From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Zoe prepares to make fried Oreos with her grandmother when her phone alarm alerts her to the mail’s arrival. She intercepts a letter from Marcus just as the mail carrier arrives. She takes it to her room immediately. In the letter, Marcus expresses great happiness at her first reply, telling her he wept to receive it. He also mentions that he rarely cries as an adult; two other times include learning that he would be a father and learning that he would miss her growing up due to his incarceration. He answers Zoe’s question about calling her “Little Tomato”: The nickname comes from a cross-genre group called Pink Martini and their song “Hang On Little Tomato.” Marcus shares that he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology while incarcerated and is currently earning a master’s degree.

Zoe feels an odd sense of respite: “Reading that letter, it was like I’d been tensing my whole body for all of my twelve years, and now I could finally relax. A least a little bit” (60). That night Zoe downloads “Hang On Little Tomato” and likes the song’s message about thinking optimistically and counting on better times ahead. She composes a new letter to Marcus, complimenting his hard work on his education and mentioning her internship and hope for participating in the TV show.