Elena picked up the fallen wallet from the side of the road, it was dusk and she had not eaten anything since last night. It was after 20 minutes of consideration she had picked up the wallet and ran away with it. She took the money and was about to throw the wallet away when she noticed the photo inside. She was a beautiful woman, maybe his wife; the person whose wallet this was. She kept the wallet in her bag and quickly went to get some food for herself. During the night, she was fiddling with her bag and remembered the wallet. She took it out and kept looking at the woman in the photo. She felt so bad about stealing that she wanted to return the wallet to its rightful owner. But there was no contact information, just a name at the back of the photo. The very next day she went in search of the person whose name was on the photo and got to know that he was no more. He had died in an accident and his family was nowhere to be found. She was saddened and filled with guilt that she took a dead man’s wallet but also relieved that at least she tried. Maybe they were not to be found right now. After that day, she kept looking for that woman’s face everywhere she went. Maybe it was her guilty conscience that kept that face in her mind all the time. And just like that five years went by and she moved on with her life still looking for that face. Then one day, as she was passing by a coffee shop, she recognized a face. She quickly opened her wallet to double check, it was the same as the woman’s photo she had. She wanted to go in and talk to her so desperately, but she couldn't just go up to her and start talking. She decided she would go in and sit next to the woman and just observe her, maybe even get to know her a little bit. Nobody came to visit her, the woman just sat there sipping her coffee and reading the headlines of the day. She got a muffin to go and started to leave. Elena also got up and started to follow her. She followed her from a distance and they reached a secluded area twenty minutes later. Elena was a little scared seeing such a place but she kept going and saw that she was entering a house. It was strange to see such a woman live in a shady area like this, she thought. She decided to stay and look inside the house for a while. She found a small window which looked inside the main lobby of the house. Elena kneeled down and looked inside and saw a small baby with the woman. She wondered how she could leave her baby alone in the house while she was out. The next day she came back to the secluded house and learned a little bit about the daily routine of the woman. She had a little problem sitting on her knees because of her prosthetic leg so she bent on the other one and kept the prosthetic leg straight. She learned that the woman’s baby girl was about 3 years of age and took most of her time, she seemed to be a very demanding child. Overall, she seemed normal but the fact that she was living in a jungle didn't make much sense. What could’ve possibly forced her to live in a place like this, she wondered. Elena came back the next morning and knocked on the woman’s door, it took a lot of courage and a lot of thinking the previous night. “Hi” said Elena as the woman opened the door “What do you want?” she asked “I just wanted to give you what was yours, that’s all” said Elena showing her the wallet she held upright in her hand “How did you get that?” she asked “Please let me in, i will tell you everything” “Ok” she said and let Elena in They sat down on the living room couch and the woman kept staring at Elena with suspicion. “I found this wallet about five years ago on the side of the road. That was not a very good time in my life. I had just been discharged from my duty and i had no place to live, no family and no food. When i saw the wallet i quickly grabbed it and took all the money it had. I wanted to throw the wallet away but there was a picture of you inside it. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I wanted to return the wallet to your husband but i found that he was already gone. I kept the wallet and looked for your face in every woman i saw after that day. You intrigue me and that’s what kept me going for all these years. When i saw you two days ago at the coffee shop i couldn’t come up to you and say hi, i just kept looking at you” explained Elena “Wow, i never thought this would ever happen to me” said the woman “Thank you very much for the wallet, my name is Sara and i don't know what else to say to you except thank you” she said flustered “Well, i should go then” Elena said as she got up to go “Yes, umm..do you want to go for coffee sometime?” Sara asked “I would love to” “Great, will meet you tomorrow evening at 5, the same cafe you saw me for the first time” confirmed Sara Elena left the house happy and giddy. She didn't know what was happening but for the first time in many years she felt that she had some friends by her side and she felt safe and happy. The next evening they met and sat there for a few hours chit chatting and giggling. “So, what’s your story?” asked Sara pointing to her prosthetic leg “Well..” To be continued here...