Peter's Story I
Peter pulled away from her with regret visible in his eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't pleased with what had just happened between them.
"I'm sorry about that," he said to Sharon but before she could respond, he left and went inside.
Sharon wasn't sure what went wrong. They both seemed to have wanted the kiss to happen, but now he was acting like he wished it hadn't.
Later, she also went inside and as she walked past his room, she wanted to knock and talk to him about it but she decided to leave him alone. Maybe it would be better to talk tomorrow.
.
.
.
The next morning, Sharon woke up and went downstairs but before she got there, Peter had already taken his horse and wagon to the market to buy some necessities.
He had mentioned at dinner the previous night that they needed more groceries so she understood why he left but she couldn't help but feel a bit hurt that he didn't even speak to her before leaving. She felt like he purposely avoided her because of their kiss last night.
She planned to talk to him when he returned but in the meantime, she decided to do some chores. She did the dishes, checked on his backyard garden where he planted only flowers and watered them, swept the entire house and cleaned the outhouse.
She also washed some of his clothes and the ones she had been wearing as well. Peter had mentioned taking her into town to get some clothes for her but she didn't want to because the clothes already in her room were perfect and were her size. Peter was adamant about her getting her own clothes but later changed his mind after Sharon convinced him, saying she didn't want him to spend his money on her.
Later at noon, Peter returned from the market with the groceries. Sharon was upstairs taking a nap so she didn't know he had returned. He put all the things where they needed to be and went up to check on Sharon. He walked over to her room quietly and opened the door. He peeked in and when he saw that she was asleep, he went back down and realized that the entire house was spotless. He looked out the window and saw washed clothes hanging on the line.
"No wonder she's tired. She cleaned the entire house," he said with a smile on his face.
Almost an hour later, Sharon woke up from her nap. She looked out the window and saw Peter's wagon and horse. He was back so she decided to go speak with him. As she left the room and moved through the corridor, she noticed that the door to Peter's room was wide open and could hear sobs coming from inside the room.
She looked in and saw Peter sitting on the floor, softly crying with a picture frame clutched in his arms. She stood still for a while, unsure of what to do. Then, she walked up to him and hugged him, trying to ease whatever pain he was feeling.
"Peter, what's wrong?" She asked, truly concerned.
He just held on to her and kept crying.
"It's okay, Peter. It's okay."
And they both sat there, hand in hand, in each other's embrace, without saying a single word.
"This house was our vacation home. My wife and daughter loved it so much because of the trees and the ocean. We came here every summer and we fished, played on the beach, went to see the animals in the reserves and watched the stars at night," Peter told Sharon.
They were now outside on the swing chair. Peter decided to share with her the reason he was crying and that reason was his family and how he lost them.
"Debora was the sweetest girl when she was little but as she got older, she became a handful, " Peter said with a sad smile on his face.
"How old was she?" Sharon asked.
"Seventeen," he replied.
No wonder her clothes fit me! Sharon thought quietly.
"What happened to them?"
"They died...and I couldn't save them," Peter said as he recalled the events that lead up to their deaths.
3 YEARS AGO
"Dad, I don't want to go," Debora said to her father.
"Why not, cupcake? We always go to the beach house every summer," he wondered.
"I know we do but I want to stay here. I made some friends at school and they're so interesting. They have plans for the summer and I want to spend it with them," she said.
Jane, Peter's wife, walked into the room. She had overheard her daughter from the other room.
"So, you'd rather spend the summer with some strangers you just met instead of your parents ?" she asked with a teasing tone.
"Yeah! Look, I like the beach house but don't you think I'm getting a little too old for this family tradition?" She asked.
Her parents stared at each other in playful disbelief.
"I want to see other places, not just the island. I want to visit Paris and Rome and so many more places," she added.
"And these friends of yours are going to see all these places?" Jane asked with a raised brow.
"Well, no, but they'll surely do a lot of fun activities. Please, dad, can I stay?" she asked while holding his hand, making puppy-dog eyes to persuade him.
He looked at his wife who stood behind Debora and she gestured "No" to him with her hands, hinting that she wanted him not to let her stay.
"Okay, how about this? We go to the island one more time and if next summer you say you want to go elsewhere with your friends, you will be allowed. How about that?" He offered.
"Fine! It's a deal," She accepted and they both shook on it.
"Now, go and pack your suitcase. The ship leaves in the morning and we have to get there on time or we'll miss it," Peter said with a smile.
"Thank you, daddy," She said and ran off to pack her suitcase.
"You know you spoil her, don't you? She has you wrapped around her finger," Jane said, moving towards him.
"Just like her mother," he teased and they kissed.