A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

I had the mistaken belief that things would slow down after we moved in. WRONG! Elle and I resurrected our old ”Want vs Need“ list and it become abundantly clear that, when it came to the house, it was just one list... and in just a matter of days it amounted to almost two legal size, lined yellow pad pages. I’m not going to make excuses because it was basically my fault. I hadn’t thought the process of being a homeowner through. Yes, we had a beautiful house that was in excellent shape BUT, there was so much more we needed to make it a home. As the list grew I did manage to be disciplined enough to not go out and buy everything and put it on a charge card. By the second weekend in the house Elle and I went over the list and prioritized it. Christmas was only a week away and other than a few things we’d picked up for the kids during the year, we didn’t have anything for them. I didn’t have anything for Elle either... just plain no money.

The rumored Christmas party came to fruition on the evening of the regular Board of Directors meeting. It was for employees only and was held at the old hotel. It was a buffet and had an open bar. I knew better than to go near that so just hung out with Bret during the cocktail hour. When it came time to eat I ended up in line behind Lena, the secretary for both the president and vice president. It only took a few second to realize that she’d had more than a few drinks. She almost dropped her plate and I managed to keep it from spilling back onto the serving table for her. I filled my own plate and was looking for Bret but didn’t see him so took the first empty seat i saw. Within seconds Lena was seated beside me. In any number of ways I felt sorry for her. She was, basically, attractive and had a nice personality. Trish had told me, more than once, about how she took care of her alcoholic father, thus giving up any social life. Knowing her current state I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect from her.

Having worked closely with her only a bit over the nine months I’d been at the bank I’d classified her as a very ”reserved“ person, always trying to please those around her. That perception was blown away over the next half hour. I won’t go so far as to say she was coming on to me but the conversation did stray from what I’d expected based upon my workday observations. After she finished off a few more drinks and we’d pretty much finished our meal she turned to me, all serious, and put her hand on mine. I was surprised but didn’t pull away. Then she asked me what I’d seen that day I’d opened the door from the attic into the upstairs ladies room. It was from so far out in ”left field” that I didn’t know what to say. But she was dead serious and leaned closer to me and in a sort of husky whisper asked if I’d seen anything “interesting”. Hearing that I know I blushed crimson red. Thankfully, the lighting was so poor I doubt anyone noticed. Knowing the state she was in I told her that I hadn’t. Then she really blind sided me when she said “Not even my panties?”

OH MY GOD! is what I thought. Somehow she knew of my panty fetish. The directness of the question disarmed me enough to make me mumble out that, yes, I had seen them. When she heard that she smiled. After few more seconds passed she asked if I liked them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. My main fear was that she did somehow know of my penchant for panty peeks and might spread it around, especially in her current state. After all, she was the secretary for the president and if she told him I probably would be through. On the other hand... what was her purpose in pursuing this line of questions. Taking a deep breath I told her I did like them. It was like a switch went on in her face and she lit up with a big smile. While sitting there at the table, with a few others still around, she, whispering, asked if I’d like to see the ones she had on. My poor heart! I knew I had to end the conversation and did by saying that I really would like to see them but I had to use the men’s room. As I got up she grabbed my wrist. I made sure not to look at her. While in there all I could think about was how was she going to feel in the morning after realizing what we’d been discussing. As much as I would’ve liked to have taken her up on her offer I knew it just wasn’t right especially in her condition. When I returned to the main room she, thankfully, was gone. By the way: It turned out that the real reason for the party was to announce that the president would be retiring on December 31st and that Bert, the vice president, would become the new president. My boss, Hobie, was to be promoted to vice president.  

Trish had told me that, in the past, the bank had given out a Christmas bonus but it wasn’t guaranteed. There was hope that an announcement would be made at the Christmas party what with the Board having met that same day. But it wasn’t. In the past it usually showed up in the last paycheck before Christmas and this year it happened to be on Christmas eve. I didn’t want to spend money that I didn’t have. Waiting to go buy presents on Christmas eve wasn’t prudent either. My mother, in passing, had asked what we were getting for the kids and when Elle told her ”not much“ she was upset. However, she didn’t indicate that she was going to help out in any way.

To be continued...