The week had finally passed. Days seemed to go kwa longer for some reason. Lorrie had Kowalski in a small cage and was carrying him to the boat. Preston was coming with her as far as Manhattan, then he was going back to Antarctica. Once they boarded, Preston led her to her cabin, kibanda as he carried her luggage. The sun was shining brightly over the horizon and awakened the clear blue sky with its silent call of golden rays across the ocean. Once inside the cabin, Preston set her bags on the kitanda and Lorrie put Kowalski inayofuata to them. "Just ten hours away from docking in New York. You're sure wewe don't want to come with me?" Lorrie asked.

"No...I'm afraid I can't. I still have some business to take care of in Antarctica. Some colleagues of mine have discovered something that I can't ignore." Preston explained.

"Oh...well, maybe we'll meet again someday." Lorrie alisema with a touch of hope. Preston smiled and nodded, then left her.

For some reason, Lorrie found comfort in talking to Kowalski, despite the fact that he was a penguin. Maybe it was the fact that she had been alone for most of her life and enjoyed the company. au maybe it was just the way Kowalski looked up at her with his little blue eyes that made her feel as though he enjoyed listening to her. She told Kowalski everything; she told him about her life as a child, her adventures around the world, and everything she'd discovered during them. She didn't even realize how late it was getting. She noticed the time in the middle of explaining the chaos theory to him.

"Wow, there's only two hours before we get to Manhattan. Where does the time go? wewe don't think I talk too much do you?" She asked Kowalski; she'd gotten so close to him already that she was starting to treat him as if he were human. Kowalski looked up at her with eyes that seemed to glow and he was smiling. Lorrie smiled. "Good. Some people think I'm just a chatterbox." She alisema with a laugh. "Well, we should probably take a little nap before we get there. Back in your cage." She put Kowalski back in his cage and laid down in her bed. She instantly found sleep.

When she woke up, she could see the city's buildings from the mashua in the distance. They were mere dakika away from the dock. It was on the brink of spring, so it was fairly warm outside. She removed her kanzu, koti and put on her short-sleeves. After collecting her things and gently picking up the still-sleeping Kowalski's cage, she went topside and to the front of the ship so she could watch New York grow larger as they neared the docks. She took in the familiar distant sounds and smells of the city; the horns honking in traffic and the sirens wailing, and the smell of mild smog mixed with the salty sea air. Suddenly, Preston appeared at her side.

"There it is. One of the biggest cities in the world." He alisema quietly.

"The sekunde largest to be exact." Lorrie replied.

Preston smiled. "Is there anything wewe don't know?" He joked.

Lorrie laughed. "Trust me, there's always zaidi to learn, no matter how much wewe think wewe already know. That's what I upendo about the world." Now wewe could see the dock approaching the front of the boat. "I'll see wewe around, Preston." Lorrie alisema smiling his way. Preston smiled back.

"See wewe around, Lorrie." Preston turned and started to leave her, but stopped after a couple of steps, turned back and gently took Lorrie's face in his hands and kissed her. At first, Lorrie didn't know what to think, but quickly realized that she didn't care and kissed him back. He slowly pulled away and said, "I'm...I'm sorry. That was...way out of line."

Lorrie shook her head. "No, it wasn't. I promise I'll come find wewe after I'm done here in Manhattan."

Preston smiled. "Not if I find wewe first."

Lorrie smiled back. "Good bye, Preston. For now. "

"Bye, Lorrie. Take care of yourself."

"I will. wewe too."

Preston nodded and turned around and returned to his duties and Lorrie collected her things and got ready to exit the boat. When she got onto the dock, she looked back. Preston was watching her leave. She waved to him, he waved back. then she turned back and got into a cab that had been waiting for her.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

"Central Park. I'm meeting someone there."

"You got it. Hey, wait...is that a penguin?" He asked taking notice of Kowalski in the rear view mirror.

"Mm-hm. Isn't he adorable? Poor little guy has nobody to care for him, so I took him in."

"He's a cute and cuddly little thing isn't he? Well, fasten your kiti, kiti cha belt. It's about an hours' drive from here."

"Alright." Lorrie alisema buckling up. She held the caged Kowalski in her lap. "You'll like New York, Kowalski. There's a reason why this is the city that never sleeps."

**************************************************************

It was a beautiful siku in Central Park. The sun soared high above the clouds occasionally peaking out over the city. drake Calt was rather short for his age and Caucasian. He wore wire spectacles and had thin blonde hair. He was a graduate from Deep Springs chuo kikuu, chuo kikuu cha in California and has a degree in science and engineering. He and Lorrie met while they were on a subway to Albany. After a long conversation, they'd discovered that they had a lot in common; they both enjoyed science and the world, and they enjoy traveling, though drake didn't travel as often as she. They'd become good Marafiki and exchanged phone numbers. drake was supposed to meet her there at around 1:30 p.m., but seemed to be running late; it was three till two now. She was about to assume that something had come up and leave when she noticed him getting out of a cab and start walking up to her.

Drake, as always, was carrying a notebook with a mechanical pencil tucked in the spiral. He always took bila mpangilio notes on things he saw; whether it be a buibui spinning a web au the probability of lighter 5 'o' clock traffic. When he finally met her, he said: "Lorrie, I'm sorry I'm late. It was really hard getting through traffic, then my car broke down and I had to flag down a taxi. wewe weren't waiting too long, were you?"

Lorrie smiled and shook her head. "No. You're fine. How have wewe been?"

drake took a deep breath and shielded his eyes from the sun. "Right as rain. You?"

"I'm fine. Shall we?" Lorrie replied walking forward. drake followed at her side.

"Alright, so I take it that that adorable little hatchling is the one who Lost his father?" Lorrie was holding Kowalski, who was in his cage.

Lorrie nodded sadly. "I don't know what happened. He was just in a little pain au something. After his son hatched, he just...died." She had to force the dreaded word out. It tasted like charred ash on her tongue.

"You alisema wewe wanted me to analyze some samples?"

"Yes. It's in a small baridi on ice. It's in the car I rented."

"Alright. I have a guest room in my apartment. wewe can use it if you'd like." drake offered with a smile.

Lorrie smiled back. "Are wewe sure? I don't want to be a burden."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Anything for a good friend."

Once they arrived at Drake's large eleventh story apartment, Lorrie brought in her luggage and handed drake the small red baridi that contained the samples.

"Alright, I'll analyze these on my break tomorrow at work. wewe can hang out here, au go shopping, au whatever wewe want to do."

"Okay, thanks. I'll go get settled in that guest room." Lorrie told him.

"Alright. Down that hall, sekunde door to your right." drake instructed pointing down a hallway.

"Thanks." Lorrie collected her bags and left him. She set her things on the kitanda and let Kowalski out of his cage. "Don't wewe go and get into everything, now." She told him laughing. The door to her room was shut, so he could only wander around the confines of the room. Kowalski waddled curiously around the room, then found amusement in hiding behind the sheets on the kitanda while Lorrie was sorting out her clothes. When she returned to her suitcase, which was on the bed, she picked up her jeans and Kowalski popped out from under the covers, causing her to jump. She laughed. "What do wewe think you're doing?" She asked with a smile. Kowalski just hid under the blankets again playfully. Lorrie laughed. "You're silly!" She sighed. She couldn't help but think that Kowalski was going to become a big part of her life.

The inayofuata day, while Lorrie was in her room kusoma a civil war novel to Kowalski, she got a call on her cell phone. It was midday now. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, Lorrie, it's me. It's about those samples." alisema Drake's voice.

"What about them?"

"Well...it's certainly wasn't a natural death."

"What did wewe find?"

"It's something big. I don't want to tell wewe over the phone. Meet me in Central Park in five minutes. Make it fast. My break is over in half an hour."

The line went dead.