MORE SUMMER FUN... August (Part 110j)

I actually did go to the sailing club on my way home. That way I felt it wasn’t a complete lie that I’d told Elle. There wasn’t much activity because of the weather but I did spot Rex doing some repairs on the porch. As I made my way over to where he was working I noticed a couple of boats that looked somewhat like my Sailfish on the beach. I asked Rex about them and the first words out of his mouth were ”You need to get one!“ My immediate reaction was ”No I don’t!“ but I didn’t say the words. I distinctly remember giving him one of those looks you give someone who is trying to sell you something that you don’t want. I’m not sure if I asked him why but it didn’t matter because he was about to tell me.

The boat was called a Sunfish and made by the same company that made the Sailfish. It was the same length and used the same sail but it was wider and had a small cockpit where you could put your feet. At 6’1”, I’d found myself very uncomfortable after a while. I went over to take a look at the ones on the beach and I have to say that it definitely looked like an improvement. Rex told me that a few people had already bought one and there was talk that the club was going to seek a fleet charter for them. I just had to ask how the Windmill sailboats that I absolutely hated were doing. He gave me a sheepish smile and then told me that I’d been right when I’d voiced my negative opinion of them. He said there were still a few members who continued to race them but there were more who’d sold their boats. Then he went into the “sell” mode on the Sunfish again.

I actually stood and listened to him. Through one of his contacts he’d arranged to buy some used boats. They were presently being used by one of the large resorts but after after the Summer season was over they would sell them and buy new ones for the following year. He said it would be a “steal“ in that they would come with all new sails, masts, rudder and dagger board and cost $400 less than buying a new one. I had no idea what a new one cost but, after his spiel, I had to know. He told me that the price depended upon how many scratches the hull (boat) had on it but it would range from $600 to $700. My mind was really churning at this point. I knew that the my father had paid his neighbor $300 for the Sailfish and had been told it cost $750 new. I asked when he had to know an answer and how much I’d have to put down on it. He pretty much surprised me when he said all he needed to know was that I wanted one and how much I was willing to pay. He wouldn’t be getting the boats until the end of September so there was time. I immediately told him that I’d take one. It was a case of buyers remorse on the trip home. I knew better than to tell Elle even though she had also expressed some concern about how hard it was to stay on the Sailfish when it was windy. I knew I had to pick the right time to tell her.

Things at work had been going smoothly although I’d taken on some added responsibilities. One was that of facilities manager. When Chuck had died management didn’t really have a good handle on everything he was involved in. That was because the bank had no job descriptions. That had been remedied but in the case of the facilities, as long as the lights came on and there was air conditioning no one paid any attention to it. I arrived one day to find it unusually warm in the lobby and it wasn’t even 9am. I asked Hank, the custodian, if he knew what was wrong and he just shrugged his shoulders. He did volunteer that in the past the fuses for the air handler would sometimes blow out. I asked him where the fuse box was located and he told me it was in the attic. I had no idea how to get there so asked him to show me. Hank was a very rigid individual and one who didn’t accept change readily. His job in the morning was to man the back door and to let the employees in and he wasn’t about to leave his post. It was struggle to get him to tell me how to get there but finally he did.

I think I’d explained in an earlier post that there were only two restrooms on each floor. The ladies room on the second floor was in the very back and right outside the Board Room. To get to the attic you had to go through the bathroom and open a door that led to the stairway. On my own, I made my way to the ladies room and opened the door to the attic. I saw one step that acted as a landing for the stairs that were immediately to the right. I flipped the light switch and closed the door and headed up the stairs. Once in the attic it took a few minutes to find the fuse box. Luckily for me I also found a box of fuses. I found the culprits and made the changes, hearing the fans start immediately. Satisfied, I headed back down. I opened the door and started to step down only to be shocked to see Lena, the president’s secretary, in the process of rising from the toilet and pulling her panties up. She cried out which surprised me even more and made me try to step back. The problem was that one step. I caught my heel and fell backward onto my butt. I only remember staring at Lena’s groin and seeing just a wisp of her pubic hair and the top of her panties. The shock left us both in suspended animation for a few seconds. Lena then continued to pull her panties up as I tried to stand up. To say that we were both embarrassed is putting it mildly. However, Lena recovered first. Very politely she asked if anyone had told me the protocol for going up into the attic. I told her that until about ten minutes prior I didn’t even know there was an attic. I could tell she was uncomfortable in telling me that whenever anyone went up to the attic the door was to be left open. That way anyone wanting to use the toilet would know someone was up there. If one of the ladies couldn’t wait she was to close the door which would let the attic person not to open the door on their own.

I was all apologetic and was perspiring profusely from the embarrassment. I noted that, in Lena’s case, she’d calmed down almost immediately. I found that to be very interesting. On my way downstairs I tried to remember if I’d actually seen anything interesting about Lena’s panties in the few seconds I'd had to see them. I was pretty sure that I’d seen a lace applique right where the side seam and leg elastic met. I also thought that the leg elastic was different than most panties and that made me want to find out more about them.

To be continued...