in florida a woman with half her nose missing tells me about her rose bush and how she waited twenty-one years for it , the husband promised it to her and forgot , time and time again and the boy was born , grew up , went to war and was killed , and the husband died and then she up and went to town and bought herself the rosebush but it wouldnt bloom , not for years and then one september it put forth one white rose : the september rose she called it and i wondered why she was telling me this story and what i was doing there : buying honey i think .