Fifty-two

“I need to talk to you,” I said to Delora after finishing our shift. This wasn't going to be easy. I had always hated saying goodbyes.

“What's going on?” She frowned, looking at me. “Do you want to go for a walk?” I nodded. The two of us walked out of the café and I wrapped my denim jacket around myself. There was a cool breeze. “So what's bothering you?” she wondered.

I didn't know how I was supposed to tell her. With a trembling sigh, I blurted, “I'm leaving.” I couldn't look at her face.

“Leaving as in… leaving Peru?” She sounded unsure.

“Yes,” I whispered. We stayed silent for a while. I didn't have anything to say. Actually, I did have a lot to say, but the words got caught up in my throat.

“It’s because of them, right? You weren't planning on leaving before you saw them,” she said. Her voice was quiet and I wasn't sure what she was trying to conceal.

“I have to go back,” I rasped. “There are many things you don't know about me an