The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

The woman (Martina) who rescues Harold witnesses his fall from her window. She brings him into her house. Harold asks her not to call a doctor, afraid they will send him home. The woman is young and curses often through a thick accent. Harold has read about people like her in the newspaper, who come to England “for the benefits.” He explains his reasons for walking. The woman flatly informs Harold that he cannot make it to Berwick with his shoes and body broken. Her cursing reminds Harold of David. He admits that his situation is bleak, but he can’t shake his faith that he will make it. The woman smiles and offers him a room for the night.

The woman’s name is Martina; she is from Slovakia. She has a dog, which belongs to her partner. Harold remembers David wanting a dog. Martina leads Harold to a spare room and leaves him alone. Harold is frightened he cannot keep going. He rereads Queenie’s letter, finally providing the reader with its full text. In it, Queenie tells him about her cancer and thanks him for his friendship. She sends her regards to Maureen and expresses a fondness for David. Harold feels ashamed for letting Queenie down. Martina returns with a first aid kit, insisting that Harold tend to his blistered feet. Grateful, Harold removes his socks and shoes, embarrassed by the state of his body.

Martina trained as a doctor in Slovakia, which is where she met her partner. She examines Harold’s feet and leg. Martina drains and bandages his blisters while Harold looks away. He feels “too English,” overly concerned with appearing ordinary and polite. When Harold’s father kicked him out, Harold vowed to rise above his origins, though he still feels pursued by the past. Martina puts antibiotics on Harold’s feet and offers him her partner’s old boots, but he is loyal to his yachting shoes. She asks about David, and Harold feels a different pain. He tells Martina he failed his son and Queenie 20 years ago, but he does not elaborate beyond insisting it will never be “good enough.”

Harold calls Maureen but their connection is patchy. Martina gives him painkillers, but his sleep is fitful. The next day, Martina asks him to rest for one more day, as his leg is still healing. Despite his fear of dogs, Harold agrees to keep Martina’s partner’s dog company while she works. He tells Martina about the “aunts” (his father’s various lovers), his mother’s abandonment, and Maureen’s natural ability to mother David. Martina seems softer when she smiles. Harold feels safe confiding in her, like he did with Queenie, and he realizes he has missed friendship. Harold spends the day mending his glasses and working in Martina’s garden. When Martina returns, she has repaired his yachting shoes.

Harold has dinner with Martina. He intends to set out at first light the next day and is sorry not to have met her partner. Martina admits that her partner is gone—though they moved to England together, he abandoned her for another woman with whom he shares a child, leaving all his belongings behind. Martina wishes she had Harold’s faith, feeling she waits for the impossible—her partner’s return. Harold thinks of how quickly life changes and of Maureen—he understands Martina’s sadness. Martina gifts him socks, a rucksack, and a compass, saying Harold was her guest. When Harold leaves, he sees Martina watching him from the window and feels it is “hard to understand a little and then walk away.”