Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites on the previous chapter! :o) I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying this story, I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
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-4: The road trip-
"Any thoughts about what to do for the rest of your vacation?" Annie asked Auggie over brunch.
"Not really, I figured we'd keep up the search for a place for you," he shrugged.
"Your little monologue this morning got me thinking; how about going to Illinois to see your family. If you miss them, why don't take the opportunity to visit when you have time off? And, at the risk of being overly cheeky, I'd love to come along and meet them."
"Huh…" Auggie looked surprised and for a few seconds he was lost in thougt. "We've just started dating and you wanna meet my family? You never cease to surprise me Walker. Have to say you're making a good argument though. I actually thought about it right after Joan ordered me to take some time off, but kind of decided not to. If you wanna tag along I might just change my mind."
"Auggie, even if we've just taken the step from best friends to being in a relationship, it's not like we've just met each other. We've known each other for a while and you've met some of my family already. And, for your information, I'm in this for the long run. I never would've taken this step with you if it was just a fling."
"Well… I feel the same way Annie. I'm tempted to suggest a road trip to Illinois in the 'Vette, but since we've only got eight days of vacation time left it might be a bit too much driving over a short period of time, especially since you're alone in the driving department."
"Actually, that sounds awesome! If we leave tomorrow morning we could be in Glencoe Monday afternoon and we could stay 'til Saturday and be back here Sunday. We'd have four full days there, it wouldn't be that bad."
"Now you're really tempting me! I'll call Mom when we get back to my place and check how she feels about a visit. She's constantly nagging me about coming home, so I doubt it'll be a problem."
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When they arrived back at Auggie's place he picked up his landline phone from the cradle on the kitchen counter and settled on the sofa. Annie sat down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her and pushed two on his speed dial. A couple of rings later his mother picked up the phone on the other end.
"August! How are you?"
"Hi Mom, I'm great. How's life in Glencoe?"
"Everything is good here. It's so nice to hear your voice, I wish you'd come home soon."
"About that, would it be ok if I brought my girlfriend and came home for a few days this coming week? We both got some unexpected time off work."
"That would be wonderful August. You're both more than welcome. When will you arrive at O'Hare?"
"We won't be flying in. Annie volunteered to drive, so we're driving up in my 'Vette. We're leaving here early tomorrow morning and arrive in Glencoe sometime Monday."
"I'll get your room ready for you. I'm so happy you're coming home. August, is your girlfriend your best friend Annie?"
"Yeah."
"I can't wait to meet her. Call me when you know more about when you'll arrive, ok?"
"Yep. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon. Love you Mom. Say hi to Dad."
"Love you to August. Bye."
Auggie pushed the 'end' button and placed the phone on the coffee table in front of him before speaking.
"Well, she's happy that we're coming."
"I bet she is. I guess that's settled then. We'd better pack and get ready to leave early in the morning."
"Yep, sounds good to me. Thanks Annie."
"For what?"
"For volunteering to drive. I haven't been on a proper road trip for years."
"You know I love to drive. I'm sure we'll have a great time."
"Still, thanks Annie."
A small part of Auggie wished he could drive, but riding shotgun with Annie behind the wheel of his beloved Corvette with the top down was the second best thing and he quickly suppressed the longing and decided to enjoy the roar of the engine and the feel of the sun on his face and the wind ruffling his hair. They made good time and it was just past noon on Monday when Annie pulled into the driveway of Auggie's childhood home. Before she'd shut off the engine the front door opened and Auggie's mother came running towards them with a bright smile on her face. Auggie heard his mother approaching and he quickly got out of the car and opened his arms for the hug he knew was coming. Seconds later his mother wrapped his arms around him and he pulled her in for a warm embrace. Holding her in his arms made him realize just how much he'd missed her.
"I'm so happy you're here August," she whispered into his ear before breaking the embrace and turning to Annie. "And this must be the lovely Annie. I'm Jillian Anderson, Auggie's mother."
"Annie Walker. Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Anderson," Annie said, grasping her hand.
"It's Jill, please," she said with a warm smile. They got their bags out of the car and Auggie lead the way to his room where they left their bags and quickly freshened up a bit before joining Jill downstairs for lunch.
"Was the drive up here good?" Jill asked over lunch.
"Great. Weather was fantastic and we had the top down most of the time. I haven't been on a road trip since before Iraq and I didn't realize until today that I've kind of missed it. Even if it's not the same as driving myself I had a good time. Annie's good at giving a running commentary of everything she sees. I do feel a bit bad about not being able to do my part of the driving…" Auggie hung his head a little bit.
"I really like driving, it's been one of my favorite things since I got my permit and with Auggie keeping me companied it was fun. My Dad was a car buff and he would've been green with envy if he saw the 'Vette," Annie said with a smile, placing her hand on Auggie's forearm, giving it a little squeeze.
"You met August at work, right?" Jillian asked, changing the subject.
"On my first day, right after I was sworn. Auggie was waiting for me outside HR to take me to our boss' office. He was so nice, I think he realized pretty fast how nervous I was and sort of took me under his wing. I wouldn't have survived my first few months at the Agency without his help."
"You were pretty clueless Miss Walker," Auggie teased, nudging her with his elbow.
"Oh har Auggie, you're so not funny. I wasn't that clueless, but I was pulled from training before I was finished on just a few hours notice, so I was really nervous."
They spent the rest of the meal chatting about Annie and Auggie's lives in DC and how they'd ended up in a relationship. After lunch Annie excused herself to go lay down for a little while, she was a little bit tired from two days of driving. Auggie decided to stay downstairs chat with his mother while she got started on dinner.
"What's for dinner Mom? Anything I can do to help you?"
"Since the weather is nice we're having a big barbecue when your dad gets home. At least a couple of your brothers are coming. I've just got prepare some side dishes; I've got it covered. Just sit down and relax," she said in the tone that Auggie hated. He didn't want to have an argument with his mother, but he was tired of her not seeing him as capable of doing things.
"Mom, I can still cook. I don't life off takeout and microwave dinners back in DC you know. Please let me help you," he pleaded. He didn't get an immediate response from his mother. He heard her rummaging around the fridge and then she set several items on the counter in front of him.
"I guess you can do the salad. You know how I like it. All the ingredients are in a big bowl at your two o'clock. The serving bowl is at your twelve and there's a cutting board with and a knife at your six. Okay?"
"Got it. Thanks Mom."
"For what?" She sounded confused.
"For letting me help you instead of having me sit on a stool feeling useless. I'm glad you're finally realizing that I'm not helpless Mom."
"I've never thought you were helpless August, but I might have underestimated what you're capable of, I'll admit that. I promise to do my best to include you in the future."
She rounded the peninsula and pulled her Auggie into a warm embrace, which he returned. He was happy Annie had talked him into going to Glencoe for a few days and looked forward to spending a few days with his family.