Love Has No Labels (BWWM) ✔

Chapter 22: Life Partners

December 9, 2018

Angie put away the last of the clean dishes in the rack, before beginning to sweep the floor. It was her day off from work, and she figured that she would catch up on cleaning, to make sure the house was in tip-top shape. Also, she found a sense of comfort and reverie in cleaning. She was always so happy to get away from it all at the hospital, much to Austin's playful envy. He had to work today, and it was hard for him to get up from bed this morning. Angie loved that the playful nineteen-year-old spirit had never faded away from his 57-year-old body, while still being strikingly handsome and very sexy for his age.

It was a normal day, despite it being the 35th anniversary of Angie and Austin's marriage, plus today marked 38 years of Angie knowing Austin. The day was pretty low key in contrast to their 30th wedding anniversary where there was a huge surprise extravaganza at a hotel in Manhattan. Angie spent the day watching daytime TV, and catching up on her stories recorded on the DVR that she missed because of work. She steered clear from the news because it was always bad news happening around the area and the globe, and she didn't want to hear one more word of the Government and the current President with all their antics.

She smiled to herself, thinking that it felt like it was just yesterday that Angie had first met Austin on the bus and nervousness that they felt when speaking to each other, wanting to leave a good first impression, and they both succeeded because they both wanted to see each other again.

As she swept the living room floor, Angie gazed at the wall, taking note of each of the pictures that hung there. There was a picture of Angie and Austin cutting their wedding cake, smiling at the camera. Angie almost forgot how achingly beautiful Austin was as a younger man. But in her honest opinion, Austin was at his hottest from his thirties to his early fifties with the professional picture that the family took at Macy's when the kids were in grade school, group photos of Cheyenne's, Cassie's and Charles' weddings, their graduations, and a recent photo of her and Austin together. She smiled when she saw a first grade photo of their seven-year-old granddaughter Brittany, as brilliant as her mother Cheyenne. Life was hard for them at times, but they were rewarded with three very successful grown children, love, and good health.

She was just finished with her sweeping and was turning on the radio to her favorite classic R&B radio station when she heard the door open and close.

"Angie, your man's home!" she heard her husband of 35 years as of today call.

"I'm in the living room, honey," Angie called back.

Austin walked in the room and instantly started doing a little dance to the music, making Angie smile and look away, embarrassed of his dorkiness.

"Hey, why you're lookin' away from me, babe?" Austin quipped, turning Angie around to face him, claiming her lips to his.

"How's work?" Angie asked, rubbing Austin's newly clean shaven face, after weeks of having that scratchy, gray speckled beard.

"The same," Austin replied, kissing the palm of Angie's hand. "Although on my commute home, I was a little annoyed by the bunch of teenagers on the E train, making noise like we're out on the damn street." Austin rolled his eyes expressively. "And when they got off at Kew Gardens, all I could say was thank God, until I got on the Q6 and the six stooges got on the bus, ringing the bell at every stop like it's a frickin' joke."

Angie giggled at his complaint. "Kids'll be kids, baby," she said.

"Hmmm, I suppose," Austin sighed, as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack. His face then lit up whenever he remembered something.

"Honey, guess who I saw today," Austin said, as he plopped down on the sofa.

"Who?" Angie wanted to know.