Chapter 32: Peter's Day Outside

**PRESENTLY…

Peter had left the house the next morning. He left early so he could arrive at the fish market on time. Not everyone on the Island was a fisherman so some people had to buy their seafood from the markets.

This was one of the ways Peter made money to pay for his basic necessities. He took his cart and horse and was off. Peter rode into town and on the way, found an elderly man who was wounded in the leg.

Peter stopped and went to the man's aid.

"Hey there, my friend. Are you alright?" He asked the wounded man.

"Of course, I'm not. Don't you see me holding my leg in discomfort?" The man replied sarcastically.

"Let me have a look," Peter said and examined the man's injury.

"Looks like a sprained ankle. We just need to wrap it up and put some ice on it and it'll be fine."

Peter took out a piece of cloth from his cart and bandaged the man's foot.

"What's your name, my friend?" Peter inquired.

"Pablo!"

"Hello, Pablo. My name's Peter. So, where are you headed? Maybe I can drop you off because you shouldn't be putting any weight on that leg until it's healed."

"l was heading to the Fish market to get some crabs. I was in a hurry and I tripped and well, this happened," Pablo answered, staring at his sprained foot.

"Well, you're in luck, Pablo. I'm also heading to the market and they'll surely have some ice that you can put on your foot."

Peter helped him onto the cart and they both rode off to the market. Along the way, Pablo decided to make small talk with his helper.

"So, Peter, tell me. Why are you going to the market this early?"

Peter waved away a fly that was bothering him and scratched his ear.

"I caught a large batch of fish just yesterday. I can't eat them all on my own so I'm taking some of them to sell at the market, get some money for

my troubles." He answered.

"That's unexpected," Pablo said.

"What is?" Peter asked.

"I'm just surprised that a handsome, hard-working, and kind man such as yourself lives alone at this age. I would think you had a wife and some kids."

Peter's thoughts travelled back to the past when his wife and daughter were still alive. The pain of the memories was too much so he tried not to think about it. He remembered that Sharon told him that he had to talk about it and unburden himself otherwise he would never find peace and wouldn't be able to move on with his life. So, he decided to pour his heart out to this stranger.

"I did have a family. I had a wife and a beautiful daughter," he finally brought himself to say.

"Had?" Pablo wasn't sure what that one word signified.

"They died! Three years ago, out in the ocean."

"I'm so sorry about that, Amigo. It must have been a terrible time for you," Pablo said empathetically.

"It was!"

.

.

.

The two men finally arrived at the marketplace and stopped right near the entrance to the fish market.

"Here we are, Pablo. Are you heading in? Do you need some help?" Peter offered.

"You've helped me enough, Peter. I need to get some other things before I get my crabs."

"Will you be able to walk?"

"I'll be fine, my friend," Pablo said and descended from the cart.

He offered his hand to Peter and shook it.

"Thanks for all your help, Peter. You're a good man. I'm glad that you finally found a woman to keep you company after so many years alone. It's a difficult thing to find love again after you lose it but you have and I'm happy for you," Pablo said to Peter, obviously referring to Sharon whom Peter had told him about on the way.

Pablo started to limp away and Peter stared at him until he was out of sight. Peter felt lighter and although his emotional wounds weren't completely healed, just like Pablo, he decided that he'll keep walking through the pain until he was whole again.

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

"Hector, we're back," Victoria called out to her brother as she and Sharon entered the shop.

Hector came out of the storage room that he was almost done cleaning up and clearing out.

"Great! Did you girls manage to get everything you needed?" He asked.

"Yes, we got the brushes, paint, canvases, more palettes and so much more" Victoria answered enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Sir. You can just leave everything on the floor there," she said to the man they hired to transport the materials.

He took everything out and put them in a corner, tilted his hat, and left.

"And you? Did enjoy your trip to the market?" Hector asked Sharon.

"It was fine. Please excuse me," Sharon said sharply and walked out of the store into the behind.

"What's wrong with her?" Hector asked his sister, suspecting that Sharon was upset by something.

"I don't know. She's been acting weird since we left the market." Victoria replied.

"She's just probably still shaken up over what almost happened to her last night." Hector figured.

Sharon walked over to the water jug and poured some into a cup. She drank it all in a huge gulp. She was sweating and her body was trembling. Her breathing was heavy and she was hyperventilating. Her anxiety and fear were taking their toll and she was panicking badly.

She fell and sat in a corner of the room, trying to catch her breath.

"He can't find me here, he can't find me here. I'm safe here, I'm safe here," Sharon said over and over and over again like a chant or a mantra, trying to calm herself.