Memory Lane

In the dining area, a huge spread was on the table, with foods of all shapes and sizes and Sharon ate to her stomach's content.

She was shown the rest of the house which included a garden, a lake, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a tree house, and the art gallery which was newly built by Mr Worthington specifically for Sharon to paint in.

That evening, Addicus returned from work and when Sharon saw him, she ran to him and hugged him.

"Hey there, little one. You look excited. I trust you had a good day?" He asked, expecting a nod since she hadn't spoken since he took her from the orphanage.

"Yes, I did. Everyone was so nice, especially Martha. I like her a lot," she replied, much to his surprise.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun and I'm happy to hear you talking again. Did you see your gallery?"

"Is it truly all mine?" She asked joyfully.

"It's all yours and it's filled with paints, canvases and brushes. Everything you'll need to make beautiful paintings," he replied.

"Thank you, sir," she said while hugging him.

"You're very welcome. And, don't call me sir, you make me seem old that way. Call me Addicus, okay...or James? That sounds easier to pronounce," he teased.

"Okay, James."

The next few weeks passed and Sharon had settled in nicely at the mansion. She had been admitted into an all-girls school. Addicus had also employed a professional painter to tutor her and slowly but surely, she was getting better.

He took her to events and introduced her as his ward and not his daughter. She was so happy that the troubling memories of her parents' death were barely on her mind, although she did remember occasionally and miss them terribly.

.

.

.

A few months later, Jacobos paid Addicus a visit. He walked into the house and went straight for his office. He got there only to find that Addicus wasn't there.

"Where is your master?" He asked one of the staff.

"The master is with his daughter at the tennis court," she answered.

"Daughter?" Jacobos thought to himself and found the title quite inappropriate, considering...

Addicus was playing tennis with Sharon, teaching her the basics and they looked like they were having fun. Addicus noticed Jacobos standing by and excused himself, instructing one of his employees to continue playing with Sharon.

"I trust you have good news for me?" He asked the lawyer when he reached him.

"Indeed I do, sir. Could we talk here or in your office?" Jacobos asked, looking at Sharon.

"You still worry about her?" Addicus asked him after noticing him stare at the girl.

"Don't you?"

"Of course not! She completely adores me and to be honest, I'm getting quite fond of her," Addicus said as they walked towards his office.

He turned around and said to Sharon that he had to leave for work and waved her goodbye and she did the same.

"You should have left her at the orphanage. This decision might one day come back to haunt you," Jacobos warned.

"Don't you think I should have her here where I can keep an eye on her rather than anywhere else?" He asked Jacobos who couldn't give him an answer.

"Never mind that! What news do you have for me?"

"Good news, Sir. I just got word from Jacksonville. They have extracted over fifty tons worth of gold and the factory construction is officially complete which means we can begin production," Jacobos informed.

"Good! Spread the word out to all our potential buyers. Tell them that in a few months, my company will have the finest quality products. We will expand to the farthest reaches of the nation and then, the whole world and I will become the richest man on the face of the earth," Addicus said.

**BACK IN THE PRESENT...

Peter's net had caught something big and the creature was trying desperately to get out of it.

"What is it?" Sharon asked him.

He ran over to the side of the boat, where the net was and looked.

"It's a Marlin, a really huge one at that," he replied.

"Are they endangered?" She asked purely out of curiosity.

"I don't think they are. They're very hard to catch but they are really tasty," he answered.

Back at the cottage, Peter and Sharon were both in the kitchen making stew with the Marlin fish. They were playfully passing each other pots and spoons and spices.

"I've been on this Island for three years. I've gone to the sea almost every day since then, but never...never had I caught a Marlin before. But then I go out to the sea with you and bam! There's a marlin in my pot," Peter said.

"I guess I'm good luck, aren't I?" she said, feeling proud of her involvement in catching the rare fish.

"Yeah, you sure are," he said and gave her a high five.

The dinner was completely delicious and both Peter and Sharon couldn't help but go for seconds.

"Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun," Sharon said to him.

"I hope those suicidal thoughts of yours are gone now?" He teased.

"Long gone!' She added with a chuckle.

The night was a beautiful one. The sky was filled with stars and the ocean breeze blew softly. They both sat outside on the swing chair looking at the sky.

"So, can you tell what happened next?" Peter asked, wanting her to continue with her story.

"For many years, it was all the same. He was kind and loving. I was happy and content. His business grew larger and he became even wealthier. He became one of the richest men in Colorado in just a couple of years and he showered me with expensive gifts ranging from bracelets, necklaces, and trips to Paris for shopping and vacations. It was all a fairytale life until things started to change, and not for the better," she said with a gloomy tune.

"What made everything change?" Peter asked.

"I turned eighteen! I became a woman and Addicus noticed. He stopped treating me like a child and more like an adult. He started to..." She couldn't say the words.

"It's okay, Sharon. You don't have to talk about it. God, I hate seeing you like this." Peter said and moved closer to her, not wanting to even imagine what Addicus might have done to her.

He gave her a warm and reassuring hug. They stayed in each other's arms for a while and then she raised her head and looked into his eyes. His dark pupils sunk deep into hers. They leaned into each other and their lips touched lightly and then, deeply. They found a sort of comfort in each other's lips and they shared this fiery moment for what seemed to last a lifetime.