"Ange, you look great, just great!" admired Barney. It was the day of the picnic, and he and Andy were getting ready. "You nervous at all?"
"Nervous? For what?"
"For your speech, that's what! Heaven knows I would be... I'd be shakin' like a leaf. Standin' up in front of all those people, having to look all good and representin' my whole line of work." Andy grew weary of the ramblings. "Yyyyeah. I'd be just a-shakin' like a leaf."
"Could you fix my tie, Barn?"
"Sure thing, buddy." Barney looked at the disheveled tie. Strange, Andy was usually the one who had to help Barney with his tie. "You sure y'ain't nervous?"
"I'm extremely sure, Barney. Now can you get on with it please?"
"Well there's no need to be s' hasty! We got nearly ten minutes 'til you need t' be on-stage-!" Barney near choked on his tongue, "TEN MINUTES?!"
"Ten minutes?! I thought you were watchin' the time!"
"I was, I was! I looked away for one second, ONE second, and it got away from me!"
"Well, come on then, let's hop to it!" Andy and Barney sprinted through the house out to the porch. "Aunt Bee, time to go! Git to the car, Aunt Bee! COME ON!" (Opie was already at the Mayberry days with his friends for the kids' activities held earlier)
"Andy, why didn't you warn me sooner?! Oh, I haven't even gotten to get dressed properly!" She was still in some of her gardening clothes from earlier.
"We ain't got time for that, Bee! Can't you see the man is late already?!" Barney bobbed in from outside, shouting to her. He grabbed her by the forearm, "Come on, let's go!" He swung her out the door and the three of them piled into the squad car, Barney at the driver's seat. They flew off to the Park near the end of town, which is where the events were to take place. Barney flipped on the siren, which Andy scolded him for and made him switch back off.

Andy stood behind the make-shift curtains on the make-shift stage. The sun was down, and all that lingered of the day was a strip of pink at the base of a lavender sky. It was going to get cold pretty quick. As the events drew to the keynote speech, Andy heaved another breath of fresh air. It sure is a beautiful place to be.
"...and here is our keynote, Sheriff Andy Taylor!" The Mayor announced Andy and audience greeted him with a warm round of applause, and he walked onstage. He looked out on the crowd of people, all patiently awaiting the speech that would proudly send everyone off until next year. His eyes immediately fell on Floyd the Barber, Gary the Shopkeeper, and Jim the Butcher, then, worst of all, on Ellie. He was surprised to see her. And then, as if a huge bowling ball landed in his stomach, he laid eyes on Helen. She was extremely beautiful that night. Perhaps it was just the lighting, or the sentimental mood he was in from the gorgeous sunset, but she was a beautiful sight to behold, nevertheless. Andy cleared his throat.

"Evenin', all." A few audience members answered with equally polite salutations. "Mayberry... Mayberry is..." he fumbled for the words that lay right in front of him on his type-written paper. "Uh..." the crowd become a little uncomfortable. "Folks, I was gon'ta read from my paper that I've been working on for a couple weeks, but..." Andy looked up from the pages and stepped away from the podium, "it just won't do. See, I wrote about how it's good to be as neighborly and kind to others as is possible, and I wrote out how to do that, and how to be a good example of a citizen. Well, I have a bit of a confession to make." The audience fell very quiet. "The thing is, I lost my temper just a couple nights ago, and it was about the first time I had ever done so with no regard to my fellow Mayberrians. And... I think I hurt a few of you." Andy looked over the people he spotted at the beginning of the speech, taking an especially long look at Ellie, however much she repelled him. "So, you see, I'm not perfect. I have messed up. I can't take back what I did or said, and I am truly sorry for it." When he said this, he looked at Helen who was looking at him with a forgiving face. "I can't tell you the way to be a 'perfect' role-model or citizen, but I can tell you how to be a better friend than I was that day. 'Course, 'do unto others' never hurts..." the audience chuckled, "but you must as well be there for your friends and those dear to you. Just always be there. That, my friends, is something that can never, ever go wrong. And as I have seen some pretty life-threatening situations in my line of work, and simply as a man who is a deadly-slow mover," he looked at Helen again who chuckled at his words, "...my best advice to you is this: make sure to take up those opportunities when they come along, and don't hold back. Especially towards those who you love." There were a few 'awws,' and chuckles, and then a general applause broke through. "Much obliged. Good night, Mayberry." And as a few more audience-members hollered their approval, Andy went off-stage, but the Mayor came up to shake his hand before he could exit entirely. The audience was slowly but surely making their way to their cars and bikes.

"Excellent, excellent speech, m'boy! How 'bout next year, too?" At this the mayor cackled like most white-haired old men do, and Andy chuckled. "Thanks. See you around, Taylor."
"See you around, sir," Andy patted his arm and walked around him to Helen, who he saw was waiting with her purse in her hands, her jacket tucked under her arm. She turned her head to meet his eyes and smiled sweetly.
"Well, well, well. Now who do you belong to, little girl?" Andy teased her, and they laughed softly.
"Oh, Andy. How did we get into this tangled problem?" Helen asked. Andy's face tensed a bit.
"Helen, I was telling the gospel truth when I said I wasn't a fool. I didn't kiss Ellie, she kissed me. She had me in a grip that was so tight-"
"Andy, I know you wouldn't do that, I just... didn't think about it. I forgot how lucky a find you are... I forgot how good a man you are," she placed her hand on his arm.
"And you are a good woman."
"Why, Thank-you, Andy."
"May I drive you home?"
"I would love for you to.

Andy had dropped Barney, Aunt Bee and Opie off at their homes, and then proceeded to drive Helen to her place. Once there, the couple got out of the car and went up to her door, which Helen unlocked.
"Well, goodnight, Andy," she said, starting to go into the door.
"Helen- wait a second." She stepped back out and faced Andy. I've waited much too long for this, Andy thought.
"Helen..." he took her hand in his, "will you do me the greatest honor in the world... and take my hand in marriage?" Helen looked shocked, but a smile creeped over her face.
"You're... proposing to me?"
"Well... yeah. Is that bad?"
"No... in fact it's the best thing you've done in a really long time. Yes, Andy, I will marry you."
"You will?!"
"Yes!"
"You WILL?!"
"Yes!"
"YEE-HAWWW!" Andy shouted and did a jump-kick in the air. "Oh, Helen...!" Andy threw off his sheriff cap and scooped the woman up into a beautiful kiss.