Picking Up The Pieces

by Brenda Adcock

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll pick you up around seven, if that’s all right.” Athon opened the cargo pocket of her BDUs and pulled out a small notebook and a pen. “I’ll need your address,” she said as she handed the items to Lauren.

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Duvalle, Texas October 2006

  A FEW MINUTES before seven, Athon pulled to the curb in front a small brick house on Crabtree Street. The sporty-looking rental car she had picked up at the airport the day she arrived seemed a little much, but she smiled as she stepped out and straightened her uniform. She pressed the doorbell and waited. She wasn’t sure what she should tell Lauren about the letters she’d never received or if she should mention them at all. If she had found Lauren, would she be where she was now? Would Lauren? She had tried to overcome her anger about the letters, but had only been partially successful. Screaming and yelling would be counterproductive after twenty years. She smiled when she heard a noise indicating someone on the other side of the door. When it opened, Athon couldn’t stop her smile from spreading across her face. Lauren was beautiful. Athon wished she could have been there to watch her morph from the pretty teenager she remembered into the stunning woman in front of her now.

  “It’s good to see you again,” Athon said as she removed the cap of her dress uniform. “Are you ready?”

  Lauren nodded and stepped outside to lock the door. Athon placed her hand on the small of Lauren’s back and escorted her toward the vehicle at the curb while repositioning her hat.

  “Fancy car,” Lauren said as Athon leaned around her to open the passenger door.

  “It was about all the rental company at the airport had, but I like it.”

  Athon walked around the car and slid into the driver’s seat, removing her cap again. “Wait until you see the dash. Looks like a 747. Where to?” she asked as she started the engine.

  “Unless you’ve become a vegetarian since the last time I saw you, there’s a new steakhouse on the other side of town everyone’s been raving about. It’s on Belmont.”

  “Carnivore City, here we come,” Athon said with a laugh.

  They drew a few looks when they entered the restaurant and were seated. Athon tried to ignore the customers who looked at them and then whispered behind their hands. Some things would never change.

  When they were settled at their table Lauren cleared her throat. “How long will you be home?” she asked.

  Athon took a drink of water before she answered. “I’ll hop a ride from Randolph in a few days. They’ll fly me to Robins Air Force Base near Atlanta. My crew chief will pick me up and drive me back to Benning. I spoke to him this afternoon. My unit’s in the process of prepping before we deploy.”

  “Do you enjoy being a pilot,” Lauren said as their waiter set a salad in front of her.

  “I like being an Army aviator. We’ll be starting a rotating assignment with two other units already on site.”

  “A rotating assignment?”

  “We’ll be assigned to Ramstein Air Force Base and will stay there most of the time. Every six months one of our units will deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan for medical evacuations.”

  “Do you know yet where you’ll be going?”

  “With things winding down in Iraq, probably Afghanistan. How long have you been back in Duvalle?”

  Lauren looked up and seemed to be thinking.

  “About three years. I was with a district just outside of Houston for a few years. An administrative position here came open, so I applied and was hired.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s different than teaching.”

  “And pays more.”

  Lauren nodded and laughed. The sound of it brought a smile to Athon’s face. “And pays more.” Her face grew solemn. “The thing is I wanted to teach, not just teach long enough to become another administrator. I’m not sure how long I want to be out of the classroom.”

  “Only you know what you want, Lauren.”

  “I went to visit Pudge when I came back. He told me you received your college diploma.”

  “Couldn’t become an officer without one.”

  “He was very proud of you. What’s your degree in?”

  “History. Can’t do much with that, but now I’m really stoked about going to Europe. I can finally see everything I studied.”

  “Maybe you could teach?”

  “If I have to stop flying I might be able to teach at one of the military schools. I can retire just about any time now, but I’m too young to think about that yet. I like what I do.”

  “Remember Liz Gordon?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’s back in Duvalle. I ran into her at the grocery store a few weeks ago. She married Rafe, but they’re divorced now.”

  “Ever see anyone else from the distant past?” Athon asked stiffly.

  “Surprisingly, a lot of them still live in Duvalle,” Lauren said without looking at Athon. “Have you heard anything about your parents?”

  “Bridget said Michelle died after a long weekend of partying and tweaking. I got a letter from Pudge a few years back telling me Hank was found stabbed to death in an alley in Dallas.” Athon flashed a smile at the waitress as she stopped to check if their food was all right.

  Lauren placed her hand over Athon’s and gave it a squeeze. “So now you’re all alone to do whatever you want.”

  “Pretty much. There’s still Bridget. She treated me better than my parents.”

  “You mean you’ve never found anyone you wanted to be with in all these years?” Lauren asked. “I can’t believe that, Athon.”

  “Sad, but true,’ Athon said, dramatically faking being upset. “That’s not to say I haven’t played around a little though,” Athon said as she cut a piece of steak and shoved it in her mouth. “The uniform helps.”

  “You look amazing in it, by the way. Very sexy and commanding.”

  “I’m sure the Army didn’t have the sexy part in mind when it was designed.”

  “It suits you,” Lauren said.

  “I wasn’t exactly officer material for quite a while. I went through basic without learning to keep my mouth shut.” Athon laughed. “Dropping and doing twenty every time I opened my mouth finally taught me to control it.”

  They ate silently and although Lauren was happy to see Athon again, she felt uneasy.

  “I had a good time, Athon,” Lauren said when Athon pulled her rental car to the curb in front of her modest home. “But I didn’t expect you to pay for dinner.”

  “Having the chance to catch up was worth it. It’s been wonderful seeing you again, Lauren.”

  She rested her arm along the back of Lauren’s seat and without thinking her fingers played with strands of Lauren’s hair along her neckline just as she had when they were teenagers.

  Lauren turned her body to face Athon while they talked. The light from a streetlight sparkled against a gold necklace around Lauren’s neck. Athon touched it with her finger and brought it up far enough to see the heart-shaped gold piece dangling on the chain. Their birthstones, a blue topaz and an amethyst, were set, along with diamond chips, in the heart. Athon ran her thumb over the piece, remembering the delight in Lauren’s eyes when she’d opened the small box so many years before.

  “I never take it off,” Lauren whispered.

  “I read your letters,” Athon said, releasing the necklace.

  “Really?” Lauren said, her voice turning harsh.

  “I found them when we were cleaning out the attic after Pudge’s funeral. I read them for the first time a couple of days ago. I’m sorry I missed so much of your life. It wasn’t my choice.”

  “I need to go inside,” Lauren said, her voice cracking.

  Athon escorted Lauren to her front door. “It was good to see you again.” Athon hugged her quickly before retreating down the steps.

  ATHON CHANGED FROM her uniform into comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. It was still e
arly in the evening and she left the house to wander through the old junk yard. Perhaps one day she would return to Duvalle to stay. Pudge’s house was on a nice piece of property if it was cleaned up and the remaining junk cars removed. She could plant a little vegetable garden and learn how to can some of it.

  Athon stopped and couldn’t resist a smile when she saw the outline of the old camper she had once called home. In fact, it was a peaceful place where she could go to be alone with her thoughts. She remembered the first time she had been there alone with Lauren. She had trembled with desire and need then, but had done the right thing, the honorable thing. Now she wished she hadn’t. She hadn’t made it to thirty-eight without knowing another woman’s body. Best guess was, neither had Lauren. Yet they were both still alone. Athon had discovered it was possible to share her body without actually giving herself to anyone. She shook her head and chuckled to herself. Was she still looking for forever? Did it even exist? How would she know if she found it? There were too many questions and for now her life was too uncertain to ask for forever. Maybe the best she could look forward to was seeing Lauren once every few years and take what she wanted, hoping it left her satisfied between visits. She sat outside the camper and watched the stars overhead.

  The sound of a twig snapping brought her attention back to the land around her and her eyes scanned the darkness that surrounded her.

  “Athon? Are you out here?” Lauren’s voice called out tentatively.

  “Over here. By the camper.”

  Athon stood, but didn’t see Lauren until she was only a few feet away. “What are you doing here?”

  “When you didn’t answer the door, I figured you’d be out here somewhere.”

  “Pull up a log,” Athon offered.

  “Tonight didn’t go exactly the way I had planned,” Lauren said.

  Athon couldn’t see her eyes in the dark. “What did you have planned?”

  “This,” Lauren said as she moved closer and found Athon’s lips. The years fell away and Athon pulled Lauren deeper into a kiss and wrapped her arms around her.

  When the kiss ended, Lauren rested her chin on Athon’s shoulder. “The last time we were here I wanted you so much.” She moved her forehead to rest against Athon’s. “That was twenty years ago, Athon, and I’m tired of waiting.”

  Athon brought her mouth to cover Lauren’s and was happy with the response she felt.

  “Please, baby, don’t ever leave me again,” Athon whispered. She pulled Lauren into her arms and held her. “I was sure you’d found someone better than me.”

  “There’s never been anyone better for me than you,” Lauren said softly.

  Athon led Lauren back into the house and into the downstairs bedroom as they kissed and touched. They stood close together as Athon closed her eyes and let her fingers take in the features of Lauren’s beautiful face. She explored all of the curves of Lauren’s still youthful body. She drew Lauren’s pullover over her head and tenderly kissed her neck and shoulders. Her thumbs caught in the waistband of Lauren’s slacks and she followed them down, kneeling in front of her, caressing her ass and letting her hands stroke along the backs of her thighs as she lavished soft kisses on her abdomen.

  “Please, baby,” Lauren murmured as her hands ran through Athon’s hair. “Let me see you. Let me love you the way I’ve always wanted to.”

  Athon lifted Lauren and laid her on the bed before stripping from her own clothes and settling next to her. She propped her body up on one elbow and let her eyes wander the length of Lauren’s body, touching her periodically along her journey. “You’re everything I thought you’d be,” she said as her hand slid up Lauren's thigh and over her hip. She leaned down to press her lips against Lauren’s hip.

  Lauren’s hand ran through Athon’s hair. “I remember how your mouth felt on me when I was a teenager. When I think about it I still get wet.”

  “Tell me what you want, baby,” Athon said as she brought her lips to Lauren’s.

  “You,” Lauren murmured between frantic kisses. “I want you.”

  “Where?”

  “Everywhere. Now.”

  Athon had dreamed about being with Lauren, longed for it for twenty years. Suddenly she was afraid she wouldn’t be what Lauren wanted. She rested on her knees and pulled Lauren’s body up to straddle her thighs. Lauren rubbed her body slowly up and down Athon’s, brushing their nipples together.

  “Take me, Athon. Take me like you wanted to twenty years ago,” Lauren demanded. “Show me you still want me.”

  “I’ve always wanted you,” Athon said as she took Lauren’s wrists and pinned them behind her. She kissed the valley between Lauren’s breasts and let the warmth of her mouth settle over a dark hardened nipple, forcing Lauren to arch her back. She moaned as Athon’s tongue circled the nipple and her teeth nipped at it. A long stroke of her tongue combined with the sucking movement of her lips caused Lauren’s breathing to quicken.

  “Yes, yes, yes. More, baby,” Lauren gasped. When Athon slid her mouth to the other breast, Lauren came off the bed slightly and her hips began moving in unison to the sucking motion of Athon’s mouth. When Athon released her hands, Lauren drew Athon’s mouth up to hers in a frantic devouring kiss, her tongue entering Athon’s mouth in rhythm with the movement of her hips as her legs opened to invite her in. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait,” she said in a raspy voice.

  Athon lowered Lauren onto the bed and slid down her body, stopping to lavish more attention on the swollen nipples, before resting her forehead on Lauren’s mound and taking a deep breath. “Home,” she said as the tip of her tongue flicked out and teased Lauren’s clit. When Lauren’s hips jerked up, Athon’s mouth attached to the slickened lips, her tongue deftly separating them. She found the sweet spot and sucked in the wetness, plunging her tongue inside. She tightened her grip on Lauren’s thighs as her tongue moved in and out. Finally she slid two fingers inside and withdrew her tongue to pleasure Lauren’s swollen clit by sucking it rapidly in and out of her mouth.

  Lauren screamed out her pleasure and Athon held her tightly. Lauren’s hands flew up to cover her eyes.

  “Come for me, baby,” Athon finally said as the movement of her fingers came deeper and harder and the pressure of her thumb against Lauren’s clit increased. It seemed as if Lauren had lost control of every muscle in her body as she rode Athon’s fingers. She savored the release gathering in her abdomen, moving like a tidal wave. It was over the moment Athon curled her fingers and stroked the roughened skin deep inside. Lauren’s body arched and stiffened as her release flowed through her. Her body jerked involuntarily when Athon slowed the movement of her fingers and held her exhausted body close. Athon whispered, “I never stopped loving you.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kaiserslautern, Germany December 2008

  ATHON WAS AS nervous as a cat. Everything she had hoped for and dreamed of for twenty years was finally happening. She leaned against a mop as she gazed at the shiny hardwood floors. She was glad her unit was in stand down. She had been up almost twenty-four hours a day since Lauren called with the news she’d been hired for a teaching position at the Department of Defense high school serving American dependents in Kaiserslautern. All they had been waiting for was her passport and a few other papers required by her contract. That had been a month ago and Athon had been on pins and needles waiting for the call that Lauren’s flight was finally scheduled and confirmed.

  Athon had searched the area for an apartment or home to lease and found a place she hoped Lauren would love. It was a small cottage near the outskirts of town, but about halfway between their jobs. It was an understatement that the place needed some work done before anyone would be willing to call it a home. Athon cajoled Frank and a few members of her crew to give up their weekends off for a month. The cottage was soundly built though rustic. Prior to her departure for Europe Lauren shipped a few household goods from her home and gave Athon carte blanche to purchase anything else they would need
. The household goods arrived four days before Lauren’s scheduled arrival and Athon borrowed a deuce-and-a-half to transport them to their new home. Home, she thought. She and Lauren would finally have a home to call their own. A shiver of excitement ran down her spine. She had just put a final coat of wax on the worn, but still beautiful floors. She looked at her wristwatch and was startled at the time. Only four more hours until Lauren’s plane landed and Athon still needed to shower and change before beginning the ninety minute drive to the airport in Frankfurt.

  As she trotted down the walkway to her vehicle her phone beeped indicating an incoming text message. She pulled the cell from her coat pocket and glanced at it. She stopped and turned back to the house. “Weather delay” anywhere wasn’t what she hoped to see, but over the winter months, flying weather could be a little iffy. She pressed another number and waited for someone to answer.

  “Hardesty,” a voice answered crisply.

  “The flight’s been delayed because of weather, Frank. I’ll go to Frankfurt and just wait until it gets in.”

  “Give us a call before you leave Frankfurt. Sorry A,” her wingman said.

  “I will, but if it gets too late, don’t wait up for us.”

  “We can put the food in the fridge if we have to. Be careful. Her flight might get in not far ahead of a major front moving in from the north Atlantic.”

  Athon disconnected and returned to her vehicle. She could smell the moisture in the air and could only hope they could make it back to Kaiserslautern before a ton of snow dropped from the sky. There was already a nice layer of dry snow covering everything, adding to the Christmas season three weeks away. The weather had turned unseasonably warm the previous day. If the new weather system moving toward them re-froze the slushy wet stuff, the roads would become treacherous at best.

  The trip to Frankfurt, while only about seventy-five miles, took longer than Athon expected and the temperature when she stepped out of her car to hike to the terminal nearly took her breath away. She hurried to the main terminal and found the arrival and departure board. Apparently the delay in London had been shorter than anticipated and the flight was now scheduled to arrive only fifteen minutes later than originally posted. Athon found a coffee shop and grabbed a cup to warm up. If the storm was moving quickly, it was possible the flight would gain a little time aided by a favorable tailwind.