TIME MARCHES ON... changes (Part 122j)

TIME MARCHES ON... changes (Part 122j)

We were awakened by a loud clap of thunder. I immediately expected to hear screams from our kids.  because they did not like thunder storms! But there was complete silence except for hearing rain against the windows. I got up and looked outside and the leaves of the tree right by our bedroom window were almost inside out. We looked at each other and decided that we’d skip church. We hadn’t planned on the kids staying over with Elle’s mother so they didn’t have their good clothes. (Remember... back in those days people, kids included, got dressed up for church.) Elle called her mother and they decided that it would be best to wait until the rain let up to go get them. That gave us some unexpected ”play“ time.

It was around mid morning when the rain turned to a drizzle. I’d been dreading contacting Celia and pretty much knew I had to do it that day. When Elle left I gave Celia a call. I’d not seen her in a few days but I could tell she was ”down” from the tone of her voice. With the cloudy, gray day, her kitchen looked even dingier than the last time I’d been in there. With only one light fixture in the middle of the ceiling and the outdated appliances it was depressing. I’d already told Celia that I asked the bank appraiser to take a look at her property so she knew why I was there. When I’d opened the envelope I was only looking for one thing... the dollar amount that he’d put on the property. I didn’t read though all eight pages. I handed the envelop to Celia and told her to turn to the next to last page. I watched as she read down the sheet and when she got to the bottom she looked up at me with the saddest eyes. I wasn’t expecting her to cry and she didn’t. She admitted that it confirmed what Vic, the real estate agent,  had told her. Then she turned to the last page. Robert, the appraiser, had written a personal note to me and after she looked at it handed it to me with an apology.

It was obvious that he thought I was in someway related to Celia. What it contained was his personal suggestions as to how I could get the property in better shape for an “as is” sale. After reading it myself I didn’t know what to say... or do. We sat there, looking at each other, and finally I asked her if she knew what the machinery stored in the garage was for. That was the biggest problem. She didn’t have any idea at all. There was a small, local, factory owned by a home town sports hero. I’d known him since I was a small boy but really hadn’t connected with him since buying the house. A thought went through my mind that I could ask him to look at it and give me an idea of what it was worth, if anything. As soon as I opened my mouth I knew I was involved... way involved!

As I walked home I took a look at the two other suggestions Robert had made in the note to me. One was to clean up the yard and trim the shrubbery planted around the house. The other was to get rid of the scrap metal piled up behind the garage. I’d been looking at that pile of junk since buying the house but hadn’t had the heart to say anything about it. Elle was home with the kids by the time I got back. I chose not to mention how I’d, more or less, committed myself to helping Celia. I figured that could wait for a better time.

The week leading up to Halloween was far more involved than I’d expected when Hobie asked me to be the bank representative for the Chamber of Commerce Halloween promotion. I thought that all it would entail was a few meetings. How wrong I was! I did more work for the Chamber than I did for the bank that week. One part of the promotion was for participating members to have some of their employees be dressed in costumes starting the Friday prior to and running through Halloween itself. With any number of younger people in the bank’s employ I didn’t think I’d have any trouble finding volunteers. I thought for sure Jerena, with her quirky ways, would be the first. But she didn’t and I watched as the others looked around for the first one to make the move. Finally, Jerena looked right at me and said that she would if I would. Talk about a surprise! I hadn’t given a thought to participating. But as soon as she said it the others started a chant. Katy stepped forward and also said she would if I would. Deena was the third and then I knew I was trapped.

The real problem was in figuring out who or what to be and what to wear. Elle, in talking with some of the mothers of her Brownie troop asked if they had any ideas. Since we lived right next to a potato farm one suggested that I go as a sack of potatoes. For some unknown reason I liked the idea. With our farmer neighbor I knew we could get some new burlap bags for my body and a smaller paper bag with mesh in the front for my head. Voila!

I got to the bank early as I didn’t want to wear the outfit to work and need extra time to change. Hank, the messenger custodian, didn’t start until 8:30am so I let myself in. It was a little after 8am when I walked across the lobby floor. It only took a few minutes to slip the costume on. I was looking at myself in the mirror located on the restroom door by my desk when I heard what sounded like “clinking” on the window of the back door. I walked out to see what it was and saw Jerena standing there with some sort of wire contraption and a big bag. She started laughing when she saw me and I know I blushed. I let her in and asked what the wire thing was. She said I‘d have to wait until she got dressed and smiled with that impish grin that she used when trying to be coy.

Back at my desk I saw her walk into the ladies room with her bag. About five minutes later she reappeared. From where I was it looked like she was a Pilgrim lady. Within seconds I heard her call me. I walked back to where the bookkeeping (computer) machine was located and saw her standing there holding the wire thing. With that impish look again on her face she asked if I could help her get it on. I didn’t even know what it was but I said “yes“. It was the hoop to hold her skirt out. I had no idea of how the thing worked and I watched as she put it up over her head and let it drop down over her skirt. I was really puzzled. Blinking her eyes in a flirting sort of way she said she needed me to pull her skirt out from under the wire and get it to fall over it. I know I hesitated before starting and then took a deep breath. I didn’t want her to see my face so I started in the back. As soon as I had most of the skirt up and over the hoop I could see her full backside... and what I was sure was a pair of the Carter’s Spanky Pants. Oh my heart! As pulled the skirt down over the hoop I remember hoping that I could contain my facial expression when I got to see her panties from the front. It was hard! Actually, I was embarrassed and she knew it. She was blinking her eyes in the same flirting way as before as I straightened the skirt out and she said ”Thank you.“ On the way back to my desk I was shaking my head. She was something else, for sure.

To be continued...