I'll try it again. No more crazy missions, just character and emotion driven stories about Auggie. By popular demand, more of Auggie's family; especially Austin. Auggie is going back 'home' for the first time in four years. What will the long Labor Day weekend hold for him this time?
My thanks to girlwithoutfear for her initial review of this work of fiction.
Disclaimer: I don't own Auggie.
Auggie woke slowly. One by one his senses came online. All but one. Although it had been years since he'd been able to see, some days the nothingness before him still startled him. This was one of those mornings. He took several deep breaths, inhaling the scents around him. The first aroma to hit him was the barely there perfume of the woman cradled in his arms. She smelled faintly of grapefruit. And of sex. The pungent aroma of their love-making the night before still hung around them. It had been oh so enjoyable. They no longer coupled in the mad frenzy of unbridled passion, but in the slow and satisfying way of a pair accustomed to each other and knowing the needs and desires of the other.
Annie stirred in his arms. Soon she had rolled toward him and kissed him gently.
"Morning gorgeous," he whispered, gently caressing her cheek, and brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"Morning handsome," she whispered back at him. She pushed gently on his shoulder and Auggie rolled onto his back. Annie clambered on top of him and soon straddled his waist.
Auggie grasp her lightly around the waist and allowed his hands to travel upwards to cup her breasts. "Wasn't last night enough?"
"No comment, Mr. Anderson," Annie cooed coyly.
"We don't have time this morning, Ms. Walker. You do know what today is, don't you?"
"Yes. I do." Annie sighed and rolled back off Auggie, but not before leaning in and giving him another lingering kiss.
After he heard Annie wander into the bathroom, Auggie slipped out of bed and headed into the kitchen area. There he began the pot of coffee. He peeked around the corner into the bathroom and asked, "Do you want to eat breakfast here or grab something on the way to the airport?"
"I was thinking that we could grab a bite at the café so that there wouldn't be dirty dishes setting here while we're gone."
"Sounds good to me. I've started the coffee."
While Annie finished in the shower, and the coffee brewed, Auggie went back into the bedroom and began to pack. As he folded and tossed a pair of jeans into the open suitcase on the bed, he wondered why he'd let Annie talk him into going back to Glencoe for the Labor Day weekend.
##########
A long ninety minutes later, Annie and Auggie were winding their way to the airport security checkpoint. All Auggie had with him was his messenger bag with his laptop computer; Annie just had her purse and a tote bag with a few magazines in it. They'd left their bags in the care of the Skycap when they'd exited the car service vehicle Auggie had secured to take them to Dulles.
Five hours later a drained Annie led an equally frazzled Auggie up the ramp into the Delta concourse at O'Hare. Their first class seats hadn't isolated them from the crying baby and fussy toddler behind them in coach. Auggie wasn't sure about Annie, but he had a splitting headache. The Tylenol that he'd had Annie get for him on the layover in Detroit had barely fazed the pounding in his head. And sending Annie for the painkiller had almost made them miss their connecting flight on to Chicago.
"Annie, is there somewhere close that we can sit down for a minute?"
"Yeah," Annie said moving in a different direction for a few steps. "Here," she said placing his hand of the back of a seat. "What's wrong?"
"Just the headache. You got any of the water left?"
"Yeah. Here." She brushed the bottle against the back of his hand.
"Thanks. Now a couple more of those Tylenol?"
"It's not time yet, Auggie."
"I know, but I'm on the border of not being able to function here. I've got to try something," he pleaded. "I haven't had a headache this bad since I woke up in the field hospital after the IED," he relayed. "That one was worse, but this one is a close second."
Annie dug in her purse for the bottle and shook two capsules out and placed them in his hand. "Here. I'm doing this with reservation."
"I understand," he said. He swallowed the pills and then handed the now empty water bottle back to Annie.
A moment later, Annie was massaging his neck and shoulders from behind. "You're so tense that I could almost bounce a quarter off your shoulders. You've probably got a tension headache. You need to relax."
"I'll relax when I'm back in my own bed," he said and then smiled weakly.
Annie sighed. "C'mon. We're here, we might as well make the best of it," Annie said tugging on Auggie's hand.
He rose slowly from his seat and searched for Annie's arm. A few minutes later they were at the baggage claim area for their flight. The carousel was moving and full of bags when they arrived.
"I see our bags. Wait here a minute. I'll be right back."
"Annie," Auggie said quickly, but his words were apparently lost on her. He heard the slap of her sandals as she sprinted away from him. Once again he was standing alone at a baggage claim in O'Hare. The last time had been in this position had been four years ago. It had been Austin who'd left him there leaning on his cane; and he'd been blind all of five months. His cane – he reached down to his pocket. When it was empty he began to panic slightly. Annie had been his sighted guide since they'd left his apartment earlier that morning. But still, how could he have - ?
"Ah, the prodigal son returns," said the familiar voice of Austin Anderson. "Looks like you've lost something."
"Yeah, I have. Or at least I think I have," Auggie replied a bit sheepishly
"If it's that gorgeous blonde that you came over here with, it looks like she'll be back this way in just a few minutes."
"No, Austin. I haven't misplaced Annie. But something almost as important to me – my cane. I was distracted this morning when I left the apartment, and Annie's been ..."
"With a beautiful sighted guide like that, what do you need a cane for?" Austin said nudging Auggie in the arm. "You do know how pretty she is, don't you?"
"Yes, Austin, I do know just how physically striking she is. But she is beautiful to me on other levels that are, to me, so much more important than her looks."
"Auggie, who is this handsome gentleman who has been keeping you company while I fetched our bags?" Annie asked as she stopped in front of Auggie.
"Annie, meet my slightly older brother Austin. Austin meet my girlfriend Annie Walker."
"Nice to meet you, Annie."
"Nice to meet you, Austin."
"Annie, did you just kiss my brother?" Auggie asked with amusement.
"Just a peck on the cheek," Annie replied slipping her arm around his waist.
"Annie, which one of these bags is yours?" Austin asked a moment later.
"This one."
"I'll take that one then. Augs, you can handle your own. Annie's got her hands full enough with being your sighted guide. Let's get this train on the tracks," Austin said the final bit with amusement.
Annie brushed her hand against Auggie's and he took hold of her arm with one hand and then the handle of his suitcase with the other, his messenger bag was slung over his shoulder. As he stepped out to follow Austin and Annie, Auggie could only think of the last time he'd been home. He was hoping that this time would not be like the last.
What do you think? Do you want more? Next posting will be in a week from now if more is desired.