No Fear!

Emma dashed into the market, searching for the good vanilla. She needed something special to give her mom to soften her mood. She spotted the place she was looking for but had to wait behind a tall man with an old crumply cowboy hat. She stood behind him and could hear him speaking to the vendor. His voice was so familiar. She shook it off, realizing that she met so many people at the hotel. Finally, he moved on. She handed the bottle she wanted along with some pesos to the sales lady, and asked for a bag. It was then that she remembered whose voice she’d heard. It was the old man from her dream, the man that had been murdered. In a panic, she left the vendor who was still looking for where she had put her bags. The old man was tall, so Emma was able to spot him easily. She moved as fast as she could but it was difficult with all the shoppers. Then, she saw him turn a corner, and make eye contact. He put his hand to his hat and tipped it as if to greet her. Her mouth dropped, now aware that he was playing with her. She pushed herself harder to get to him. She got to the junction where he had turned, and there he was, as if he was waiting for her. Again, he tipped his hat to greet her, but this time he spoke, “Emma, so good to see you. Ben was like a son to me.”

Emma felt a hand on her shoulder, and whipped around to see who it was. “Gloria, I didn’t know you were here.”

“Emma, I’m so proud of you and how you delivered the history lecture.” Then she saw the look of horror on Emma’s face. “What is it, Honey?  Tell me, Emma.”

Emma turned around, but he was gone.