Auggie and Annie family and home part 18
Auggie was quiet. Annie had taken a seat behind the steering wheel and they had started their trip to Glencoe at 6 in the morning. Jeremy sat in the back of the car playing with his dinosaurs and listening to stories on his little ipod.
"I could use a break" Auggie suddenly said. Annie turned slightly her head looking over to her husband who had not been talking for the last 3 hours since they had started from home.
"Yeah, I could use a coffee, too" Annie replied. I am going to take the next exit and we will look for a diner"
Twenty minutes later Annie steered the car towards the exit and found a spot for their car on the parking lot of a highway diner. Auggie got out of the car, unfolded his cane and waited for Annie who had just walked around the car to help Jeremy get out of his seat. When Jeremy had gotten out of the car as well, Annie offered Auggie her arm, touching his hand slightly with hers.
The three now walked towards the diner. Given the beautiful summer weather there were also a number of chairs and tables outside shaded by huge green umbrellas. Annie led Auggie towards a table and put his hand on the back of a chair. Auggie folded his cane, put it on the table in front of him and sat down. When he had put the cane on the table, his hands found the menu that was laid out on very table and for the first time that day he smiled and said "Well that is nothing for me"
Annie was happy that her husband finally started talking a bit and replied "I am gonna read it to you"
"I could do that as well" Jeremy said, looking over to Auggie and Annie on the other side of the table.
"Okay, champion, then tell me what´s on offer here"
Now Jeremy took the menu into his hands, studied it a bit and read
"Drinks: coffee, cappuccino, green tea, hot chocolate, orange juice, coke, mineral water, apple juice
Snacks: French fries, cheeseburger, hamburger, mixed salad, tomato soup, potato soup
Desserts: apple cake, ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), cheesecake, fruit salad"
Auggie listened to Jeremy reading to him and finally said "I am gonna have a coffee and a cheeseburger"
Annie and Jeremy opted for a hamburger and a mixed salad, a coke and apple juice.
The young waitress took their orders and appeared with the snacks 10 minutes later.
As before Auggie quietly ate and just listened to the conversation between Annie and his son. He enjoyed to stretch his legs a bit and to feel the sun on his skin.
"Can we just walk around a bit before we get back into our car?" He asked when he had finished his cheeseburger.
"Yeah, of course" Annie smiled and touched his hand, reaching over to him. Then she looked over to the young waitress, waved and paid"
"I am gonna guide Dad this time" Jeremy said, stood and walked over to Auggie taking his hand.
Auggie put his right hand on his son´s shoulder and started walking next to him. After a few seconds he looked up to his father and asked "Daddy why have you been so quiet, aren´t you happy we are going to see Granny and Grandfather?"
As usual Jeremy was very intuitive and therefore Auggie thought his almost 9-year old son deserved an honest answer. "You know, I have not been to Glencoe for a while and I really do not like going because I have so many memories of that place, memories of the time when I could still see."
"Oh Daddy, I did not know that it hurts you so much to go to Glencoe" Jeremy said looking up to Auggie. They had walked around the diner. In the back part there was a playground for children and a little pond with ducks. Auggie could hear them quack and suddenly remembered the incident when Jeremy was three and had fallen into the water during a walk through the park. It had been a terrible situation for him because of his blindness he had not been able to help Jeremy.
"Aren´t the ducks cute?" Jeremy asked"I am sure they are" Auggie said.
"There is a duck mother with four tiny light-brown ducklings swimming right behind her" Annie explained.
"Yeah, little ducklings are really sweet" Auggie said, leaning on his cane listening to the sound of the splashing water when two ducks started an argument.
"I think we better get going, if we don´t want to arrive too late" Annie said after 10 minutes and Jeremy touched Auggie´s arm leading him towards the car. They had still around 7 hours to drive to reach their destination.
Back in the car, Jeremy fell asleep with his dinosaur in his hand whilst Annie and Auggie listened to the songs on the radio. They continued their ride for another two hours before they stopped again because nature was calling.
"Are we already there?" Jeremy asked with a sleepy voice from the back of the car. He had just woken up after his nap and was a bit confused.
"No, we are just having a break to use the bathroom" Auggie replied, feeling for his watch. He flipped the lid open and felt for the time. It was a quarter past 11 and they had still a 5-hours drive ahead until they would reach Glencoe.
Auggie, Annie and Jeremy headed to the bathroom of the highway diner and after a short while they continued their way. Annie had bought a bottle of mineral water and Auggie needed another coffee. Auggie and his caffeine addiction were a special topic. He cradled his coffee-to-go in his hands and sipped on it whilst Annie poured some mineral water for Jeremy and herself into a plastic cup.
Twenty minutes later they were on the highway again and for the first time since they had met, Annie wished that Auggie could drive, too. The distance between Glencoe and DC was a rather long one and she would have loved to take the passenger seat for a while. But of course, Auggie was blind and that would never change and she was the only one who could drive a car.
At 6:00 pm they finally reached their destination. When the car finally rolled across the gravel path in front of the Anderson house, Gladys Anderson spotted them and immediately called her husband.
"They are here" she exclaimed and wiped her hands on the apron she had wrapped around her waist whilst peeling potatoes and washing salad in the kitchen where it already smelled of fried chicken from the oven. Then she hurried to the front door, followed by her husband who had heard her call.
Auggie slowly got out of the passenger seat. He unfolded his cane and seconds later he felt the warm embrace of his mother.
"I am so glad you finally came" Gladys Anderson said, her eyes wet from the tears of joy. She had barely seen her son in Glencoe since his accident. He had only been to his parents once, right after he had returned from rehab and ever since he had avoided a visit to the place of his childhood.
"It is good to be back" Auggie said, hugging his mother tightly and he really meant what he said. At the beginning, he had been quite reluctant to the idea of returning to Glencoe but on their way from DC he had had a lot of time to think and he had come to the conclusion that he had made the right decision even if it meant that he had to fight the painful memories of the past as a sighted boy and man in Glencoe.
"It is good to have you back son" James Anderson said, pulling Auggie into a hug before he turned to Annie. Gladys Anderson held her grandson in a warm embrace.
"Oh my God , you have really grown quite a bit since our last visit" She said smiling.
I am almost 9 Jeremy said. He was proud that he would be in 3rd grade after the summer break.
"He has become a big boy already" James Anderson said looking over to his wife and Jeremy after he had welcomed Annie with a kiss on her cheek and an embrace.
"Let´s go inside!" Gladys said and took Auggie´s arm. He quietly withdrew it and felt his way up to his mother´s elbow. She still was not acquainted with the way to guide him. How could she? They did not meet often enough and he avoided talking about these things to his parents because he felt they were embarrassed by these things.
Annie, Jeremy and James followed Gladys and Auggie into the house. Auggie found the five stairs of the porch with his cane and finally said
"Mum I can walk alone" Gladys looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. She had meant well, guiding her son to the house. But he felt uncomfortable. There were only a few people in his life who were allowed to lead him. And as soon he realized the other person was uncomfortable or did not know how to help him, he avoided to ask for help and opted for trying to walk alone.
Now Auggie folded his can and trailed his hand along the wall in the corridor. He found the coat hanger and put his leather jacket on it, before he put his neatly folded cane on the dresser below.
After Annie and Jeremy had also taken off their jackets, they followed Gladys and James into the living room where Auggie had already taken a seat in an armchair. He still found his way around, even after so many years. Nothing had changed, at least not regarding the layout and the position of the furniture in his parents´ house. But Auggie himself had changed. Since his last visit to Glencoe right after rehab, he had built himself a new life, he had got married and he had become a father. Auggie sat in his armchair deep lost in thought ,whilst Annie and Jeremy were talking with Gladys and James.
Annie realized what was going on with her husband and so she didn´t comment his behavior. She knew about his inner fight against himself and the memories that had come back.
After ten minutes Gladys got up because the kitchen timer rang. She walked into the kitchen and pulled the chicken out of the oven. The potatoes were done as well and the salad just needed a bit of dressing to be served. Annie followed her mother-in-law into the kitchen.
"Can I help you something?" She asked
"Yes, if you like you can get the dressing out of the fridge and add it to the salad before you set the salad onto the table"
"Sure" Annie walked to the fridge and got out the glass jar with Gladys´ home made dressing and poured it over the mixed salad. Then she took the glass bowl and set it in the middle of the dining table that was laid out already.
Now Auggie got up from his chair as well and felt his way to the kitchen. Even after so many years Gladys Anderson´s heart broke when she watched her son feeling his way around or using his cane. She had never really gotten over the accident and the impact it had had on her son´s life.
"The chicken smells delicious" Auggie commented walking towards Annie with his left hand slightly outstretched.
"How did you know that it is chicken?" Gladys asked surprised
"Mum, being blind doesn´t mean that I cannot smell" Auggie responded in a slightly unnerved tone. He felt like going back to the time after rehab when he had to explain that he still could do many things that did not require vision. He didn´t like the feeling, when somebody underestimated him and his capabilities. He quickly felt his way out of the kitchen and sat down at the dining table.
Now Jeremy walked over to his father and sat on the chair next to him.
"You look sad, Daddy" he said and took Auggie´s hand, trying to connect with his father.
"I am a bit tired" Auggie said and he knew it was a lie.
"Is it because you are blind now and you remember the time before?" Jeremy asked now and Auggie turned towards his son
"Yes" he said and was glad that now his mother appeared with the dinner and he could now distract himself with eating.