A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103a)

I wasn’t sure what work would be like never having faced year end reports so was a bit apprehensive. It turned out to nothing more than “numbers crunching” and more boredom. I’d been at the bank for four months and there really hadn’t been any news about the new computer. I didn’t know what to do about it though and didn’t want to make “waves” by asking so I basically suffered in silence.

I was using the station wagon to get to work, afraid to leave it for Elle with the prospects of trouble so high. It only took a few days to realize that the transmission wasn’t the only problem. It was burning oil at an alarming rate... almost a quart per tankful of gas. That knowledge just added to the confusion I already had about what to do with the transmission.

That Friday I woke up to find that it had snowed a bit overnight and was still snowing as I headed off for work. As I drove through Main St. the roads were fairly clear but as I headed East they got progressively worse. It appeared that there was more snow on the ground the further East I drove. Each township was responsible for the roads within it’s boundaries including the State roads. As I crossed over the line into the township where Elle’s and my parents lived the road conditions noticeably worsened. I remember thinking that the roads hadn’t even been plowed once. I was halfway to work by then so decided to just keep going. I was almost to the village where the bank was located when the wind and snow made seeing the road almost impossible. It took about 10 minutes to go less than a mile.

For all intents and purposes the station wagon was acting like a plow as I pulled into the bank parking lot. It hadn’t been plowed either. I was about 15 minutes late and as I couldn’t see any other vehicles thought that maybe the bank was closed for the day due to the weather. However, I saw the lights were all on. I pretty much abandoned the wagon in an open area just behind the building. I had to fight my way through at least 5 inches of snow on the ground plus the biting wind and snow to get to the back door. I was relieved to get inside and to be able to get warm.

The tally for attendance was seven. No one who had to drive to work, except me, was there. The only officer was Mona who, basically, lived next door. There were two tellers including Rich, Stasia who had come by bus, and two of the mortgage clerks. By ten o’clock there had only been three customers and two of them were there when the doors opened. By eleven Rich was pushing Mona to let us all go home. As an officer she knew that permission had to be given by the State banking department and she wasn’t going to do that. Rich, who didn’t much like Mona in the first place, decided he’d call Monte, the Chairman of the Board. Just before the noon siren blew at the fire house Mona got a call from him telling us to close up shop and to go home.

Mona, who had been reluctant to take any action, was the first to get her coat and head for the door, even before the vault was closed and locked. There was a bank rule that the door had to be locked by an officer... but she hadn’t gotten very far. There was a snow drift right across the back door about four feet high. Rich was the only one who knew where to find a snow shovel and he ended up digging through it for the rest to be able to get out. The reason for the big drift was that the wind was blowing 25 to 30 mile per hour. The snow was about six inches deep where the wind had blown it off so the people were able to navigate once they reached those areas. I turned towards my wagon and was shocked to see that the drift that had been across the door continued around the end of the building and had pretty much buried the front of it. I could see the back but the drift was up and over the hood. I was only outside for about three or four minutes but, without a hat and heavy coat I was chilled though and through so I headed back inside. The only ones left were Stasia and Inez.

Stasia was stuck until the bus came... if it was still running. Inez had been delivered to the bank by her great grandson in a four wheel drive truck and didn’t know how she was going to get home. To get there all she had to do was cross Main Street and go to the second house... not far. But, she was over 90 years old and probably weighed 100 pounds, if that. I knew I was there until the storm was over and the parking lot got plowed. Basically, three lost souls.

I’ve described Inez as being a non stop talker but, because I seldom worked in the area Inez occupied I really hadn’t suffered though one of her “memory trips”. I lasted through two before I interrupted her to say that we really had to come up with a plan of action. I got Stasia to call the bus company and I called Elle. I told Elle I had no idea when I’d be home but I’d call from time to time. By the time I got off the phone Stasia had heard the bad news that there would be no bus. My phone call probably lasted ten minutes and as soon as I hung up Inez started in again. I hated to do it but I told her that stories would have to wait and that she needed to get in touch with someone in her family to come and get her. I could tell she was “hurt” by the look on her face but it did prompt her to make some calls... about four. She did get to talk with her granddaughter but she was no help at all. When she hung the phone up after that call she looked at Stasia and I and shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to invite us to her house provided we could get her there. I honestly had to think about the offer before agreeing to it. My concern was my sanity. I wondered just how long I could put up with her babbling.

To be continued...