SUMMER... The next phase (Part 86b)
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At this point I’m going to go back in time to give a little background on Bobbi's family that I hope will help to explain why and how she becomes a part of the story.
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When I wrote about my youth, especially my pre and early teen years, I briefly mentioned that I made money with a paper route in which I didn’t charge anything for delivery choosing to depend on the generosity of my customers. One of them was special. An older woman, Mrs S, usually had cookies, brownies or an occasional cup cake for me each morning. She had three children, all of whom were at least ten years older than I was. Mrs S and Elle’s mother were good friends and had been since before Elle was born. Her oldest daughter, Maggie, had watched Elle when she was a toddler (and to a lesser degree, me, as well). I know I’ve mentioned that the community was a Summer retreat and when WWII came along, and gas rationing with it, it was pretty much closed down. Elle’s parents were one of the very few all year round residents. Peggy was a teenager when Elle and I were toddlers and by the time the war was over, she was now a young woman, married and with a family of her own. My first memory of Peggy was when I started my paper route. When her mother wasn’t there to get the paper Peggy would be there with my cookies or brownies. I remember being somewhat uncomfortable when she did because she always wanted to chat with me. At the age of 13 or so, talking one on one with an adult was VERY difficult. I was aware of her three kids, two girls and a boy, as they were usually running around in the yard. I remember being introduced to her oldest, a girl named Norma, who was about 4 or five years younger than me. The other two were like “background noise”, just around. On occasion I also remember seeing Peggy (and her kids) over at Elle’s house and even chatting with my mother out in the roadway. I was 15 the last year I handled the paper route and I do remember one incident involving Norma.

The family had a gazebo that faced the bay. As I delivered papers first thing in the morning there was seldom any activity out there. On this one day the truck that delivered the newspapers to the store where I purchased them broke down and was told to come back in the early afternoon. I didn’t like that at all because it would interfere with playing with my friends. But, as my grandfather taught me, an obligation is an obligation. By the time I got to Peggy’s house it was coming up on mid afternoon. When I rode my bike up to the back door I heard a voice calling from out by the bay. It was Peggy and she had a bunch of kids all in the gazebo over the beach. They were having a “tea party” and I was invited to join them. You can imagine how I felt, a 15 year old boy being invited to join a bunch of 10 and 11 year old kids, mostly girls. I begged (pleaded) not to but Peggy insisted. She’d always treated me well and I actually liked her even though she was an “older woman” so I relented. I’m sure I was blushing the whole time I was there. I remember Peggy telling Norma that it was time to go inside and her resisting. As they “battled” I decided it was time for me to leave. I was walking back to where I’d left my bike when Peggy and Norma came running by me. She had Norma by the arm and she was scolding her as they did. Just as they were about to go in the house Norma fell and it was right in front of me. When she did her legs went up in the air and I saw her panties... and there was no mistaking that they were wet.

In the three years I’d been going there, delivering newspapers, I had never looked at Norma as anything but a child. But, seeing that I’ll admit it got my attention. Earlier in this blog, when I wrote about that period of time in my life I wrote how, by delivering the papers, it gave me the opportunity to get up close to many wash lines. However, I’d restricted my curiosity to the wash lines that held panties worn by girls of my own age. I’m not sure what my immediate thoughts were after seeing the wet panties. I do know that, in leaving, I took a path that I’d never used before and found where the family clothes line was located. Among the wash were a bunch of underwear blowing in the wind. It was easy to tell which panties belonged to Peggy and those of her mother as well as those of her daughters. Peggy’s looked just like the ones that I’d identified as belonging to the neighborhood girls. Thinking back on it now I’m kicking myself for the missed opportunities by not even thinking about looking at panties worn by "older women".

After that I looked at Peggy in a different light and for the last few weeks of the Summer I would make an effort to ride by that clothes line. In the following Summers my contact with her family was pretty much non existent as I had gotten my driver's license as well as job. In truth, I pretty much forgot about them. Even though I had moved back to the general area two years ago I still hadn't run across Peggy or her kids... until seeing Bobbi. It had been at least ten tears since I’d last seen her. On occasion, Elle’s mother would mention Peggy or her kids. I knew from her that Norma was married and had at least one child. However, if Bobbi had been mentioned I hadn’t known who she was referring to. But now I did and I also knew what kind of panties she wore.
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Now... back to the story... which will continue with the next post.