Lip and Annie Ch. 04

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jake60
jake60
1,089 Followers

His words must've had some good effect, because Annie looked up at him and gave a short laugh. "I never thought of it that way, and I want you to know that I never even considered what you told me as a negative."

Her laughter seemed to be the catalyst that got them past the story of her horrific experiences. Robert really only had one question left, and so he asked it. "The cuts that you endured: did he damage your muscles or tendons? I guess you would have scars from them, but did they have any more permanent effects?"

Annie lost her smile as she answered, "I don't have any muscle damage because mostly he didn't cut that deep. There was a lot of bleeding, and fortunately they stopped it quickly. I have to wear clothing that has long sleeves because both of my arms have scars from his knife."

"There are other scars on my chest. One extends from my navel up almost to my collarbone. There are other cuts beneath my breasts, and he stabbed me in my left breast. Some of the scars aren't too bad, but others are very noticeable. I can't bring myself to wear anything that shows any of them."

Robert reached over and patted her hand before saying, "It's time you started to get beyond that. Why don't you show me your arms? That would be a start."

He almost wished that he hadn't asked her that because her immediate reaction was to jerk her hand back and sit there stiffly. Her face lost a lot of its color and she finally said, "I don't think I can do that. I haven't even shown my parents most of my scars. Only my doctors have seen all of them." She sat there wringing her hands together until Robert spoke again.

"I would really like you to show me your arms, Annie. I know that I'm not going to feel any differently about you by seeing them, and I think it might be good for you to cross that bridge." He decided not to say any more about it, and would simply let Annie make up her own mind. After sitting there for a minute in deep thought, Annie slowly pushed the right sleeve of her nightgown, and the pajama sleeve below it, up to her elbow.

There were two scars that intersected at about the mid-point of her forearm. One was noticeably more obvious than the other. After letting him see that arm for a while, she slowly began to uncover her left arm. When those sleeves were also up to her elbow, she held both of her arms out in front of her so that he could see them clearly. Her left arm was for all intents and purposes a match with her right arm. The scars were irregular, almost as though they had been drawn on her arms with a crayon in the hand of a young child.

After a few seconds Robert reached forward slowly, and ran the fingers of his right hand down each forearm, feeling the slight differences between the scars and her untouched skin. Annie sat there frozen as he did that, and when he had finished tracing his fingers down both arms he sat back and said, "I realize you find these scars terribly unsightly, but no one would know by looking at them how you received them. Most people would assume you were in an auto accident, or maybe had fallen against something with sharp edges. I just don't think you should be ashamed of them."

Robert wasn't sure if he should say what was on his mind, but finally decided to continue. "I know more than a little bit about scars, and how people perceive them. I know you believe that anyone seeing these scars on your arms would be so turned off that they would not be able to avoid showing it, but I don't think that would be the case. People are much more forgiving of scars, birthmarks or amputations if they aren't on the face."

Annie looked up at Robert in alarm as she realized the implications of what he had said. Her scars were completely forgotten as she lifted one arm and placed her hand in front of her mouth. "You're right, Robert! Here I have been feeling sorry for myself about how I can't wear a short sleeved blouse, never once putting two and two together to place my scars in context with yours. I feel so embarrassed, but I have to thank you for taking my blinders off, at least a little."

Robert was very relieved when he saw her reaction and said, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I've had a lifetime to deal with my scar. I've never known a life without it. If you had been born with your scars, you would know what I mean."

He sat back and relaxed, feeling that he may indeed have done Annie some good. She already looked much more relaxed, and was sitting there looking at the scars on her arms, almost as though she had never seen them before.

Annie left her sleeves pulled back for the rest of the time that she was in Robert's room. Neither of them was trying consciously to get beyond the scars, but in fact that is what they both did. Annie decided to use his laptop to call up the news articles about her attacker, and his fate, and Robert spent a few minutes reading those reports. When he had gone through a handful of the search results, he felt that he was fully up to speed on what had happened to Annie's attacker.

After he read the last article he logged into his own server, and called up the web pages for the escort service. The pages he showed her didn't include watching the videos on the pay site, although he showed her the main pages that one would normally pay for. She commented on the apparent high quality of the website, and on the fact that all three of the remaining partners were extremely good looking women. When she asked about Blanche, he brought up a page from his archives that included several good pictures of her.

It was almost 3 o'clock in the morning when they finally said goodnight. They agreed that they would probably sleep till noon, and that the first one up after 12 o'clock would call the other. Annie still had her sleeves pulled back as she stood in her doorway and thanked him for his caring and his shoulder.

As she closed the door to her room he didn't hear the click of the lock, but didn't go over to check on its status. It was apparent that Annie had made some progress with her handling of her ordeal, and whether or not she had locked her door wouldn't make much of a difference.

++++++++++

Even though it was late, Robert didn't fall asleep immediately. He thought about the events of the evening, and how happy he was that Annie had seemed to take a step forward. As his thoughts ranged over the circumstances of their minutes spent holding each other, another image flashed into his mind. He was suddenly back at Brenda's front door when he was 15 years old, only this time he remembered the incident as it had really happened.

He had never told anyone about what had actually been said on that doorstep that day. Brenda didn't just holler at him, she had said, "If you think I would be going anywhere with Scarface, you must be crazy." Her words had been directed at the two originators of the plot to convince both Brenda and Robert that they were meeting for a blind date. She hadn't even looked at Robert again after her initial recognition that he was her 'date'.

He hadn't just run from the scene in embarrassment; he had been in tears. It was almost surprising that he had made it to that bus stop bench, considering that he had been almost blinded with his tears as he crossed streets and several major intersections. For several fleeting moments as he sat at the bus stop the thought of stepping in front of the approaching bus crossed his mind, but his love for his parents and sister stopped him from acting upon it.

Remembering the hurtful 'Scarface' he sometimes heard during high school, he was thankful that the more friendly 'Lip' became his official nickname. He finally fell asleep with pleasant thoughts on his mind, as he relived his shared embrace with Annie.

It was just after noon when the ringing of his telephone woke Robert up. When he finally got the phone to his ear, he discovered that it was Annie with his wake-up call. She had just awoken so the two of them agreed to meet in half an hour once they were both presentable. As Robert stepped under the shower he wondered how Annie would react to him after having told him her story. He hoped that she didn't regret having opened up to him.

The two of them went down for their noon meal and were soon engrossed in one of their normal conversations. Nothing was said about Annie's story, but Robert did notice that she was once again wearing a long sleeved blouse, buttoned to the neck. He had hoped that she would have left her forearms bare, but realized that may have been hoping for too much.

They split up and joined separate tables for an afternoon of poker, agreeing to get together around 6 p.m. for supper. As the end of his afternoon poker session approached, Robert realized he probably shouldn't have been playing. Only good luck had kept him from being an even bigger loser this afternoon, as his mind just wasn't with the game.

He had begun to realize that he was spending more time thinking about Annie than about his cards, and the players he was facing. That wasn't the way the game was played by those who were successful at it.

Robert and Annie enjoyed another quiet meal together before they returned to the poker room, where this time Robert was able to enjoy a little bit of better luck. When the two of them headed back to their rooms at midnight, both of them were ahead for the day, although Annie had fared a little better than Robert.

On their way down the hallway they passed the bank of vending machines, and Annie asked if they could share a soft drink again, before retiring for the night. Robert was quick to agree as he hoped that they could once again address the subject of Annie's ordeal and the scars she wore.

Five minutes later the two of them were seated at the table in Robert's room, enjoying their soft drinks. At first they spoke about their luck at the tables, and exchanged a couple of stories about bad beats that they had both endured. It wasn't long though before the conversation returned to the same subject they had covered the night before.

"So, Annie, do you regret telling me about your scars, and how you got them?" Since Annie had apparently been avoiding the subject, Robert decided to take the direct route.

Her embarrassment was evident by the slight color change that took over her face. "I'm sorry, Robert. I know I've been ignoring the subject all day. I don't regret anything I told you. I just wish I could get past it, at least a little."

She thought about what she was going to say before continuing, "You have given me a great deal of help in getting started down the path I know I have to take. When I get back I'm going to be talking to my doctor about what my next step should be." Her smile let him know that she was sincere.

They continued their conversation for a few more minutes before mutually deciding that it was late enough that they should get to sleep. After only brief seconds of hesitation, Annie moved over beside Robert and gave him a quick hug before leaving through the door into her room. Once again Robert was left with pleasant memories of their momentary embrace.

+++++++++

The next two days were spent in much the same way as the ones that preceded them. Poker by day and evening, shared meals, and a wrap up conversation in Robert's room while they shared soft drinks. Soon enough it was time for their trip to end, and by noon on the morning that they checked out they were back on the highway in Robert's truck, driving to Duluth.

They never got onto the subject of Annie's scars during the final two days or their shared drive. Annie seemed content with letting the subject drop, and Robert didn't want to obsess about it with her. They both had a lot to think about, considering the life experiences they had each shared with the other over the course of the trip.

At Annie's front door, standing there as they said goodbye, they promised to keep in touch by email and telephone until the next poker trip that they had already agreed they would try to make together.

Robert passed her the suitcase that he had been holding for her, and after sharing one last hug he headed back to his truck, a smile on his face. It had been an enjoyable trip, and he really felt comfortable with Annie.

He still wasn't willing to consciously contemplate having her as his girlfriend, but the idea was already tucked somewhere in the back of his mind.

To be continued

jake60
jake60
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4 Comments
lancewmlancewmalmost 14 years ago
Not many comments

Expecially compared to the numerous comments you get on your other stories. Must be because this one is much slower paced, about a relationship that must move slowly. Your other stories are closer to thrillers and have much tension throughout. I am enjoying this one, however.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 14 years ago
Getting better all the time

I really liked how you had "Lips" use his scar to compare with hers, I'm really enjoying this, thanks!

-Ttom

AzPilotAzPilotalmost 14 years ago
Yes, again you have told a good story.

I'm still enjoying it very much, thanks.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 14 years ago
It's growing on me

I am starting to get into this story about two damaged people with a common interest. Looking forward to the next chapter.

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