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After another long day of cleaning up around Firetown, Ember was looking forward to unwinding with Wade that evening over dinner and a stroll afterwards. She had recently gotten the good news that her internship application had been accepted. Being as positive as he always seemed to be, Wade had already applied to a university program in psychology in the same city, as he had simply assumed Ember would be taken on at the glass company. “But what if they don’t take me?”, she had asked him. “Oh, I'm pretty sure they will. And if somehow they don't...something’ll work out."
They’d found a little restaurant in Firetown that had very mild cuisine options that would work for Wade, which they’d now visited a few times. During their dinner on this evening, they caught each other up on whatever new had happened since they last met. The restaurant was fairly close to the beach where Ember had made her vivisteria globe—a place that held pleasant memories for them—and both felt like going there afterwards.
As they walked along the sand, Wade said, “I’m curious to ask you something. What was it that first caught your attention about me?” Ember replied immediately: “When we were in the balloon over Firetown looking for the source of the water, and we saw Garden Central Station, and I told you the story of me and my dad trying to see the vivisteria when I was little. I’ll never forget it: You were looking at me with the most concerned look ever, and said, ‘You must have been so scared.’ That blew me away, Wade. You responded to me-as-a-little-kid. You didn’t get up on a soapbox and start going on about how terrible those people were to us. You heard me, and were concerned about me. I don’t know, I think I might have fallen in love with you right then. The other day my mom told me that she had first smelled love on me the day after that, when I bolted the shop to meet you at the theater.”
Ember reflected a moment, then asked, “Why did you ask me out?” “You’re not gonna believe it, but it was the same thing. That you shared a story that personal with me, someone you didn’t know all that well, who had actually caused you quite a bit of trouble. I didn’t know how it was that you were trusting me with that, but I felt…honored. Awed. Humbled. And that helped me go to a place inside where all I was focused on was you being small, and scared, and not understanding what it was all about—just that your dad, always so strong for you, was angry and scared like you’d never seen him. I felt your hurt, and I felt hurt too. And, like I said, it moved me that you would trust me with something so personal. By the time you were taking off that night, we’d been so busy with the sandbags, that seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle for the time being. But I was still thinking about it. So I took the chance and asked. You taught me the word tìshók' that night, and that’s what I did, even if I couldn’t say it right,” smiled Wade. Ember smiled back and took his hand as they continued walking.
Wade thought of something, and worked up the courage to ask it. “We’ve never talked about our lives before we met. I don’t have much to brag about—I just drifted from job to job, hobby to hobby, wasn’t really good at anything—but I’m just flooded with curiosity about you. I’m sorry to be so forward and nosy about it, but how is it that…that I, of all people, was the lucky one? Not that I want to dwell on your exes, but…I’d have thought I had plenty of company trying to sweep you off your feet,” he chuckled nervously. Ember was silent for a few moments and suddenly Wade felt as if a hole had opened up before him and he’d fallen into it. Oh shoot…bad topic…? Well, I’ll never know if I don’t ask, he reassured himself.
“There’s ways I’ve had a strange life, Wade,” she began. “I was so centered on the shop, and taking it over, that it just pushed so much else out of my head. And that included guys. Oh sure, there were guys who would try and chat me up at school, or would come to the shop and do it. I always felt either not interested because I’d made the shop the number one thing in my life…or not interested because, the shop always did real well and everyone in Firetown knew it, and I thought they were just interested in me as like a meal ticket. Or like they could swoop in and be the son-in-law taking charge of the shop and I’d be pushed aside. So…between those two…ideas, there just wasn’t room for anyone. It seemed…”—and she paused, to voice something that now seemed very odd to her—“like it just wasn’t that important. I mean, I can hardly believe I thought that now—it seems so bizarre to hear it out loud—but I guess that’s how it was." After a moment, she continued. "I could hardly wait to finish school either. Some of the teachers noticed my abilities with glass and design, and suggested to me and my parents that I consider art school. I didn’t even give that the time of day. Given what I felt about the shop, art school sounded totally self-indulgent. Worse than dating, really,” she laughed, as she considered who she was saying this to. “Can you believe that? I can’t believe it myself.”
Absorbing all of this new information, Wade took a moment to respond. “No, from what I understand from you about the shop, that makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t sound that strange that you’d feel that way.” Surprised, Ember said, “Really?” “Yes. Maybe now it seems like another planet, but before all…what you and I went through…it made good sense to you. There’s no doubt there are people who latch onto others for what they think they can get out of it, not because of real feelings for them. So being skeptical wasn’t a bad call.” Ember felt an oddly soothing emotion hearing Wade, of all people, saying that he understood her past beliefs, and didn’t judge them. “Wow…for you to say that…that really means a lot to me,” and she squeezed his hand. “When I look back at it now, I think of just going on and on forever like I was before, and it freaks me out. Like, now that I know a whole new way of living…I freak myself out thinking, ‘What if I’d never have met Wade?’” She then thought of something else and added, "You know, I think the reason I told you the story about the vivisteria was—because, you know how sometimes it's easier to tell a perfect stranger things? I didn't know anything about you, except that you weren't from Firetown. So you didn't know anything about the shop. And, when we'd been at the airball game earlier that day, and you were so concerned for that player who was having family trouble—and you were really trying to help me however you could—I thought, hey, here's someone with a heart...and I did something I don't often do...which was to open up to someone. It felt...safe." They stopped walking and shared an embrace as they silently gave thanks for...everything.
After a moment, Ember asked, “What about you? Where were you headed before we met?” Wade took a breath, and replied, “Oh, it feels like a big mess. My dad was really big on me doing sports—he was really a ‘high school hero’ in his day—but I was just awful. I’d get distracted by stuff really easily, so I would miss practices and get cut, and my dad was livid. Then when I was working, the same thing would happen—I’d get involved in listening to people’s stories, and then I wouldn’t get work done and I’d get fired. Gale was on the verge of letting me go when we met. I’d been swayed by lots of people’s stories and I’d torn up a lot of tickets. So I was trying to be disciplined that day.” He paused, and then had a thought. “Maybe that’s how we ended up ‘sticking’, right? If I’d just torn up your tickets, you’d have thanked me and that would have been that…we’d have said good-bye, and…we’re probably not here now.” Wade started tearing up thinking about this. “I know what you’re saying about freaking out, thinking we never meet. I’m having that right now,” and he squeezed her hand. After a moment, he continued, “And about my love life? Forget about it. Gals saw a guy who was aimless, just not getting anywhere in life. I’d have some nice conversations, but I guess I just didn’t interest anyone…Actually, I started focusing because of you. Trying to help with the shop...saving the vivisteria globe you made...taking you to Garden Central Station. I'd never felt so alive. You brought so much light into my life, I wanted to give back what I could..." Each started tearing up at his words.
He then continued, “I think you and I have something real important in common—that, for different reasons, we had different kinds of mess in our lives before we met, that thankfully we’ve gotten a handle on and are working to clean up. I mean, do you know how fantastic it is that you’ve gotten the internship lined up already? I just feel like I’m gonna burst with happiness any time I think about it. I cried a river at home after you called me and told me.” Ember took both his hands at this. “Oh, Wade…sweetheart…” “You make me so happy, and I hope I make you just as happy…” “Awww…yes, you do. Hearing about the application and how lit up you are about it—Wade, I don’t know how you got the idea of that, but it’s brilliant. It’s so you. You're so caring and compassionate…it’s the perfect thing.”
The flood of emotion in Wade brought a new thought to his mind. “Ember—“ She caught something in his tone that made her heart race. “Do you remember what you said the day of the flood, about you wanting me in your life, forever? And what I’d said before that—that you had given me something people search for their whole lives? It's like we’ve already proposed to each other…but, now, I want to make it official: Ember—do you want to explore the world together? Forever?...and get married?” Her heart bursting with joy, she flung her arms around him. “Yes, yes, yes! Oh, Wade…yes, forever.” As when they first touched, Ember leaned her head on Wade’s chest, while he rested his head gently on hers, both quietly weeping tears of happiness and relief.