WINDING DOWN SUMMER... into Autumn (Part 121e)

WINDING DOWN SUMMER... into Autumn (Part 121e)

The only plan for Labor Day was to prepare the girls for the first day of school. Elle wanted to slow things down from the helter skelter activities of the Summer and to sort of prepare the older girls for a strict schedule. In stead of letting the girls sleep in Elle woke them up at 7am and had them get washed and ready for breakfast. They didn’t like it but that was the way it was going to be. She was going to go through all their clothing and to lay out the things they would wear for the rest of the week. She was in the middle of that when the phone rang. It was Pat (the PTA lady) calling to ask if Elle was going to the wedding. It took her a few seconds to have it register. She was referring the the wedding that she’d worked on and that Elle had done alterations on the dress of one of the bridesmaids. After a minute or two she told Pat that she’d like to go but only as an observer. That meant changing her clothes.

I happened to walk in the kitchen while she was upstairs getting ready. One of the girls (I think it was Anne) announced that ”Mommy’s going to a wedding!“ Naturally, I wanted to know what was going on so went upstairs. As she was explaining, Jean appeared in the doorway and started pleading to go with her. After Elle explained that all she wanted to see was the bridal gown and the bridesmaids dresses I took up Jean’s case. The girls had just gotten into bride dolls and the like and, as long as Elle wasn’t going into the church, there was no harm in taking her and her sister. The smile on Jean’s face was priceless.

For me it was the perfect scenario to move my stash from the refrigerator located in the garage and into the space I’d discovered in the bottom of the cedar closet of the spare bedroom. I had Kaye to look after but, at 2 1/2 years of age, she wouldn’t have any idea of what I was doing so I started right in. It also gave me the opportunity to take a look at the panties I’d collected over the years. I had a blast!. There were around 20 pair in all. It included panties that I’d bought and had never been worn along with those that I’d ”collected“. Those were the ones that brought back some interesting memories. I don’t remember how long I’d taken but when I heard a car coming up the driveway I went into a panic. It was Elle and the girls. I didn’t have time to fold them all up and put them in neat piles so just stuffed them back into the box. Then came the real panic. The box didn’t fit into the space behind the drawer.

The doorway and stairs to the attic were right outside the bedroom door. I didn’t have time to do anything but open it and drop the box on the bottom step. I grabbed Kaye and went back downstairs getting there as Elle was calling out for me. Even though the only physical energy I’d expended was to carry Kaye down the stairs I was out of breath, or so it seemed. Elle asked what I was doing and I have no idea what I said but nothing came of it. However, my mind didn’t drift far from the fact that my ”stash“ was in a vulnerable place. It made for a very uncomfortable afternoon and evening knowing that all it would take would be an innocent opening of a door to have it all blow up on me.

The next day being the first day of school, Elle wanted to walk the girls down the driveway to meet the bus. I was finishing my breakfast when I heard two screams... one a child and the other, unmistakably, Elle. I ran outside and saw Elle standing part way down the driveway and Jean clinging tightly to her leg. I got up to them and looked down at the road. There was a cow standing right in the entryway to the driveway and Anne standing just a few feet away. At almost that same moment the school bus pulled up. I was still taking in the whole scene when I saw the bus driver get out and try to shoo the cow away. It didn’t move. Before I started down the hill I saw Anne move toward the cow and then duck right under it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I finally started moving and as I did I saw Anne stepping up and into the bus. Approaching the cow, I recognized the driver and called out to her that I’d drive our other daughter to school.

Back when we were looking at buying the house we knew there was a dairy farm across the road from us. After we’d moved in we heard some sick cows moaning in the night but this was out first face to face experience with one. I called the dairy and was told they would send someone over. I took Jean by the hand and had her get in my car with the idea that the cow would move if I drove it right up close and blew the horn. The only thing was... the cow was gone. I knew the man from the dairy couldn’t have gotten there that quickly but as we drove out into the road there was no sign of the cow. It was almost as if we’d imagined seeing it.

As it usually was after a three day weekend, it was really busy at work. I was a bit late in arriving which didn’t help. It was about mid morning when Trish called me on the phone. The only time I ever talked on the phone with her was when she had a call on the line for me. We were looking at each other as we talked and she asked if I could go to lunch with her. That was a first and it really had me concerned. She didn’t look upset so I had no idea what it was all about.

It wasn’t but a few minutes later she rang me up again. She asked if I wanted to take a call from some guy named Willie. I told her I would and then, with him on the line, proceeded to apologize for not catching up with him on Sunday. I told him I tried to call and he laughed. He explained that when he’d agreed to come out for the weekend he’d only had the water and electricity turned on in the cottage so the phone wasn’t working. I almost slipped and told him I’d stopped by. When I realized it I know I got flushed as the perspiration immediately beaded up on my brow. He said it wasn’t that important. He'd wanted to give me a catalog of products that the Sans Soucie division of his father's new company made. We chatted a bit and said he’d send me one. Hanging up I was both relieved and excited. On the one hand I’d almost given myself away and on the other couldn’t wait to get my hands on the catalog.

To be continued...