THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64f)
Timing is everything in life and mine wasn’t the best. Elle had just been to the bathroom and was awake as I came in the trailer. I never got a chance to tell her about my big news as she was all over me about being selfish and uncaring for not calling to tell her I wouldn’t be bringing the car home. It was useless for me to try and interject my side as she was as mad as I’d ever seen her. I just sat and listened until she finally wound down. We were in the bedroom and when she stopped she just turned off the light and rolled over and away from me.
There was one point she made that I didn’t disagree with and that had to do with the car. She’d complained during the summer that a convertible was not a good choice for a family with young children. We couldn’t put the top down because it was too much air for the kids to handle. She’d never really been comfortable with parking it because it was so big and long. At one point, early in the summer, I’d actually thought about selling it to generate some needed money but knew it would upset my grandfather. But with Elle now registered to be a substitute teacher and her desire to not be ”trapped“ as she had described her situation during her rant, I gave it some more thought as I lay there in bed.
It was almost as if she’d orchestrated it when the phone call at 7am was for her to come in and teach that next day. Talk about panic! She immediately called Alice who had volunteered to watch the kids whenever Elle got called in. Then it was trying to figure out what to wear and then it was taking a shower and washing her hair. In the meantime the kids woke up. When she came out from showering she told me the kids were mine to take care of until I took them to Alice’s. This time it was a different kind of panic... mine. At best my role with the kids had been a supporting one. Elle was the stay at home mother/wife and I was the wage earner. As she darted about she was giving me instructions of which I probably retained a half. Then came the bombshell... she was taking the car.
There was little I could do to change the situation without creating a real big confrontation. It was very obvious that I was still in the ”doghouse“ and that, mixed in with the nerves from her first real teaching job, made for a very frazzled young woman. About the only positive thing that I added that morning was to remind her to take some ”supplies“ with her as she started out the door.
I got the kids washed and dressed and got some food in them. The real problem for me was getting to work. In spite of working with Jay for almost two weeks I’d not gotten his phone number. As I took the kids to Alice’s trailer I tried to come up with a way to ask if she could give me a ride. I knew I could walk but it would take almost a half hour and, since there were no sidewalks, it would be somewhat dangerous. I could tell that Alice was none to pleased as she was just finishing dressing her daughter. As it was I was about 10 minutes late. It didn’t matter as Jay wasn’t there yet and, thank goodness, neither was Nina. I wasn’t looking forward to her reaction when told I was taking over for her as far as the payroll was concerned.
The ”proof“ of the payroll journal we’d run the night before went well so we ran the dummy checks. That part had not been done on the first payroll test so there was a little apprehension. Jay had worked out an idea of having the check numbers prepunched into them with the check manufacturer. This was a test of that system as well and Jay was a bit uptight about it. We both held our breath as the printer started. We let about 10 of them run through before we checked and when they proved to be correct we both let out a yell. We scared the keypunchers, Linda and Donna, and got a rebuke from Donna. We were both behind the printer and I distinctly remember Jay muttering ”Bitch!“.
The whole run of checks was perfect. They could’ve been used but the Treasurer’s office had run their own and were using them. For the following week, which would be my first paycheck, the plan was to run them both. If everything was OK with the ones we ran they would be the one used. I couldn’t wait.
Running the payroll itself was only one part of the job. There were all sorts of subsidiary reports to be generated not the least of which was the earnings history for each employee. These reports were created while waiting for the keypunch ladies to complete their jobs. The difference was that there was no specific deadline for them like with payroll. That allowed for some, but not much, frivolity. Jay, when not under pressure, was a bit of a jokester. Linda was a perfect foil. I’d had a few brief chats with her and found her to be a nice person but very gullible. After the afternoon break Linda came back to find that her chair wouldn’t roll. Jay had some black electrical tape. He made four little rolls of it with the sticky side out and then jammed them under the front and back of two of the wheels of her chair. When she returned she sat down and tried to roll herself up to her machine. It wouldn’t move. She looked down but Jay had hidden the tape so well that she couldn’t see it. She finally got up and took a closer look finally squatting down. Jay and I were hiding behind the printer and from where I was I got exactly what I was looking for... a nice white triangle. The only problem with it was that Linda was probably 30 pounds overweight. It did detract from the view a bit. At least it was the first peek of any kind that I’d had since I’d started. It got me to thinking about the cute, young blond who sat in the back of the general work area.
To be continued...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64e)
Tuesday was Election Day and the whole office was a bit uptight. Everyone was aware that there was a distinct possibility that the Controller could lose. I, because I was so new, had no idea of the ramifications should that happen. I listened to the ”whispers“ but didn’t understand. I finally asked Irwin if he could go over the whole situation. I knew absolutely nothing about local politics so it was a whole new world that he explained to me.
The County had traditionally been heavily Republican. The governing body was the Board of Supervisors which was made up of the elected Supervisor from each of the ten townships. The present Board had eight Republicans and two Democrats. But, because of political corruption throughout the County, there was a wave of Democratic sentiment leading up to the election. As far as the Audit and Control department was concerned, the Controller, a Republican, had persuaded the Board of Supervisors to get the computer and to put it under his control. The County Treasurer, a Democrat, was upset, especially with the fact that his department would no longer be responsible for creating the County payroll. The fear was that if the Controller lost the election and the Board of Supervisors ended up being split with five Republicans and five Democrats, the Treasurer would petition to have the payroll returned to him along as well as getting control of the computer. Irwin told me, again, that Jay was the only non elected, non civil service person being paid by the County and if things were to change he might lose his job.
That half hour with Irwin explained a lot and gave me an idea of what was going on in Jay’s mind. The only thing I said to Jay that day was to let me know if he needed help to call me. That night I ended up listening to the local election results. I tried to explain to Elle just why but it was useless. She didn’t really want to know.
The Controller won and the Board of Supervisors remained in Republican control, six to four. It was about 2am when I finally went to bed. Elle thought I was crazy since I was so apolitical. But this was about my job and it mattered. I really couldn’t sleep so went in early hoping I’d get a chance to see Jay before anyone else got there. I wanted to find out how Nina was doing with the Police payroll. He was already there when I walked in and I remember saying something like ”We won!“. He threw up his hands like it didn’t matter. I asked what was wrong and he just turned to all the trays spread out on the work tables. Then he said that Nina hadn't marked them. There was no way to readily know which tray was to be processed first and then second, etc. It would take precious time to get them in proper order. He said that Nina hadn’t used the manual that I’d created. I asked Jay if he wanted me to help and he shook his head signifying ”no“. He said that if it ended up being f****d up, so be it. It was all in Nina’s hands.
Nine o’clock came. Then 9:15 and then 9:30am and still no Nina. I saw the Controller’s secretary walk into the computer room and then I saw Jay throw his hands up in the air and storm out of the computer room. He headed right for Irwin’s desk. The two of them left and went into the vacant Deputy Controller’s office. I knew something was up and about 20 minutes later Jay came and got me. We went into the office where Irwin was sitting behind the desk. He looked at me and without wasting any time asked me if I would be willing to work in the computer room with Jay. I had no idea what was going on and certainly had never entertained any thoughts of really working in there. I hesitated at first and then said ”sure“. Irwin said that it was not official as the Controller had to sign off on it. I was not to say anything that indicated that I was doing anything more that filling in. He went on to say that if the current test worked out and the next two payroll runs which were to be run along with the Treasurer’s run were OK that he was almost positive that it would be my job.
I heard what he was saying but it wasn’t registering. I was in sort of a daze as I walked out with Jay. He was already working on how to remedy Nina’s latest screw up as we walked. By the time we did we were already six hour behind. It meant but one thing... a late night... again. I was so excited that I completely forgot that I was supposed to go home at lunch so Elle could have the car. It wasn’t until it got dark outside that it came to me. I called and it was easy to tell that she was more than a little upset. I knew enough not to ask if she could fix up a meal for Jay so I just said I’d be home when I could. She hung up on me.
It was around 10pm when all the cards had been through the computer. Since the Police payroll was the shorter of the two we knew we had enough time the next morning to do the printout and even do a dummy run with the checks themselves. BUT... we were both so psyched that we decided to go ahead with the printout. Setting up the printer was the one thing I hadn’t been shown in detail so Jay did it. We both were anxious to see the finished product. It was a little after midnight when the last page printed. We were both running on adrenaline but, in my mind, there was one thing more... was it in proof? I wanted to do it right then and there but Jay said ”No“. Even without that I had a great feeling of accomplishment as we turned off the lights. What I didn’t have a good feeling about was what I was going to have to listen to when I got home.
To be continued...
Tuesday was Election Day and the whole office was a bit uptight. Everyone was aware that there was a distinct possibility that the Controller could lose. I, because I was so new, had no idea of the ramifications should that happen. I listened to the ”whispers“ but didn’t understand. I finally asked Irwin if he could go over the whole situation. I knew absolutely nothing about local politics so it was a whole new world that he explained to me.
The County had traditionally been heavily Republican. The governing body was the Board of Supervisors which was made up of the elected Supervisor from each of the ten townships. The present Board had eight Republicans and two Democrats. But, because of political corruption throughout the County, there was a wave of Democratic sentiment leading up to the election. As far as the Audit and Control department was concerned, the Controller, a Republican, had persuaded the Board of Supervisors to get the computer and to put it under his control. The County Treasurer, a Democrat, was upset, especially with the fact that his department would no longer be responsible for creating the County payroll. The fear was that if the Controller lost the election and the Board of Supervisors ended up being split with five Republicans and five Democrats, the Treasurer would petition to have the payroll returned to him along as well as getting control of the computer. Irwin told me, again, that Jay was the only non elected, non civil service person being paid by the County and if things were to change he might lose his job.
That half hour with Irwin explained a lot and gave me an idea of what was going on in Jay’s mind. The only thing I said to Jay that day was to let me know if he needed help to call me. That night I ended up listening to the local election results. I tried to explain to Elle just why but it was useless. She didn’t really want to know.
The Controller won and the Board of Supervisors remained in Republican control, six to four. It was about 2am when I finally went to bed. Elle thought I was crazy since I was so apolitical. But this was about my job and it mattered. I really couldn’t sleep so went in early hoping I’d get a chance to see Jay before anyone else got there. I wanted to find out how Nina was doing with the Police payroll. He was already there when I walked in and I remember saying something like ”We won!“. He threw up his hands like it didn’t matter. I asked what was wrong and he just turned to all the trays spread out on the work tables. Then he said that Nina hadn't marked them. There was no way to readily know which tray was to be processed first and then second, etc. It would take precious time to get them in proper order. He said that Nina hadn’t used the manual that I’d created. I asked Jay if he wanted me to help and he shook his head signifying ”no“. He said that if it ended up being f****d up, so be it. It was all in Nina’s hands.
Nine o’clock came. Then 9:15 and then 9:30am and still no Nina. I saw the Controller’s secretary walk into the computer room and then I saw Jay throw his hands up in the air and storm out of the computer room. He headed right for Irwin’s desk. The two of them left and went into the vacant Deputy Controller’s office. I knew something was up and about 20 minutes later Jay came and got me. We went into the office where Irwin was sitting behind the desk. He looked at me and without wasting any time asked me if I would be willing to work in the computer room with Jay. I had no idea what was going on and certainly had never entertained any thoughts of really working in there. I hesitated at first and then said ”sure“. Irwin said that it was not official as the Controller had to sign off on it. I was not to say anything that indicated that I was doing anything more that filling in. He went on to say that if the current test worked out and the next two payroll runs which were to be run along with the Treasurer’s run were OK that he was almost positive that it would be my job.
I heard what he was saying but it wasn’t registering. I was in sort of a daze as I walked out with Jay. He was already working on how to remedy Nina’s latest screw up as we walked. By the time we did we were already six hour behind. It meant but one thing... a late night... again. I was so excited that I completely forgot that I was supposed to go home at lunch so Elle could have the car. It wasn’t until it got dark outside that it came to me. I called and it was easy to tell that she was more than a little upset. I knew enough not to ask if she could fix up a meal for Jay so I just said I’d be home when I could. She hung up on me.
It was around 10pm when all the cards had been through the computer. Since the Police payroll was the shorter of the two we knew we had enough time the next morning to do the printout and even do a dummy run with the checks themselves. BUT... we were both so psyched that we decided to go ahead with the printout. Setting up the printer was the one thing I hadn’t been shown in detail so Jay did it. We both were anxious to see the finished product. It was a little after midnight when the last page printed. We were both running on adrenaline but, in my mind, there was one thing more... was it in proof? I wanted to do it right then and there but Jay said ”No“. Even without that I had a great feeling of accomplishment as we turned off the lights. What I didn’t have a good feeling about was what I was going to have to listen to when I got home.
To be continued...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64d)
I guess you could say it was good and bad that Jay did come home with me. Of course there was some explaining to do with Elle but she responded nicely by whipping something up for Jay to eat. The good part was that it gave the two of us the chance to get to know each other on a personal basis. I learned that he was two years older than I was and that, very much to my surprise, he was married and had a two year old daughter. He got involved in computers as a sorter operator for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore. As a result of that job he got the opportunity to go to a Univac (a major competitor of IBM at the time) programming school. It also allowed him to come back home as Univac headquarters were located only 30 miles from there. But the biggest and best piece of information that I was able to glean from him was that he had been involved in stock car racing before moving to Baltimore. Before he was married he had owned a modified race car. (A few words of explanation... The class I’d been involved with had very strict rules as to engine size and allowed modifications. A ”modified“ race car had no engine restrictions and were faster.) I was very surprised to find out about his involvement in racing but was in awe of the fact that he had owned a ”modified“. Once we got into discussing racing Elle sort of backed away from the conversation. It had been my/our intention to get a bite to eat and then to quickly return to work. However, once the conversation turned to racing the clock was forgotten. It was easily after 8pm when we finally headed back. There was so much to do that, once back, we concentrated on the tasks at hand.
It was after midnight when we turned out the lights. Jay had gone over each and every step of the payroll process right from the time the biweekly payroll records were to delivered to Linda and Donna right through to delivering the printed paychecks to the Treasurer’s office with me writing down each and every step. On the way home I remember thinking that even though I’d had very little hands on time operating the peripheral equipment that I could actually do it. I wondered what would happen the next day.
True to her usual start time Nina walked in a bit after 9am. However, she did go straight into the computer room. I tried to keep an eye on her but it was hard. When she took her coffee break I slipped into see Jay. I didn’t have to say anything. The look on his face told the story. The only thing I said was that if he needed help to just come and get me.
At 5pm Nina walked out. I was into the computer room seconds later. I didn’t know Jay well enough to get an accurate ”read“ on the situation but it was obvious that he was frustrated. I asked if he was ready for some help and he said he was going home. I gave him my telephone number and told him to call if he wanted help or just have company if he did come back.
I worked at the trailer park on Saturday. Even though I was counting on the money I’d earn that day I was a bit disappointed that Jay hadn’t called. The whole computer thing was new and exciting to me and I wanted to get more involved. As it turned out I was just impatient. At around10am Sunday morning the phone rang and it was Jay. He’d thought about what I’d said concerning the ”test“ also being a test for him as well. He’d decided to go ahead without Nina and to get it done. Even though it put no money in my pocket I was excited. Elle wasn’t! She’d been ”mumbling“ about me being late for supper and also not having the car available when she needed it. I tried to explain my thinking but it clearly passed over her head.
At least what Nina had done had been done correctly. It helped in that we could just move forward. I know that Jay, if he’d been doing it himself, would’ve been quicker than with me helping but he was the perfect teacher. I got home around 9pm to a very unhappy Elle.
Monday morning I finally had something real to work with. The print out that we’d created the night before had to be ”proofed“ and that was my job. As I worked on it I couldn’t help but wonder what Nina was thinking, saying or doing. It was hard to concentrate as I thought about the situation. From the standpoint of the ”proof“, the numbers checked out with the numbers from the last real payroll developed by the Treasurer’s office. I let Jay know via phone rather than to go see him so as to not create any more of a problem with Nina than he already had. He just said ”Thanks“.
I stayed away from the computer room for the whole day. After everybody had gone I finally went in to see Jay. He had told her that he had run out of time and had to complete the test. But he told her that she was to do the ”test“ for the Police payroll all by herself and that it HAD to be done by noon on Thursday. He said he would answer her questions but that she had to physically do the whole thing. (Note: The full County payroll was for approximately 2400 employees. The police payroll was for 1300 employees. They got paid on alternate weeks) I asked what her reaction was and he just shook his head but wouldn’t comment. I knew enough to keep my mouth shut but I had the feeling that it wasn’t going to happen.
To be continued...
I guess you could say it was good and bad that Jay did come home with me. Of course there was some explaining to do with Elle but she responded nicely by whipping something up for Jay to eat. The good part was that it gave the two of us the chance to get to know each other on a personal basis. I learned that he was two years older than I was and that, very much to my surprise, he was married and had a two year old daughter. He got involved in computers as a sorter operator for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore. As a result of that job he got the opportunity to go to a Univac (a major competitor of IBM at the time) programming school. It also allowed him to come back home as Univac headquarters were located only 30 miles from there. But the biggest and best piece of information that I was able to glean from him was that he had been involved in stock car racing before moving to Baltimore. Before he was married he had owned a modified race car. (A few words of explanation... The class I’d been involved with had very strict rules as to engine size and allowed modifications. A ”modified“ race car had no engine restrictions and were faster.) I was very surprised to find out about his involvement in racing but was in awe of the fact that he had owned a ”modified“. Once we got into discussing racing Elle sort of backed away from the conversation. It had been my/our intention to get a bite to eat and then to quickly return to work. However, once the conversation turned to racing the clock was forgotten. It was easily after 8pm when we finally headed back. There was so much to do that, once back, we concentrated on the tasks at hand.
It was after midnight when we turned out the lights. Jay had gone over each and every step of the payroll process right from the time the biweekly payroll records were to delivered to Linda and Donna right through to delivering the printed paychecks to the Treasurer’s office with me writing down each and every step. On the way home I remember thinking that even though I’d had very little hands on time operating the peripheral equipment that I could actually do it. I wondered what would happen the next day.
True to her usual start time Nina walked in a bit after 9am. However, she did go straight into the computer room. I tried to keep an eye on her but it was hard. When she took her coffee break I slipped into see Jay. I didn’t have to say anything. The look on his face told the story. The only thing I said was that if he needed help to just come and get me.
At 5pm Nina walked out. I was into the computer room seconds later. I didn’t know Jay well enough to get an accurate ”read“ on the situation but it was obvious that he was frustrated. I asked if he was ready for some help and he said he was going home. I gave him my telephone number and told him to call if he wanted help or just have company if he did come back.
I worked at the trailer park on Saturday. Even though I was counting on the money I’d earn that day I was a bit disappointed that Jay hadn’t called. The whole computer thing was new and exciting to me and I wanted to get more involved. As it turned out I was just impatient. At around10am Sunday morning the phone rang and it was Jay. He’d thought about what I’d said concerning the ”test“ also being a test for him as well. He’d decided to go ahead without Nina and to get it done. Even though it put no money in my pocket I was excited. Elle wasn’t! She’d been ”mumbling“ about me being late for supper and also not having the car available when she needed it. I tried to explain my thinking but it clearly passed over her head.
At least what Nina had done had been done correctly. It helped in that we could just move forward. I know that Jay, if he’d been doing it himself, would’ve been quicker than with me helping but he was the perfect teacher. I got home around 9pm to a very unhappy Elle.
Monday morning I finally had something real to work with. The print out that we’d created the night before had to be ”proofed“ and that was my job. As I worked on it I couldn’t help but wonder what Nina was thinking, saying or doing. It was hard to concentrate as I thought about the situation. From the standpoint of the ”proof“, the numbers checked out with the numbers from the last real payroll developed by the Treasurer’s office. I let Jay know via phone rather than to go see him so as to not create any more of a problem with Nina than he already had. He just said ”Thanks“.
I stayed away from the computer room for the whole day. After everybody had gone I finally went in to see Jay. He had told her that he had run out of time and had to complete the test. But he told her that she was to do the ”test“ for the Police payroll all by herself and that it HAD to be done by noon on Thursday. He said he would answer her questions but that she had to physically do the whole thing. (Note: The full County payroll was for approximately 2400 employees. The police payroll was for 1300 employees. They got paid on alternate weeks) I asked what her reaction was and he just shook his head but wouldn’t comment. I knew enough to keep my mouth shut but I had the feeling that it wasn’t going to happen.
To be continued...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64c)
I stopped by Irwin’s desk the next morning and told him I wasn’t getting very far with Nina and asked if I could go talk with Jay, the programmer. It was sort of a Catch 22 for him in that Jay was not an official part of the Audit and Control department and he was concerned that I might be a distraction for him. He finally agreed. It only took a few minutes for Jay and I to bond. In fact I was a pleasant relief for him because it didn’t take long for me to realize that Nina and he did not see eye to eye. He showed me all the peripheral equipment for the computer and even introduced me to Linda and Donna. Then he gave me an overview of the whole process. In less than half an hour I learned more than I’d learned from Nina in a whole afternoon. He was careful not to openly criticize Nina but it was clear to see that his frustration was right below the surface. His biggest complaint was that she hadn’t spent any time learning the operation of the peripheral equipment such as the sorter, collator and printer and it was almost time for the first full test.
On the way home all I could think about was where I was going to get enough money to live on until I got paid by the County. The ”killer“ was that the rent was due by the 15th. I decided to stop at the office and see if Dick would let me wait until that Friday. I wanted to be up front about the situation. He looked up at me and with a smile reminded me that he owed me $1,100 for the camp trailer. I hadn’t looked at it that way. To me that money was a down payment on the new trailer that I wanted. As I was about to go out the door he stopped me and gave me $100 and said something like ”Now I only owe you $1,000“. That made me smile.
That night Elle and I sat down and basically counted out what we actually had to pay for and what could wait. Other than the $10 for the two Saturdays that I planned to work at the trailer park that was all I could count on. The big question was how much kerosene we had left and how much we would need. Night time temperatures were now in the 30’s so we set aside some ”untouchable“ dollars for that and decided we’d try to bundle up more at night. It was an uneasy sleep that night.
I went in a little early the next day to see if I could learn some more from Jay. He’d told me that he was always there at 8am when the building was officially opened. It was a good move. He actually showed me how each machine worked and let me run cards through each of them. When Nina arrived (about 10 minutes after 9am) she saw me in there with Jay and came right in without unloading all her ”stuff“ at her desk. Actually it was pretty funny as she had a big bag over her shoulder and looked a bit like a carpetbagger. She ignored me and asked Jay what I was doing. He dodged the direct question and answered by telling her that I was just ”curious“ since I’d had some exposure to some similar equipment. She turned to walk out but Jay reminded her that she was way behind on her training on the machines. Without stopping she walked away and yelled over her shoulder that she had to get her own work done first. I remember Jay standing there just shaking his head.
By this time I was getting a little concerned because no one was giving me specific direction. I felt like a ping pong ball being bounced from one area to another. It was back to Irwin’s desk again. I pleaded with him to give me some actual data to get a ”feel“ of what it was that I was to do when a payroll was completed. He made a phone call and a little while later a thin, short, wrinkled faced lady came in the room and was directed to where I was sitting. It was the printout of an earlier payroll done by the Treasurer’s office. At least it was something to look at and study. I stayed at my desk the rest of the morning, writing down my questions. At lunch break I saw Jay and asked if Nina ever came in. It was not the right question to ask at least at that moment. I decided to go back to my desk and observe.
Gina came into the room around mid afternoon to tell Irwin that the Controller was in his office. As soon as I heard that I looked up and saw Jay turn the corner by the counter and out of the office. About 10 minutes later he came back with the Controller and they stopped at Nina’s desk. A minute or so later I saw the three of them in the computer room. Jay was showing the Controller the various machines with Nina following closely behind. They were in there for maybe 15 or 20 minutes before the Controller left. Nina stayed. She stayed in the room with Jay until 5pm came when she walked out, picked up her big bag and her coat and left. I waited for a while until everyone was out of all the offices and headed into the computer room. When Jay saw me his face lit up with a smile.
The Controller had told Nina that her ONLY job was learning how to do the payroll... period, end of sentence. I asked him how it had gone after the Controller had left and he just shrugged his shoulders. Then I asked him if they would make the deadline for the test and he shrugged again. I asked what would happen if they didn’t get it done. This time he shook his head as if to say he really didn’t know. It was then I asked if there was something I could do to help out. Then he told me that he really didn’t know what would happen since the Controller told Nina it was her responsibility. He said that he, himself, could do it but a major part of the test was to see if Nina could do it. If I helped him it would look as if she was capable... and he was sure she wasn’t. Then I asked him if it wasn’t also a test of his programming. After a few seconds he agreed it was but he also said that he had to let Nina fail first. Then he asked if I could stay for a while and he’d give me more instructions on how the whole process worked. It was now close to 6pm and I knew Elle would be worried. I told him to come home with me and get a bite to eat and then I’d come back. (I know it’s hard to believe but there was no way to make a phone call out of the building after 5pm) He hesitated but finally gave in.
To be continued...
I stopped by Irwin’s desk the next morning and told him I wasn’t getting very far with Nina and asked if I could go talk with Jay, the programmer. It was sort of a Catch 22 for him in that Jay was not an official part of the Audit and Control department and he was concerned that I might be a distraction for him. He finally agreed. It only took a few minutes for Jay and I to bond. In fact I was a pleasant relief for him because it didn’t take long for me to realize that Nina and he did not see eye to eye. He showed me all the peripheral equipment for the computer and even introduced me to Linda and Donna. Then he gave me an overview of the whole process. In less than half an hour I learned more than I’d learned from Nina in a whole afternoon. He was careful not to openly criticize Nina but it was clear to see that his frustration was right below the surface. His biggest complaint was that she hadn’t spent any time learning the operation of the peripheral equipment such as the sorter, collator and printer and it was almost time for the first full test.
On the way home all I could think about was where I was going to get enough money to live on until I got paid by the County. The ”killer“ was that the rent was due by the 15th. I decided to stop at the office and see if Dick would let me wait until that Friday. I wanted to be up front about the situation. He looked up at me and with a smile reminded me that he owed me $1,100 for the camp trailer. I hadn’t looked at it that way. To me that money was a down payment on the new trailer that I wanted. As I was about to go out the door he stopped me and gave me $100 and said something like ”Now I only owe you $1,000“. That made me smile.
That night Elle and I sat down and basically counted out what we actually had to pay for and what could wait. Other than the $10 for the two Saturdays that I planned to work at the trailer park that was all I could count on. The big question was how much kerosene we had left and how much we would need. Night time temperatures were now in the 30’s so we set aside some ”untouchable“ dollars for that and decided we’d try to bundle up more at night. It was an uneasy sleep that night.
I went in a little early the next day to see if I could learn some more from Jay. He’d told me that he was always there at 8am when the building was officially opened. It was a good move. He actually showed me how each machine worked and let me run cards through each of them. When Nina arrived (about 10 minutes after 9am) she saw me in there with Jay and came right in without unloading all her ”stuff“ at her desk. Actually it was pretty funny as she had a big bag over her shoulder and looked a bit like a carpetbagger. She ignored me and asked Jay what I was doing. He dodged the direct question and answered by telling her that I was just ”curious“ since I’d had some exposure to some similar equipment. She turned to walk out but Jay reminded her that she was way behind on her training on the machines. Without stopping she walked away and yelled over her shoulder that she had to get her own work done first. I remember Jay standing there just shaking his head.
By this time I was getting a little concerned because no one was giving me specific direction. I felt like a ping pong ball being bounced from one area to another. It was back to Irwin’s desk again. I pleaded with him to give me some actual data to get a ”feel“ of what it was that I was to do when a payroll was completed. He made a phone call and a little while later a thin, short, wrinkled faced lady came in the room and was directed to where I was sitting. It was the printout of an earlier payroll done by the Treasurer’s office. At least it was something to look at and study. I stayed at my desk the rest of the morning, writing down my questions. At lunch break I saw Jay and asked if Nina ever came in. It was not the right question to ask at least at that moment. I decided to go back to my desk and observe.
Gina came into the room around mid afternoon to tell Irwin that the Controller was in his office. As soon as I heard that I looked up and saw Jay turn the corner by the counter and out of the office. About 10 minutes later he came back with the Controller and they stopped at Nina’s desk. A minute or so later I saw the three of them in the computer room. Jay was showing the Controller the various machines with Nina following closely behind. They were in there for maybe 15 or 20 minutes before the Controller left. Nina stayed. She stayed in the room with Jay until 5pm came when she walked out, picked up her big bag and her coat and left. I waited for a while until everyone was out of all the offices and headed into the computer room. When Jay saw me his face lit up with a smile.
The Controller had told Nina that her ONLY job was learning how to do the payroll... period, end of sentence. I asked him how it had gone after the Controller had left and he just shrugged his shoulders. Then I asked him if they would make the deadline for the test and he shrugged again. I asked what would happen if they didn’t get it done. This time he shook his head as if to say he really didn’t know. It was then I asked if there was something I could do to help out. Then he told me that he really didn’t know what would happen since the Controller told Nina it was her responsibility. He said that he, himself, could do it but a major part of the test was to see if Nina could do it. If I helped him it would look as if she was capable... and he was sure she wasn’t. Then I asked him if it wasn’t also a test of his programming. After a few seconds he agreed it was but he also said that he had to let Nina fail first. Then he asked if I could stay for a while and he’d give me more instructions on how the whole process worked. It was now close to 6pm and I knew Elle would be worried. I told him to come home with me and get a bite to eat and then I’d come back. (I know it’s hard to believe but there was no way to make a phone call out of the building after 5pm) He hesitated but finally gave in.
To be continued...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64b)
He drew up a sketch of the general work area and wrote names in all the occupied desks. Then, one by one, gave me the “skinny” on each of them. He started with Gina who was the Deputy Controller’s secretary. The only thing was that there was no Deputy Controller. Irwin said that he “retired” the first of October. He explained that the position was a political appointment and the political party in control of the County government got to fill it. The county had been heavily Republican but a series of scandals had put that in question for the upcoming election. The guy who had the position knew he wasn’t going to be reappointed so he quit. In any case I was warned about Gina. I’d noticed, on both days, that she had been “dressed to kill”. She looked like she was ready to go out on a date. She was in her late 20’s with long dark hair and, according to Irwin, she was “man hunting“ even though she was married.
Next was ”GT“ who was the teenager that had caught my eye the day before. Her name was also Gina but had been called ”GT“ even in high school so it was a natural for her. She had blond hair in sort of a ”bob“ that was popular at the time. As I looked at her through the window I felt that I’d seen her before. She had graduated in June and was the newest employee.
Lynn was the next on Irwin’s sketch. He told me that she was the best worker in the office; quick, efficient and accurate. She’d worked in the office for almost 10 years and had taken and passed tests for a higher position but refused them wanting to stay in the Audit and Control department. Her title was Senior Clerk and the next higher title was Chief Clerk. There was only one position in the office for that title and that was held by Nina who had worked there for over 20 years.
Irwin, having brought up Nina’s name, jumped over to her desk on the sketch. I had already decided I liked Irwin and after he gave me the background on Nina I knew I was right. Nina held the most senior title of the staff but in Irwin's eyes was considered to be a detriment to the productivity of the office as a whole. According to Irwin, she spent most of her day getting and dispersing gossip. When she would make an attempt to act in her supervisory position the employees pretty much ignored her. I had to ask why he put up with it and I got a basic primer on life as a Civil Service employee. Basically, once hired you were there for life unless you were convicted of a crime. That was Nina. According to Irwin she knew how to ”play the game“. Then he dropped the ”bomb“. Because of her seniority she had been tapped to do the actual running of the payroll and I was going to have to make sure that what she did was right. I was already not liking what I heard.
I think he saw the look on my face because he quickly went though the rest of the ladies. Allie was a very thin redhead who, when she smiled, could be classified as cute. But she had a sour look on her face as she worked. Irwin explained that her best friend in the office had been chosen to be one of the keypunchers and she hadn’t. She still hadn’t gotten over it. Dora was the second oldest in the office. A woman in her early 50’s who, like Nina, ”played the game“ and did as little work as possible. Bev was probably one of the homeliest girls I’d ever seen but Irwin said that she was a good worker and got along with everybody.
Next were the two keypunchers who were now physically located in the room with the computer. First was Linda who had one of the highest results in accuracy on the County typing test. She was Allie’s best friend in the office but the separation had not affected her personality or work. Irwin said that she was probably the most even keeled employee they had. Her partner was Donna. Irwin made a statement about her that I’ve never forgotten and have used to describe any number of people since. He said that she had the personality of a rock. He told me that the only person that he’d ever seen her talk to with a smile on her face was her mother who worked in the Treasurer’s office. She pretty much ignored her co-workers.
By then my head was spinning. The only one left was the programmer for the computer... Jay. Irwin told me right off that he didn’t know much about him other than he came highly recommended and, since the Civil Service Commission hadn’t written a position description for Computer Programmer, he was the only non politically appointed or elected person on the payroll. I asked about the Auditors who worked under Irwin and he said he’d get around to introducing me to them but it wasn’t necessary right then.
By then it was time for lunch. Again I went to the cafeteria and tried to find some decent looking females. I was beginning to think that one sure way to get hired was to be plain looking or just flat out ugly. I was headed back to the office when I saw this 40 something woman walk in. She was stunning and my first thought was that she was must be a visitor. As I walked down the hall I remember thinking that I had to keep an eye out for her again.
Back at the office Irwin told me to start with Nina so I’d have an idea of how the system was supposed to work. Fat chance!. Nina put me through the third degree about my family, past and everything in between. I made a couple of half hearted attempts to get back on the subject at hand, the payroll. By 5pm the only thing of importance I had learned was that I wouldn’t receive my first paycheck until the 17th of the month. Yes, it was normally every two weeks but the way the County worked they paid a week late. That meant I was going to have to survive on the money from my last paycheck from the trailer park. That was a major cause for concern. At about 10 minutes to five Nina started picking up her desk. I looked around and most of the others were doing the same. I don’t know why but it was sort of a shock.
To be continued...
He drew up a sketch of the general work area and wrote names in all the occupied desks. Then, one by one, gave me the “skinny” on each of them. He started with Gina who was the Deputy Controller’s secretary. The only thing was that there was no Deputy Controller. Irwin said that he “retired” the first of October. He explained that the position was a political appointment and the political party in control of the County government got to fill it. The county had been heavily Republican but a series of scandals had put that in question for the upcoming election. The guy who had the position knew he wasn’t going to be reappointed so he quit. In any case I was warned about Gina. I’d noticed, on both days, that she had been “dressed to kill”. She looked like she was ready to go out on a date. She was in her late 20’s with long dark hair and, according to Irwin, she was “man hunting“ even though she was married.
Next was ”GT“ who was the teenager that had caught my eye the day before. Her name was also Gina but had been called ”GT“ even in high school so it was a natural for her. She had blond hair in sort of a ”bob“ that was popular at the time. As I looked at her through the window I felt that I’d seen her before. She had graduated in June and was the newest employee.
Lynn was the next on Irwin’s sketch. He told me that she was the best worker in the office; quick, efficient and accurate. She’d worked in the office for almost 10 years and had taken and passed tests for a higher position but refused them wanting to stay in the Audit and Control department. Her title was Senior Clerk and the next higher title was Chief Clerk. There was only one position in the office for that title and that was held by Nina who had worked there for over 20 years.
Irwin, having brought up Nina’s name, jumped over to her desk on the sketch. I had already decided I liked Irwin and after he gave me the background on Nina I knew I was right. Nina held the most senior title of the staff but in Irwin's eyes was considered to be a detriment to the productivity of the office as a whole. According to Irwin, she spent most of her day getting and dispersing gossip. When she would make an attempt to act in her supervisory position the employees pretty much ignored her. I had to ask why he put up with it and I got a basic primer on life as a Civil Service employee. Basically, once hired you were there for life unless you were convicted of a crime. That was Nina. According to Irwin she knew how to ”play the game“. Then he dropped the ”bomb“. Because of her seniority she had been tapped to do the actual running of the payroll and I was going to have to make sure that what she did was right. I was already not liking what I heard.
I think he saw the look on my face because he quickly went though the rest of the ladies. Allie was a very thin redhead who, when she smiled, could be classified as cute. But she had a sour look on her face as she worked. Irwin explained that her best friend in the office had been chosen to be one of the keypunchers and she hadn’t. She still hadn’t gotten over it. Dora was the second oldest in the office. A woman in her early 50’s who, like Nina, ”played the game“ and did as little work as possible. Bev was probably one of the homeliest girls I’d ever seen but Irwin said that she was a good worker and got along with everybody.
Next were the two keypunchers who were now physically located in the room with the computer. First was Linda who had one of the highest results in accuracy on the County typing test. She was Allie’s best friend in the office but the separation had not affected her personality or work. Irwin said that she was probably the most even keeled employee they had. Her partner was Donna. Irwin made a statement about her that I’ve never forgotten and have used to describe any number of people since. He said that she had the personality of a rock. He told me that the only person that he’d ever seen her talk to with a smile on her face was her mother who worked in the Treasurer’s office. She pretty much ignored her co-workers.
By then my head was spinning. The only one left was the programmer for the computer... Jay. Irwin told me right off that he didn’t know much about him other than he came highly recommended and, since the Civil Service Commission hadn’t written a position description for Computer Programmer, he was the only non politically appointed or elected person on the payroll. I asked about the Auditors who worked under Irwin and he said he’d get around to introducing me to them but it wasn’t necessary right then.
By then it was time for lunch. Again I went to the cafeteria and tried to find some decent looking females. I was beginning to think that one sure way to get hired was to be plain looking or just flat out ugly. I was headed back to the office when I saw this 40 something woman walk in. She was stunning and my first thought was that she was must be a visitor. As I walked down the hall I remember thinking that I had to keep an eye out for her again.
Back at the office Irwin told me to start with Nina so I’d have an idea of how the system was supposed to work. Fat chance!. Nina put me through the third degree about my family, past and everything in between. I made a couple of half hearted attempts to get back on the subject at hand, the payroll. By 5pm the only thing of importance I had learned was that I wouldn’t receive my first paycheck until the 17th of the month. Yes, it was normally every two weeks but the way the County worked they paid a week late. That meant I was going to have to survive on the money from my last paycheck from the trailer park. That was a major cause for concern. At about 10 minutes to five Nina started picking up her desk. I looked around and most of the others were doing the same. I don’t know why but it was sort of a shock.
To be continued...
Monday, November 15, 2010
THE NEXT PHASE... positive signs (Part 64a)
Now free to tell everybody about the new job I felt it only fair to tell the “boys” first. Dick said he wasn’t surprised as he just couldn’t see me being satisfied with being a handy-man at a trailer park as a career. Ben, on the other hand, seemed to take it as a personal affront that I’d leave on such short notice. Fortunately, he walked out of the office right after I told them as it left me free to explore my “plan” with just Dick. I told him that I’d be happy to stay on and work on Saturdays and I’d also still be willing to be the emergency contact at night and weekends. He had no problem with that at all which made me relax a bit. Then I told him about my “dream” to buy one of the new 60 foot trailers with the pop out living room. Of course his eyes lit up when he heard that. I told him I would try to sell my 41 foot trailer and that I had a 16 foot camp trailer that I would also sell. I told him that now with a full time job I’d go to a bank and finance the rest. I remember him saying he was impressed with my thought process. So, with that I asked about being able to show my camp trailer at his lot for a possible sale. He hesitated a bit and then asked how much I wanted for it. As I’d mentioned before, I knew it was worth more than I’d paid for it as Harry had sold it to me basically his cost and that was for $1,000. Before I could give him an answer he said he’d give me $1,100. It was only $50 less than I was going to ask for it so almost without thinking said “yes”. I told him I’d bring it to the park over the weekend and that he could keep the money as a down payment on the new trailer. As I walked out of the office I was walking on a cloud and I hadn’t even told Elle about the job interview.
Of course Elle was excited and she let me know just how much by inviting me into our bedroom and taking one of my hands and placing it between her legs. Within seconds I felt a nice warm, wetness in her crotch. Being afternoon, the baby was napping and Jean was visiting one of her friends. Talk about “afternoon delight”; that was it for sure!
Andy, Mac and Jim seemed happy for me. Of course my grandfather was ecstatic and both my parents and Elle’s parents were pleased. I continued to work at the park until the 30th. During that period of time Elle celebrated her birthday and all I got her was a card. I’d found out that the County paid every other week and it meant that my last pay from the trailer park would have to last for two weeks. There just was no money. At least Kay came through and invited Elle to go bowling with her. The local lanes had a morning ladies league complete with babysitting. She made a small cake and made it into a party. I remember Elle being “touched” by her thoughtfulness. At dinner she told me something that I didn’t know about Andy. He was a very good bowler and competed for money a couple of weekends a month. After hearing about it I really wanted to go see him bowl. Elle had enjoyed herself and, thinking to the future, wanted to get back to bowling again. I just added it to the now ever growing list of things that I wanted to do as well.
As my first day approached a few concerns popped up. I only had one suit and one blue blazer to my name and it was obvious that a coat and tie was standard dress. I mentioned it to my grandfather when taking him to see my grandmother that Sunday. Without batting an eye he told me to meet him at the one good men’s store after work that next day. I was happy for the offer but as I thought about my grandfather’s taste in clothes I began to worry that he might try to dress me the way he dressed. It was not a good thought but, thankfully I survived the ordeal with two acceptable (to me) suits.
I walked into the office that Monday morning expecting to see Irwin. He had told me that he always arrived around 8;30am but there was no one at his desk. I didn’t know what to do so took a seat by his desk and watched as the women filed in and sat at their desks. There was only one who I considered pretty and she was obviously a teenager. In reality I was disappointed. There were a dozen women in the trailer park who were considerably more attractive than this group.
When Irwin didn’t show up by 9:30am and the only other men in the office, by then, had no idea that I’d even been hired to work there I headed for the Controller’s office. The secretary, a woman easily in her sixties, knew that Irwin was having trouble with his leg but that was all. The Controller was out for the day, electioneering at a breakfast and a luncheon. She didn’t know what to tell me so I went back to sit by Irwin’s desk and did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. It was strange. I was going to get paid almost $20 for the day and I didn’t have to do any work to earn it. I did go to the cafeteria for lunch and saw a few cute women but on the whole was not impressed with what I’d seen.
Tuesday was better. Irwin showed up and, without explaining his absence, outlined my job responsibilities. The County had just purchased their first computer, a Univac 120 so that they could automate the payroll and, eventually, pay the bills. The computer was located on the other side of the general work area. The county had only hired a programmer to get started and since it was a punchcard driven system, had tapped two of the clerks in the department to be keypunchers. The plan was to run a test payroll in November. My job was to “proof” (audit it for accuracy) it and all payrolls that were to follow. Payroll was presently done semi manually by the Treasurer’s office and Irwin warned me that they were none too pleased to lose that function. Upon hearing what my job was I was anxious to get started but Irwin told me that he wanted me to have the “skinny” on the people in the office. He said it would make my job a lot easier if I knew from the start who to “trust” and who to avoid. That was a bit of a surprise to hear from my boss.
To be continued...
Now free to tell everybody about the new job I felt it only fair to tell the “boys” first. Dick said he wasn’t surprised as he just couldn’t see me being satisfied with being a handy-man at a trailer park as a career. Ben, on the other hand, seemed to take it as a personal affront that I’d leave on such short notice. Fortunately, he walked out of the office right after I told them as it left me free to explore my “plan” with just Dick. I told him that I’d be happy to stay on and work on Saturdays and I’d also still be willing to be the emergency contact at night and weekends. He had no problem with that at all which made me relax a bit. Then I told him about my “dream” to buy one of the new 60 foot trailers with the pop out living room. Of course his eyes lit up when he heard that. I told him I would try to sell my 41 foot trailer and that I had a 16 foot camp trailer that I would also sell. I told him that now with a full time job I’d go to a bank and finance the rest. I remember him saying he was impressed with my thought process. So, with that I asked about being able to show my camp trailer at his lot for a possible sale. He hesitated a bit and then asked how much I wanted for it. As I’d mentioned before, I knew it was worth more than I’d paid for it as Harry had sold it to me basically his cost and that was for $1,000. Before I could give him an answer he said he’d give me $1,100. It was only $50 less than I was going to ask for it so almost without thinking said “yes”. I told him I’d bring it to the park over the weekend and that he could keep the money as a down payment on the new trailer. As I walked out of the office I was walking on a cloud and I hadn’t even told Elle about the job interview.
Of course Elle was excited and she let me know just how much by inviting me into our bedroom and taking one of my hands and placing it between her legs. Within seconds I felt a nice warm, wetness in her crotch. Being afternoon, the baby was napping and Jean was visiting one of her friends. Talk about “afternoon delight”; that was it for sure!
Andy, Mac and Jim seemed happy for me. Of course my grandfather was ecstatic and both my parents and Elle’s parents were pleased. I continued to work at the park until the 30th. During that period of time Elle celebrated her birthday and all I got her was a card. I’d found out that the County paid every other week and it meant that my last pay from the trailer park would have to last for two weeks. There just was no money. At least Kay came through and invited Elle to go bowling with her. The local lanes had a morning ladies league complete with babysitting. She made a small cake and made it into a party. I remember Elle being “touched” by her thoughtfulness. At dinner she told me something that I didn’t know about Andy. He was a very good bowler and competed for money a couple of weekends a month. After hearing about it I really wanted to go see him bowl. Elle had enjoyed herself and, thinking to the future, wanted to get back to bowling again. I just added it to the now ever growing list of things that I wanted to do as well.
As my first day approached a few concerns popped up. I only had one suit and one blue blazer to my name and it was obvious that a coat and tie was standard dress. I mentioned it to my grandfather when taking him to see my grandmother that Sunday. Without batting an eye he told me to meet him at the one good men’s store after work that next day. I was happy for the offer but as I thought about my grandfather’s taste in clothes I began to worry that he might try to dress me the way he dressed. It was not a good thought but, thankfully I survived the ordeal with two acceptable (to me) suits.
I walked into the office that Monday morning expecting to see Irwin. He had told me that he always arrived around 8;30am but there was no one at his desk. I didn’t know what to do so took a seat by his desk and watched as the women filed in and sat at their desks. There was only one who I considered pretty and she was obviously a teenager. In reality I was disappointed. There were a dozen women in the trailer park who were considerably more attractive than this group.
When Irwin didn’t show up by 9:30am and the only other men in the office, by then, had no idea that I’d even been hired to work there I headed for the Controller’s office. The secretary, a woman easily in her sixties, knew that Irwin was having trouble with his leg but that was all. The Controller was out for the day, electioneering at a breakfast and a luncheon. She didn’t know what to tell me so I went back to sit by Irwin’s desk and did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. It was strange. I was going to get paid almost $20 for the day and I didn’t have to do any work to earn it. I did go to the cafeteria for lunch and saw a few cute women but on the whole was not impressed with what I’d seen.
Tuesday was better. Irwin showed up and, without explaining his absence, outlined my job responsibilities. The County had just purchased their first computer, a Univac 120 so that they could automate the payroll and, eventually, pay the bills. The computer was located on the other side of the general work area. The county had only hired a programmer to get started and since it was a punchcard driven system, had tapped two of the clerks in the department to be keypunchers. The plan was to run a test payroll in November. My job was to “proof” (audit it for accuracy) it and all payrolls that were to follow. Payroll was presently done semi manually by the Treasurer’s office and Irwin warned me that they were none too pleased to lose that function. Upon hearing what my job was I was anxious to get started but Irwin told me that he wanted me to have the “skinny” on the people in the office. He said it would make my job a lot easier if I knew from the start who to “trust” and who to avoid. That was a bit of a surprise to hear from my boss.
To be continued...
Saturday, November 06, 2010
SETTLED... at least I thought so (Part 63f)The second time through the department I wasn’t as intimidated. The only thing I didn’t like was that this older saleswoman came up to me and told me I looked ”lost“. Of course I was embarrassed. I remember trying to think of something to say to get her to go away. I really didn’t want to look at her so I looked over her shoulder and saw this really fancy pair of panties hanging on a ”T“ display on the counter. From out of somewhere I came up with the fact that my wife had a birthday coming up and I wanted to get a really nice pair of panties for her. It was as if she knew I was looking at those panties because she then said that she had the perfect pair and turned around and put her hand right on them. As she let the panties drape over it I know she saw me blushing. I think I managed to stammer out that I needed a size 5 and then she smiled one of those "knowing" smiles that make you want to cringe. I had only a dollar and some change left and was afraid I wouldn’t have enough to buy them. The price was $1.79, more than I'd ever paid for any panty. I hadn’t bought any panties since I’d bought the Plymouth nylon satin ones during the Winter when working for Dan and they only cost 69 cents each. When she told me the price I asked that, if by chance, the store carried panties made by Plymouth. She said she didn’t think so but since the ”buyer“ was in the store she could check with him. More to get out of an embarrassing situation than really wanting to know I said ”yes” and she motioned for me to follow her. We went into a small office where this young man, probably not much older than I, was seated at a desk. He told me that Macy’s didn’t carry that brand but he was familiar with it. He asked if I knew anything about the “garment district”, specifically Orchard Street. I didn’t but he then wrote down some information on his business card and handed it to me. Then he told me how to get to Orchard Street. I thanked him but felt embarrassed again and really wanted to get out of there. As I followed the lady I tried counting the change in my pocket without looking. She’d been so helpful I felt that I should at least buy that one pair of panties she’d showed me. It must have looked silly to see a grown young man, in a suit, counting pennies. In any case I had enough and I left, happy, with a pair of off white Munsingwear fancy panties.
I never really got a close look at them before she wrapped them up nicely in tissue paper and put them in a bag for me. I was so nervous I still couldn't remember if I’d told her Elle’s size. There was really no place for me to inspect them plus I only had a short time to get to the train station. The train was very crowded and once on it there was still no place where I felt comfortable in opening the bag. I ended up stuffing them in my overcoat pocket and then started day dreaming about what my new job would be like.
It may be hard to believe but I actually forgot the panties were in my coat pocket. It was the first time I'd worn it since college and was so excited to see Elle and to tell her about the exam I just took it off and hung it in the closet. I really don’t remember much about the next week, that is until Friday. Elle found me building the frame for another patio pad. She’d gotten the mail and there was a letter from the State Civil Service Commission. I ripped it open and saw that I’d scored a 92 on the test. If what Mrs K had told me was true I’d be hearing from the County the following week. This news was both good and bad. I wanted to announce it to the world but I knew I had to wait. The waiting lasted until either Wednesday or Thursday of the following week when I got a telephone call to set up an interview. I called Mrs K for reassurance. She laughed and told me to relax. Easy for her to say.
When I found out that I’d be interviewed by the County Controller I got very nervous. I was familiar with his name as he was up for reelection. I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to look as "professional" as I could so took the overcoat. It had been threatening to rain so I had an excuse to wear it. It wasn't until I went to put my car keys in the pocket after I arrived at the Center that I found the panties. I stopped and I know I was blushing as I stood by the car. I kept walking though and told myself to be calm.
I found the Controller to be really nice and he put me at ease right away when he said he was going to let the Chief Auditor do “the dirty work”. The man’s name was Irwin, a short rotund man who walked with a limp. When he walked in the smile on his face was ear to ear. He grabbed my hand and I thought he’d crush it. Before I could say anything at all he, never letting go of my hand, said he'd like to show me the office. I was really at his mercy as his grip was so strong. Once outside he apologized but immediately added that it was for my own good. I didn’t understand but there wasn’t much I could say. I followed him down the hall a short way and walked into this open work area. As we walked in there was a counter with nothing on it and not manned by anyone. Without my asking he pointed to it and shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no idea why it was there. I saw a bunch of women working at desks as I followed Irwin around the end of it and I noted that the age range of the women was from teen to past middle age. We walked into another room with seven desks in it and there were two men working. I followed him to a desk at the front of the room. He motioned me to sit down and I was glad to do it.
He explained that if we’d stayed in the Controller’s office I would’ve ended up listening to an election speech and then he started laughing. About the only I thing I was asked in the “interview” was if I was ready to start. I told him I could be there the next day but he explained that I’d have to wait until the next “pay cycle” which would mean I’d start on Monday, October 30th. Even though it was only a matter of days it was still another wait. I was tired of waiting but at least I knew, for sure, I had a real job.
As I got to the car and went for my keys I felt the panties in my coat pocket again. I pulled them out and spread them on the car seat. They looked huge! I quickly looked for the label and it read "size 5". The only thing I could think of was that they had put the wrong label in the panties. I knew that Elle would never wear them and decided that since I'd bought them the day I took and passed the test for the job I'd put them in my "stash" as a reminder of that day. I was disappointed about the panties but still ecstatic about having the job.
To be continued...
Thursday, November 04, 2010
SETTLED... at least I thought so (Part 63e)
Of course the whole neighborhood was there to see what was going on. When Lola showed back up she was devastated, especially with her husband away. She’d taken the kids to the drive in movies as they were restless without their father around. Mac and I walked her through the trailer and there was no way she was going to be able to stay there. Elise, Mac’s wife, offered to take Lola’s oldest for the night since he was friends with both of her kids. Elle offered our sofa bed to Lola and her youngest boy. She’d tried to take some clothes from the trailer for her and her boys but they just smelled terrible.
It was around 2am when we all finally went to bed. Being late September it had cooled off quite a bit. We only had one blanket for the sofa bed so I left the heat up. When it turned light, as tired as I was I knew I had to get up and go to work. I took my work clothes and headed through the living room to the bathroom. I noted the sleeping Lola and her son as I did. When I came back out it was a sight to behold. She had rolled over and her backside was exposed. There wasn't enough light to determine color but I could see the crotch line. I only stood there for a few seconds and then headed out the door. I was now very much awake!
When I came home for lunch I saw clothes that I didn’t recognize on our wash line. Elle explained that Lola had been able to get some of the people who were scheduled to use the washing machines at the meeting hall to let her wash her smoke smelling clothes. Lola and her son were gone. She’d been able to get in touch with her husband who was flying home and she was on her way to the airport to pick him up. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and to use the toilet and saw the wooden clothes rack that usually held Elle's panties filled with a bunch of multicolored nylon panties, plus bras and slips on it. They definitely weren't Elle's. Some were even hanging from the faucet handles and over the shower curtain rod. I wanted to reach over and to inspect some of them so badly but I didn’t dare. Elle was making lunch in the kitchen which was right on the other side of the bathroom and I was afraid she might walk in on me. But I was tempted.
That afternoon I was working on some of the new pads on the back road of the park when I saw Elle walking past with the baby. If it was nice out she’d often go for a walk around the park on her way to the cluster mailboxes which were out by the main road. As she walked away I realized it would probably take her 15 minutes to get back to the trailer. I took off on a dead run to get back there and headed straight for the bathroom. The first three panties I touched were made by Kayser with the tube elastic around the waist. A quality panty for sure. They were all pale pastel colors with lace cutouts. But it was two pair of white panties that caught my attention. They weren’t fancy with lace appliques or lace cut outs but they had a leg opening treatment like I’d never seen before. They had regular elastic but attached was this sheer, maybe 3/8 wide, tube of nylon that gave the appearance of lace because it was somewhat puckered. I really wanted to take one of them but with her living so close by and possibly staying there again that night I didn’t dare. I’d taken more time than I’d planned so I carefully hung them back up and quickly returned to work. I had to carefully cover my bulge though.
They didn’t stay with us that night. Tom had gotten in touch with their insurance company and they had authorized them to stay at the local motel while the trailer was being thoroughly cleaned. I went to sleep that night thinking about Lola’s panties and happy that I’d had the opportunity to give some a good inspection.
The following week was the week before I had to go to the city for the exam. It was a blur to me. I do remember going down to my parents house and trying to find my old Accounting text book so I could do a little review. I wanted no part of driving into the heart of the city so planned on taking the train. There were only two trains to the city; one at around 6am and another around 2:30pm. Since the exam was at 10am I had to take the early one. I couldn't sleep and was up and ready around 4am. The trip took almost 3 hours and got me into the city with little time to spare.
Mrs K was right. The exam was nothing to worry about although I wasn’t sure about one section. I was done well before the two hour time limit. Before leaving, my grandfather had given me money for the train and for lunch. I’d been to an Automat (It was a precursor to fast food in that you looked at your choices through a little window in a small door and then put in coins, opened the door and took your food) once when I was in my early teens and decided I’d try to find one. There were just two trains a day that headed back with the first leaving around 9:30am and the other at 4:30pm. I had over four hours to kill and after eating decided to go to Macy’s, the worlds biggest department store (at least at that period in time) to look around. It had eight floors and took up most, if not all, of a whole city block. There was certainly one area that I really wanted to visit... the lingerie department.
I can tell you that I saw more panties, girdles, bras and slips right there than I’d seen, cumulatively, in my life. There were tables filled with them. They were displayed on stands that sat on display counters. They were under the glass of the display counters. I will tell you that I was a tad overwhelmed. I had to leave for a while. Later, I actually got lost in the store trying to find my way back.
To be continued...
Of course the whole neighborhood was there to see what was going on. When Lola showed back up she was devastated, especially with her husband away. She’d taken the kids to the drive in movies as they were restless without their father around. Mac and I walked her through the trailer and there was no way she was going to be able to stay there. Elise, Mac’s wife, offered to take Lola’s oldest for the night since he was friends with both of her kids. Elle offered our sofa bed to Lola and her youngest boy. She’d tried to take some clothes from the trailer for her and her boys but they just smelled terrible.
It was around 2am when we all finally went to bed. Being late September it had cooled off quite a bit. We only had one blanket for the sofa bed so I left the heat up. When it turned light, as tired as I was I knew I had to get up and go to work. I took my work clothes and headed through the living room to the bathroom. I noted the sleeping Lola and her son as I did. When I came back out it was a sight to behold. She had rolled over and her backside was exposed. There wasn't enough light to determine color but I could see the crotch line. I only stood there for a few seconds and then headed out the door. I was now very much awake!
When I came home for lunch I saw clothes that I didn’t recognize on our wash line. Elle explained that Lola had been able to get some of the people who were scheduled to use the washing machines at the meeting hall to let her wash her smoke smelling clothes. Lola and her son were gone. She’d been able to get in touch with her husband who was flying home and she was on her way to the airport to pick him up. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and to use the toilet and saw the wooden clothes rack that usually held Elle's panties filled with a bunch of multicolored nylon panties, plus bras and slips on it. They definitely weren't Elle's. Some were even hanging from the faucet handles and over the shower curtain rod. I wanted to reach over and to inspect some of them so badly but I didn’t dare. Elle was making lunch in the kitchen which was right on the other side of the bathroom and I was afraid she might walk in on me. But I was tempted.
That afternoon I was working on some of the new pads on the back road of the park when I saw Elle walking past with the baby. If it was nice out she’d often go for a walk around the park on her way to the cluster mailboxes which were out by the main road. As she walked away I realized it would probably take her 15 minutes to get back to the trailer. I took off on a dead run to get back there and headed straight for the bathroom. The first three panties I touched were made by Kayser with the tube elastic around the waist. A quality panty for sure. They were all pale pastel colors with lace cutouts. But it was two pair of white panties that caught my attention. They weren’t fancy with lace appliques or lace cut outs but they had a leg opening treatment like I’d never seen before. They had regular elastic but attached was this sheer, maybe 3/8 wide, tube of nylon that gave the appearance of lace because it was somewhat puckered. I really wanted to take one of them but with her living so close by and possibly staying there again that night I didn’t dare. I’d taken more time than I’d planned so I carefully hung them back up and quickly returned to work. I had to carefully cover my bulge though.
They didn’t stay with us that night. Tom had gotten in touch with their insurance company and they had authorized them to stay at the local motel while the trailer was being thoroughly cleaned. I went to sleep that night thinking about Lola’s panties and happy that I’d had the opportunity to give some a good inspection.
The following week was the week before I had to go to the city for the exam. It was a blur to me. I do remember going down to my parents house and trying to find my old Accounting text book so I could do a little review. I wanted no part of driving into the heart of the city so planned on taking the train. There were only two trains to the city; one at around 6am and another around 2:30pm. Since the exam was at 10am I had to take the early one. I couldn't sleep and was up and ready around 4am. The trip took almost 3 hours and got me into the city with little time to spare.
Mrs K was right. The exam was nothing to worry about although I wasn’t sure about one section. I was done well before the two hour time limit. Before leaving, my grandfather had given me money for the train and for lunch. I’d been to an Automat (It was a precursor to fast food in that you looked at your choices through a little window in a small door and then put in coins, opened the door and took your food) once when I was in my early teens and decided I’d try to find one. There were just two trains a day that headed back with the first leaving around 9:30am and the other at 4:30pm. I had over four hours to kill and after eating decided to go to Macy’s, the worlds biggest department store (at least at that period in time) to look around. It had eight floors and took up most, if not all, of a whole city block. There was certainly one area that I really wanted to visit... the lingerie department.
I can tell you that I saw more panties, girdles, bras and slips right there than I’d seen, cumulatively, in my life. There were tables filled with them. They were displayed on stands that sat on display counters. They were under the glass of the display counters. I will tell you that I was a tad overwhelmed. I had to leave for a while. Later, I actually got lost in the store trying to find my way back.
To be continued...
Monday, November 01, 2010
SETTLED... at least I thought so (Part 63d)
After we got the kids to bed we started talking about a lot of things that we’d both pushed into the background. For me it was the potential to lead a somewhat normal life. I’d never real thought about it before because I’d never had a job even when going to school, that didn’t require abnormal hours. I’d done some quick calculations and if the ”boys” would allow me to continue to work Saturdays I’d be making over $115 per week and would even have time for my family. For Elle, my having a full time, permanent job would mean that she would, hopefully, be able to use her teaching degree, if only on a part time basis as a substitute teacher. In discussing it with me she said that Alice (the new resident that she’d just befriended) had offered to watch the kids if Elle ever decided to try it. Somehow, a lot of things were coming together for us. We ended up getting so engrossed in the “what ifs” that Elle had failed to put on her night time “package”. We were still talking, in bed and in the dark, when Elle who was in my arms, sat up suddenly. She muttered that she was “tinkling” and started to get up. I grabbed her and pulled her back and over me. I could feel the warmth of her pee as I rubbed her back and kissed her. It took a few seconds for her to relax and then it got really interesting. It was probably the best sex we’d had in a long time. Usually it was me who would fall asleep but we both did. The next thing I knew I saw a light from the bathroom. Elle had peed again and the bed was a real mess. It was around 2am and we ended up striping the bed and then taking a shower together. Wide awake, we ended up sitting in our underwear in the living room, continuing the talk we’d been involved in all evening. We finally “crashed” around 4am.
We decided not to say anything about my job prospect to any of our friends, choosing to wait until it was fact. I filled out the application for the test and during my lunch break delivered it to Mrs K. She had looked up the date of the test and it was a week from the upcoming Saturday. I knew it would be a long eight days.
On Friday two of the new trailers for display arrived. They were even longer than the three we’d just placed and one of them had a new wrinkle. It had a “pop-out” that would add an extra 8’x10’ to the living room. The trailer was delivered with the “pop-out” actually inside the unit itself. The “boys” (and I) couldn’t wait to start setting it up. We had most of it done by late Saturday afternoon and it just blew me away. At 60’ it had three bedrooms, a separate dining area and an 18“x10 living room. I knew that I wanted one... but I also was smart enough not to tell Elle about it. One of the things that, even during the leanest times for us during the Summer, I had resisted doing and that was to sell the camp trailer that I’d bought the previous year. I just wanted to be absolutely sure that I didn’t have a change of heart about leaving the horse business. The trailer was worth more than I’d paid for it, even a year later. I also knew that trailers around the size of mine (41’) were not as plentiful now with the new longer ones (50 to 60 feet) being the ”in thing“. I had come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be hard to sell mine, in place, to a young couple starting out or to an older retired couple. Based on some information I’d gleaned from hanging around the office I felt I’d be able to sell it for almost as much as I’d paid for it. The new model that I’d just help set up cost a little over $7,000. If I got what I hoped for my two units I’d only need a little over $2000. I’d overheard a number of people who had been looking at new trailers talk about ”bank financing“. The only thing needed to get it was a full time job. I think you can see what my thought process was at the time.
I really had to resist telling Elle about the newest trailer. We continued to play more of the ”waht if“ game after supper. When Elle went to give the girls their pre bedtime baths she asked me to close the curtains. When I went to close the large ones on Tom and Lola’s side I thought I saw an orange glow flickering in their rear door window. It had the type of glass that you can’t see though clearly. It was hard to tell what it was because the lights from inside our trailer were reflecting on our glass windows. I turned out the main light and still saw it. I went outside to investigate.
I knew that Tom was away at some sort of training for his work but I also knew that Lola had their car. It wasn’t in front of their trailer when I headed in that direction. I went right to the back door and there definitely was an orange glow and I could smell burning rubber. I ran to the front door just to make sure no one was home and after a few seconds ran back to my trailer to call the fire department. (We didn’t have 911 back then) I told Elle what I’d seen and ran back outside to wait for the Fire Trucks. I gave specific instructions on how to find the right road and wanted to be able to point to the right unit. It took them about 15 minutes to get there. With all the cars parked in the street it took some time to make it down the street. It was a volunteer fire department which meant that many of them would be driving their own cars. Talk about utter chaos!
The first two to arrive wanted to chop through the back door with fire axes. I was able to convince them that a couple of crow bars in the door jamb would do the job. When the door was opened I could see flames coming from the door of the dryer. It was one of those stackable units where the washer in on the bottom and the dryer was on the top. Two men jumped up inside the trailer and one opened the door. A huge fireball jumped out at them and the one who had opened the door screamed out in pain. By then some of the others had run the fire hose to the hydrant. One guy had the nozzle pointed right at the door when a guy who I guessed was the chief showed up and told them not to use water but to get a dry chemical extinguisher from one of the trucks. By then there was little in the way of flames. It only took them a few minutes to find the culprit. Lola had washed a rubber backed bath mat and put it into the dryer and then left. I spoke with the guy who I thought was the Chief and he said there was almost no fire damage but the smoke damage was extensive.
To be continued...
After we got the kids to bed we started talking about a lot of things that we’d both pushed into the background. For me it was the potential to lead a somewhat normal life. I’d never real thought about it before because I’d never had a job even when going to school, that didn’t require abnormal hours. I’d done some quick calculations and if the ”boys” would allow me to continue to work Saturdays I’d be making over $115 per week and would even have time for my family. For Elle, my having a full time, permanent job would mean that she would, hopefully, be able to use her teaching degree, if only on a part time basis as a substitute teacher. In discussing it with me she said that Alice (the new resident that she’d just befriended) had offered to watch the kids if Elle ever decided to try it. Somehow, a lot of things were coming together for us. We ended up getting so engrossed in the “what ifs” that Elle had failed to put on her night time “package”. We were still talking, in bed and in the dark, when Elle who was in my arms, sat up suddenly. She muttered that she was “tinkling” and started to get up. I grabbed her and pulled her back and over me. I could feel the warmth of her pee as I rubbed her back and kissed her. It took a few seconds for her to relax and then it got really interesting. It was probably the best sex we’d had in a long time. Usually it was me who would fall asleep but we both did. The next thing I knew I saw a light from the bathroom. Elle had peed again and the bed was a real mess. It was around 2am and we ended up striping the bed and then taking a shower together. Wide awake, we ended up sitting in our underwear in the living room, continuing the talk we’d been involved in all evening. We finally “crashed” around 4am.
We decided not to say anything about my job prospect to any of our friends, choosing to wait until it was fact. I filled out the application for the test and during my lunch break delivered it to Mrs K. She had looked up the date of the test and it was a week from the upcoming Saturday. I knew it would be a long eight days.
On Friday two of the new trailers for display arrived. They were even longer than the three we’d just placed and one of them had a new wrinkle. It had a “pop-out” that would add an extra 8’x10’ to the living room. The trailer was delivered with the “pop-out” actually inside the unit itself. The “boys” (and I) couldn’t wait to start setting it up. We had most of it done by late Saturday afternoon and it just blew me away. At 60’ it had three bedrooms, a separate dining area and an 18“x10 living room. I knew that I wanted one... but I also was smart enough not to tell Elle about it. One of the things that, even during the leanest times for us during the Summer, I had resisted doing and that was to sell the camp trailer that I’d bought the previous year. I just wanted to be absolutely sure that I didn’t have a change of heart about leaving the horse business. The trailer was worth more than I’d paid for it, even a year later. I also knew that trailers around the size of mine (41’) were not as plentiful now with the new longer ones (50 to 60 feet) being the ”in thing“. I had come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be hard to sell mine, in place, to a young couple starting out or to an older retired couple. Based on some information I’d gleaned from hanging around the office I felt I’d be able to sell it for almost as much as I’d paid for it. The new model that I’d just help set up cost a little over $7,000. If I got what I hoped for my two units I’d only need a little over $2000. I’d overheard a number of people who had been looking at new trailers talk about ”bank financing“. The only thing needed to get it was a full time job. I think you can see what my thought process was at the time.
I really had to resist telling Elle about the newest trailer. We continued to play more of the ”waht if“ game after supper. When Elle went to give the girls their pre bedtime baths she asked me to close the curtains. When I went to close the large ones on Tom and Lola’s side I thought I saw an orange glow flickering in their rear door window. It had the type of glass that you can’t see though clearly. It was hard to tell what it was because the lights from inside our trailer were reflecting on our glass windows. I turned out the main light and still saw it. I went outside to investigate.
I knew that Tom was away at some sort of training for his work but I also knew that Lola had their car. It wasn’t in front of their trailer when I headed in that direction. I went right to the back door and there definitely was an orange glow and I could smell burning rubber. I ran to the front door just to make sure no one was home and after a few seconds ran back to my trailer to call the fire department. (We didn’t have 911 back then) I told Elle what I’d seen and ran back outside to wait for the Fire Trucks. I gave specific instructions on how to find the right road and wanted to be able to point to the right unit. It took them about 15 minutes to get there. With all the cars parked in the street it took some time to make it down the street. It was a volunteer fire department which meant that many of them would be driving their own cars. Talk about utter chaos!
The first two to arrive wanted to chop through the back door with fire axes. I was able to convince them that a couple of crow bars in the door jamb would do the job. When the door was opened I could see flames coming from the door of the dryer. It was one of those stackable units where the washer in on the bottom and the dryer was on the top. Two men jumped up inside the trailer and one opened the door. A huge fireball jumped out at them and the one who had opened the door screamed out in pain. By then some of the others had run the fire hose to the hydrant. One guy had the nozzle pointed right at the door when a guy who I guessed was the chief showed up and told them not to use water but to get a dry chemical extinguisher from one of the trucks. By then there was little in the way of flames. It only took them a few minutes to find the culprit. Lola had washed a rubber backed bath mat and put it into the dryer and then left. I spoke with the guy who I thought was the Chief and he said there was almost no fire damage but the smoke damage was extensive.
To be continued...
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