Second Chance

LHOP inspired fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Part 2

Early the next morning Caroline heard a knock at the door. She wasn't surprised to see John Jr. Charles had told her to expect him.

"Good morning Mrs. Ingalls. Is Mary home?"

"Yes she is John. Why don't you come in and I'll call her." John removed his hat and walked inside.

"Thank you."

"Mary," Caroline called up to the loft. "Someone is here to see you."

"Who is it Ma?" Mary asked, even though she knew who it was.

"John Jr. is here."

"I'll be right down." Mary looked at herself in the mirror one last time.

John heard footsteps above and soon saw a set of black boots coming down the ladder. As Mary hit the bottom rung she turned to face him. She was more beautiful than he remembered. John tightened the grip on his hat and swallowed hard. "Hello Mary."

"Hello John," Mary responded without a smile.

"I was hoping that I might be able to convince you to take a walk with me."

"Would that be all right Ma?"

"If you would like to."

"Are you sure you don't need my help with anything?"

"I can manage."

"Thanks Ma." Mary hugged her mother and walked out the door that John had opened for her.

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Isaiah went back to the house after milking the cow. When he opened the door he looked around the kitchen. Grace was busy at the stove cooking breakfast. "Where's John?" he asked.

"He walked out to the Ingalls place already."

"Hmmm."

"Isaiah, what do you think of all this?"

"Think of what?"

"You know, John leaving his job in Chicago and coming all the way back home to see if Mary still loves him."

"Well I guess it don't hurt nothin to see if she does."

"But what if she turns him down? You of all people know what a sensitive, tender soul John is. Do you think he would move back to Chicago?"

"Don't know. But don't forgit, he's a man now. We can't think of him as a boy anymore Grace."

"I know, it's just hard to stop mothering him; especially now that he's home."

Isaiah walked over to Grace and kissed her on the cheek. "That's one of the reasons I chose you to help me raise them kids."

"You chose me!" Grace said. "As if I would ever have married the likes of you for any other reason," Grace teased. "Breakfast is ready. Why don't you go wash up and I'll get you a plate."

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Mary and John walked along the banks of the creek. He wanted to declare his love for her, but was afraid of how she would respond. John spoke of the weather and his homecoming. When Mary asked about his job in Chicago he replied it was fine. John glimpsed Mary looking at her reflection in the creek. He wondered if she was thinking about her eyes.

"So…I came by last night, but you were sleeping."

"I wasn't sleeping. I know you stopped by. I watched you from the upstairs window as you talked to Pa."

"Did…did he tell you what we talked about?"

"No. But I would like to know why you're here."

He wasn't used to her being forward. Mary was so shy and unsure when they were younger.

"Why don't you sit over here," John said as he directed her to a large rock. Mary sat down and looked up into his face. He looked down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes.

"Mary, I don't know where to start, but there is a lot I want to say. I hope you will hear me out. First, I want to apologize for how I treated you when you came to visit me in Chicago." Mary winced as she recalled the trip.

"I wasn't thinking clearly then, but I am now. I need to know if… if perhaps… you still care for me…maybe…even still…love me."

John paused for a moment to let Mary think about what he had said. When she didn't respond, he continued. "I know it's been some time since we last saw one another, but I still love you. I wasn't sure if you could ever forgive me, so I stayed in Chicago. But a few weeks ago, I decided to leave my job and come home to Walnut Grove. I had to know if you still loved me. I had to find out if I still had a chance at a life with you."

Mary didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected this. The apology yes, but not John's declaration of love. She thought about that night in Chicago. The night she found out that John had been seeing another girl. They were at a ball. John danced with Mary, but he was distant. She thought Chicago was changing him. He wasn't the young man she was engaged to any longer. As she remembered the pain of that night, Mary found the courage to speak.

"John, you took what was supposed to be a wonderful reunion and ruined it. I vowed that I would never love anyone again…because it hurt too much. Of course, I have loved since then. Time took away the pain, and I only really think about it when Laura mentions our being engaged, which she does every once in while. She's always looking for advice on boys lately."

"Mary, I know how much I hurt you. But you have to believe me when I say I realized my mistake right away. I broke it off with that girl later that night and I've been faithful to you ever since."

"Why did you wait so long to come tell me?"

"I told you, I didn't think you could forgive me."

"But now you think there is a chance?"

"I don't know if there's a chance, but I had to find out. I couldn't wait any longer."

"Maybe you should have. I haven't been very well lately."

"I know. Grace told me what the doctor said. It doesn't change anything for me."

"But it could change things for me. John, I might be…" she could barely bring herself to say the word. "I could be blind. I know my eyes are getting worse. The doctor gave me these new glasses a week ago and now they're as bad as my old ones. Last night when you were outside talking to Pa, I could hardly see the two of you."

"Mary sighted or blind, I love you. You have to believe that."

"John it isn't that simple. We can't just pick up where we left off. I'm not the same person and neither are you. Besides, I'm seeing someone else right now."

"Are you talking about Seth?"

"How do you know about Seth?"

"Grace told me."

"Seth and I are very close."

"Has he asked you to marry him?"

"No."

"Would you marry him?"

"I don't know," Mary answered with tenderness in her voice.