FALL... October (Part 75e)

It’s strange how circumstances sometimes occur to fit a current situation. When I got back to the trailer Elle was fussing about not having any place to put the new toys that Anne had received for her birthday. I let her “fuss”, not wanting to appear to be too anxious to come up with a solution. That night, as we were putting the kids to bed, Elle brought the subject up again. All the available floor space in Anne’s room was taken up with toys belonging to both the kids. She was going to have to go into a bed fairly soon which would take up more room than the crib. As we walked down the hall I casually said that we could possibly add a room. Her first reaction to that was to ask where it would go and then to ask how would we pay for it.

Without giving her all the details that Dick had proposed to me I explained the location and size of the room. Since she had absolutely no conceptual ability to judge size, I took her outside and walked off the area that the room would occupy. The best part of that was that she didn’t have any negatives about it. I decided to withhold the fact that if we did go forth with it that we’d have to “show” it to prospects. I wanted Elle to fully buy into the “need” for the room first.

Taking my grandfather to the hospital to see my grandmother was a lot easier now that Summer had passed. It also helped that the nurse on duty when we’d arrive was Cammy. I knew I’d get a few VPLs while there and that helped pass the time. Through casual conversation I was able to learn where she lived. I had it in mind to possibly ride by a few times hoping to see panties on a clothes line. Even though it was anew development I was familiar with the area. Now all I had to do was find the time to go there.

Back at the trailer I was pleased to find Elle asking questions about the new room I’d proposed. She was already laying out the room in her mind. She envisioned it as a playroom for the kids that would get them (and there toys) out of the trailer and give us some peace of mind. I let her go on still holding back the negative side of the offer. It was my goal to make her want the room so much that she’d accept the idea of having to show it to strangers. As we went to bed I felt good about the prospects.

I’ve mentioned that I’d pretty much put Rena down when she’d come to ask me if I’d be coming over to her office on Friday nights. Even though she’d shown disappointment she still continued to come over during her breaks and continued to ask questions about data processing. Jay had commented a few times on how just fast she’d picked up on the conceptual side of it. So, it wasn’t a complete surprise to Jay that she came in and asked if she could bring her boss, the head of the purchasing department over to see him. She’d applied some of what she’d gleaned from her visits and suggested to her boss that by using DP it would streamline the whole purchasing process.

But, as far a Jay was concerned the timing couldn’t have been worse. Although the computer wasn’t being fully utilized we didn’t have the personnel necessary to do any more than we were doing. The request for another “operator” was sitting in the Deputy Controller’s office. Jay, by nature, was non confrontational. Even though he’d stated that he was ready to “do battle” with the Deputy about the position, he hadn’t. We were all keeping logs of the work we were doing and when we were doing it to help “sell” the idea that another person was needed but Jay hadn’t done anything with them. The meeting with the head of purchasing was the push he needed.

It was on Friday afternoon that Jay was scheduled to meet with Leo. I remember Jo, Lucy and I wishing him “luck” as he left the office with the logs in hand. It was a long afternoon for us as Jay didn’t get back until well after 5pm. I knew him well enough to know it hadn’t gone well. I also knew enough not to ask him about it. I’d learned that when he was good and ready he’d tell me what transpired. Lucy, who we’d pretty much hand picked as the one we wanted, was beside herself, not knowing. Jay and Jo left right after he’d returned and Lucy followed soon after leaving me alone. I’d wasted some time surmising with Jo what was happening in Leo’s office and still had to finish a report before I left. I was focused on that and never saw Rena walk in through the back door.

She was dressed in her waitress uniform and it was obvious she was on her way out for the night. I’d not tried to explain why I had sort of rebuffed her and for some reason felt I needed to explain. It wasn’t like I was attracted to her but I did consider her a sort of friend. (and that wasn’t because she’d invited me to watch her change her clothes) She seemed sincere when she said she understood. She turned to leave and as she did she flipped the hem of her uniform up. Truthfully, I didn’t see anything but the gesture was appreciated.

Elle and I had talked briefly about the room during the week and she’d agreed that it would be a benefit. I still hadn’t discussed that she’d have to agree to let it be shown. I knew Dick was waiting for an answer so “bit the bullet” and told her about it when I got home. I’d pretty much been right by letting her sell herself on the “need” for the room. However, I did have to do a "selling" job on her to agree to the showing aspect of it. On Saturday morning when I went to the office to work out the details I was excited. So was Dick. The best part of the whole thing was that I didn’t have to put out any money up front. My “deal” was that I’d get paid a minimum of $35 to install a unit and would only work on the weekends. I’d would work off the cost over time... plus get a $25 “credit” for each time we showed the room. It was quite a deal!

To be continued...