Amazing Part 9
On the ferry to Palermo, Annie positioned Auggie at the railing and went in search of coffee. The morning was sunny and warm, the ocean smelled briny and a soft breeze ruffled Auggie's hair. He had seen a lot of the world before he lost his sight, experiencing it again now as a blind man was extraordinary.
"A Lira for your thoughts?" Annie offered as she pressed the warm coffee cup against his hand.
"I wish I could find the words," he shook his head with a soft smile.
Annie tried not to feel left out of Auggie's world, they each had their moments when the other one couldn't possibly understand. She wanted to know every thought he had though, every emotion, she wanted to soak them all in and celebrate the good ones and help heal the bad ones.
"Be careful, that coffee is strong," Brett mentioned as he and Cathy joined Annie and Auggie at the rail and burst the small moment.
"No such thing as too strong when it comes to coffee," Auggie sipped and savored the deep espresso roast.
"Have you been to Italy, for the Smithsonian?" Cathy asked.
"A couple times, mostly Venice and Rome though," Annie answered fairly truthfully.
"I spent some time in Rome before I knew Annie," Auggie also gave away a little bit of truth.
"Brett and I have been together since high school, it must be weird to have such diverse histories before you got together,' Cathy mentioned off-handedly.
"We try not to hold our pasts against one another," Annie shrugged and Auggie found her and wrapped an arm around her.
***555***
Cars awaited them at the Port in Palermo and they drove 42 miles to Castellammare Del Golfo, the Fortress on the gulf where they had a Team Challenge.
Annie explained the 2 challenges, one involved moving a 110 pound bell around town in a truck and then lugging it up a flight of stairs and the other involved sorting laundry to find a clue.
"We did our chores in Moscow, I want to carry the giant bell," Auggie decided.
"Me too," Annie agreed, "I don't even like sorting our own laundry."
They arrived at the foundry and found the bell, it was designed for two people to carry, but at 110 pounds it wasn't too much for Auggie to lift on his own. He got it in the back of the pick-up truck they were to use to deliver it as Annie studied the map.
The map was hand drawn and the roads narrow and poorly marked, she really had to memorize the route, she was confident she had it down as she and Auggie climbed into the vehicle.
"This truck isn't as sexy as the Benz," she teased and released the gear shift long enough to squeeze Auggie's hand.
He smiled but didn't say anything.
"You OK?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Does it bother you that you never knew me when I could see?"
"No," Annie said honestly.
"Huh," Auggie grunted.
"There are so many things about your past I am curious about Auggie, but your sight has never been one of them. "
They made it to the church and Auggie plucked the bell from the truck bed like it was a sack of groceries. Annie served as lead and got him up the stairs easily, they delivered the bell and were handed their clue.
A short drive and a 1 mile hike through some ancient ruins brought them to Teatro de Segesta where they found a bunch of broken down statues.
"This looks like a puzzle," Annie mentioned as she took the clue from the box.
"All yours Sugar Plum," he smiled and leaned back against the rock wall.
Sure enough the challenge involved completing the broken statue with the pieces scattered at the base. The statue was a typical ancient Roman statue of a nearly naked man.
"If you would take off your clothes this would be a lot easier for me," Annie mentioned with a laugh.
"Excuse me?" Auggie quirked an eyebrow.
"I need to assemble a naked man, would be helpful to have a completed model for comparison," she smirked.
Danielle and Kendall arrived in time to hear Auggie reply with, "I am pretty sure you have my naked body committed to memory by now."
"What exactly are we doing here?" Kendall asked with a smile.
"We are assembling a naked male statue, I was just trying to talk Auggie into being my model," Annie replied as she continued to piece the statue together.
"I think we could all get behind that," Danielle added appreciatively.
"Use your imaginations girls," Auggie blushed in response.
Annie finished her statue as Kendall got to work on theirs. The judge assessed Annie's complete and gave her the next clue, she brought the clue to Auggie and slid a hand up the front of his shirt.
"That statue has nothing on you," she whispered in his ear and smiled when his hands automatically went to her waist and held her closer.
Their Pit Stop was only 1 mile by foot at the Tempio di Segesta, an ancient Temple. As they arrived Annie noticed a tent city.
"No private room tonight babe," she informed him as they waved to Gwen.
"Look who is back in first place," Gwen greeted them.
"Not by much, those girls are kicking butt," Annie hooked her thumb back where Danielle and Kendall were sure to be along soon.
***555***
The first flash of lightening was brilliantly close, Annie squeezed Auggie's hand and whispered "Thunder" under her breath.
"I could smell it," he grinned and whispered back as the long rumble announced itself.
"Freak," she teased.
"Can't you smell it? The ozone, the wind shifting, the coming storm…" he pulled her back against his chest and hoped they were looking out over the water.
Her eyes slipped closed as she tried to rally her other senses to experience the storm the way Auggie did, but even with her eyes closed she could tell the lightening flash behind her eyelids.
"I love a good thunder storm," he sighed, his thumb rubbing distractingly against her hip.
"Me too," her voice betrayed her desire for that private room from Munich.
"Sorry guys, we are trying to get everyone inside, storm is going to be pretty bad," Gwen interrupted their reverie.
"Oh, OK, " Annie shook herself from her Auggie trance and he slipped his hand to her elbow as she led him among the crumbled ruins without injury.
"The tents are safe for now, but if it gets too bad, we will pull the vans up to wait it out. Stand by," Gwen instructed the group huddled in the main tent.
"Anyone up for a game of Truth or Dare," Emily suggested with a nervous laugh.
TBC…