GOOD TIMES... Summer (Part 119m)

GOOD TIMES... Summer (Part 119m)

Back at home the girls wanted to go swimming but we’d heard that it was to rain on Sunday so Elle wanted to get a few loads of wash done. With rain in the offing and a busy week ahead at work I decided to mow the lawn. To pacify the kids I got one of the lawn sprinklers out and set it up under the big shade tree between the house and driveway. That area hardly ever needed mowing because it never got any sun so I wasn’t worried about the water as far as mowing was concerned. They got their bathing suits on and proceeded to entertain themselves while Elle and I got our chores done. I tried to get Elle to put her new outfit on but she was having second thoughts about it saying it was a bit too ”sexy“. I quickly put that thought to rest and reminded her that she’d already told me that it was for my eyes only. At that point all I could do was wait until she had the nerve to put it on.

The girls tired of the sprinkler rather quickly so Elle set them up to play some games on the picnic table on the patio. When I took a break to get something to drink Elle was out at the wash line. I asked the girls if they wanted to play a trick on their mother and they jumped at the chance. I picked up the sprinkler and hid it under the bush by the corner of the garage and had it set to spray on the walkway to the house. I had them hide in the bush and I went to the faucet to wait for Elle to pass by. It took longer than I’d hoped and the girls were getting anxious. I was afraid they’d give themselves away. Finally, I saw Elle coming and timed it so that the spray hit her right in the chest. Naturally, she screamed and jumped away. Jean, the older girl, grabbed the sprinkler and started chasing her mother. I came over and grabbed Elle so Jean could give her a good dousing. The only thing was that Elle had picked some ripe tomatoes from her vegetable garden and she was screaming for us to stop so she didn’t drop them. I’d actually been tickling Elle and when I finally let her go she just collapsed on the ground trying to get her breath. I’d gotten the camera out to take pictures of the girls running through the sprinkler. I quickly grabbed it and took a few of her lying there. When I got to where her feet were I got quite a ”peek“. I snapped it quickly so she couldn’t see the angle I’d taken it at. I just prayed that it didn’t come out blurred.

                                        

It didn't...

We opted not to go to church on Sunday as it was raining quite hard. I remember looking out the window and being glad I wasn’t racing in a sailboat that day. About mid afternoon one of the girls came running into the living room to say there was a ”big fat man“ at the kitchen door. I got up and saw Big B standing there looking like a wet whale. (He was well over 300 pounds and his black hair was matted down over his forehead and there was water dripping from the end of his nose) I didn’t want him in the house in that condition so I went out on the patio. He was one of a group of unmarried guys that included my brother. He’d bought a used police cruiser at an auction and was in the process of giving the motor an overhaul and had run into a problem. My brother, knowing I’d done most of the mechanical work on my race car suggested that he stop by to seem me.

His father had some mechanical experience but it had been a long time since he’d been involved hands on. ”B“ wanted me to give him some direction so I told Elle I was off with him. Long story short, (sorry...) I was gone all afternoon and by the time I returned home I’d met all the unmarrieds in the group. One of them was a cousin to Jon (the guy who’d run for the school board) and I knew the older brother of another. ”B’s“ problem was he needed special parts and the only one I knew who might have them was Cliffy, my old friend who also raced cars. We went looking for him but we were unsuccessful. I told him I was sure he’d be at his shop the next night and to stop by around 8:30pm. Of course, when I told him that I didn’t know how I was going to explain it to Elle, especially since I hardly knew him.

Monday night I waited until the last minute to tell her I’d be leaving. I knew I’d get a cold shoulder that night in bed but I went anyway. We arrived at the shop, a large barn like building with big, high doors. They were open and just inside the door was a white race car and two guys. Cliffy was one and the other was Phil, both of whom were Elle’s classmates in high school. A close look at the car showed that it was pretty battered. I introduced ”B“ and then we heard how Cliffy had been in a serious wreck at the races on Saturday. They were trying to get the motor to line up so they could attach it to the chassis. They’d been at it for a while and were resting when we walked in. ”B“ asked if he could give them a hand... and that’s what he did. He took the long pry bar that they were using and with one hand raised the motor so that Phil could get the bolts in place. I was impressed! So were the other two. ”B’ asked about the parts and Cliffy had some, but not all, but said to stop by Wednesday night and he’d have them.

“B” and I stayed until after 11pm, talking racing. “B" had never been to the races and by the time we left he wanted to go and spent the trip back to my house trying to persuade me to go with him. I told him I had a previous commitment (I didn’t) but suggested he take some of his unmarried group. As a ”thank you“ for introducing him to Cliffy he told me I could borrow his sailboat any weekday and told me where the boat and sails were kept. His boat was a Lightning class boat, bigger than the Comet class boat I’d had. The Lightning also had seats which made for a more comfortable sail. As he drove down the driveway I knew I had something to offer to Elle that I hoped would make her less upset with me.

To be continued....