudly enough. Just fer dat, ye can have a pape on the house today."

"Oh, no, Mr. Spot. My father would never forgive me if I accepted that," I gasped as I reached for a penny to pay for the paper he held out.

"You don't talk to people much, do you?" he asked as I exchanged coin for paper.

"No," I confessed, looking down again.

"Well, ya should. You got a nice voice." He chuckled before adding, "and nice eyes. Look up and start charming people with that smile. Otherwise you will just be apologizing again."

I did look up at that. I saw a mischievous twinkle in his eye that told me he was teasing me. I smiled.

"Thank you. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."