FINISHING UP... the year (Part 124a)

FINISHING UP... the year (Part 124a)

Moving the furniture from Celia’s house over to John’s “bunk house” was the easy part. Cleaning out all the rest was a “bear”. It was dark by the time we made our last trip to the landfill. All the rugs, curtains, Sophie’s furniture, odds and ends and the clothes Elle and I’d persuaded Celia to leave behind took most of the afternoon to move. I was physically beat when we were done. Elle was waiting for me with a double treat... a cherry pie and just a short robe on. I appreciated both but was only able to enjoy the pie. I remember sitting in my recliner hoping that my days messing with the house next door were over.

Sunday, after church, I got a call from Johnnie apologizing for hanging up on me the previous week. Because Elle and Sandy were such good friends Sandy had intervened. He asked if we could come over that afternoon. I told Elle and she said she’d call her mother to see if she would watch the kids for a few hours. The answer was a “yes”, primarily because the fishing season was over and Elle’s father was home. He didn’t get to see much of the kids during the Summer so this was a  good time for them to visit.

Johnnie had the football game on for which I was glad. However, Sandy made him turn it off soon after we arrived. I remember it being a bit “uncomfortable” for a short time but Sandy sort of took the situation over. She explained that Johnnie was under a bit of pressure at school. I already knew that he was the first Junior Varsity coach hired by the school. Up to his hiring all boys sports were coached by the same man and it had been that way since before WWII. The population of the school had grown exponentially since then and had doubled since Elle had graduated. There had been pressure to hire additional coaches to assist the man but he’d resisted until the end of the previous basketball season.  Up to then the school, because of it’s small size, had only fielded a Varsity basketball team. But now, because of the total number of kids in the High School, were required to have a JV team. Johnnie was already teaching at the school when the job was posted. The old coach lobbied to be able to coach both teams but, in part due to Pat (the PTA lady), was told “No” and he hadn’t taken the decision well. It seemed like he was going out of his way to make things difficult for Johnnie and the kids who had come out for the team. Practices for the JV had started at about the same time that the Town team that Johnnie had tried to put together started their practices (if you could call it that...). The guys on the Town team seemed to not take it seriously and then I called to “bail” on the last practice, he’d had it. I was the “last straw” and he’d taken it out on me.

We didn’t stay all that long but before we left Elle and Sandy got together leaving Johnnie and I alone. I asked if there was anything I could do to help him with his JV team. He surprised me by saying that Jonesie (the carpenter handyman I’d hired a while back and who had been on the Town team) had volunteered. Before we left I told him I’d stop by on my way home a couple of nights to see how it was going. I think he appreciated that. As we said our good nights I overheard Elle and Sandy setting up a date for them to get together. On our way to pick up the kids I asked what it was about but she wouldn’t tell me.

Speaking of Pat, I’d been after Elle to get to her and get the Sans Soucie lingerie catalogs back. The night I’d shown them to her and given her a pair of their panties to try out she’d walked out without saying anything about them or even offering to pay for them. I wasn’t concerned about the money... they hadn’t cost me anything... it was the superior (nasty) attitude that she exhibited towards me that made me upset. Elle had a meeting scheduled that next week that included Pat and promised she’d speak to her.

At work, I’d hired three new people, all female at the very end of November. With year end coming up and all the new business that had been generated it was felt that it would be wise to have some extra help if only on a temporary basis. None of the three offered all that much in the way of “looks” but one definitely had a nice “shape”. On her interview she wore a cream colored sheath dress that was appealing especially to me and to Bret. I thought he was going to lose his eyeballs right out of his head when she bent over to pick up her coat after the interview was over. J J, up in the mortgage department, had sat in on two of the interviews and made a specific request for one of them, Marla. I’d gotten to know his preferences when it came to females and as soon as the girl walked in the door I just knew she’d be his choice.

This was to be my second Christmas season with the bank and, remembering the lack of seasonal decorations from the previous year, met with Hobie to see if that couldn’t be remedied. I didn’t like the look on his face when I brought it up but got him to say he’d approach the Board of Trustees about it. On that basis I contacted one of the bank’s customers that owned a garden center and asked that he come in to make some suggestions as well as give me an estimate of what it would cost. Naturally, he was thrilled. He told me he’d be in late that Friday evening.

It was about 5:30pm when I saw this tall (6’5“) balding man ambling across the lobby. But what really caught my attention was the girl walking beside him. She was flat out beautiful! I couldn’t really tell how old (or young) she was but I know my jaw had to be hanging open as they approached Trish’s desk. Ole was the man’s name and I think Hanna was his daughter’s. I could hear Ole speaking but all I saw was Hanna. I told them what I was looking for and then they got up and walked around the lobby, surveying the possibilities. As they did I kept watching Hanna. As far as VPL’s were concerned there wasn’t anything to see. It was just her beauty. When they got the information they came for and were leaving I can remember standing by my desk hoping that the next time I saw Ole that Hanna would be with him. 

To be continued...