HOPE...  for better times (Part 98a)

On Monday I awoke to the baby crying. She’d been sleeping well so it was a bit of a surprise. Her crying awoke the girls so I had all three to look after. After changing the baby and getting her bottle I turned her over to Elle to feed and I then got the kids their breakfast. Just as I sat down at the table to eat my own there was a knock on the door. I was wearing only my boxer shorts so peeked out the window to see who it was. Dolly, obviously in need of a toilet, was bouncing up and down on the top step. I swallowed my pride and opened the door for her and watched as she ran down the hall.

I’ve mentioned that Elle was concerned with Dolly seeing her wet and/or stained panties even though she was fully aware of Elle’s situation. I’d put a pail under the sink for Elle to hide them in until I’d wash them out before going to bed. After washing them I’d hang them on a wash line in the bathtub area to dry. Then I’d leave the bath curtain open to give them better air circulation and then, when leaving for work, would pull it back to cover them. Well, I hadn’t shaved yet and wasn’t prepared for Dolly so knew that she’d see them hanging there as she walked in. Not only that but I remembered seeing some wet panties and plastic pants in the sink and I hadn't put them in the pail. It didn’t really bother me but hoped that she’d not mention anything about them to Elle later on. When Dolly returned to the living room she had a sort of smirky smile on her face. I didn’t immediately associate it with what she’d seen but thought it was because she saw me in my boxers. As she walked in she said for me to remind her sometime to tell me a story. I, to be sure, was puzzled.

That particular Monday was one of the very few where there was no Clerk Typist exam scheduled which meant I didn’t have to leave all that early. Having gotten up earlier than usual because of the baby I ended up having time to spare before I had to leave for work. Curious as to what Dolly’s story was I asked her about it. For some reason she now seemed reluctant to tell me. I continued to be puzzled.

It was about mid afternoon when I got a call from Elle. She said that she’d just heard from her mother that Peggy’s brother, Norma and Bobbie’s uncle, had committed suicide. It took a few seconds to put that in perspective since on the few occasions I’d mentioned him to the women I’d gotten a somewhat negative reaction. I had to think back to when I’d last seen him and it had to have been over ten years. I remembered a big man with a pleasant smile who didn’t say much. The shock was the suicide itself. Having studied psychology for a while in college it was something that had been touched on. I remembered the other suicide by the man down the road from Elle’s and my parents. It was hard for me to fathom that anyone could do something as selfish as that. But, I didn’t “know” either of them. I basically only knew of them.

Back at home I pretty much put the suicide out of my mind and concentrated on trying to line up a crew for the weekend. It wasn’t until I was headed for bed that I got the call I wanted. Herb had agreed to let his son be my crew but it wasn’t without it’s own pressure. Herb lived in Connecticut and only spent weekends in the area at his parents house. Because he hadn’t lined up a boat to race himself he committed to racing on a big boat somewhere local to him. For his son, Geoff, to race with me I had to pick him up at the ferry and get him to his grandmother’s to stay for the weekend. On top of that pressure was the fact that I had to take Friday off, not to race but to take Elle for her check up with the surgeon who had performed the procedure. All in all it had been quite a day.

I tried to pry Dolly’s story out of her the next morning but she just smiled and shook her head. At that point I was bound and determined that I’d get it out of her some how, some way. She’d been the one to bring it up so I wasn’t going to let it go. I had no idea what it was about or what had prompted her to even mention a story to me.

As if I didn’t have enough on my mind, on Thursday I got a call from Dolly that there was water running out from under the unit. It was mid afternoon and when I asked Marty if I could run home for a few minutes he told me I didn’t have to come back. I was taking Friday off anyway and was all caught up so I was appreciative of the offer. Sure enough the whole area by the playhouse was wet and I could see water seeping out from under the skirting. It had to be coming from the water line connection and I knew that wasn’t going to be fun to get to.

When I finished up I ended up sitting under the awning to rest. Dolly was there watching the kids who were playing in the pool while Elle was taking a nap. With Dolly right there I decided to try her again on the story she’d promised. Once I brought it up she put a big smile on her face but was shaking her head from side to side as if to say “no”. I told her that I wasn’t going to let it go so she might as well give in to me. She just laughed.

To be continued...