500 Annies Epilogue

PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here
qhml1
qhml1
8,892 Followers

"Have you talked to you ex wife since the books came out? If you did, how did she feel about them?"

I took my time answering the question.

"My ex wife has not spoken to me since the day before she left. I have no idea what her opinions are of my book, or my life. She choose this, so I let her have it that way."

..................................................

What I didn't say is I had spoken to her.

When the book was released, it was off on the publicity trail. Thanks to the recently released movie, I was a hotter property than before.

But I was smarter this time, and had a little more control. Everything was going smoothly until the European swing. I had made plans, and Jane, Anne, Harry, and Chad all spent two weeks with us in France, England, Germany, and Spain. I even had Jane, Maria, and Anne talk about the research on British television.

My net worth was closing in on thirty million by now, so I never worried about the cost.

Of course I took the whole brood with me. AJ was radiant, three months along, a boy this time. Chad fussed after her constantly.

We were in Spain, on the coast. I was of course always on the move, so I cherished what time I had with my family. I came in and the guys were looking at me funny and grinning. What was that?

Bunny was just over four, and she came running into my arms.

I grabbed her and swung her around.

"What did you do today, my cute little Bunny?"

"We went to the beach PopPop. Mommy and Nana and ever body showed their boobies! I did too! Every body there was showing them."

"Huh?"

All the girls looked embarrassed, but the guys collapsed laughing.

"The beach we went to was topless Dad. We didn't know it until we got there, and Bunny took off before we could stop her. The man wouldn't let us in until we took off our tops. I suppose we could have sent the guys in, but I was in full Mommy mode and didn't hesitate. When I caught her and turned around, there was the whole family. So we stayed."

AJ was glowing crimson. I looked at the guys, trying to keep a straight face.

"You bastards! Going without me!"

Chad tried his best to keep a neutral demeanor.

"All I can say, Joe, Is you're one lucky man."

That did it, everybody collapsed laughing.

"Don't worry, man, I got plenty of pictures" gasped Harry.

"Noooo," wailed all the girls."

Mike quipped up.

"Don't worry, we didn't take pictures, but there were plenty of guys who did. Might want to surf some Spanish websites, you know?"

That set us off again, while the girls looked stricken by the thought.

Later Maria asked me if I was mad.

"A little, I guess. But as long as everybody knows they're private property, and doesn't touch, I'll deal with it."

"Sorry honey, but you might not get to touch them for a couple of days. I was too embarrassed to rub suntan lotion on them and they're a little burned, but there's other parts you can play with to make up for it."

So I did.

It was a great holiday, but soon the real world intruded and they left. Mickey and Tony went with Mike, and that left just the girls and I. This was by design.

Just before we left to go overseas, AJ called me.

"Dad, I need a favor."

"Sure honey, you know I'll do anything for you."

"You might not want to do this. Dad....I want you to find Mom. Please. I need to show her Bunny, tell her she's going to be a grandmother again. And I need to ask her why. Why did she abandon us."

I was quiet for a minute.

"Are you sure? What if she rejects us again? Can you handle that?"

"I don't know, but I have to try. Please Dad."

I sighed. "All right. I'll see what I can do."

.................................................

It was pretty easy to find her. I gave the detective agency I hired in Madrid her information, and they found her through her social security number.

She was working as a tour guide in a small town on the coast. Seems like you have to file taxes everywhere these days.

I read the detailed report when I got to London. Her lover had left her in nine months, perhaps because of money. Apparently she was broke.

She had taken the money and invested it in the Spanish stock market. Their economy hadn't collapsed, but with all the surrounding countries going down the tubes, it dragged them along.

She still had a bit left, but not enough to survive on for long.

I told the girls the day I was going to do it. I knew her habits, where she would be when.

She was off on Mondays and Tuesdays. She liked to paint water scenes, so she would go down to the harbor a lot.

I almost didn't recognize her. She had gained twenty to thirty pounds, and it didn't look good on her. She used to exercise religiously, I wonder what happened?

Her hair was cut much shorter. She had it restrained in a kerchief. She set her easel up and selected a partially finished canvas.

I walked up behind her, watching her for a second. She didn't turn around, people watched painters all the time.

"You know, Anne, one of the things I regret most was the cost of your lessons. You were never any good, and I don't see any improvement."

She flinched like she had been struck, and smeared the scene, but she never turned around. Instead she started cleaning the smear.

"Jesus Anne, would it kill you to acknowledge me? If it's any consolation, I'm not here for me, I'm here for your daughter. Remember her? She's pregnant again, a boy this time. Bunny is four now, a bundle of energy. I can arrange for you to meet her, I won't be anywhere near, I promise."

She didn't turn, just started reworking her canvas.

I wanted to snatch her around to face me, and rail at her, but I didn't. Fuck her if that's the way she felt.

"Damn you Anne! I can maybe understand throwing me away, men and women fall in and out of love all the time, but AJ, your child? You practically raised her by yourself while I worked. Doesn't it bother to know she still cries over you?

She hunched her shoulders and kept painting.

"All right Anne, have it your way. I'm going to lay this envelope on the bench. It's pictures of Bunny growing up, and picture of AJ as she grows into an adult woman. The hotel address is on the front, along with her number. We'll be there until the end of the week."

"Oh, I know you're not interested, but I've found somebody, somebody I love deeply. I've got four new kids now, the full house YOU always wanted. I adopted them. Just think Annie, it could have been us. I guess I owe you a debt of thanks. Because of your actions, I got every thing you wanted. Wealth, travel, adventure. Too bad it wasn't us."

I stood there a second, watching her. Did I still love her? No. All I felt was a profound sadness, wondering how to tell AJ.

I didn't say another word, just walked away. Her ghost was finally buried, all I could think of was Marias' arms around me.

................................................

I shook my head when I walked back into our suite.

"I tried, AJ, I really tried. She wouldn't speak to me, wouldn't acknowledge me, wouldn't even face me. I left the packet you gave me with her, maybe she'll get in touch. I'm sorry, baby."

She collapsed in tears, while Maria held her and the girls fussed over her. Damn Annie. I think that was the moment she gave up hope. I had tears in my eyes and started for her when Maria held her hand up. I went for a walk.

The next day Maria came to me.

"Tell me where she is. I'll make that miserable bitch talk to her child if I have to slap a hello out of her."

I had never seen such fire in her eyes.

"Are you sure? It might hurt AJ worse."

"It's not possible to hurt her any deeply. She needs closure. I'll take the girls with me to keep me in line."

I gave her the address, where she usually was at different times of the day, where she worked, and got them a driver. I hoped I was doing the right thing.

They looked for her for nine hours. She wasn't in her apartment or at the harbor, not at work, not at the cafe she liked. It was a good thing Maria and the girls spoke fluent Spanish. They finally found she had quit her job and moved out of her apartment. Neither had a forwarding address. It was a forlorn bunch that came back.

I tried to comfort AJ, but she just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Dad. I'm going home, I need Mike."

She was on a plane the next morning.

Maybe it was for the best. The hotel manager called me at noon, saying a package had arrived for me. I went down.

It was the packet I had left Annie, unopened.

.................................................

Another man had the microphone.

"Are you working on another book? If so, when will it be out?"

"No, and I'm probably not going to. The first book was great, the second good. I think it's time to stop before the third one stinks."

Babs interjected.

"You're still writing though. I've read some of your essays in the Wall Street Journal and the Sun-Times. You're also in demand as a public speaker. Is this your career path now?"

"Yes, pretty much. It keeps me busy and out from under Maria."

The man with the mike asked "So you're semiretired now?"

Joe laughed.

"As retired as I can be with four teenagers at home. I can't let Maria do it all, it defeats the purpose of being married."

Babs seemed sad.

"So Joe, think you'll ever be back on the show?"

He laughed.

"I didn't think I'd ever be here the first time. Who knows? I may come up with something that keeps the terminally bored marginally entertained for a few seconds. We'll see."

"Before we sign off, do you ever hear from the Annies you interviewed?"

"Now, that's an interesting question. I hear from some of them from time to time. Some have disappeared, some have died. But a group of them established a website. And Jane and Annie run a blog dedicated to Annies."

..................................................

It started by accident. I didn't have time to answer all the emails, so after she did her portion of the interviews, I asked Jane if she would help.

"What should I say to them?"

"Tell them I'm in the middle of writing a book. Answer their questions if you can, say so if you can't. Consider it being a PA by proxy, and I'll pay you."

It got to the point she had to split the work with Annie. I payed them, 2500 a month each. They protested, but they both needed the money. Janes' twins had entered college and the money was handy. Chad and Annie were still living tight, so the money was welcome.

And it was worth every penny.

At first it was just for the original Annies, They exchanged greetings, recipes, gossip. They sent cards if one was sick, flowers when one died. It became a sisterhood.

If someone needed an appliance, a vehicle, or housing help, there was always a few Annies to go to. They exchanged hopes, pains, dreams of the future, regrets of the past.

The seventy four year old sexual dynamo passed away. I went to her funeral and sat in the back. There were twenty eight floral arrangements signed "Annie".

The abused Annie that affected me so much was murdered by her husband. I donated two hundred thousand dollars to a battered womens shelter, contingent that they name it after her. Her husband got fifteen years, he'll probably be out in eight.

Annie 499 came to be the official mascot.

She didn't have a computer, using public libraries. Annies sent her two laptops and two desktops. Another paid her internet bills. When she and her husband got a house, actually a single wide trailer, she received so many linens, towels, and small appliances she had to donate some back. They needed a car, one of the wealthier Annies paid for one of those donated to charity to be overhauled and parked it in her yard.

When her first child, Joesph William, was born, they had a cyber baby shower, and she got so many gift certificates for diapers she had to pass some along. The clothes, car seats, and play equipment would have filled a semi.

Women clamored to join. Jane came up with a solution. The original Annies became the Inner Circle. There are now 139,00 Annies, and they're joining at the rate of three hundred a week. It costs a dollar a month to be an Annie, and the money is spent on anyone who has a need. If you can't pay, one of the other Annies will sponsor you. It become a force. One national politician even ascribed a program he was sponsoring as having 'Annie values'.

................................................

"It's very humbling, Babs. So many have been touched by my work. People have had their lives altered, hopefully for the better, because an average man got his heart broken."

Babs was near tears again.

"I think I can speak for this audience, everyone out there listening to this broadcast, everyone who has ever read your books, or talked to you in person. You'll always be much more than an average Joe."

"Goodnight listeners. Goodnight audience, and goodnight Joe. I'll always wish you the best."

Mike let ninety seconds of applause run before he stopped the tape.

..................................

Well there it is. A little slow perhaps, but I'll try a little harder next time.

And my apologies to the fine writer Rehnquist, for stealing one of his characters, even if I did misspell her name a bit. She's been in several of his stories and has been woefully underutilized. Why isn't she marriage material? What happened in her past to make her that way? Give us a good one about her, Rehnquist, please.

qhml1
qhml1
8,892 Followers
Please rate this story
The author would appreciate your feedback.
  • COMMENTS
Anonymous
Our Comments Policy is available in the Lit FAQ
Post as:
Anonymous
219 Comments
AnonymousAnonymous8 days ago

a very touching story, but the original Annie seems a bit too abnormally cold towards everything, not like a wife in a two year off-wed relationship or even a mother, rather than a person in great turmoil of mind and psychic. 5 stars!

NudeInMaineNudeInMaineabout 1 month ago

Like most people, I can understand that people fall out of love and then divorce. But the way Annie did it is reprehensible. And to abandon her daughter is just criminal. What happened to that ‘motherly instinct’ to protect and nurture your offspring?

TrainerOfBimbosTrainerOfBimbosabout 1 month ago

I felt that the "Annie Confrontation" was really unsatisfactory. I know it wasn't important to the story, but it made her almost... not a character at all. Like, she was just a macguffin for the rest of the story. I felt like it was a bit too on the nose.

LegacybadLegacybadabout 2 months ago

A very nice closure for a great story. I bet is damn hard to look what you left behind when you are so full of regret

Odess83Odess83about 2 months ago

Прекрасная история. Разве что жаль, что нет взгляда первой Энни. Можно понять, что она изменила и сбежала. Не принять, но понять. А вот решение бросить ребенка абсолютно непонятно. Что ей мешало хотя бы созваниваться с дочерью? Тем более столько лет. И это бегство в конце... Остался вопрос...

Show More
Share this Story

READ MORE OF THIS SERIES

500 Annies Ch. 04 Previous Part
500 Annies Series Info

Similar Stories

An Unexpected Reaction To an unacceptable situation.in Loving Wives
Charity Begins Next Door Life isn't fair. So when you fight back, fight dirty.in Romance
Irish Eyes His love was betrayed, what next.in Romance
Hero's Reward One brave deed holds the key to unlocking a scarred heart.in Romance
Sales Team Desperate woman tries to pay back man who saves her.in Romance
More Stories