"Aye, sounds grand. I'll be there if you'll have me." Joe replied. He was loyal to his friends, even the ones he hadn't seen in years. A wedding was a joyous time to be celebrated. Maybe Rose was right and one day he'd have a wedding of his own. A life of adventure? A wife? It all sounded a bit mad, but there was a small part of him that thought those ideas quite appealing.

"Wonderful!" she said. Rose wondered if she could introduce Joe to one of her old single female friends in the community. But then she realized she didn't really like that idea. He was her old friend after all.

It was time to go. She'd still have to walk through town and it was already dark. Father would get worried if she was late. Would it be appropriate to ask to meet him again? In the whirlwind that had been her life, she had pretty much forgotten about her childhood partner in crime (something of which she was a bit ashamed now), but now that she had met him again, she felt oddly nostalgic. But she was engaged, and Andrew would probably not appreciate her spending alone time with another young man. Rose suddenly felt a little frustrated with him.

She looked up at Joe. "I miss the old days, don't you?" she tried to stretch the conversation.

"Sometimes, but you can't travel back in time. I'm here, now. Would you change anything?"

"I would have stayed in touch." Rose admitted. And she would change many things after leaving school. But many of the events after school had not been in her control. And there had been so much stress, and grief, and responsibility demanded of her, that it had seemed she had been an entirely different person. Joe had belonged to a different world, that she had hardly thought back of. "I am sorry about that."

"I would have stayed in touch." Rose admitted. And she would change many things after leaving school. But many of the events after school had not been in her control. And there had been so much stress, and grief, and responsibility demanded of her, that it had seemed she had been an entirely different person. Joe had belonged to a different world, that she had hardly thought back of. "I am sorry about that."

"Aye, I'm sorry too."  They had been close as friends, but life had forced them apart. "Maybe we can fix that?"

"Gladly!" Rose said eagerly, before thinking. And then the thinking came and it wasn't pleasant. Surely Andrew wouldn't like it. She would need to find a way to both rekindle this friendship, while keeping Andrew happy. "My father would love to see you again. You should come visit us sometime." If he was her father's guest, Andrew couldn't think it inappropriate, could he?

"It'd be a pleasure. The big day is Saturday next? I don't want to forget."

"Aye, tis," said Rose. "Saturday mornin' at ten. But feel free to visit us at home before that." She somehow wanted him to visit them before that. And felt bad about it. She was eager for a moment to think. "Say, I should go. Me father will worry. Will ye come?"

"Aye, tis," said Rose. "Saturday mornin' at ten. But feel free to visit us at home before that." She somehow wanted him to visit them before that. And felt bad about it. She was eager for a moment to think. "Say, I should go. Me father will worry. Will ye come?"

"Aye, I will. Go on now, I need to finish work.  I can't be gabbin' 'ere all night."

"Of course!" Rose said when she realized she had been keeping poor Joe from his work. "See you then!" And she hurried away.