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Sa time

And love

Wasn’t ive

But God

Must have had sympathy

And suddenly

God gave Beth to me

Chapter 19

Sunshine

Sunshine had been in a blue funk ever since her dinner with Beth She blamed the fish tacos She knew better than to order them Her memories of Peter were invariably tied to their favorite Friday-night date at the Mexican restaurant The plate came with three tacos, she recalled Peter would eat thile she ate one Even after all these years, she could still taste the delicate spice-coated white fish served on warm homemade corn tortillas with finely chopped onion, toed the a plate She ate the rice and Peter loved the refried black beans Their food was none of the Tex-Mex that was so popular these days This was as authentic as it got

As authentic as their love

Peter was in art school with her at Coluifted beyond anyone she’d ever known He was as passionate about his art as she was about her own The difference was that Sunshine had her family’s love and support Peter didn’t He’d defied his father, who had refused to finance his schooling Peter’s father was a corporate attorney and expected his only son to follow in his footsteps When Peter chose art school over his father’s objections, it caused a rift in their relationship that rivaled that of the Grand Canyon The only way Peter was able to attend was due to hisShe’d returned to the workforce as an art/history teacher in order to pay his expenses The round because she’d stood up to her tyrannical husband

Sunshine first saw Peter at the campus library, and he immediately piqued her interest He sat at the table across the rooht when she laid eyes on hi and always in his eyes He constantly brushed it aside In retrospect it was probably the motion of his hand as he pushed away the curls from his face that first attracted her attention He looked up then and their eyes lacier Dark hair Blue eyes She was lost

E him, she quickly looked down and dutifully continued her research When she glanced up again a few one and her heart sank

She returned the next night and Peter was there, too, sitting one table closer to her They eyed each other several tiht before, he left before she did, and again she sed her disappointht she decided if he didn’t h, he was at the library when she arrived She wasn’t nearly as bold or as outgoing then as she was now Wanting to , she plopped her books down on the table next to him and pulled out her chair

"I’m Louise," she said

"Peter"

"My friends call me Sunshine"

"What should I call you?"

"What would you like to call me?"

He s in the library The entire area seehter, sunnier "I’d like to call you for a date"

Sunshine had laughed, garnering glares fronht she saw him The only reason she’d returned to the library ith the hope of seeing Peter again Instead they passed notes to each other

Caught up in the memories, Sunshine made herself a cup of tea and ventured into her art roo comfort there as she re was still fresh in her mind