Ch. 05 - Annie II
It was a blustery late November morning when I got the phone call that Frank Livingstone had passed away. Uncle Frank had been like a second dad to me when I was growing up. Of course, if you have been reading my little stories, you will know that Annie, Frank's daughter was my first love and my first sexual experiences had been with her. Annie had moved to England to further her education and had never come back. While we had kept in touch for a few years our relationship eventually waned because of the distance and our busy lives. Almost ten years had passed since she and I had shared that basement suite during our first year in college. I still had a soft spot in my heart for her and I was hoping that she would make it back for the funeral.
As luck would have it, things were hectic at work and it was touch and go as to whether or not I would even be able to catch a ferry to Vancouver Island to attend the funeral. I worked until six on the night before the service and then caught a late ferry, arriving at my hotel after eleven.
Next morning, I was in the restaurant having breakfast and having a look at the newspaper when I heard a familiar voice say, "Hello stranger."
I looked up and there was Annie. She hadn't changed much at all and still had that beautiful smile that lit up the room. I quickly got up and we hugged, holding one another for a long time. I whispered to her as I gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, "I am so sorry about your dad."
She sat down and joined me for a coffee and as we chatted, the years melted away and that old familiarity was quickly reestablished. When she spoke of her dad, I reached across and held her hand, comforting her in this time of loss. We spent almost an hour, talking and catching up on each other's lives.
Annie was married to a lawyer and had a three year old son. Her husband and son had stayed in England and she had travelled back on her own. While I got the feeling that perhaps the marriage wasn't exactly working out like she would have hoped, I did not press the issue.
But then it was time for Annie to go, she had to meet the family and get organized for the service. I told her I would see her there and gave her another big hug before she left. I sat then, quietly assessing the feelings I was experiencing. Of all the women who had passed through my life, Annie was the one who I could honestly say I had loved.
I spent the rest of the morning walking around the old hometown, my mind lost in memories of the good times I had enjoyed growing up here. It was funny, but most of those memories included Annie, as we had been childhood friends and our families had been so close. My own parents had passed away several years back and my older brother lived in Eastern Canada and had been unable to make it out for the funeral so I was the sole representative from our family attending.
The service was in the early afternoon and as I sat and listened to the eulogies, my mind kept drifting back to Annie and our time together in that basement suite so many years ago. We had been young and naive and together had discovered the joys of sex.
After the service I attended the reception and chatted with many old acquaintances that I had not seen in years. I stayed for what I felt was appropriate and after paying my respects to the other family members, gave Annie another big hug and then headed on my way. Annie had family responsibilities and I did not want to linger or be a distraction.
I was feeling pretty melancholy, thinking of Frank, but more so thinking about Annie and wanting to be able to spend more time with her than I knew was possible. I decided to have an early dinner and then picked up a bottle of wine and headed back to my hotel room to have a drink and watch TV.