ON AND ON... another Month (Part 117b)

ON AND ON... another month (Part 117b)

As usual, Elle was asleep when I got home from the races. The next morning she was all over me about the car and when I told her it was sold I got a “reward“ even though the kids were still in their rooms. At breakfast we talked about what we needed first and I pulled out my wallet. When I put the money on the table there was only $250. I distinctly remember him giving me $50 before he tried out the car and I thought I’d put it in my wallet. Elle had a rule about the clothes I wore to work on or to race the car... they were to be taken off outside the house because she couldn’t stand the smell of burnt oil. So, I went outside and went through my pants pockets and found no money, only a small wrench. I was puzzled, to say the least. Elle thought I might’ve dropped it at the track but I knew that if I had it surely wouldn’t still be there. So, from excitement we (make that I) went to disappointment. However, Elle was still elated that the car was gone.

The following week Trish came to my desk to tell me that she’d come up with an idea as far as clothes for Laura. She (Trish) had been saving money in a jar to buy a TV for her room (she still lived at home). She had around $50 saved and thought she could use it to take Laura shopping and that with Laura’s ”clothing allowance“ she could pay it back. It sounded good to me especially since I’d been unable to come up with any ideas at all. The only thought I had, but left it unsaid, was that $50 wouldn’t go all that far. At least it was a start. Trish then told me she was going to do it Friday after work. I couldn’t wait to see just what they came up with.

Monday morning there was no Trish and there was no Laura. A little after 9am I got a call from Trish. There was a major problem and it had to do with Laura and her new clothes. They’d gone shopping and picked out a couple of skirts and blouses and when Trish took Laura home her father wanted to see just what they’d bought. When he saw the skirts were above Laura's knees he had a fit and told her that if that was what she had to wear at the bank he wanted her to resign.

Long story short... After a lot of yelling and screaming Laura told her father that she wasn’t going to quit and when she did he told her to get out of the house. From what Trish told me he just about pushed her out the door. Because it was family, Trish got her parents involved. The end result was that Laura was now living with Trish and her parents but would still give the bulk of her paycheck to her own parents. Listening to it be explained I immediately thought of Stasia from the first bank that I worked at. I came up with the idea that there was some sort of common sense gene missing from Polish people. In any case, Laura was recovering from all the drama of the weekend and that she, Trish, was helping her to get settled in. She promised that they’d both be in the next day. I hoped so! That night I told Elle about the whole thing and all she could do was shake her head.

Over the weekend Elle had ended up washing the clothes I’d worn to the races and they were stacked at the bottom of the stairs. That was a sign she wanted me to take them upstairs and put them away when I went up to change out of my suit. When I picked up the shirt I felt something a bit stiff and when I took a look I found the missing $50. When the guy gave it to me I’d put it in my shirt pocket. My first thought was to tell Elle but by the time I’d changed I had another idea... like Trish, I’d ”loan“ it to Laura to be repaid from her ”clothing allowance“. From what Trish had told me Laura didn’t get to bring much of anything from her room when she left so she definitely needed more clothes. Trish’s mother was taking care of the everyday things but it would take some time for Laura to get comfortable. By the time I got downstairs to eat I knew that was what I was going to do with the $50.

The next day everyone took notice of Laura in her new clothes. I’ll never forget that first day. She had on a cotton flowered skirt with a pale blue cap sleeved blouse. With her long blonde hair, the soft pastels really worked. She really was a pretty girl... with only her two top front teeth spoiling the whole effect. I actually gave the $50 to Trish and told her not to tell Laura where it came from. She had a sort of smirky smile on her face after I said it but it was up to her to decide. I did ask that she let me know when Laura wore some of the things that money went for. The two of them replicated their shopping of the previous Friday night and I remember Laura seeming especially bubbly as they left the office.

The monthly party that Elle and I seemed to get invited to was to be held at Pat’s house. She, being the head of the school PTA and very much behind Jon (the milkman) to run for the school board, had the word out that this was to be planning meeting to firm up Jon’s campaign. I dreaded the thought. I’d had enough of politics when I worked for the County. But Elle insisted and I was not in a good mood when we drove up the driveway. The house took my mind off just about everything. To begin with was way off the beaten path. The house looked like it belonged in the deep South with columns across the front of it and was completely out of place. Compared to our house it was a mansion. There was also a circular driveway but nothing in the center of it. Once inside, the Southern architectural accents stood out. I was sort of dumbfounded, especially since Elle had told me that Pat’s husband didn’t have an especially prestigious job. However, there we were only it wasn't the antebellum South.  

To be continued...