Member-only story
Pedro
An artist in search of faces
Pedro was a loner, and had always been one. Never in his 55 years had Pedro ever felt lonely, though. So why did he suddenly feel lonely now? Standing on the balcony of his hotel room, Pedro stared out at the ocean in hopes of being drawn out of that loneliness.
Pedro was an only child whose parents died in a car accident when Pedro was eleven years old. Since then he had led a solitary life. While finishing school, he lived with an aunt whom he grew to love. He blossomed with her support, becoming an artist. After finishing school at age 22, Pedro left his aunt’s care to wander the world. Now, 33 years later, he was still wandering.
Even as a child, Pedro refused to join gangs — or any group for that matter. He was not shy. He had no problem interacting with people, but for some strange reason, Pedro had no impulse to cling to anyone or any group. As he became a man, he had several lovers over time and distance, but marriage was out of the question — children, too. No, Pedro had to constantly be moving. Like Tom Robbins’ fictional character, Sissy Hankshaw, he had no destination; it was the movement that Pedro craved.
Being an artist, Pedro could do his work anywhere, and he was successful enough to do it only when he wanted to. In 33 years, Pedro had traveled extensively, meeting people all over the world…
