SUMMER... Looking to the future (Part 85a)

I refused to drive into and in the city even though it meant getting up around 5:30am to catch the train.. The last two times I’d taken it the weather was much cooler. By the time the train got there my shirt was wet with perspiration and it wasn’t from nerves. Mrs K had called me the day before and, again, told me that the test would be easy. I’d been calm up until the time I walked into the test site. The test was administered by the State Civil Service Commission and was open to any state resident. For some reason I expected to see a crowd of people but there were only about two dozen. I was also surprised to see but two females.

We had two hours to complete the test and I found that Mrs K was right and that it was fairly easy. I was the first to finish and was done in less that an hour and a half. When I walked out I was “psyched” that I’d done extremely well. I’d not eaten anything of substance all day and even though my tummy was “growling”, my focus was on getting downtown and to find the place with the Plymouth panties.

The city subway system was like a maze to me. I was at a map of it when this middle aged woman asked if she could help. I told her the street I was looking for and I remember her giving me a strange look when she asked why I wanted to go there. I was already flushed from the heat but I know I blushed even though I didn’t give her an answer. Her directions were fairly straight forward and I only made one mistake before I found it. I don’t know if I really had an idea of what the area would look like but I was certainly not prepared for what I saw. I hadn’t realized that Orchard Street was in the oldest part of the city. The street was narrow and the buildings pretty decrepit. The street numbers on many of the stores were missing and a lot of them had brown kraft paper taped to the windows so you couldn’t see inside. The one I was looking for did have a barely readable number on the door but, from the street, I had no idea of what was inside.

I opened the door and was greeted by a series of naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. To my right was what at one time had been a store counter. There were probably 100+ boxes stacked on top. They seemed to be fairly thin and the thickness of some of the boxes seemed varied. There was an aisle to the back with a home made table to the left. The boxes on the table were about the same sizes but some were different colors and in the dim light I thought I could see printing and decorations on some. I stood there for a few minutes wondering what I had to do to get someone to notice me. There was a florescent light in the very back and I finally saw some movement. This short, older man with a big bushy mustache started towards me. “Waddyawant!” was what he yelled. I was so taken aback that I didn’t answer. As he got closer he waved one of his hands like he was angry with me and repeated himself.

At that point I was ready to turn and walk out. I actually started to turn when he said “Wait!”. I remember taking a big breath. I don’t remember exactly what I said but I did get across to him that I was looking for panties made by Plymouth. “Howmanyyawant!” I’d remembered paying around 69 cents each when I’d bought the first ones back when I was still with the horses back in Pennsylvania. On my way in to the city I’d figured I’d get six size 5 and six size 6 with the larger ones for later in Elle’s pregnancy. When I told him that he, impatiently, said “Dozens! Howmanydozens? Wedon’tretail”, all in one breath. I think I about choked when I heard that. I knew I wasn’t going to win him over and just as he was about to head for the back I stammered out that I’d take a dozen of each. He shook his head negatively and I thought I was out of luck. I remember thinking I was so close but it wasn’t going to happen. Then, in a complete reversal of character, he walked right up to me and asked what I was going to do with them.

It was like a second chance. I swear I don’t know where I came up with it but I told him my wife had started a bridal accessory shop from our home and that she thought the nylon satin panties made for a nice touch. I can tell you that I could feel the perspiration running down my spine about then. His head only came to my chin and as I looked down at him I felt he didn’t believe me. “Twenty dollars!” he demanded as he opened his hand. I still had that last $20 from the sale of my old sails folded up in my wallet. Another deep breath and I reached for it. As I was digging it out he walked towards the back. I saw him grab two gray boxes and head back towards me. I held the $20 out and he plopped the boxes on my hand, turned and headed for the back again. I swear it was the most bizarre experience I’d ever had up to that time (and still ranks right up there!).

Out in the street I found myself breathing hard almost feeling like I’d escaped. Now I had 24 pair of panties in two flimsy boxes that I had to get back home. At least there were no obvious markings on the boxes to let anyone know what was inside. After I gathered myself up a bit I thought about a peek inside but I needed to have some place to set the boxes down. There was nothing in sight. On the subway, as I made my way back uptown, I had a hard time keeping the boxes from crushing. I was really getting worried about the train trip home.

To be continued...