The Evening

What happened last:

Half an hour later, he felt better and opted for a good book and slow music. He read until it was dark outside. On the way to bed he retrieved his iPad and deposited it on the bed. He brushed his teeth and walked to his bed, swung himself up and settled under the blanket. He unlocked the screen and got online to search for some shoes. After what seemed to be an eternity he found some shoes and ordered them in two sizes to make sure he could choose. He booked the overnight service. After checking his private email account, he closed the iPad and turned over to sleep.

The two weeks leading up to the function were normal. Annie had found a dress with Dani, a red halterneck gown with some sequins on the side. It flowed nicely around her hips and was knee length. Her back was exposed but she had a shawl which she could wrap around her shoulders. She found some high heels in the same color as her dress, and opted for a black clutch.

Thursday, when Annie and Auggie were working together on a project Annie told him, "Hey, Auggie? You wanted to know what color my gown would be? It's red, like roses."

"Oh, okay, Annie. It's good to know it." Auggie added "So I can get you the right color corsage."

With that out of the way, they continued to talk only about project-relevant things. As they prepared to go home for the evening, Auggie said, "Tomorrow we can leave here early, so that we both have time to get ready. Is it ok if I come to your house at six thirty so that we can get something to eat beforehand?"

"That would be wonderful, Auggie. Where do you want to go?" Annie asked.

"Some restaurant where our clothing will feel appropriate. It'll be my treat – because I'm a gentleman and this is how it's done. So don't even think about arguing." He smirked, got his cane, and walked out of the office. He disappeared without giving Annie a chance protest.

He was proud of himself. He asked a woman to go to dinner with him. Normally he didn't have the courage to ask anyone out, but Annie didn't seem to mind his handicap. He thought that Annie was a beautiful woman and he hoped that they would become closer. She might be the one person who didn't pity him; so far she hadn't made a fuss about his hinky gait or the ever-present cane. They worked out every other day in the gym and she had come over to his place on two different evenings to watch movies with him. They'd shared nice conversations and discovered they had a lot of similarities.

The next day, they finished their work early and shut down their computers. Only after that did Auggie remember that he hadn't printed out Annie's address from the email she'd sent him, so he asked "Annie can you tell me your address? I forgot to print it out. I plan to feed it into my navigation system." He smiled a little shyly about forgetting to print the email out.

"Just a second; I'm going to write it down." With that she wrote her address down and handed the note to Auggie.
"Ok. Thank you. I'll be at your door right on time to escort you to my car." With that he turned and left. He didn't see the smile Annie was wearing. She hoped this would be a date kind of thing. Auggie showed through his wording that he could be her knight in shining armor. The type of hero like she had read about a thousand times in books. Auggie really seemed to be the prince charming she had always wished to meet.

He showered, shaved and put on some cologne. He struggled with the cummerbund and said to himself, "Get a grip, Anderson". He inhaled and exhaled deeply. Once slightly more relaxed, he managed to successfully dress himself and then walked over to his chest of drawers to retrieve his studs and cufflinks. They were in the shape of the Special Forces insignia, and he felt proud as he worked them into the ends of his sleeves. Finally, he put on the bow tie.

He was ready and walked to the door, cane in hand. He checked his money clip, his cell phone and keys. Last thing he checked was the invitation in his jacket pocket. Sure he had everything, he walked out of his apartment and locked it up.

He got into his car and programmed Annie's address into the navigation system. He started the engine and was on his way to a hopefully nice evening.

Twenty minutes later he arrived at Annie's address and got out. He left his cane behind and retrieved the corsage for Annie. He'd gotten the little arrangement yesterday evening at the florist shop on his street.

He knocked on her door and the light immediately turned on. Just seconds later, Annie opened the door. Taking in the sight of each other, both had to gasp at what they saw.

Annie stood there in a red gown, and although he knew the color beforehand, seeing the actual dress (not to mention her) was absolutely another thing. Auggie couldn't find the words he wanted to say, so he gave her a million watt smile. He offered his arm to her for linking.

"Are you ready, Miss Walker?"

"Just a second, Auggie. I need to get my purse," Annie answered and turned away from him.

Annie was thinking, Why does he have to look like a man who could be on the cover of a magazine? He was looking totally awesome in his tuxedo. You could see some outlines of his prosthetics, but only if you know where to look for them. His cane seemed to be just a little accessory. Annie was eager to know where they would dine. She was hungry and hoped she would get something in her stomach soon. She grabbed her purse and her keys and walked out to Auggie. After locking up her door, she linked her arm with the one Auggie was holding out.

Handing her the flower he got for her, he explained, "Now that I realize how gorgeous you look tonight, it's probably not beautiful enough to compliment your lovely appearance." He held his head low slightly blushing.

"Thank you, Auggie. It looks really perfect. Will you do me the honor and put it on? I don't think I can't wait until we're in the car to put it on." She smiled at him and held out her arm.

He nodded and softly replied, "Of course." He then carefully stretched the elastic out, maneuvered it over her hand, and delicately positioned it onto her wrist.

Auggie, being the gentleman he was raised up to be, opened her door and waited for her to be seated safely in his car. He just then realized that he was nervous about Annie seeing his modified car, and he hoped she wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Auggie walked around the car, opened his door and seated himself. He grabbed his right leg and put it under the dashboard and did the same thing with the left one. After he was settled, he turned the engine on and drove through the streets. He was heading to The Aqua, one of the best-reviewed places to dine at in the city. He was lucky to have been able to get a reservation there.

After twenty minutes of driving, they reached their destination. Auggie got out of the car and handed the keys to the valet. He briefly explained which button needed to be pushed so that the modifications would be overridden. This way the man would be able to easily park his car.

He walked to Annie's side and offered his arm to her. They walked up to the host.

"Reservation for Anderson," Auggie told the guy. The host grabbed to menus. "Please follow me."

Once they were seated, Auggie and Annie opened their menus. They studied the options and before long, the assigned waitress came to their table. They both happened to pick out the exact same meal to order: the tomato soup with seafood and as their entrées, steak with sautéed asparagus and potatoes on side. They fell into an easy conversation and felt very relaxed as they dined.

As Annie laid her cutlery down, Auggie asked, "Do you want to get a dessert?"

"Just if you're willing to share one with me. Everything was so delicious, so I only have a little room left," Annie answered, smiling at him.

"Do you have any preferences? Or should we just share a sampler plate?"

"The sampler sounds good. Thanks for being willing to share with me."

The waitress came to collect their dishes and took the order of a sampler plate. They enjoyed the dessert and Auggie took care of the bill. Auggie walked Annie to the sidewalk and handed the parking guy the plastic card which he had received after handing over the car keys.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the function's address. Auggie retrieved his cane hoping it wouldn't draw too much attention toward him. He had these thoughts not only for his own sake, but for Annie's as well. He didn't want someone to pity her or anything like that.

They got to their assigned seats and waited for the speeches which were to be held. After listening to what felt like thousands of speeches, the big band began to play.

The crowds were starting to mingle. Annie spoke to an Arab woman in her native language. He observed that she kept looking over at the couples on the floor who were dancing. He wanted to ask her, but he didn't feel quite brave enough. He feared he'd make a spectacle of himself. After weighing the pro and cons he built up enough courage and came to the decision to ask Annie.

"Ladies, may I interrupt?" He turned to toward the woman he'd come with. "Do you want to dance, Annie?" he asked, still a little unsure of himself.

Annie smiled and nodded. Auggie offered his hand and Annie took it. Together they walked back to his seat so that he could get rid of his cane. Then, he walked them to a corner of the parquet and twirled Annie so he could get his arms in dancing mode. It was a slow song so Auggie didn't get in trouble.

Annie just thought, wow; she was dancing with the handsomest guy on the planet. She enjoyed being held like this. She felt that she was blushing and her insides were tingling a little bit.

"I hope I'm not stepping on your toes, Annie?" Auggie asked quietly.

"No, Auggie. Everything is fine. You're a good dancer; I'm enjoying this. I couldn't thank you for this lovely evening until now, but I wish the night would never end!" Annie told him sincerely, smiling up at him, hoping to wash away his serious face. She knew she was on her way to falling for him and she hoped he would fall for her as well.

Her genuine words opened some doors inside of Auggie that he didn't think he would ever reopen. He was very fond of Annie despite their rocky start. It felt good to have a woman in his arms again, knowing she didn't pity him and wasn't repelled by his appearance. He was on the way to falling for a woman again.

They danced through the night, enjoyed the environment of the event and were left as two of the last people still at the function.

"I don't want to end the evening yet, Auggie… but I can't stand on those heels anymore," Annie told him.

Auggie thought for a moment and got an idea. "Have you ever observed the stars from the grass in front of the Washington Monument?" Annie shook her head. "Let us drive there and we can enjoy the view together, if you want to. I have a blanket in the trunk and we can stop at a deli and get something to drink or even eat." Auggie rambled on and on.

"You had me at the mentioning of stars."