Cheryl Harper - Winner Takes All

They loved her and wanted the best for her, but the “best” was always safe, predictable and matched what they wanted, too.

The freedom felt so good.

The straggling line of kids dressed in school uniforms was right outside her window, practically begging to be her first adventure in bad Spanish.

She grabbed the candy and eased out of the truck, not quite convinced her plan was solid but more certain staring out the window because she was afraid to take a chance was a serious fail.

No one on the sidewalk moved.

“Would it be okay if I—” She held up the camera and mimed taking shots. The women in charge of the group turned and spoke in rapid-fire Spanish. Stephanie had no hope of keeping up and cursed this trip and its lack of planning. If only she’d had time to cram. Visiting Peru would have been a lot less intimidating if she could do more than ask where the bathroom and library were.

Finally the women agreed and gathered the children into a neat group. The backdrop of the dusty street and the church across the square filled the frame with a real slice of daily life. Stephanie snapped the photo and then turned the camera around to show the women. “Very pretty. Bonita .”

They nodded and answered her. Waving her hands, Stephanie said, “Lo siento. No hablo espanol. Malo.” She was sorry. The questions she wanted to ask burned on her tongue. This once-in-a-lifetime chance to make friends and her inability to do it would bother her for a long time. More than anything she wanted to ask about school, what they were studying and how they liked it. She could ask the mothers about their days and what it was like living with all this beautiful sunshine.

Meeting people and being unable to connect was torture. She didn’t want to let the opportunity slip away.

You won the lottery. There’s no reason this has to be your last chance, Stephanie.

Reassured that her dismal language ability wouldn’t hold her back forever, she grabbed a handful of candy and offered it to the women. In a heartbeat, the kids had cleared all the inventory and lined up for seconds. Their beautiful grins made it impossible to say no.

While she was rummaging in the truck, the commotion behind her turned from quiet giggles to happy squeals and cries of “Doctor! Doctor!”

She was busted.

Not that she’d had any intention of trying to pretend she’d followed his orders.

Still, it might have been nice to have the choice.

Determined to show him that she was different, even if she had to learn how to be different on this trip, Stephanie straightened her shoulders and tossed a bag of candy to him. “Found it.” Then she smiled brightly in response to his complete lack of expression and picked up her shield, the camera.

With the lens between them and a circle of kids surrounding him, his features softened. Instead of impatient, Daniel was happy. Kind. Following the excited conversation was beyond her, but it was clear that he knew these kids, remembered their names and could tease them into more laughter.

She’d seen him striding down the halls of Holly Heights Hospital. In a white coat and a dark tie, he’d been intimidating, even awe-inspiring. The kind of man it was impossible to argue with or doubt.

In his dirty jeans, ragged shirt and messy curls, Daniel looked more like an adventure guide than a man who’d performed complicated surgery in sterile operating rooms.

He also smiled like a man who enjoyed every single minute of his life.

Maybe she wasn’t the only one who’d come to Peru to make a change.

She should take a page from his book.

With her luck it would be written in Spanish, but that didn’t make reading it impossible.

All she needed was a translator.

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