Lorrie checked herself in the mirror. She didn’t have anything dressy to wear, so she just went with a light fleece shati and jeans. She had no makeup au jewelry because she feared that if she brought around such items, she’d only end up losing them. After fixing her hair back, she turned to Kowalski, who was in his cage watching her.

    “How do I look?” she asked, as if Kowalski could give her an audible answer. Though she was answered with an incomprehensible chirp, she said, “Why, thank you. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Wish me luck.” With that, she left.

    Lorrie made her way upstairs and entered the small eating area, which was vacant aside from Preston. He sat at a meza, jedwali inayofuata to a window with the meza, jedwali already set for two and a candle sat alit in the center of it. Preston stood upon her arrival.

    “Hello, Preston,” she alisema as she approached the table.

    “Hey, Lorrie,” Preston replied. “You look nice, as always,” he added with a smile.

    Lorrie smiled bashfully and looked down, rubbing her arm nervously.

    “Please, sit,” Preston alisema pulling out a chair for her. Lorrie sat down and allowed Preston to push her in.

    “I know it isn’t a five-star gourmet,” Preston alisema as he took his seat, “but I’m afraid this mashua doesn’t offer much when it comes to food.”

    Lorrie looked at the TV dinners that Preston had heated up and laughed slightly. “It’s alright. I understand,” she said.

    Preston smiled. “One siku I’ll take wewe out for a real dinner,” he promised.

    “I’ll look mbele to it,” Lorrie replied. She looked out at the sea in the growing moonlight. “It’s a beautiful night.”

    Preston followed her gaze. “I agree. But you’re still no comparison,” he told her with a smile. Lorrie looked down smiling shyly and felt the heat rush into her cheeks.

    “Why do wewe do that?” Preston asked. Lorrie looked up at him.

    “Do what?” she asked in response.

    “Get all shy when I give wewe a compliment?” Preston answered with a smile.

    Lorrie laughed nervously. “I’m just not used to that kind of attention, I guess,” she told him.

    Preston’s cap, herufi kubwa caught her eye as it hung from the back of his chair and she was reminded of the phone call she’d overheard earlier. Should she ask about it? She decided that it’d be best to keep quiet about listening to the call, but she could still try to probe him to give her answers.

    “You know, Preston, wewe never told me exactly what wewe do on the job,” Lorrie inquired picking up her fork and taking a bite of her vegetables.

    Preston’s smile faded, but he quickly recovered.

    “Oh, it’s nothing much, really. Sometimes it’s being someone’s snow buddy while in the Antarctic, sometimes it’s helping load crates onto ships and then helping unload them in other countries,” he answered before taking a sip of water.

    He’s nervous. The answer was too rushed and off the juu of his head and he drank some water after finishing, was Lorrie’s first thoughts. She’d dealt with a lot of people through her years of travelling and she knew how to read them. She could see right through Preston’s lies, though she found it hard to admit to herself. He seemed like a really nice guy.

    “What kind of cargo would wewe load? I wouldn’t think there’d be anything in Antarctica that’d be of any use to anyone. Unless wewe want a bunch of natural ice,” Lorrie questioned. Preston fidgeted with his fingers as he spoke.

    “Oh, but there’s plenty of samaki to catch. In fact, samaki imported from Antarctica actually tastes better than other fish. At least, in my opinion,” Preston answered.

    Lorrie grunted in frustration inside. Why was he lying? Why couldn’t he just tell her the truth? What was he hiding? She concluded that she had no choice. She had to tell him what she’d heard. After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she spoke.

    “Preston, I know you’re lying to me,” she alisema before she opened her eyes again. Preston’s brows lowered for a moment before he smiled nervously.

    “Lorrie, what are wewe talking about? What makes wewe think I’m lying?” he asked with a nervous laugh.

    Lorrie’s expression remained serious and she flitted her eyes away for a moment as she said, “I heard wewe on the phone earlier.”

    Preston’s face fell.

    “You…Heard all of that?” he asked slowly.

    Lorrie looked down. “I heard enough,” she answered. She rose her gaze up to meet Preston’s eyes. “What are wewe hiding from me? Why would I never forgive you?”

    Preston was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

    “I still think I deserve an explanation,” Lorrie insisted.

    Preston looked down at his plate and remained silent.

    “If wewe don’t tell me, I won’t see wewe anymore,” Lorrie threatened.

    “You’ll refuse to see me either way, Lorrie,” Preston alisema to his plate.

    Lorrie crossed her arms. “Then what do wewe have to lose?”

    Preston remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. “More than wewe might think.”

    Lorrie studied him for a moment, then got up from her place. “Then I guess there won’t be a sekunde date. I’ve dealt with enough liars in my life. I don’t need nor want another one. I’m sorry, Preston,” she told him. Preston didn’t dare look up at her.

    “I understand,” he alisema once again to his plate.

    Lorrie considered saying something else, but decided against it. Instead, she turned and left the meza, jedwali and the rest of her chakula untouched. It was a long walk back to her room.

♦ ♦ ♦

    When she returned to her room, she sat on her cot, laid back, and stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t fathom her luck with men. Every relationship she’d ever been in had ended just as quickly as it had started. Preston seemed so nice to her. How could he hurt her like that? She turned to Kowalski’s cage, where Kowalski stood staring at her. She couldn’t help but notice the look in his eyes. It was as if he could sense that something was wrong with her. She opened his cage and gently pulled him out and sat him on juu of her chest and petted his soft down feathers.

    “I guess it’s just wewe and me again, little guy,” she told him.

    “What happened?” Kowalski asked in response. Of course, all Lorrie was able to comprehend was a chirping sound. She laughed slightly.

    “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say wewe understood me,” Lorrie told him.

    “I do! Why can’t wewe understand me?” Kowalski chirped.

    Lorrie sighed. “I just hope that whatever Preston has gotten himself into doesn’t get him in trouble. I mean…I am so mad at him for his dishonesty, but I guess I just can’t seem to bring myself to hate him. Is that weird?” she asked him.

    “No, it’s not weird. What did lie about?” Kowalski chirped.

    Lorrie smiled and continued stroking his feathers. “I just wonder what he’s hiding from me. If he wants me so bad, why would he do something that I’d never forgive him for? Oh, Kowalski. Maybe I should just give up on upendo once and for all.”

    “But I upendo you, Lorrie!” Kowalski protested as he waddled mbele and put his flippers on her face. Lorrie giggled.

    “What do wewe think you’re doing? Aw, you’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?” she alisema as she pulled him back. She sighed. “I suppose we should just get some shuteye. We’ll be in Antarctica before long.”

    After putting Kowalski back in his cage, she laid back in her cot. Though with difficulty, she drifted off to sleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

    With Lorrie’s mind too focused on Preston and his lies, she hadn’t realized she didn’t fully close Kowalski’s cage.

    Taking advantage of his newfound freedom, Kowalski pushed open the door to his cage and climbed out. He looked at Lorrie, who was still sleeping soundly on her cot. Sliding down the covers to the floor, Kowalski made his way to the door.

    When he reached the door, he realized he hadn’t thought this through when he noticed how high the lever was on the door. He glanced around the room for something that he could use to stand on, but he could only see a chair that would meet his needs, which would be much too heavy for him. Though, the scarf hanging from the chair gave him an idea.

    He waddled over to the chair and grabbed hold of an end of the navy blue scarf that hung from it and pulled it down until it all came down into a clump of fabric on the floor. Holding as much of the bundle of scarf in his tiny flippers as he could, he waddled back over to the door with part of it dragging behind him. He once again looked up at the door lever, then back down to the scarf at his feet.

    He took the scarf in his flippers about two feet from one end and held it back. After aiming carefully, he tossed it up to the lever. It hit the side and drooped back to the floor. Taking a deep, concentrated breath, he threw the scarf over his shoulder and aimed again. When he tossed it again, it landed on juu of the lever and hung over the opposite side. Kowalski smiled in triumph and started pushing zaidi of the scarf up, causing the other end to descend to the floor while his end rose from it. When the two ends were level with each other, Kowalski grabbed tightly and pulled down with all of his might. However, he wasn’t strong enough to pull the lever down.

    With a frustrated sigh, he ceased pulling and turned around, going into thought. When the kitanda sheets that he’d slide down caught his eye, he got another idea. Turning back to the scarf, he took hold of it and hoisted himself up. He almost slipped back down, no thanks to his soft feathers not gripping to the fabric, but he wrapped the scarf around his body and continued climbing.

    It was harder than he thought it’d be, but he eventually managed to reach the lever and balance himself atop it. With a slight jump, the lever pushed down and the door clicked open. Unfortunately for Kowalski, he hadn’t anticipated how far down the lever would turn and he and the scarf slipped off and he hit the floor with a light thud.

    Thankfully unhurt, Kowalski pushed himself into a sitting position kwa his flippers. He was afraid he’d awaken Lorrie, but she was still sleeping soundly in her cot. Getting to his feet and shaking himself, he turned to the door, which was open just a fraction of a centimeter. He carefully slid his flipper through the crack and pushed the door open just enough for him to sneak out. With a smile, he left the room and started down the empty hallway. He was going exploring.

    His first obstacle blocking him from going outside was a small set of stairs that led to the front deck. There were nine steps that were about four inches high and seven inches long.

    It took a while for him to climb each step, but he eventually made it to the juu landing…Where he encountered his sekunde obstacle. There was another door. He assumed that he needed a rest from the climbing anyway, so he’d wait at the juu hidden in the shadows until someone opened the door.

    After about seven dakika of waiting in the corner kwa the door, the door opened and a human walked through. Kowalski slipped past the threshold just before the door shut behind him. The first thing he noticed once he was outside was the cold deck beneath his feet. He quickly discovered that he kind of enjoyed it. Then he took in his surroundings. To his left, there were some crates stacked on the ship, strapped down tightly. In front of him was an empty deck that looked out onto the ocean. To his right, there were a couple of humans talking, but too far away to notice the little penguin, auk wandering about.

    Kowalski turned to the right and waddled across the deck, staying close to the cabin, kibanda to stay hidden in the shadows. When he reached the first corner, he slowly peaked around to see Preston and a colleague.

    “You’re telling me there’s really no way out of this?” Preston asked.

    “Afraid not, my friend. Anybody who’s ever tried to back out on Harold has either ended up killed au beaten until they agreed to stay in the program,” the other man replied. “Why do wewe want to leave? You’re really want to miss out on all of that money he pays you?”

    “My reasons are for something zaidi valuable than money,” Preston told him.

    The other man smiled mockingly.

    “Ah, it’s that girl I see wewe with. What’s her name? Glory?”

    “Lorrie,” Preston corrected with a glare.

    “Right. I don’t know why you’re so into her, anyway. She’s so…Smart. I sure as hell wouldn’t give up my green for her,” the man said.

    Preston rolled his eyes.

    “Look, I don’t care what wewe would au wouldn’t do. The fact is that I really like her, for one. And for two, I got into this business because I had nowhere else to go. I was broke, lonely, and have an Associate’s degree that I had no use for. Now that I’ve gotten back on my feet, I think I might be able to hold a job. Besides, a man needs to know when he wants to settle down,” Preston explained.

    The other man laughed.

    “You’re such a sissy, Preston. If wewe want a girl so badly, why don’t wewe just go to a bar? Plenty of fine ladies just waitin’ to be snatched up there,” he alisema with a grin.

    “Because I don’t want just any girl. And not just for those reasons, either. I want to get married. Have a family,” Preston said.

    “Why can’t wewe just do both?” the man suggested.

    “Because this is wrong, Jack. She already knows I’m lying about something. If she finds out that I’m lying about working with those drug-testers, she’d never forgive me! I don’t even know what the hell I’m supposed to do when we get to Antarctica! She’s not going to stop looking until she finds out where our base is,” Preston argued. Kowalski’s eyes widened in shock. He killed his father?

    “So? If she finds out, we kill her. End of story,” Jack said. Preston grabbed his neck. Not tight enough to strangle him, but enough to let him know that he would if he alisema another word.

    “If anyone hurts her in any way, I’ll kill ‘em on sight,” Preston alisema in a threatening tone.

    “No! wewe can’t kill Lorrie! She’s nice and takes care of me!” Kowalski protested as he started around the corner. He did it without thinking, and quickly realized his mistake as Preston and Jack turned toward him, Preston releasing his grip on Jack in surprise.

    “Hey, how’d he get out?” Preston alisema stepping toward him. Kowalski stumbled back in fear and fell on his back, allowing Preston the chance to pick him up.

    “You know this penguin?” Jack asked. Preston held him closer to his body.

    “Yeah. He’s that little penguin, auk that Lorrie’s been taking care of,” he answered.

    “You know Harold will be PO’d that you’re letting her get away with keeping this penguin, right? wewe should send it to base,” Jack said.

    “Are wewe kidding me? I can’t do that! Lorrie loves him! She’d be crushed!” Preston protested.

    Jack held out his hand.

    “Preston, I’m not going to let wewe get me in trouble for knowing about this. Give me the penguin,” he ordered. Preston held it away from him.

    “No! I refuse to let wewe send him to that base to be tested on! It would be one thing if Lorrie found out that I work for the men that killed Kowalski’s father, but another if she found out I gave her precious penguin, auk to them, too!”

    Jack was about to say something when something past Preston’s shoulder caught his eye. When Preston turned, Lorrie stood behind him with her expression a combination of shock, anger, hurt, betrayal, and everything in between.

    After a moment of being unable to speak, he finally said, “Lorrie, I—”

    “Save it, Preston,” Lorrie alisema sternly, cutting him off. “I can’t believe this. Out of every scenario I could think of that wewe were lying to me about, this was not on the list. Give me Kowalski. Now.”

    Preston opened his mouth to say something, but what could be said? There was no way of digging himself out of the deep hole he’d fallen into. Instead, he slowly held Kowalski out to her. She’d have snatched him had he not been a fragile little penguin.

    “I’m sorry, Lorrie. I never meant to hurt you,” Preston alisema finally. Lorrie looked back at him with her eyes burning with anger.

    “Too late for apologies, isn’t it? How about wewe apologize to Kowalski’s father? Oh wait, wewe can’t. Now, stay away from me. And especially stay away from Kowalski,” Lorrie spat. She turned and returned to her room without looking back.