“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go to the market and get it for you. Give me the wallet.”
He looked annoyed with himself as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the wallet. “There weren’t any raincoats around when I walked around the market earlier this morning or I would have swiped one then. You should get yourself another bottle of water and something to eat while you’re out.”
I opened the wallet and ran my thumb along the notes. There weren’t many left, but I hoped that there would be enough.
I motioned to leave but Caleb held me back. He looked down at me seriously. “Be careful. And don’t be longer than ten minutes. I’ll be waiting here in the lounge. A minute longer, and I’ll come looking for you.”
I nodded and checked the clock on the wall. “I’ll hurry.”
I tried to leave again, but again he held me back. He slipped a hand into his shorts pocket and drew out a sheathed knife. He gripped my hand and placed it into my palm, closing my fingers over it.
“What? Where did you get—”
“Just take it with you,” he whispered.
I looked around the lobby, hoping nobody had seen what Caleb just handed me. We were the only ones in reception other than the woman, who was busy reading. I exhaled, hiking up my dress and fastening the knife to my underwear as best I could. I dropped my dress and straightened it out. “Okay.”
Finally, Caleb let me go. I rushed through the main entrance and down the steps to the street below. The sun blinded me as the heat hit my skin, and I could already feel myself beginning to sweat. The street bustled with life. Market stands were set up on either side of the road. I held the wallet closer against me as I scanned the stalls. I couldn’t afford to have anyone pickpocket me.
I passed a fruit stand and eyed the ripe papayas hungrily. They also sold cold drinks. But my priority was the raincoat. Once I was sure I had enough money for that, I could spend the rest on food for myself. Without the raincoat, we weren’t going anywhere.
I was beginning to notice a pattern in the types of stands I was passing. During my first minute of jogging along the sidewalk, it was mostly food stands, but now I was approaching more souvenirs, and soon clothes. I stopped at what seemed like the largest garment stall and began sifting through the racks.
“Posso ajudar?”
I looked up to see a young man with deep tan skin peering over one of the racks.
“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese.”
He smiled. “Oh, I speak English. No problem. Can I help with anything?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I’m looking for a raincoat. The longest one you have.”
“Planning to go trekking through the rainforest?” He flashed me another grin.
“Uh, yeah.”
He walked over to the opposite end of the stall and sifted through the hangers. He pulled out a long black suit and handed it to me. It was clearly designed for exploring a jungle. It was long and made of canvas rather than plastic, which meant it was breathable. It also had a large hood and a flap that fell across the face, with thin mesh around the eye, mouth and nose area to allow for breathing. It was more of a bee suit than a raincoat, designed for heavy-duty excursions. Perfect.
“My uncle runs a tour company, if you’re in search of a guide…”
I barely heard him. My heart dropped as I looked at the price. I opened the wallet and fingered through the notes.
“Something wrong?”
“Do you have anything similar to this but cheaper?” I asked.
He frowned and walked back over to the rack.
“Hm. No, I’m sorry. That’s the cheapest we have.”
I cursed beneath my breath.
“Okay. I’m afraid I can’t afford it, but thanks for your time.”
I walked away from the stall and moved on to the next one. Not all of them spoke English, which made my search even harder. But that seemed to be the only stall that sold what we needed. I was also sure that ten minutes had passed already. I couldn’t find a clock anywhere to check the time. I didn’t want Caleb to have to put himself through the agony of the sun to come chasing after me. But I also knew that I couldn’t return without a coat.
My thoughts drifted back to the suit I’d seen earlier at the friendly young man’s stall.
As much as it grated against my conscience, I did the only thing I could think of. I walked back over toward the stall and stopped behind a tree opposite it. Peering round the trunk, I spotted the man. He had his back turned as he chatted with a pretty woman who looked after the stall next to him. I left my hiding place and drew nearer, crossing the road quickly. I hurried over to the rack and, reaching out for the suit, unhooked it from the rail. Casting aside the hanger, I rolled the coat into a bundle and tucked it under my arm.
A pang of guilt hit me as I hurried away. That was the first time I’d stolen anything in my life. And that man had been so friendly. I felt tainted, dirty, for doing it. But my desperation had overcome my values.
As it turned out, I didn’t have long to feel bad about it. Guilt soon turned to panic as a hoarse voice shouted out from my left.
“Oi!”
My heart leapt into my throat.
I caught a glimpse of another tan man—perhaps a relative—glaring at me about five feet away from where I stood. I hadn’t noticed him in my rush to grab the coat. I lurched forward, snaking in and out of the crowd, trying to speed up. Footsteps thudded behind me, followed by more shouts in Portuguese. People in the crowd were beginning to respond to the commotion, turning their heads as I rushed past them. A woman lurched for my midriff in front of me. I swerved to the side just in time to miss her. The knife Caleb had given me slid out from my underwear and dropped to the ground. My heart pounding, my parched throat stinging, I couldn’t afford to slow down.