COMPLETED -IS IT LUV? OR EROTIC?

PEEPPER (the third story)

In his car, he opened the note. In a hasty almost child-like scrawl it read: TUESDAY  1 PM PARK.

His mind raced as he imagined their meeting.

Douglas spent the next four days roaming the park watching people. He did not see anything that looked suspicious. Just families, couples, joggers flowing around him in a steady stream of humanity going about their own businesses.

Tuesday morning he went to the park carrying a newspaper and sat on a bench pretending to read. No one he noticed paid him any attention. In fact, he was just another middle-aged man relaxing in the sunshine of the day. At eleven he left the park and went home to change. He did not want anyone to recognize him so he reasoned a change of clothing would give him another identity. Not that he would think anyone would care about him.

He was back on the bench at fifteen to one. again he was pretending to read his newspaper. But this time he kept his face buried behind its pages. Precisely at one, he felt someone sit on the bench and heard a girl's voice say, "Stand up turn right and go to the sixth bench and sit there again." A quick glance told him it was not the girl who he had been delivering pizza to but another slightly older woman. 

He followed these instructions. Puzzled why she was taking these precautions. But then he had done the same thing for four days.

Without a glance at the girl, he did as she had said. When he was seated the girl from the house was already sitting there.  He glanced back the way he had come but there was no one sitting on the bench he had just vacated.

"Can we talk freely.", he asked.

"Yes.", she answered in a soft low voice. "why did you talk to me?"

"What's wrong? You seem so sad when I brought the pizzas."

The girl looked at him with those sad eyes that had captured him when he first saw her up close. She took a deep breath and said, "I am not happy. My husband mistreats me and uses me for his own twisted desires. I do not know why I am talking about this with a perfect stranger but it has been boiling in me for several years. and your kind words and kind face gave me the courage to meet with you. I do not know what to do. I feel hopeless. I am considering killing myself. Our marriage, if you can call it that, was arranged by our parents even before we were born. And if you ever knew what really happens in that house it would make you sick."

It was all he could do to keep from telling her he knew all about it and what happens to her.

"What are you prepared to do", he asked.

"I want to run away. But I am afraid he and our families will find me and it would be worse. I would be tortured and beaten until I submitted to him to do whatever he wants." She began to cry. 

He asked, "Who was that girl who sat with me? Is she the only person who knows we are meeting like this? By the way, my name is Douglas."

The girl nodded. Then she said, "I am Anna."

"Can she be trusted?"

"Yes, she is my sister and knows everything about what I am going through.", she replied in a whisper between sobs.

Douglas thought for a long time and said, "Is there anything in your house that you absolutely need?"

She shook her head no.

"OK", said Douglas. "I am going to get up and I want you to follow me. You have to trust me in this and I can help you. OK?"

"Yes, I have no choice now.", Anna said.

They walked three blocks and Douglas stopped in front of a small grocery store. When she came up to him he whispered, "go inside and just walk around the aisles and I will be in there shortly."