LIFE GOES ON...at home and work (Part 115d)

LIFE GOES ON... at home and work (Part 115d)

As silly as it may sound I was nervous driving in to work the next morning. Even though I was my usual 15 minutes early I was surprised to see Trish at her desk and a blonde female sitting by my desk. I’d hoped that Trish would get up and introduce us but she wouldn’t look at me as I walked past. I could see the girl was wearing a cotton flowered dress and a white cardigan sweater that was too big for her as I walked around her to face her. I think I said ”Hi“ as I introduced myself. I could barely hear her response as she had her head down looking at her hands which were folded in her lap. I remember trying to start a conversation more so to get a look at her face but without much success. I finally got Trish to look at me and, with my eyes, let her know I needed help.

When Trish came over Laura looked up at her and I could finally see her face... and it was a pretty face. She had shoulder length hair with bangs. Trish had told me she was 18 but she looked more like 14 to me. When she spoke to Trish I saw that her top two front teeth were slightly pushed back. However, it didn’t diminish her cuteness all that much. I had Trish get a chair and join us and then I started getting somewhere with Laura.

Trish had been right when she had warned me about Laura’s shyness. However, with Trish asking the questions she was much more at ease. I was actually impressed with how Trish handled the interview and I pretty much became a fly on the wall. I found out that Laura liked working with numbers and after having the job explained to her she stated that she thought she'd like to give it a try. At first I was taken aback by the casualness of her comment. However, when I considered the fact that it really wasn’t her idea to apply at the bank I dismissed the lack of enthusiasm. I had Trish take her over to see Liz. As they walked away I couldn’t help thinking of Laura as a waif what with her wearing the obviously out of season and out of style dress. She was also wearing penny loafers, without stockings, not what would be expected for a job interview.

After a while Liz brought her back over to my desk and she was wearing a smile. All she said to me was that she was ready for Laura as soon as Laura was. They said their good byes and then Laura sat back down with me. By then she was comfortable enough to look at me as she spoke. I remember thinking to myself about what a shame it was that her parents hadn’t done something about her front teeth. While Laura and Liz had been talking Trish told me that Laura had no way home and would have to wait around until the end of the day. I asked how she’d get to work and was told there was bus that she could take. At that point, with Liz willing to accept her and me being satisfied, I asked her if she wanted to start right then and there. I’ll never forget the look on her face.

I got Trish to get all her paperwork taken care of. Then she led her over to Liz who’s smile almost equaled Laura’s. Later on that day I had a chance to talk with Trish and took up the subject of Laura’s dress and shoes. I asked if there wasn’t some way she could help her out. I remember the sort of embarrassed smile she had on her face when she said she’d try. She was bigger than Laura so I wondered how she’d manage that. At least Laura wouldn’t be seen by the public but I was a bit worried about how she’d be accepted by the other employees, especially the younger ones.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Jerena talking with Laura at the end of the day. Trish was finishing up a letter for me and Laura was waiting for her. Even though I knew Laura had graduated the previous year, I’d forgotten that Jerena had too. That was what put them together. On the way home that night I had a good feeling about Laura and I hoped that she and Jerena would become friends as it would be good for both of them. Over the next few days I recognized some of Tricia’s clothes on Laura. It was an improvement but because Trish was easily three inches taller and obviously bigger the skirts really didn’t look all that good. The blouses were also hanging on her. I did feel sorry for her from that standpoint. I hoped that after she got her first paycheck that her parents would allow her to get some appropriate clothes.

On a personal note, my one year anniversary was coming up soon and I was hoping (a lot!) that I’d get a decent raise. With all the things I’d been involved in over the year I felt I’d more than proved myself. Bret hadn’t told me what his raise had been but it was easy to tell that he was pleased. I hoped that would be an indicator for me. I knew that I had at least one board member on my side and that was the one who had me work up all the projections on the salary adjustments for the employees.

On that weekend we were invited to a party at Ginger and Jon’s house. Knowing that Jon’s brother Rob would probably be there and having seen him embarrass himself at our party I hadn’t been too keen on it. Elle had to go to the school to straighten out some paperwork on one of our kids and ran into Pat (the PTA lady) who asked if we were going to Ginger’s party. Elle was non committal but Pat told her that Rob and his wife wouldn’t be there. When Elle told me that I told her why not. We were still trying to come up with a core of friends. I’d liked Jon from the first time I’d met him and even if his wife was a bit frumpy she’d given me a really good panty peek at our party and there was always the possibility for another.

To be continued...