Annatexie Pt. 03

I think it's the first time Anna and I have had a meal together. Lily is with us of course. Anna says she wants to see me again very soon. But tonight, she wants to be with Lily. I understand that entirely. Lily occupies a place in Anna's heart. Lily will need to be likewise in mine. Our dinner conversation is light. Mostly about our respective days. I do mention inspecting the old house. All Anna says is that she would like to see it sometime. I suggest we do that and include Lily in our trip. I then ask Lily if she would like to go on a horseback ride.

It occurs to me to ask Anna.

"You know how to ride horseback?"

She has the biggest grin and answers.

"You betcha Sugar."

We make a date for the next weekend. The plan is to take all day with riding and a picnic to take along. This will give me time to speak to the owner. Anna has to go back to work, and I need to go home, clean up and get to bed. I give her a good kiss before leaving. Lily takes all this in. I can tell.

I arrive at my little room. I shower and clean up. Then I go ahead to pick up and clean my area. I don't want to get caught again looking like a slob. All dirty clothes gathered and stored. There is a sweeper available. Yes, I can vacuum and do some dusting. I change the sheets on my bed. The old are with the dirty clothes. I'll make a laundry run tomorrow night.

All my dirty clothes, towels, and bedding. If I run it all at once in multiple washers and driers, it won't take long. I do get to bed. Sleep should come easy, but it doesn't. I find I'm thinking about my night with Annatexie. There is that. But also, the two of them, Anna, and Lily. I want to take care of them. Just as Anna wanted. She's a good and honest, straight up girl. I trust my intuition. Sleep does arrive.

The next morning, I am awake long before I need to be. I ain't gonna lie to ya. I want to get to the café and spend as much time seeing Anna as possible. Even if she's workin'. I hop in my truck and probably drive too fast. Kind of silly for someone of my age to act this way. But you know, I don't make it three feet in the door before she's on me. Anna is all arms and lips and I like it. She seats me and brings me coffee. I don't even have to order. Food just shows up. Anna asks what I've got goin' on tonight as she has the evening off.

I answer.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm gonna do laundry."

Anna's hands go to her hips, and she speaks.

"Well now, how about that. Me too! 6:30? It's a date. We'll just combine everything and have fewer loads."

I never thought of doing laundry as a date. But here I am.

The laundromat isn't anything special. You go there for one reason. I met Anna and Lily there at the appointed time. I had my sack of smelly, dirty laundry. Anna had all of their items. Well, she just took my stuff and sorted it. Then sorted her things into my piles. All of Anna's private things and Lily's as well. Not stuff I am accustomed to seeing. Anna had it all sorted, loaded, and washing pretty quickly.

I was doing alright until Anna commented that I should invest in some new underwear. That was embarrassing. Little Lily took it all in stride. She ran around and played as a five-year-old should. Anna and I sat and talked.

She asked.

"Chuck. What did you think about our night together?"

I looked down and smiled. My answer.

"Anna, I haven't thought about much else. It was very special for me, being with you. I would like for us to get together again soon."

Anna leaned over to give me a kiss. I pulled her into my lap. Lily, not wanting to be left out, wanted to be in her mom's lap. Soon it was time to load the wash into dryers. A bit later, the laundry was done. Anna took everything and folded it nicely. Neat piles for me and then her own things. We both needed to head for home, we both work in the morning. I expressed my gratitude about her help. It was a nice time. Once home, I neatly put away everything. Hung up my shirts. I wanted to be sure the place stayed neat.

I showered and bedded down for the night. Sleep didn't come as quickly as it had in the past. The images of Annatexie continually flitted through my mind. Not just the ones of her naked, but also of her in everyday life. Her smile at work. The way we danced slowly. The manner in which she takes care of Lily. Anna was occupying much of my thought. At last, my eyes closed in sleep, but Anna was there also.

I was awake and dressed before the alarm. I drove to Anna's and waited outside. Not like I was stalking her. But I wanted to see her first thing. I didn't have to wait too long. A little before sunrise, she and Lily came out of the apartment.

I spoke.

"Thot you might like a lift to work."

Anna was surprised and just stood there. I walked over and spoke.

"Here, let me help you. I'll take Lily."

I carried Lily to the truck and placed her in the middle of the seat. Then Anna next to her.

I ask Lily.

"What should we have for breakfast young lady?"

Lily didn't miss a beat.

"Pancakes. I want pancakes."

I smiled and answered.

"Pancakes it is little lady."

This made Lily happy.

We arrived at the café and entered together. Anna went to prepare for work. Lily and I sat down at a table. I got coffee and she got chocolate milk. It wasn't too long before pancakes were on the table. Do you have any idea how messy a five-year-old eats? Neither did I. But we had a fine time having breakfast together. It was getting' time for me to leave for work. I pay the bill and do my best to clean Lily up a little. Anna swings by and says she has to work late tonight. Would I mind lookin' after Lily? Of course, I said yes. It will be an opportunity for me to get to know her better. So, I say yup! I'll pick her up after work. My first babysitting job.

It seems I got extra dirty at work today. A whole bunch of dust, dirt, mud, and crap. I thought it best to go home first, shower and change clothes. I made it a quick change and hustled to the café. Anna had Lily's little backpack already. It was kind of cute.

Lily looks up at me, takes my rough hand and speaks.

"Okay Chuck, let's get going."

What else could I do but let her lead? I lifted her into the truck and off we went.

Lily's first act, upon arrival, was to inspect the place. There ain't much to my place, but she made the rounds.

"You got a clean place Chuck. Momma likes that. You got a TV too. Can I watch cartoons? You got any ice cream?"

I began to wonder just how old she really was. Well, the ice cream, we had to go out and get. Lily wanted chocolate. We did manage to find some cartoons. So, we sat there, eating, and watching. After some time,

Lily says.

"Do you love my momma? She sure likes you. Momma wants you to be her husband and my Daddy. Do you want to be my Daddy? I've never had a Daddy before. If we become a family, that would be great. We'd have to get a bigger place. This one ain't big enough."

Then she took another spoon of ice cream. It seems these women have it all worked out and they are just waitin' for me to figure it out.

I sat there, with a five-year-old, kind of dumbfounded. How do you answer a question like that? I figure I have to say something.

"Well Lily, I like you momma a whole lot and I think you are one special little girl. I'd like to spend some more time with you two ladies."

Lily doesn't miss a beat.

"You don't know yet do you? Okay, we'll wait. It's late. I should get to bed."

She hops of the sofa, grabs her backpack and trots to the bathroom. Several minutes later, she returns in her pj's.

"Chuck, can you brush my hair out?"

She then hands me a brush and sits on my lap with her back towards me. I have never brushed hair before. Lily had to give me a tutorial. But I got it.

Then she says.

"Time for me to go to bed. You gonna tuck me in and listen to my prayers?"

All I could say was "Yup."

Lily's prayers were pretty simple.

"Bless momma and me and Chuck. Help Chuck to figure out what he wants and keep us all safe. Amen."

Then I tucked her in and kissed her little forehead. Told her I be in the next room.

I came out and into the living room. Kind of in awe of this little girl. She's straight forward and to the point. Made me think. Why am I spendin' so much time in thought? I aint' no young man no more. I got two women that want to be a part of my life and me in theirs. Anna and I need to have a talk. I let my head fall back to snooze some. At some point, I heard the bedroom door open. Here comes Little Lily. Her hair all messy and sleepy lookin.'

"Chuck, it's a strange room and I'm scared. Can I come out here with you?"

I just hold out my arms. Lily crawls up on my chest and I cover her with a blanket. She was asleep again in about two minutes. Never in my life have I had a child sleep on my chest and shoulder. I have to say, it felt good.

Later that night, Anna quietly sneaks into the room. She didn't want to wake up Lily. Anna says she'll take Lily and head to her apartment.

I had thought about it and spoke.

"Nope, you get a shower and get ready for bed. You and Lily can stay in my room. I'll take the sofa. Lily's fine right where she is."

Anna came over and kissed the top of my head.

Anna asks.

"You got a t-shirt I can have?"

"Top drawer." I answer.

Anna disappears into the bathroom. Several minutes later, she appears. My t-shirt, panties, and wet hair. Those breasts of hers shake back and forth as she walks. But she takes Lily to my bedroom. I follow to shut the door. Then I bed down on the sofa. Yeah, I like this family thought. Makes me feel whole.

I am awakened in the morning by Lily.

"Momma says you gotta get up and get movin. She has to get to work, and I want some breakfast. Can we have waffles today?"

About then Anna comes out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for work. I roll off the sofa and head to the bathroom myself. I wash my face and get dressed for the day. Took me ten minutes. Then we piled into the truck and off to the café. And yes, the three of us had waffles together. Then I went to work, Lily went with Charlene and Anna began her day. I made it a point to talk to the boss about that abandon house and buildings on the edge of the property. He said he'd let me know at the end of the day. You don't know if you don't ask.

I had plenty to do that day. It's good to be busy. Makes the time go fast. The boss found me towards the end of the day.

"You ask about havin' a picnic out there. That's okay. You want to move in? That's gonna be a lot of work for you. But if you want to fix it up? Okay. You get the barns repaired and we'll move horses and cattle there. Kind of expand our operation. If you do all that, I won't charge you rent. But know it will be tough out there."

We shook on it.

I headed into town with a very happy and light heart. He would be right though. Havin' to work all day and then spend my free time fixin' shit. Weekends would be busy too. Guess we'll see when I speak with Anna.