STILL SPRING... but getting warmer (Part 81f)

No sooner did I get the copper peak nailed on than it started raining in earnest. I got all the rest of the wood inside the playhouse before it and I got soaked. I was able to frame out the windows and doorway from inside the house but when I finished that I realized that I’d failed to buy the hinges and screws that I needed to hang them. I had to come back again anyway to put on the shingles so called it a day. I was about to leave when Karen’s father arrived. I told him what was left to do and he said he’d be right back and disappeared into the house. A few minutes later he reappeared with money in his hand. He told me there was $100 and I’d get the rest when the shingles were on and the door and windows were in place. That was fine by me. I really don’t think I’d ever even discussed anything more than what it would cost to build. That $100 felt awfully good in my pocket!

I was a little late getting to work on Monday and when I walked in all the others were gathered around Jay’s work table. It was shock to see Leo, the deputy Controller, as he seldom arrived before 1pm. Next to Leo was a tall, well dressed, distinguished looking middle aged woman. All I got was that she’d be spending a few weeks in our department. Without knowing her name or why she was there Leo said she’d be working with me and then left. Before I could say a word she was standing beside me and telling me her name was Vivien but that she preferred to be called Vi and then started asking me questions about what my job was. To say I was taken aback is to put it mildly. I don’t exactly remember what happened next... weather I told her to hold her horses or if I just walked away to get Jay. I was put off by her aggressive nature and wanted to know exactly why she was there and what she was looking for from me.

I do remember that Jay wasn't in the office and had left with Leo so I went right to Jo. She was able to calm me down and told me the lady was there from the Civil Service Commission and was there to do an audit of Data Processing. They were finally getting around to writing job descriptions and they needed to know exactly what we did and who did it before they could start. The only job description they had was for key punch operator and with the advent of magnetic tape that one was becoming obsolete. With Jo’s input it made sense but I still didn’t like the approach the lady had taken with me.

I went back and apologized and we agreed to start over again by giving each other our backgrounds. It turned out that she was well educated and that her husband had some notoriety in the area of nuclear research. He was on assignment to the government’s research lab about 20 miles away. She was bored so took the job as a Personnel Technician for the Civil Service Commission to fill her time. She admitted that she knew next to nothing about Data Processing but hoped to learn from us. It took a few minutes for me to process that. This woman, with no background in DP, was going to be writing job descriptions for future hires... not good!

I tried to be polite but I’m sure my explanations were a bit “short”. Her questions didn’t do anything to help me process the weekly payroll which meant staying late to meet my daily timetable. So, for work it could be said the next week wasn’t much fun.

One of the things on my "to do" list was to buy the hardware I needed to finish the playhouse I'd started. I'd established an account at the hardware store down town and during a lunch break drove there to get what i needed. I had to drive by the store I'd told Joan about that probably had the panties she'd picked out of Elle's when I showed them to her. Since it was only a few store fronts away I, impulsively, decided to see if they did carry the Kayser brand of panties. As I approached I saw a number of little plastic signs with logos on them by the feet of the mannequins in the show windows. One said Kayser. I hesitated for a few seconds before walking in. There were two ladies behind the counter and I remembered one from the last time I'd been there. I sucked up my doubts and went up to them and asked to see some size 6 Kayser panties. I don't know if I impressed them with my assertiveness but it certainly got them to act on the request. One lady pulled the drawer off the shelf and the other reached in and grabbed a handful and spread them on the counter. No matter how calm I may have looked to them, I was definitely nervous. I saw three pair that had lace (or something close to it) and quickly told them I'd take them. I think I was actually in the store no more than five minutes. I decided to hide them at home and to hope for a way to give them to Joan without creating a problem for either of us. Now I had to come up with a plan.

At home, Joan was working out really well for us. One thing Elle wanted to make sure of was that she didn’t see any evidence of her wet and stained panties. I had put a string clothes line in the bathtub and Elle (or sometimes I) would put her washed panties on it to dry and then pull the shower curtain over to hide them. One morning Joan arrived a bit early and I wasn’t dressed. I was finishing up in the bathroom and when I heard her talking to the kids I grabbed my pants and my shirt and hurried down the hall. As soon as she saw me said she needed the bathroom. I never gave a thought to the fact that I’d not pulled the shower curtain back across. When Joan returned she apologized and proceeded to attend to the kids. I was surprised when she turned to me and asked if she could ask a personal question. I wasn’t expecting such a thing and said a reflexive “OK”. But she was obviously ill at ease. I probably should’ve let it go but by then I was really curious so I “pushed“ her on it.

She made two or three attempts at it. I started to laugh and that forced the question out. She’d seen Elle’s stained cotton panties (and I think there might’ve been as many as four) on the line in the bathtub. She wanted to know about the nylon panties I’d provided her the day of her ”accident“. She’d assumed that they were what Elle normally wore and was a bit confused at seeing cotton panties like she wore in the bathroom. Now it was my turn to be a bit embarrassed. I told her that Elle had a ”dribble” problem and that she wore the cotton panties to “catch it”. I went on to say she wore the nylon “fancy panties” on special occasions. She didn’t say a word and while I was explaining I remembered that I’d bought three pair just for her. I’d wondered how I was going to be able to give them to her and this seemed to be as good a time as any.

To be continued...