Wake Up And Smell Life's Roses

Harry woke up abruptly.  He found that he had left his window open and the sun was backing up a baby robin in its debut. He stirred restlessly and the robin stopped - unsure, but the figure moved no more.  Soon though it leaped out of the bed and raced down the stairs.  It stared aghast at the open garage door.  Pottery or rather, making candlesticks had been his occupation since his wife Meredith had died 4 years ago. 

Gingerly Harry pushed aside the garage door and found with relief that the only thing missing was his potter’s chair.  He raced inside, threw on his clothes, grabbed his keys and fell into the car.  He roared out of the drive and the car coughed into town.  Harry was looking into the shop that sold his candlesticks (everyone has to live) and made a mental note to bring some more in. (even though he always forgot.) 

Simultaneously a silver landrover was coming down the road and the driver Mary Redford was thinking of her barely living rosebush in Fairfield. She was hoping that her neighbor Carly was watering it properly when boom!  She was no longer thinking of her rosebush.  Harry and Mary had narrowly avoided hitting each other but Mary’s trailer had other ideas.  It had completely decimated the front of Harry’s old Carolla. Oh well thought Harry I’ll just have to dust off my bicycle. He got out to assess the damage to his car and was shocked.  Mary got out of her car and walked over to Harry.
 
“I’m awfully sorry about the mess.  Oh! And I’m Mary…”
“Redford” Harry interjected. A vestige of memory was stirring in his head.      Something was stirring in Mary’s head too.
“Do I know you sir?” she asked enquiringly. 
“I think you do Mary” Harry replied mischievously.
“Is that you Harry Mann?” she asked with a tint of surprise in her voice.
“It is indeed, Mary” He replied very smugly.
“What a surprise!” She was completely flabbergasted.  Harry and Mary went for a long walk in one of the town parks and caught up on everything that had happened in the last 8 years.  Mary was very sad to hear that Meredith had died.
“So you make candlesticks now Harry?” It was more a statement than a question and was punctuated by a deep sad sigh.
“Yes” replied Harry almost absently.  Mary stayed longer in the town of Sheffield than she had intended and took many more long walks as her relationship with Harry blossomed and matured. Soon though she realised that she had stayed too long, in fact she had spent half her holidays there and decided reluctantly to leave.

However after spending 2 months with Mary, Harry found that he loved Mary very dearly and decided to ask her to marry him.  He went to her hotel and got down on one knee and asked her. To his dismay she informed him quietly that she had to go to London.  Harry went home and found himself decidedly heartbroken. 

The potter’s wheel lay in the garage unused and he did not go to town. He even turned away his cleaning lady. He thought that maybe if he had a better memory Mary would have said yes. So he went to a memory school. Meanwhile in London Mary was having doubts about her treatment of Harry.  Then when she saw a couple, laughing over a shared joke as she and Harry had often done she knew what to do.  She raced into town and bought the nicest potter’s chair she could find and headed towards Sheffield.  She drove through the night and finally reached Sheffield in the middle of the day.  Ignoring everything else she drove straight to Harry’s house and jumped out of the car simply exhausted. Barely able to do it she knocked on the beautiful door with the stained glass window that Harry had made.

“Who is it?” Harry asked grumpily still half asleep from the nap he took about that time everyday now.
“Harry” she said weakly. “Its me. Mary.”
“Mary are you all right. What happened?” he was all questions. And she didn’t have the answers.  She held up her hand and he stopped.
“Harry I’ve...” she faltered and regained her courage. “I’ve decided that I do love you and would like to say yes to the question you asked me 2 weeks ago.” Having said what she needed to say she sank gratefully into a chair. 

Harry nearly whooped with joy.
“You want to say yes!” he gasped happily. He couldn’t believe his luck. Suddenly he grew silent and sat down next to her.
“ I love you Mary.” Quietly said but to Mary it meant everything. She smiled happily.
“I love you too, Harry.”