Daniel loved this bookstore because it has such old-world charm and comfort. The dark-aged cherry wood shelves, the deep pile carpeting, leather reading chairs, soft lighting, and of course the books. There are so many that he could spend hours and still find something new to intrigue him. He can’t even remember when he first started coming here; there is a lot that he can’t remember, but this is truly a special place. Of course, his favorite section is where they store Rare and Antiquarian books. Not everyone is allowed in here, but the owners seem to have no problem with Daniel; maybe they know how much he cherishes each and every book.
While browsing the aisles and talking to himself, he noticed a book half out and nearly falling off the shelf. “Well, that is no way to treat fine literature, so I’ll just… Wait a minute, what is this sticking out of the book? Hmm, it looks like a letter with beautiful cursive handwriting.”
‘Meet me at the fountain in the park, noon on Tuesday. Love Mary’
His imagination started to wander. “Who is this woman named Mary? What does she look like? Who is meeting her, and why?”
Daniel’s thoughts were spinning: “Well, today is Tuesday, and it is almost noon. Also, I have to go right by the park, and for some reason, I am always drawn to that fountain. So, I don’t see anything wrong with me just stopping by there for a few minutes.”
It was a beautiful sunny day, and the park was crowded as Daniel rushed to the fountain. Checking his watch, it was now just past noon, but where was the mysterious Mary? He then felt that this whole thing was a silly idea, and he might as well be on his way. But at that moment, he saw her, or at least it could be her, sitting on a bench and crying. He wasn’t sure why, but he just felt that he had to say something. “Are you alright?” is all that came out.
Her head was down, and he couldn’t see her face, but her long, silky red hair glistened in the sunlight. After a moment, she stopped crying and looked up at him with the most captivating green eyes. And then he heard her soft voice, “My husband is gone, but thank you so much for asking.”
“Oh, oh, I am so very sorry for your loss. Forgive me for bothering you.”
“No, that’s okay; he is not dead. But I am hopeful that someday he might come back to me.”
Her words left him speechless, and there was a moment of silence, but it did not seem to be an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Daniel started to mumble, "I… I… don't know what to say. Who could leave someone as nice as you? He must not have had any choice.”
At those words, she was a bit startled and asked, “But you don’t really know me, do you?”
“No, no, I just mean that I could tell you are a nice person, and you should be happy, not sad. You know, sometimes it just helps to talk things out.”
She became calm and spoke with a genuine sweetness to her voice, “I guess you are right, but I don’t know who to talk with.”
Something came over him, and he just blurted out, “Hey, how about if we go have coffee, or no, maybe tea, and we can talk?"
She smiled up and said, “Tea would be nice.”
“That is great, fantastic, oh, but I forgot, I am on my way to a doctor’s appointment. Though, you know what? I think that I will just cancel it.”
“No, no, I won’t let you do that; you go to your appointment. I insist.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what. How about if I meet you back here in an hour? Is that okay? Will you meet me right here in one hour?"
“Alright, I will.”
“Hey, do you like books?”
“Yes, I love books!”
“Great, just wait until I show you a gem of a bookstore. Okay, I gotta run.” He started to walk away, but stopped, turned around, and said, “Oh, by the way, my name is Daniel, and I will see you in an hour.” Then he was off and soon out of sight.
As Daniel dashed out of the park, he thought about his appointment with Dr. Jeremy: “Boy, do I have a lot to tell him when I get on that couch today!”
Mary stayed, sitting quietly on the park bench, deep in thought.
“Excuse me, Mary, since Daniel is gone, I thought that we should talk. Are you alright?”
“Oh, it’s you, Dr. Jeremy. I did not know that you would be coming to the park. Were you watching us?”
“Yes, I thought it would be best if I was close by, just in case. Obviously, he found the note in the bookstore. So, how did the conversation go?”
“Dr. Jeremy, I just don’t know. It’s him, but then again, it’s not him. At least we are going to meet later for tea. You know, Daniel and I first met right here at the fountain, and we always used to go and have tea together.”
“Well, Mary, it’s a start. He could be on the road to recovery, and he may eventually get his memory back. But as I have said before, there are no guarantees.”
“I know; I try to resolve myself to the fact that Daniel may never remember our wedding or the years we had together.”
“It’s good for you, Mary, to keep things in perspective. This is a process; his therapy sessions, our plan with the note at the bookstore, and you’re meeting here today are all coming together. But it will take time, and even then, things may never be the same.”
“Thank you, Dr. Jeremy. I understand; I don’t have any false hopes that we will be able to pick right up where we left off. But who knows, maybe we can start over; after all, in about an hour we are going to have our first date, again.”