"I knew a Jenny," Marron said. "On Earth. She was my best friend for years. We used to eat ice cream sandwiches just like this on hot days. Share them and talk about nothing and everything."
Jenny Vasquez smiled gently. "Bet you miss her."
"I do." Marron finished her sandwich, the taste lingering bittersweet on her tongue. "I didn't realize how much until just now."
"That's the thing about home food," Jenny said, plating hot dogs and passing them through the window to waiting customers. "It sneaks up on you. You think you're fine, you've adjusted, you've moved on. Then you taste something familiar and suddenly you're twelve years old again, sitting on your front steps with your best friend, everything ahead of you and nothing figured out yet."
"Yeah," Marron said softly. "Exactly like that."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, two people from Earth, separated by years and circumstances but connected by the simple fact of being far from home.
