ADAPTING... hanging on (Part 97e)


I’ve previously written that I’d had no problems with Elle’s mother... that is until this point in time. When Elle and I were trying to decide if Dolly was a good fit to help out during Elle’s recovery time her mother voiced some mild disapproval. However, since she didn’t volunteer we went ahead and made the arrangements with Dolly. When I called her to explain that Elle wanted all the kids home when she returned and offered that Dolly could help her she blew up at me. Evidently, she and Dolly’s mother had a disagreement some years back. I quickly found out that she still held the grudge and was now passing it on to Dolly. Things got a little ”dicey“  on the phone as I didn’t have time for this sort of pettiness. There was no way for me to help her get the kids and all their stuff back to our place and still be at the hospital to get Elle when she was scheduled to be released. I remember yelling at her something along the lines of ”If you don’t want help then YOU figure out how to do it!“. Of course she didn’t like that. So, as I left to get Elle I didn’t know what I was going to find when we got back.

I debated as to weather I should tell Elle everything and risk getting her upset. Even though this was my first ”run-in“ with her mother I knew from being around her that she had a way to embellish and put her own ”spin“ on the things that she was a part of. I waited until we were almost home. That was a mistake. Somehow Elle took it to mean that there was some chance the kids wouldn’t be there. However... they were... but little of their belongings were with them. The most important missing items were the bottles and formula for the baby. She had also neglected to bring the spare diapers, diaper pail and the bassinet. She did bring the basket for the portable carriage and that’s what the baby was in for the trip. It was pure chaos. As expected, I was the bad guy to both Elle and her mother.

Her mother wanted to just drop the kids off and leave. She made it clear that she wasn’t going to make another trip to go and get the missing items which meant that I had to do it. BUT... I couldn’t leave Elle alone. Elle finally got through to her mother that she had to stay while I went to retrieve all the things she’d left behind. That kind of stress was the last thing that any of us needed, especially Elle. She’d wanted to see the kids so badly and was greeted instead by her irate mother. It was not a nice ”Welcome Home!“

My mother had called to see how Elle was doing while I made the trip. Elle’s mother had answered and my mother knew immediately that something was wrong. I found her waiting by the road with Dolly when I arrived and she wanted to know what was going on. I explained as best I could. Very calmly she suggested that my father could bring Dolly to our place on Saturday morning even though that wasn’t part of the arrangement. It would be a way for her to take some of the stress off me and also give her a chance to find where everything she might need and use was located. I thought that was a great idea!

Elle, I and the kids survived the night. I was really looking forward to Dolly’s arrival. I’d struggled a bit with the baby and I hoped that she would do better. The kids were a bit shy at first as Dolly had only been involved with them for a short time that one afternoon at my parents beach. One thing Elle and I had overlooked was food to feed her during the week. Elle had left a shopping list for me and it was only for food for the kids and us. With Dolly there it wasn’t a problem to go off and do the additional shopping. When I got back Dolly asked a very strange question of me... did I have a race car? I couldn’t imagine where that came from since I’d had very little contact with her since the whole idea of having her help Elle had come up. I questioned her and she laughed and said some guy had stopped by to ask if I was racing that night. I was able to deduce that it was Cal but it did raise the question of was I or wasn’t I racing.

I’d penciled in that I wasn’t and had spent some time hoping that the weather would cooperate and it would rain and the races cancelled. But it was sunny and no rain in the forecast. Dolly asked where the car was and Jean, upon hearing that, volunteered to take her up to where I stored the car. When they returned she was smiling and asked if I really got in and drove that ”piece of junk“. I said that I did and I explained some about the races to her. Then she asked if I was going to race that night. I told he ”No“ and that I was going to be home to care for Elle and the kids. She immediately shot right back that she could stay and I could go race. I liked what I heard... for a few seconds.

After the debacle of the previous day I knew that Elle would be really upset if I took off to race. When I told Dolly she said she’d talk to Elle and she just knew that she could persuade her to let me go. I figured it was worth a try. When Elle woke up she brought the baby to her to hold. While Elle was totally occupied with her Dolly proceeded to engage her in conversation and, in a manner that belied her young years, she managed to ”sell“ Elle on letting her to stay overnight. That was the first step. I’d told her that if I was to race I’d have to leave by 5pm at the latest. Just before that time she took the baby in to Elle so that she could feed her and very casually suggested that she’d like to have time with the kids without me around. Elle didn’t disagree but when my going racing came into the conversation she saw right through it. But Dolly was a good persuader and even though Elle wasn’t happy about it I left at 5pm.

I should’ve stayed home. I got into a skirmish in my qualifying heat and had to race in the Last Chance race with the same result. It was the first time I wasn’t in the feature race and had a busted up car as well. Nothing had gone right and I was glad to get home even as chaotic as that had been. Dolly was to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room and I’d shown her how to set it up before I left. When I walked in the door there was Dolly, asleep on her side with the sheet totally off her. I had to have stood there for at least a minute in the ambient light staring at her bikini pantied bottom no more than three feet away from me. That had my full attention (and something else as well).

Not planning on staying over she didn’t have anything to sleep in. Her preference during the day was a sundress (and short to boot). She could’ve slept in it but it would’ve been severely wrinkled if she did. As it turned out Elle had suggested one of my T shirts and when I walked in the door that’s what I was greeted with... Dolly in a T shirt and panties. (BTW: It's a nice memory!)


To be continued...