Page 32 of Commander’s Mate

I crouched several feet from the woman.

“You can keep those.”

She stared.

“All?”

“All.”

The crewman made a small sound.

I looked at him.

“Can she have more tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Same amount?”

“Yes.”

“Same time?”

He blinked.

“Yes.”

I turned back.

“More tomorrow. Same time.”

The woman’s fingers loosened slightly.

“Same?”

“Yes.”

She touched one ration bar.

Then pointed to the wall display clock.

I nodded.

“Same.”

She put two bars beside her instead of under the blanket.

Not trust yet. Predictability, maybe. Maybe that came first.

I wrote:

MEALS—SAME TIME.

Scarlet sat down beside me.

“You realize you’re building rules.”

“I’m writing down what people ask for.”