"This is just perfect. Thank you for letting the girls and me join." Danielle said as she sat with the rest of the adults at a table near the pool.
"Not a problem! Living this far north the pool doesn't get used nearly enough." Lucas, Auggie's older brother, replied.
"Are you sure you have enough space for everybody to sleep?" Danielle worried.
"We'll set up some tents out here later if we need to." Auggie replied.
"Your family gatherings are so much different than what we had growing up." Danielle said.
"This finally explains how your parents survived with five boys in the house." Annie added. The backyard of Lucas' house was larger than some of the inner city parks in DC. The pool was near the house, and a large grass area was behind the pool, currently filled with various games and toys for the kids of all ages.
"You have to have a lot of kids around for this to work. Just a few and they need constant attention." Auggie explained. "But with the older girls around, and all the other cousins, the kids entertain themselves and us adults are free to drink beer."
"I'm actually ready for something frozen and fruity. Danielle, you want a margarita?" Annie asked.
"Is everybody drinking already? Shouldn't somebody be the responsible adult?" Danielle asked.
"Don't worry. I've got an eye on them." Auggie said with a wink as he raised a beer bottle to his lips.
"I adore you, Auggie, but that's not making me feel more confident." Danielle responded.
"Sarah will be back in a few. She doesn't like to drink in the sun. Relax, Danielle. Have a cocktail." Lucas urged.
"Fine. But I'm taking it slow. We have too many kids around that can get into too much trouble." Danielle stated.
"Pscha. Katia and Chloe are hardly kids. They can be the responsible adults for the evening." Auggie declared.
Danielle finally laughed at Auggie's parenting lesson.
"Annie, I don't want one of those froo-froo drinks, but could you bring me another beer?" Auggie asked.
"Sure. Lucas, do you need a refill?"
"No thanks. I have to pace myself a bit more than my baby brother here."
"Everyone needs a special skill." Auggie drawled out.
"You have more than one." Lucas teased. "Won't take too much beer to get you on that diving board."
Auggie grinned. "Wouldn't take any. I just prefer to wait until the kids are out so I don't accidentally land on anybody."
"That's a good idea."
Annie came back out with the drinks. Auggie sipped on his beer, listening to the kids in the distance. "What are they up to?" He asked.
"Looks like an intricate game of tug-of-war." Danielle explained. "Katia and Chloe are probably creating rules and directing the others. I'm afraid my girls are a bit bossy."
"Mine need some direction." Lucas replied.
"Mine just needs some time with other kids. He's tired of vacationing with his parents." Annie explained.
"Even though we are awesome." Auggie added. "Since they are out there, I am going to cool off. Anybody else want to get in the pool?"
"I want to see what you can do off the diving board." Danielle said.
Annie agreed. "I'll help you to the board. Show us what you still have in you."
Auggie sat his beer on the table and accepted Annie's lead. The couple of beers in his system were enough for him to doubt his ability to navigate the diving board, but Annie helped him out and got him to the edge.
Auggie turned and took two long strides, pacing from the end. "Don't watch this one, I'm just getting my bearings." He said toward the other adults. Then he ran two steps and jumped high, touched his toes, and dove into the pool.
"Wow." Was all Danielle could say.
"Nice!" Annie said as soon as Auggie popped his head above the water. He was able to orient himself by her voice.
"That was just the warmup?" Danielle asked.
Auggie grinned as he pulled himself up the ladder. "Annie?"
"Right here." She meet him at the ladder and led him back to the diving board.
"Thanks dear." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and climbed onto the board.
"Danielle, I hope you are watching. Because this is harder than it looks when you can't see which way is up."
"Okay, you have my attention."
Auggie took the two long strides, then flipped in the air and entered the water head-first. It wasn't a perfect dive, but it was impressive.
Seeing his dad from the distance, Austin came running toward the pool. The other kids forgot about their game and followed.
"Wow dad! That was cool! I want to try."
Auggie found the edge of the pool as he heard Austin on the board. "Try a good dive first." Auggie directed. He heard the attempt, but it sounded rather painful. A chorus of "ohhhh" came from the adults.
"Bellyflop?" Auggie asked.
"Yep." Annie replied.
"Luke, could you help my son with this truly important life skill?"
"Sure man."
Auggie got out and cautiously made his way back to the chairs with Annie and Danielle. He felt the table and found his beer still where he left it. Diving lessons weren't that interesting to listen to, but Annie gave him the important details of their seven-year old's lesson.
The children played in the pool for a couple of hours, occasionally talking the adults into joining them. There was a particularly good round of Marco Polo after they banned Auggie from playing. Even after a few beers, he was the best Marco of the bunch.
After hours in the pool, hotdogs, burgers, smores and chasing lightning bugs, the children finally settled in the basement to watch a movie and fall asleep and the remaining adults could party a little bit more heavily.
Danielle didn't even notice that Auggie had stepped away when he walked back with a bottle of Patron.
"Really Auggie?" Danielle asked.
"Really." He replied, his tone serious. "It's kind of a tradition."
Annie sat a plastic cup in front of Auggie, audibly close and empty. He poured several inches of tequila in the cup and replaced the stopper in the bottle.
"To family." Auggie said, holding up the cup before putting it to his lips.
"Is the tradition that we watch you get blitzed?" Danielle asked.
Auggie pulled the cup away and held it to his right. "Sip and pass." He explained.
Annie took a quick gulp and handed to cup to her sister.
"Oh," Danielle replied, then she held the cup to her mouth before passing to her right.
"Did she actually drink anything?" Auggie asked nobody in particular.
"Just more for us if she didn't." Lucas replied.
"Busted," Annie said, quietly, to her sister.
"It's okay Danielle." Auggie stated. "I'll only think a little less of you."
"Fine," Danielle huffed. "Pass it back."
Danielle took the cup and drained it off the remaining contents. She loudly set the empty container back in front of Auggie. "Happy?"
Auggie grinned and raised his eyebrows as he found the cup. "Good job." He replied.
"What now?" Danielle asked.
"More of the same until one of you guys start to entertain me." Auggie responded as he poured more tequila.
Danielle glared toward Auggie while he handed the cup to his brother. "Don't worry newbie." Lucas said to Danielle. "Odds are that he'll entertain us, instead."
"By kicking your ass." Auggie stated.
Lucas openly stared at his brother for a moment. "Haven't threatened me with that in a while."
Auggie grinned. "We haven't seen much of each other, so to speak."
"Wouldn't want to run you off by embarrassing you in front of your wife's family."
Annie and Danielle watched this exchange with interest. "Why don't we find other ways to entertain ourselves?" Danielle asked.
"What do you have in mind?" Auggie asked.
"Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Auggie replied with a grin, starting the game.
"Are we back in middle school?" Annie asked, getting a nod of agreement from Lucas.
"I'm just curious what she would dare me to do." Auggie replied with a shrug.
"Probably going to involve the diving board." Annie replied.
Her idea did involve the diving board, and before long all of the adults were back in the pool. Even Danielle, who didn't have a chance to change into her suit, ended up in the water. They played like the kids had, earlier in the day, with carefree abandon brought about by liquor and the temporary lack of responsibility. Danielle laughed more than Annie had heard from her in years. She was a little concerned that Auggie would be covered in bruises the next day, just from his encounters with various body parts and the edge of the pool.
Annie swam up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He spun around and lifted her up for a kiss. Then he pulled away and dunked her under the water.
"You are having way too much fun with this." She stated.
"Oh no, I'm having just the right amount." He replied, his voice quiet and sensual compared to the long ago day in Barcelona of their original exchange.
Just as the words came out of his mouth, Lucas pushed a wall of water into Annie and Auggie. "Get a room!" He shouted.
Auggie turned and jumped in the direction of his brother, completely missing him and getting tangled in one of the rafts littering the pool. He stopped to regain his bearings as his brother swam to the deep end. "Straight ahead at your two o'clock!" Annie guided him. Auggie lunged forward and swam a few strokes before his brother moved again.
"To your left!" Annie guided. Lucas threw a raft in his way.
They continued this chase for a little while before Lucas greeted Auggie by pushing his head under water. Auggie responded by grabbing his legs and flipping him under. He was repositioning to continue the fight when he came back hard onto the edge of the pool with a grunt.
Lucas, struggling to catch his breath, stepped out of arms reach and asked "You okay bro?"
"Yeah," he replied unconvincingly, pulling himself up to sit in the edge of the pool.
"Auggie, I've never seen you so uncoordinated." Danielle stated.
Auggie looked offended. "I thought I was doing pretty well."
"You were." Annie replied before her sister could put her foot in her mouth.
"You two make a good team." Danielle added. "I can just imagine what it must have been like-"
Annie shot Danielle a glare that immediately shut her up.
"When?" Lucas asked.
"Chicken fights in the lake, when we lived in Turkey." Annie supplied.
"I bet you guys would be good at that." Lucas responded as he got out of the pool. Danielle followed and wrapped herself in a towel.
Annie stayed in the pool with Auggie's legs wrapped around her body. "Let's run through the grass." She whispered as she took a sip from the cup of tequila and handed it to Auggie.
"Okay," he replied. Annie ducked out of the grip he had around her body with his legs and climbed up the edge of the pool.
"I'm going to bed." Danielle announced.
"Yeah, I'm headed that way, too." Lucas stated, eyeing the couple on the edge of the pool.
"Good night!" Annie said with slightly too much cheer.
Auggie stood up and pulled Annie to her feet. "Point me in the right direction." He said, seductively, into her ear.
She walked to the edge of the concrete, navigating around random pool toys along the way. When his feet hit the soft ground, Auggie let go of Annie and ran forward at full speed.
Noticing he was headed straight toward one of the few trees she shouted "Left!"
Rather than turning, Auggie stopped. He waited for Annie to get close. He pointed to his left. "Can I go a good ways in this direction?"
Annie pulled his arm to a slightly different angle. "No promises that the kids didn't leave something out there I can't see. It's a new moon tonight, good and dark."
Auggie nodded, positioned himself in the direction she pointed, and ran forward with his arms to his sides. He was doing well until his foot landed on an uneven area and he fell in the grass. Annie wasn't far behind.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Great." He replied. "Join me?" He patted the ground next to him.
Annie sat, and Auggie pulled her to lay down. The thick grass was soft, if a bit itchy. He was still catching his breath.
"Its a clear night."
"Are the city lights too bright to make anything of it?"
"No worse than at home. There are plenty of stars bright enough to enjoy."
Auggie kissed the top of her head. They enjoyed a moment of peaceful silence together.
"This is nice." Auggie said.
"Are you saying we should visit your brother more often?"
Auggie groaned. "We need to drink in an open field more often."
"So... hang out at a local high school?" Annie joked.
"We would be the coolest parents in town."
"You wanna sleep out here?" Annie asked.
"It's kinda itchy. Hope there are enough lights for you to get us back to the house, because I'm a bit disoriented."
"Oh yeah, we're fine." She responded.
"But let's stay right here just a moment longer." He said, before rolling on top of her.
"Okay." She replied, when he finally let her take a breath.