BACK ON CAMPUS... Adjusting (Part 37b)

I’d set my class schedule up so that my first class wouldn’t be until 10:30am so that I’d be able to continue to work at the racetrack. That meant I now had a heavy afternoon schedule. I was fortunate to get two “seminars” (three class sessions combined into one) along with a regular 50 minute class (for three separate sessions). On MWF I was done around 2pm and and on Tues and Thurs. around 3:30pm. A few days after visiting the farm I got to thinking that I could really deliver Joanne’s pies Monday through Friday with the only inconvenience was in getting over to Elle’s college an hour or so later. I know it was mid week when I returned to the farm and my offer was readily accepted. I was told that my “pay” would be a warm piece (large) of apple pie and a glass (or more) of really fresh milk. It was a deal!

It was in my second week of delivering that Mrs T asked if I could do her (and Joanne) a big favor. They were just about out of apples and wanted me to drive their stake truck up to the orchard and get a fresh supply. It wasn’t something that I would’ve ordinarily volunteered to do but when Mrs T said that Joanne would go with me, how could I say no. The truck was pre 2nd WW Ford and looked pretty ragged. The fact that I’d never driven any other type truck than a pick up was a little daunting but when Mrs T said she’d been driving it for years sort of shamed me into it.

Joanne was in the milk barn washing down the floors when her mother told her of our impending trip. As usual while working in the barn, Joanne was in her coveralls. She had on a pair of rubber boots that were way too big for her. She looked pretty goofy and I’ll admit that I was surprised to see that when she took them off she had her shoes on under them. She didn’t complain about being relieved of her chores as she absolutely hated working in the barn. We headed right for the truck with Joanne giving me directions.

The orchard was about 40 miles due North. The roads she had me on were very narrow and bumpy rural roads and I had a hard time keeping the truck on the road. It seemed like it has a mind of its own, wandering from side to side without me turning the wheel. I was reluctant to go over 40 miles an hour, fearing I’d end up wrecking us. Joanne was quite talkative and we discussed any number of things. I got the answer to why I’d seen so many panties on the washline that first day I’d stopped back in (as well as in a subsequent visit) as her older sister had graduated from college and taken a job at a nearby city. She would make a trip home on the weekends and would leave her wash. We also discussed boys, in general, as well as her feeling about them. As I interpreted it, she was just super shy around them so she still didn’t have a boyfriend. I was able to glean the fact that she did have sort of a crush on a boy from church but he didn’t know about it. That conversation eventually led to me and Elle. I gave her my background with her and the time up to our secret engagement. I left out Elle’s “problem” and just talked about our relationship. Joanne wanted to meet her and I told her that if Elle did come to the college’s Fall House Party I’d bring her out to the farm. By then we were at the orchard.

It was a big orchard and Joanne directed me to an open sided tin roofed shed somewhere in the interior of it. There were about six or so large wooden bins under the roof that held the picked apples. We’d brought a bunch of wooden bushel baskets and took them under the shed. Joanne told me which bin to go to and to make sure the apples didn’t have bruises or rotten spots. She went to another bin and we started filling the baskets. It was obvious that she’d done this before as she had about two filled for one of mine. When all our baskets were filled I loaded them on the back of the truck. We were about ready to leave when this man showed up and Joanne went over to him to pay for the apples. She seemed very sure of herself and I was impressed.

The trip back home was much different. Joanne was quiet and I, trying to be funny, chided her on it. She wasn’t interested. I wondered what had happened to change her mood so severely. I had my hands full keeping the truck on the road so really couldn’t take a good look at her and had to take just quick peeks. Finally, I pleaded with her to tell me what was wrong. I could barely hear her when she told me that she had to go to the bathroom.

I swear I wasn’t happy with that news in spite of some of the things I’ve written. I truly cared about the self worth of this girl and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that her admitting to needing a toilet was very hard and very embarrassing to her. I honestly was embarrassed for her and really wanted to help her, in spite of my proclivity to wetting. I’d noticed on the way to the orchard that there were only two named “towns” on our entire route and neither would realistically qualify as being a town. They both had a post office but only one had anything more and it was a small general store with but a single gas pump and certainly didn't offer a restroom. I tried to think of something to ease her plight and the only thing was to find someplace to pull off the road and to let her find a place to hide while relieving herself. On that particular stretch of road the only place that I could realistically pull off was at a “turn around” used by the snow plows during the winter. It was wide open and there was no place where Joanne could be hidden from cars going in either direction. I tried to reason with her that if she just squatted next to one of the truck tires that no one would be able to see her. But she would have none of it. That was when I first got the notion that she had already wet herself.

To be continued...