“Annie, we’re almost here” quietly whispers Rick shaking her
arm to wake her up before the plane lands “Did you have a good rest? You’ve been asleep most of the flight.”
“Are we really nearly there?
I didn’t expect to sleep for so long.
I guess the summer took more out of me than I knew” yawns Annie
massaging a cramp in her neck and then noticing a rather damp spot on the shoulder
of the passenger next to her while the retired older gentleman smiles back at
her. Horrified that she might been the
cause for the mark Annie profusely apologizes “I’m so sorry I borrowed your
shoulder to sleep on. I was so out of
it. I didn’t realize what I was doing. I
hope that I didn’t drool too much.”
“Not too much…” he warmly says with a comforting smile “When
my children were little, they would often fall asleep on my shoulders. They are now all young women. You remind me a lot of my goddaughter, Faith Price
who lives in Mansfield. She likes to read too.
She’s always carrying around a bag of books with her. I don’t understand how she expects to read
all of them in one day.”
“Faith Price? I knew a girl by that name when I was a
counselor at Camp Long Branch many years ago.” Surprised responds Annie, “She
was attending sunbeam camp with The Salvation Army.”
“You know my goddaughter!
I’m soldier with The Salvation Army too!” happily responds Mr. Bartram
“What corps do you go to?”
“I attend Kellynwich Citadel” replies Annie “But I’ve been
with a children’s home in Lima, Peru for the summer with the Northern Territory
summer service corps. My friend
Harriet’s mother, Major Fiona Smith, has been stationed there as the director
for many years.”
“What an interesting way to spend your summer! So, I see you read a lot too. Do you also carry a bag of books around as
well to read whenever you want to?” asks Mr. Bartram wanting to know Annie a
little better.
“It’s not so much about reading them all in one setting, but
having the option to chose which one and how much of each throughout the day”
explains Annie not entirely joking with a smile “I usually have at least two
with me, and I might be reading four different books at the same time during a
week.”
“Too much reading for me, but I value your effort. I’m more into facts and figures with my
company,. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, Bartram Enterprises?” states
Mr. Bartram enjoying the company and discussion the last few minutes of the
flight. “It’s been nice to meet you and Captain Wentworth. I spoke with him earlier while you were
resting and recovering. It’s good to
make a new friend who is even a Soldier on the plane home. Hopefully we’ll run into each other again
soon, most likely at a congress or perhaps a divisional meeting or band concert.”
As Mr. Bartram exits the row to freshen up, Rick leans
across the aisle to talk more with Annie.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” giggles Annie embarrassed at
her unintentional gaffe.
“I tried to reach over and knock your foot, but it didn’t
work and you were completely out. Mr.
Bartram mouthed over that it was all right and not to worry about it” explains
Rick laughing at the memory “Your head was bopping up and down, and all the
over the place. Then at one point you were leaning halfway over into the aisle. The flight attendant had to squeeze by to get
through. I think Mr. Bartram partially
felt sorry for you and offered his shoulder as a pillow instead.”
Taking a Kleenix from her backpack , Annie glares at him and
rolls her eyes as his stifled giggles continue. She takes out a mirror and
horrified realizes that every single hair on her head appears to have gotten
lost in its own peculiar direction. She
slumps in her seat wondering why Rick has to see her like this and why she
can’t look like those actresses in the movies who wake up perfectly beautiful
instead of the foreign creature she has become instead.
Brushing thru her hair, she glances back over to Rick who is
putting his things away as well to prepare for landing. Annie feels a sense of comfort and wonder
that she can be so at ease with him, longing for him to feel the same way about
her once again. He catches her looking at him and smiles back with a nod and
wink. Blushing Annie shakes her head and
shrugs her shoulders, but smiles too.
After the pilot announces that the plane is descending, as
she watches Rick double check his seat belt, Annie kiddingly asks Rick but not
expecting an answer “Do you need me to hold your hand?”
“Yes, I think I do!” jokes Rick and places his hand out
across the aisle.
Stunned Annie stares at it for a second as if it might be
poison and doesn’t move.
Seizing the rather unexpected opportunity, Rick wiggles his
fingers pleading, “Come on. You said you
would hold my hand. I need you. I’m not sure I can get through this without
you.”
Peering over the rows of seats at the flight attendant who
has already found their secured position, Annie shrugs her shoulders and throws
her arm out. Rick grabs her hand and squeezes tightly as if he might actually
be afraid to land.
One the tires tightly squeal along the tarmac pushing all
the passengers forward near to the seat in front of them, “Thank you for
rescuing me. I’ll owe you when we get
back” kids Rick wanting to spend a few more minutes with her “How about if I
take you to dinner after we talk to Lauren’s parents?”
Quite pleased at this unexpected invitation, Annie replies
“What a wonderful idea! I’ve been
craving French fries and a Dr. Pepper.”
“Great!” excitedly agrees Rick finding his satchel in the
luggage compartment and letting Annie walk in front of him out of the plane
towards home.
After finding their luggage in the baggage claim, Rick
gently places a hand on the middle of Annie’s back to lead her to customs
before exiting the airport. Annie
unexpectedly feels electrified by his touch and blushes while opening up her
passport to have something else to concentrate on instead before Rick notices
how much she likes it.
They walk near to each other glancing back and forth without
saying anything as they enter the parking garage. “Do you remember where they told us the van
would we parked?” finally asks Annie.
“No, not really … the yellow “D” on the large pillar over
there sounds vaguely familiar” replies Rick searching in his pocket for the
spare key. “But to be honest, the “Orange A”
in the corner seems just as likely”.
“I have an idea. Why
don’t you hit the clicker for the alarm and maybe we can find it that way”
suggests Annie having done this many times before when she couldn’t remember
where she parked at the mall and had to ride with a security guard on his golf
cart to find her car “I’ve had a little experience in this area”.
Rick presses the red button on the key chain as the van
alarm echoes throughout the parking garage, making it appear the van has been
parked in opposite directions because of the echoes of the acoustics. The
shuffle together around the rows of parked cars with their wheeled suitcases
and heavy bags strapped across their shoulders, aiming for a louder pulsating
sound somewhere in the massive concrete
garage. They pause for a breather
as the alarm continues to blow, both of them chuckling to themselves
Shaking his head, Rick out of breath suggests “I think it
might be coming from over there. If not,
we’re probably going to have someone else help us.”
“Okay” agrees Annie willing to follow his leadership after
giving up attempting her suggestions with no happy resolution.
“I found it!” points Rick elated that the search is over.
“Do you need some help with your luggage?”
“No thanks, I think that I can make it a few more feet. I think we did walk a couple of miles today
though” giggles Annie enjoying making a new memory with him.
Rick helps Annie load her luggage into the back of the van
and then finds his place in the driver seat. “I should let you drive, you know
this area better than I do.”
“Sort-of …. I have to use my GPS anywhere I go because I’m
awful with directions. Even the woman on
my phone can’t understand my accent” explains Annie and then offers a few
examples “The other day I asked multiple times for directions for Pizza. It gave me directions to Lisa’s Nails, the
Peace and Love gift shop, the Pieces of Art gallery, and finally ended with the
Plaza of the Sun – none of them quite the same thing.”
“Ummm … maybe I will drive this time” jokes Rick “I vaguely
remember you having a difficult time with finding your way. Do you still use your hand motions for North,
South, East, and West?”
“Hahaha … yes, I actually I do. But the probably is, I don’t know where North
is so it doesn’t really help figuring out where I am” shares Annie a little
embarrassed that she is so clueless.
“What about the Sun.
It always rises in the East and sets in the West” curiously asks Rick
wondering what her response will be.
“Yes, but when I look in the sky it always looks like it’s
just up there. Depending on where I am
standing, I can’t really tell where it is at” sincerely explains Annie
attempting to find the sun out the side window of the van while he is pulling
out of the parking lot.
Not knowing how to respond to this but not wanting to hurt her
feelings because he can’t understand how she could not know, Rick weakly
replies “I guess I can see your point.”
Acknowledging that he really can’t comprehend how she could
not know where the sun it at, Annie smiles and waves her hand back at him, but glad
that he was at least attempting to understand her and that he remembers
something that little that she did so long ago.
Reluctantly, he pulls into the driveway of the Hargrove’s
home. Annie and Rick walk up side by
side to the doorway. Mary meets them at
the door before they can ring the doorbell.
“What took you so long?
We’ve been waiting for you!” angrily exclaims Mary with her hands on
hips wearing a frown.
“I’m sorry. We got
here as quickly as we could after going through customs” politely informs Rick.
“You’re taking us to the airport. We need to leave right now or we will miss
our flight” sharply explains Mary as her boys hurriedly drag their mother’s
luggage towards the van.
“I’ve left you $20 on the kitchen table for things you will
need this week with the boys. I went
grocery shopping yesterday, but I forgot to pick up more bread, milk, eggs, and
butter. You can use that money to buy it
with. I’m sure it is plenty” instructs Mary, “ You can do whatever you want
with what is leftover.”
Annie nods wondering how much remains in her bank account to
cover any expenses for the week that will most likely come up. “Thanks.”
“Charles! Come
on! We’re going to be late!” shouts Mary
up the stairs.
“I’ll come back and pick you up so we can meet for dinner” softly
whispers Rick to Annie still standing in the doorway.
Mary overhears this suggestion “Oh no, you can’t. You won’t have time. I already picked up your
ticket from territorial headquarters and with my help you are booked on the
same flight as us back to Peru this afternoon.
They gave me a package that's on the dining room table with the legal papers
you are needing and some expense information to give that I was to you when you arrived” looking
over to her sister in triumph and then back at Rick “Lauren is waiting for
you. She woke up and has been asking to
see you. She will be ecstatic to see you
again.”
Hiding slightly behind the door, Annie closes her eyes
trying to keep back the tears of disappointment “I guess this is goodbye then.”
Sighing Rick bites his bottom lip for a moment before
replying “I’ll send you word on what’s happening with Lauren and how everyone
else is doing”.
“That would be really nice.
Thank you” replies Annie not sure what to do next.
Rick moves forward to hug her, but Mary stubbornly places
herself very close to Annie so it is difficult for him to get closer to
her. He awkwardly bends towards her for
a hug as his elbow bangs against the front door and reaching as far as she can
with Mary rudely standing in the way Annie closes her eyes and politely pats
him on the back.
“I hope you have a safe flight!” wishes Annie as she sees
Rick walking towards the van.
Charles rushes out the door, but whispers back to her “I
left $300 in my top drawer. Go ahead and
use it for whatever you need to or if you just want to keep it that’s all right
with me. I’ll pay you for the week when
I get back, but don’t tell your sister.
She felt you should volunteer to take care of the kids because you are family.”
“Thanks Charles” kindly replies Annie wondering how two so
mismatched people could end up staying so long together.
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