GOOD TIMES... Spring (Part 69e)

Elle was pleased with the new washline as well. Even though it was very noticeable from the street she had no qualms about that. However, she made a point of making me finish up the fence as soon as possible as she was reluctant to turn the kids loose in the yard without it. I was “rewarded” for my efforts that night. After she finished putting the kids to bed she came out into the living room wearing the same filmy robe that my mother had given her. It was a “signal“ that she was interested. To make it complete she came over and sat on my lap. It only took a few seconds for me to feel that she was wet. That was the confirmation of what was being offered and I gladly took the invitation.

The one negative thing that was hanging over me at that time was the knowledge of the damage done to the sailing club in the March NorEaster. Rex and I were the only two members of the club that lived locally which put the burden on us to be the caretakers. On the minor problems Rex had been able to take care of them. However, this storm had wreaked havoc on the site. All three sets of stairs had been washed away and had to be completely rebuilt. Rex (and I) were unwilling to tackle the job alone. He was able to get a group of the members to volunteer to get started on the repairs the first weekend in May. As all of them lived in or just outside of the city in the Winter and their Summer homes had not yet been readied for use for the Summer it meant we couldn’t really get started until they arrived. Rex had set 10am as a start time and we figured it would probably be closer to 11am. Thinking ahead, Rex had gotten the wood and had pre-cut it at his house since there was no electric power at the clubhouse. The two of us brought most of it to the site while waiting for the others to arrive. As there were going to be some women there Rex had also brought his charcoal grill and some hot dogs and hamburgers for them to cook for lunch.

I was disappointed that Buddy and Carol weren’t going to be there. Even without Carol, Elle had decided to be a part of the project. She had dropped me off and then taken the kids over to her mother. I’d fully warned her that there was no plumbing available and told her to not only wear a ”package“ but to bring plenty of supplies. I’d hoped that Buddy would be there as we could’ve used his parents house for bathroom needs. I didn’t realize just how critical this was going to be but with the first car to arrive it was pretty obvious.

A number of the members had agreed to double up and travel together. The first car had two semi desperate ladies aboard. The whole car load was shocked to see the amount of damage but the ladies made quick note of the fact that there were no stairs to get into the clubhouse. It wouldn’t have made any difference as there was no electricity to run the water pump, no sewer pipe (it had been washed away like the stairs) and the septic tank was filled with sand and sea water. One of them saw the tall reeds growing right behind the clubhouse and grabbed the hand of the other and started running towards them. I remember smiling because I knew there was a small creek before the reeds and I thought this situation was going to be really interesting. When they reached the creek they stopped and looked back and ordered us not to watch. If their husbands hadn’t been there I would’ve disregarded their plea but I did watch them start to pull their pants down though.

By the time they rejoined us two more cars had arrived. But Rex had noticed that there was a man on the bluff right above the clubhouse and he had a pair of binoculars. When he pointed him out to the women who had just relieved themselves they both let out a little scream. They immediately went to the new arrivals telling them about their problem and pointed up to the bluff. As they exited the cars I noted that Ruthie (of Jimbo and Ruthie) was there without Jimbo. I went over to say hello and to tell her that Elle would be there soon. While I was doing that the others were trying to figure out where the nearest public restroom was located. Someone suggested the bowling alley and the three ladies who’d just arrived took off.

It was close to 11am and Rex was anxious to get started. He assessed the skill level of the men and set us up in teams. The goal was to get two sets of stairs built and in place by the end of the day. None of them were planning on staying over and voiced a desire to be on their way before dark. When Elle finally arrived Ruthie and the other ladies hadn’t returned. She really didn’t like the two women who were there so she came over to where I was. I looked over to where they were and I could see them looking towards Elle and sort of giggling. I wanted to go over and smack them.

When the car with the other three women arrived all three went over to see how they’d made out. I was curious too but there was no reasonable way I could. The rest of us continued to work. The pre cutting of the wood that Rex had done made the job relatively simple. When the women came over to see what they could do Rex suggested that they go ”beachcombing“ and to try and find the missing shutters from the clubhouse.

We stopped to eat in the early afternoon. By then we had one set of stairs in place and Rex suggested that the women try to clean up some of the mess inside. They all groaned as the weather was relatively warm and they wanted to sit in the sun. The second set was put in place by mid afternoon and Rex was mad at himself for not getting enough wood for the third set of stairs. The ladies had located a couple of the missing shutters so we put them back up as well as replacing some of the broken windows. It was around 4pm when the first car pulled away. As it was leaving Elle approached me to ask if Ruthie could stay the night with us. The two of them had become friends the previous Summer and had been writing each other over the Winter. Jimbo was away on a business trip and there was no one at home. If she did stay over she would take the afternoon train the next day. I certainly had no problem with it as I liked her as well.

To be continued...