Sara in the Market

Sara was somewhat overburdened.

She had made the trip to the market this morning to purchase fresh fruit for her family, among other sundries; finding the fruit merchant whom she customarily frequented incapacitated with fever, Sara went in search of another, finding a man named Oscar to fill this need. His prices were reasonable, and Sara bought fruit in quantity; but, alas, without foresight. Now, as (having paid), Sara sought to stagger away with her basket of fruit, the pile contained within teetered, tottered - and fell.

There was a sound which might have been very well described as a splat.

"Ah!" Sara cried out, distressed. She looked around the shop; fruit was rolling everywhere. "What a mess - what a horrible mess!" Swiftly, she bent down, and began to gather what fruit she could; the proprietor came out from behind his counter to help her. Even still, when the work was done, a half-dozen fruit lay squashed on the floor. "I'm so sorry," Sara said with great chagrin in her voice. "I'll help clean it up, it's the least I can do - "

But Oscar the shopkeeper shook his head. Upon Sara's basket, he placed fruit to replace those which she had accidentally ruined: two lemons, two apples, a pear and a melon; and on top of them all, an orange, fresh and bright. "Don't worry about it," he told her with compassion in his voice. "I'll clean it up."

Sara, surprised, looked Oscar straight in the eyes; and in them she saw a look of such tenderness, such humanity, such vulnerability that her heart straightaway melted, filled with a desire to help.

She opened her mouth to say something of the sort; but Oscar blinked, just for an instant, and when his eyes opened once more, there was no emotion in them at all.

So Sara left the shop that day, being very very careful with her fruit, and returned to her home; and within her heart, an intention was formed. She would woo this man, this Oscar. She would find the source of the pain hidden away within his heart; and she would heal it.

From the moment she first saw it, she had no other choice.