Friday, February 28, 2014

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

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

Lunch turned out to be a bit disturbing. I’ve not mentioned Laura in a while because everything was going well for her. Living with Trish’s family during the week had been working and she’d been faithfully repaying the money we’d loaned her for clothes. But... in listening to Trish, it was about to end. The room she’d been sleeping/living in belonged to Trish’s brother. He was in the Navy but had decided not to re-up and was coming home in mid October. The father of one of his high school friends had a supposedly offered him a good job. Trish wasn’t happy about what it meant for Laura but was glad her brother would be back at home. What she wanted from me was to know if it would be OK for Laura to hold off paying us back until she got settled in a new place. Trish said her mother had a church friend that might be willing to let her stay with her but there were some "strings” attached. She didn’t say what they were but she wanted Laura to have some extra cash for the transition. Trish said her mother didn’t charge her anything for the room and food but she did do some housekeeping and the laundry instead. Laura was going to have to pay rent if the lady agreed to the arrangement.

To be truthful, the $5 every two weeks didn’t mean all that much. It paid for a couple of lunches and not much else so the loss of it for a while wouldn't have a big effect. I’d watched Laura’s personality “grow” over the few months she’d been at the bank but I also felt that Trish had been sheltering her too much. I didn’t immediately respond to Trish’s request and when I spoke I told her that, in principle, I had no problem with the suggestion but that I felt the request should actually come from Laura. I could tell that Trish was a bit puzzled by my request so explained it to her. I could tell she didn’t agree (she had a way of communicating her displeasure with things in a non verbal way) but, sensing that she wasn’t going to sway me, gave in.

It took a day or two for Laura to approach me. I didn’t want our little talk to be in the “public domain” so had suggested we have it Friday after the majority of the staff had left for the day and that we'd do it sometime between 5pm and 6pm when lobby traffic was slow. Normally, the Audit department didn’t stay late on Friday nights but, since Laura would go back home for weekends and didn’t have a car, her mother would come in to town, do her grocery shopping and then stop by and pick Laura up. There would only be three tellers working and we’d have a bit of privacy. I sort of kept my eye on Laura during the day and caught her looking my way far more than usual so I knew she was nervous. I’d made sure that Trish wouldn’t be around so it meant Laura was really on her own.

It was probably because I’d been involved in helping her out right after she was hired that she’d make a point of saying “hello” or “good morning if we made eye contact before the doors opened to the public. She’d showed very little shyness to me so it was a bit strange to see her revert back to it that night. She sat am my desk staring at her lap. I was determined not to ”lead“ her so it took a few minutes for her to get to the point. When she finally did, of course I told her I had no problem with it. However, I did ask her to keep me posted with the progress on finding a new place and gave a piece of advice telling her to be actively involved in the process. I reminded her that she was the one who was going to have to live there so the decision was hers to make... not her aunt’s. She nodded in agreement but I wasn’t sure she’d follow through.

Labor Day pretty much ended the Summer season for our area. Boating, especially, sailing, pretty much came to an end. Sandy had played tennis with Elle on Friday and reminded her that her husband was available to help me with my tennis. As I’ve written any number of times, tennis, other than for the panty peeks, was not high on my priorities. But, with Elle’s ever increasing interest, it behooved me to at least make an effort. I made a half hearted attempt to put it off but Elle made it clear she wasn’t happy. So, I called Johnnie and he seemed glad to hear from me. He said he was free but since Sandy had their car I’d have to pick him up.

At his house I found him in the driveway shooting baskets. I hadn’t had my hands on a basketball since my freshman year in college so got out and had him pass me the ball. We never made it to the tennis courts. I remember being exhausted when Sandy drove into the driveway and thankful that she had. Needless to say Elle was mad and stayed mad at me the rest of the day. I’m pretty sure that it was the next afternoon that Johnnie called and asked if I’d be interested in joining him in starting a town team basketball group. I remember standing by the phone with my whole body aching. I told him I would and was relieved that he said he’d be back to me in a week or so. That would give me time to "prep" Elle for my decision. I certainly didn’t want to tell Elle at that time. She was up to her eyeballs with the new Brownie scout troop she and Pat (the PTA lady) had started. They’d managed to get the required number of kids to join and their first meeting was to be later that week and it was to be at out house. I’d gotten back in her good graces by helping to prepare for the upcoming meeting and I knew that news of my intended basketball participation would certainly change that.

The catalog(s) from Willie arrived that week. He’d attached a hand written note to say that once he was in place at the company he’d open up an account for me. Since I didn’t want Elle to see the catalogs and I picked up the mail on my way home I didn’t get a chance to get a good look at them. I remember looking through the first pages of one of them and immediately thinking of Pat and her desire to open a bridal business. There were all kinds of lacy things that I thought might be appropriate for her to offer if she did get it up and running. I ended up stuffing the catalogs into my briefcase and... if you can believe it, forgetting about them.

Arriving at home and walking up to the patio I was surprised to see Sophie seated at the picnic table and eating. The older girls were eating with her which was another surprise. Once inside I asked Elle what was going on. Long story short (yet again!); Sophie’s father had some sort of seizure and had been taken to the hospital by ambulance. Celia, her mother, had gone as well. Celia, in a panic, had called and asked if Elle could look after her until she got back. That had been over fours hours ago and Elle had not heard any news. It had gotten close to 6pm and Sophie had expressed that she was hungry. Back when we were getting to know Sophie, Celia had told Elle not to let her in the house. Because of her disability, she could/would wet herself at any time and that was why she was eating outside. Elle was worried because it would cool off quickly as the sun set and if Celia didn’t get back she wouldn’t want Sophie to stay outside.

To be continued... 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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...

Monday, February 24, 2014

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

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

The next morning I waited until after 9am to try and call him. I knew Melody was in bad shape the last I saw of her and Willie had imbibed quite a bit as well. I looked up his phone number and when I dialed it I got a message that the number was not in service. I was really curious about just why Willie wanted to see me and wasn’t sure what to do. With Elle not feeling well we’d decided to skip church (again). Elle’s mother was the host of the combined birthday party for our fathers and had asked Elle to give her a hand in preparing for it. Whenever we went to her parents for the day we were expected to use the beach that was set aside for homeowners on the North side of the road. Even though our parents got along well, Elle’s mother still had a streak of jealousy and resented it when we came to her house and then spent the day on the beach in front of my parents house. So... Elle set out the kids toys that would have to be dragged down to that beach. While she was doing that I was trying to come up with a reason to give to Elle that would let me leave for a while so I could see Willie. I was looking at the Sunfish which hadn't been put away in the garage and saw the piece of equipment that Martin had given me the day before. As I looked at it I wasn’t sure if he’d given it to me to use or to keep. That became my “escape”.

It only took a minute to remove it and after I did I went inside and told Elle I had to return it. She was still busy getting everything organized and told me not to take too long. It was about a 15 minute drive to Willie’s cottage so figured I’d be back in just over a half hour. We’d targeted leaving around 11am and I was sure I could see Willie and be back by that time. There was no car in the driveway when I pulled in. I knew Willie had a big blue Chrysler and I also knew it wouldn’t fit in the garage. The cottage and garage, like so many in the area, was built in the 1930’s when cars were no where near as wide. As I stopped my car I looked over to the back of the house. Houses built during that period of time had a couple of things that were very much in common with each other and that was there were either stoops or porches at each door with roofs over them. I was looking at a small porch with small pillars at each corner. On the side closest to me there was a line that went from the post to the house... and, blowing in the light breeze was a pair of panties hanging on it.

I got out and went up on the porch. My eyes never left the panties until I was about to knock on the door. I actually knocked multiple times but there was no answer. I stood there taking a good close look at the panties. I finally made a move to leave but before I got to the car decided to knock on the front door. It really was a small cottage and as I stood there knocking it came to me that there was no way that if anyone was home they wouldn’t have heard my knock at the back door. Walking back to the car I looked around and noticed that the property was pretty secluded with no houses on either side. The property to the East wasn’t developed and was pretty much overgrown. I could barely see the roof line of the house next to that property but that was all. I got back in my car and was about to start it when I looked back at the panties one last time. I must’ve stared at them for a minute debating with myself weather I should take a chance on taking them. It didn’t take long. I got back out of the car, quickly walked up to them, pulled the clothespins off and stuffed them into my pocket. I have to tell you that by the time I started the car my heart was pounding and I was wringing wet.

I decided to turn West thinking that it would be less of a chance of running into Willie. I knew I was going to be late getting home so didn’t take the time to look at the panties, although I was tempted. By the time I got home it was after 11am and Elle wasn’t happy. The panties were still in my pocket as I loaded all the kids things and stuff for the party Elle into the station wagon. I didn’t dare try to put them into my stash as Elle was right outside the garage door. That meant we were off with the panties (and clothespins) still in my pocket.

With Elle helping prepare for the party, I got beach duty with the kids. The ROW (right of way) beach was crowded as I’d expected. It was only 55’ wide with about 20’ of actual sand. We staked out a spot and my primary duty was to keep Kaye contained. A 2 year old certainly has a mind of its own! There wasn’t much “eye candy” to look at so I busied myself building sandcastles and trying to teach the older girls to swim a bit. When the wind came up and started blowing the sand around I bailed out. Elle wasn’t expecting us back so soon so I still had to entertain the kids. The back yard neighbor of Elle’s parents had just recently bought the property. I got a couple of glances of a short, blonde haired woman though the gaps in the fence. It was enough for me to take a position closer to it. The lady looked to be in her 30’s and, upon closer inspection, decent looking. I put that in the back of my mind for future reference.

I was “chicken” to take the panties fully out of my pocket for an inspection. I’d started once only to have Elle almost catch me. I told myself to have patience but it was hard. The party was, as usual, boring, but the food was good as Elle’s mother was an excellent cook. Because the panties were still in my pocket they weren’t far from my mind as we ate. Because Elle still wasn’t feeling well, we managed to “escape” a bit early. On the short drive home I was planning on how and where I’d finally get to inspect the panties. Once there, I volunteered to put all the beach toys away. Elle “bought“ it and that gave me unfettered access to the garage as she put the kids to bed. Basically, I dumped the beach stuff on the garage floor and then pulled the old refrigerator from up against the wall. The panties were out of my pocket in a flash and, as fully expected, the label read ”Evette“. But, as I studied them, came the realization that they were the same style as the previous pair of Merry’s panties that I'd dug off the beach a few years earlier. I was sort of mad at myself for not recognizing that when I was looking at them while on Willie’s porch. I remember taking a deep breath and then pulling the box with my stash from the refrigerator. I won’t call it a ”frenzied“ search though the box but it certainly wasn’t organized. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find what I was looking for... Merrie’s older panties. Spreading them out on the seat of the car I compared the two of them and the newer pair were similar. but not the same... and they were, indeed, fancy panties.

                                 
Original Evette

New Evette


To be continued...

Saturday, February 22, 2014

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

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

It had been a while since I had a sleepless night because of an upcoming event. I was up and ready to leave by 7am but I knew that was kind of stupid because no one would be there at that hour. I finally left for the sailing club a little before 8am. It didn’t look like it was going to be all that nice a day but it didn’t matter. Regardless of the outcome of the races I knew it would be fun to see the ”old timers“, even if the oldest of them was probably only 40. I wasn’t the first to arrive. There was a small group of guys gathered around one of the cars in the parking lot and, whoever it was, like me, had a Sunfish on a trailer behind his car. When I got up close I could see it was Martin, a guy we’d all competed against who had belonged to a rival sailing club. Come to find out, Rex, who’d organized the whole event, had seen him at the local post office and had found that he’d recently moved into town. In the course of conversation he ended up inviting him. We probably spent a good half hour getting caught up with each other and reliving old times. Rex showed up around 9am followed soon thereafter by a lot of people I didn’t really know. Come to find out most of them were the people who were loaning their Sunfish boats for the races.

By 10am there were nine of us ”old timers“. Not all of the old group were able to make it, but it was a good mix. I connected with Buddy right away and then Willie. Most of the guys arrived alone but Merry, Willie's wife, was with him. I almost didn’t recognize her as she’d lost weight. Always pretty, she looked really good and was dressed in a sundress. It was short enough that I fantasized that with a little breeze I might eventually get a ”peek”.  Rex called for a meeting and outlined the format... three races with one in the morning and two after a lunch break. The owners of the borrowed boats were busy getting them rigged (sails on and up with the rudder attached) Martin and I had to do it ourselves so were really hustling to be ready by the warning horn.

Sailing out to the starting line I started noticing things about the other boats that were different from mine. I won’t bore you with details but it became obvious soon after the race began that I wasn’t competitive. Trailing the others I decided to try and observe them and to try and identify some of the differences. Martin ended up winning and once on shore I asked him to look at my boat to see if he could make some suggestions that might help my performance. I remember him laughing when he came over, saying that it looked like my boat had just been delivered from the factory. He pointed to all the other boats on the beach and said they’d all been modified for racing. He was very nice and said he could/would help me out. He worked with me the whole lunch break even giving me a piece of equipment that he guaranteed would help. His wife was nice enough to bring us food and something to drink. She wasn’t much to look at but was wearing shorts and I did get a bit of a VPL when she bent over to pick up the leftovers.

I went up to the clubhouse to use the bathroom and did get to see Ruthie and Carol. Ruthie had put on some weight but was still cute. She had her hands full with two young boys but I did get to tell her that Elle would be coming later. I made a concerted effort to find Merry but she was sitting in a rocking chair so there wasn’t much to see. Two of the wives that I didn’t particularly like were there and holding “court”. I never could stand their superior attitude, especially as it pertained to Elle. One of them and gone to the same college as Elle but had married into money. With it came a change in attitude and not for the better. It was while I was on my way back to the boat that I remembered Cat. I’d had some really good times (and peeks) when she was sailing with us. I made a mental note to follow up on where she’d gone.

Martin’s “tweaks” to my sails and rigging plus the new piece of equipment made a world of difference in the next race. I won’t say that I was threat to win but I was definitely more competitive. By the third race the wind had come up and I was getting tired. In this type of boat you have to hike out (get as much of your body over the side) to keep it relatively flat (level) and I wasn’t in the physical shape necessary to do it. Not last, but definitely not competitive, I still had the feeling of satisfaction as I headed for shore. I was already thinking about racing next Summer and vowing to be in better shape.

Elle and the kids were waiting on shore. Naturally, Anne wanted to go for a sail. There was just no way as my hands were almost raw and my legs were shaking. Elle, with her period, wasn’t dressed for it and not willing to take her. She'd caught up with all the women she’d wanted to see and was ready to go home. As part of the event there was a cook out scheduled a bit later. Elle wasn’t feeling all that well and told me she didn’t want to go back. However, I wanted to go. She asked me to help with the kids as for supper but by the time I got back to the clubhouse most of the food was gone. I found some salad to munch on and then made an effort to chat and to get caught up with some of the others that I’d missed after the races. Willie and his wife, Merry, were out on the porch so sat down with them.

This was the first time he’d been back to the area in two years. He told me that he’d been very busy turning the Evette division into a profit maker for his father’s company and it that it had just been sold. I asked what that meant for him and his face lit up like a light bulb. “New Orleans!” was his enthusiastic answer. Merry seemed to be a bit out of it and was just sitting there. I’d hoped for a peek somewhere during the day but it didn’t look good. Willie went on that his father had bought another distressed company and Willie was supposed to try and do the same thing down there as it also ran a lingerie division. I had to ask what was the brand. When he said "Sans Soucie" it was my face that lit up. He noticed and made a comment and asked how I’d heard of it. When I told him that I’d stumbled upon them in a small store in the city he was surprised. By then Merry was definitely bored and had tried to get out of the rocking chair she was in. It was obvious that she needed help. Willie had to lift her up and as he did I thought I might get my peek but, unfortunately, it didn’t come to pass. He helped her inside and then stuck his head out of the door and asked if I could stop by his place the next morning. I nodded affirmatively before I could think about it and then he disappeared back inside. That was the last I saw of him that night.

To be continued...    

Thursday, February 20, 2014

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

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

As we drove into the facility there was no way that anyone would know that the building housed tennis courts other than a temporary 4' by 4' sign. Inside it was obvious that there was much work to be done. They’d only been open for about six weeks and had only completed about half the courts. All of them were in use when we walked in. Shelly apologized and said that it usually wasn’t this busy. While we were waiting for a court she pointed out two women at the far end of the building. It only took a quick look to see that they really knew how to play. The ball just flew from one side of the net to the other... Pow!... Pow!... Pow!. Shelly said they were both from Australia and were practicing for the upcoming U. S. Open. When Liz asked for their names Shelly rattled them off. Not a follower of tennis they didn’t register with me. But one thing she said did and that was that the “buzz” was that with proper coaching they would make a name for themselves. We edged a little closer to watch some more and, I’m laughing as I write this, it was enough for me not to ever want to go on a tennis court with a racquet again.

I wanted to be on the way home by 3pm and it had gotten to around 2pm with no courts open. Liz, sensing disappointment from Elle, suggested that they head for the country club to just hit a few balls around for fun. I was hoping Fred would try to dash that idea but he kept his mouth shut. It only took a few minutes to get there and, because it was the heat of the day the courts were empty. As unathletic as Liz looked, thin and somewhat frail, she could hit a tennis ball. Elle was no real match for her but was able to return some of her shots to at least make it interesting for them. Fred and I went to another court and just went though the motions. I’ll say that I was better then he was but that’s not saying much. I’d forgotten that we’d brought the little Kodak Brownie camera. Fred and I were picking our things up when I saw it in my bag. Elle was in the process of picking up the balls that she and Liz had been using and I saw a shot I wanted... and snapped it, quickly dropping the camera back into my bag.
                                             


 Liz promised to keep in touch and Fred said he’d let me know when his plans firmed up. The preliminary one was for him to get the business started and then to buy a house. On our way home Elle and I talked and hoped they would. We really enjoyed their company. We, or I should say Elle, also talked about tennis. I could her from the tone in her voice that she really wanted me to make an effort to get into it. She told me that Johnny, Sandy’s husband, had told Sandy that he would be more than willing to work with me as soon as the camp he worked at closed for the Summer. I don’t  remember responding to that at the time. But I will admit to thinking that this might end up being a good thing in that it might be Elle bribing me for a change and that put a smile on my face.

Elle woke up Friday with her period and not feeling all that well. I’d promised the older kids that we’d go sailing but I’d counted on Elle to be a part of the outing. She begged off and my first thought was not to go. After thinking about it for a while I decided that, with the Sunfish, I could actually take both of them at the same time. They were both excited, especially Anne who pestered me all the way to the sailing club to let her steer. So as to keep the peace I told them they’d take turns. By the time we got there there was more wind than I expected but decided to sail anyway. After giving them some basic lessons we were off. Even though Anne was younger and not yet six she had a better understanding of the way the boat responded to the direction she pushed or pulled the tiller and did quite well. Jean struggled a bit but, all in all, we all had fun.

I’d needed help to get the boat from the trailer to the water and had corralled some of the junior sailors to help me when we arrived. By the time we were ready to leave for home their day was done and there were only a bunch of women with little kids left on the beach. I didn’t know any of them so wasn’t about to ask for help to carry the boat about 150 feet back to the trailer. I was about to call Elle when I saw Rex pull into the parking lot. Even before I could ask him he was on me about the old timers race that he was planing for the following weekend. I was torn knowing that if I said yes that I’d probably get the “itch” to go back to racing. And... I also knew Elle wouldn’t be happy. I’d been around every weekend the whole Summer and she liked that. I did too, up to a point. I hadn’t been to the stock car races either and my competitive juices were certainly flowing as Rex told me who had agreed to compete.  It had been a few years since I’d even seen Buddy, Jimbo and Frank. I asked if their wives and kids were coming as well. He said he thought so but was surprised that I didn’t know Frank was divorced. (His wife was the former beauty queen who was also an alcoholic) I got him to help with the boat and the whole time he continued to “sell” me. I finally gave in but wasn’t looking forward to telling Elle of my decision.

As I remember it the weather for the weekend wasn’t all that good and I was glad I’d decided to take the girls sailing without Elle the previous day. The next weekend was the Labor Day one and if I was going to be racing on Saturday and, since we would be celebrating the birthday for both of our fathers on Sunday, there wouldn’t be all that much time to sail with them. I found an “Oh, by the way... ” moment during the week to tell Elle about my planned racing excursion. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting her reaction... because there really wasn’t one. She shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something along the lines of “I’ve wondered how long it would be before you broke down and did it". It certainly helped when I told her that there was a very good chance that her old friends, Carol and Ruthie, would be there. Rex called with the details around the middle of the week and said he’d heard from another of my old friends, Willie (who's family owned the Evette lingerie company).

By that Friday night I was getting really excited. However, I had to face the fact that I had to mow the lawn that night since the rest of the weekend was as good as gone. Elle was putting the kids to bed when Buddy called. He had arrived and was staying with his parents. Carol was with him along with two of their kids and was pregnant with their third. I was disappointed when Elle told me about that. I was hoping for a reprise of some of the great VPL’s I’d seen when we were all younger. His parents Summer home was located right behind the sailing club and, over time, Elle and I had spent quite a bit of fun time there. Hearing Elle tell me about them got me even more excited.

To be continued...

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

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

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

Wanting to take advantage of the last days of “real” Summer (when schools were closed) I requested to take off the last Thursday and Friday of the month. Both the older girls were going to be in school whole days this year and I wanted to make sure I got more time with them before they started back. I also knew we had to make that trip in towards the city to Ali’s store to get the clothes for the kids that Elle had ordered. What I didn’t expect or plan on was a call from my friend Fred. Actually it was from Liz, his wife. When we’d been with them she’d told us about a new indoor tennis facility that her sister was involved with. When we were leaving them there had been some talk about us coming in to visit and to take a look at the academy. Neither Elle nor I took the offer seriously. This call was a serious invitation. I knew better than to commit to it without first talking with Elle who, at the time, was busy putting Kaye to bed.

Later, we talked about it and her first reaction was negative. I don’t remember just how the trip to Ali’s store came into the conversation but it did and I was able to convince her that we could do both. I’d given Elle the dates of my days off and when she called Liz back I left it up to them to decide. I do remember Elle telling me that Liz was really excited about it. As for me, I always enjoyed my time with Fred so, regardless of what the women decided it would still be good with me.

As I’ve written, August was the slowest time of the year at the bank. Both Bret and Hobie had finished off their vacations and I was still due three or four more days of mine so there was no problem getting the days I requested. I knew it would be a long day, especially for the kids spending a lot of time in the car and not being able to run around all that much. We made a real effort to get up and to be on our way at a reasonable hour. Liz had told Elle to be sure and bring tennis clothes and our racquets. When Elle passed that information on to me I wasn’t pleased, at all, but to keep the peace, I agreed. I knew Fred wasn’t much of an athlete since graduating from boarding school so was hoping that he was as much of a novice as I was.

Ali was really pleased to see us and had the things she’d set aside for Elle ready for us. The girls tried on the clothes to make sure they fit. Elle didn’t like the way one of the dresses looked so swapped it out for another Ali had in the store. While all that was going on I was contemplating buying more Lollipop panties for Elle. I knew we’d be buying undershirts and panties for all three kids but, concerned about how much money it was all going to cast, backed off at the last minute. Naturally, we spent more than I’d set aside even with the discounts Ali had promised. So, we left owing Ali about $50. I told her I wouldn’t be able to pay it off until after the first of October when I could make my next loan against the trust account. She was OK with it and I figured I could order the panties for Elle at that time.

Liz and Fred were waiting with lunch when we arrived. Fred had pretty much made up his mind on just what he was going to do and was quite excited about it. He’d been promised a territory up in Connecticut that was growing rapidly. He was just waiting for loan approvals. It took a little time for the kids to get over their shyness but by the time dessert was served they were all OK. Liz was waiting for her sister to show up to take us over to the new facility. When she walked in I had to do a double take. It had been at least ten years since I’d last seen her. The exact opposite of Liz, Shelly wanted everyone to see her femininity and she sure was exhibiting it. Very well “endowed”, she was wearing a tennis dress and, when I say it was short... it really was. If there was a half inch between the hem of the dress in front and the crotch of her panties it was a lot. I’m not kidding when I say it took my breath away. Fred saw my face and he had to do everything in his power to keep from laughing. Living in the same house with Shelly for about a month must have dulled the “shock” of  seeing her that way because he was very calm.

We ate lunch and heard all about the new tennis facility. When Liz had told us about it she left out some very interesting and important information. Her father was a prime booster of it and was an investor. That kind of explained why Shelly was working there. The concept was to provide a hub of tennis activity to help grow interest in the sport. Shelly told us that the investors were trying to lure a famous Australian tennis player to be the “face” of the facility. The United States tennis championships were held annually at Forest Hills which wasn’t all that far away. Most of the good American tennis players were from California or Florida and that was because they had warm weather all year round. The basic idea of an indoor facility made sense in that the US Tennis Association was all for it in that tennis instruction could be provided all year long.

If you’ve read this tome for any period of time you’ve seen the subject of tennis come up from time to time. Elle loved to play the game. I loved to look at the females who played the game. Most times when I was on a tennis court it was because I was “bribed” (by Elle) to be there and seldom because I wanted to be there. When Shelly got through giving us the background she jumped up and told us to get dressed (for tennis) and to follow her over to the site. I rolled my eyes and Fred caught me. He made some sort of disparaging comment to me as we left to get our clothes and racquets. When Shelly started to get up from the table she sort of spun in her chair to get her legs out from under the table and as she did it was an eye opening moment, at least for me. It was a full crotch view. I don’t know if she saw me or not and I didn’t care. I just remember having to hide my bulge as I stood up .

Liz had arranged for a baby sitter to watch both her kids and ours. Kaye wasn’t too pleased but ice cream got her attention off of our leaving. Elle had chosen to wear a dress and that meant many panty peeks. As I’ve explained in prior posts, whenever she would bend over while wearing a tennis dress it would ride up on her back and expose at least six inches of her panties. I was smiling as we dressed. Liz wore a pair of baggy white shorts and a loose fitting blouse. It was as if she didn’t want anyone to look at her. I, reluctantly, donned the white shorts Elle had made me buy. I always felt stupid when I wore them. However, when I saw Fred in his I immediately felt better.

To be continued...

Friday, February 14, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120k)

MORE GOOD TIMES...  August (Part 120k)

I won’t bore you with all the details but suffice it to say that I knew it was a waste of time to even think about fighting the inevitable. I stayed busy, outside, until supper. Elle, even with the short notice, managed to put together a nice meal. After spending time with the woman I changed my mind about her. I won’t say I’d want to be a friend but she had an interesting life and, indeed, was a busy person without a lot of free time. Elle finished up with the dress around 10pm or so and once the lady was satisfied she opted to go to bed. The first train back to the city, at least on weekends,  was around 8am and she wanted to be sure she was on it. To sleep, Elle provided her with the peignoir set that my mother had given her. I didn’t pay much intention to that conversation. We had decided to give the lady some time to get settled before heading up to bed ourselves. Our normal procedure was for me to use the bathroom first while Elle checked on the kids. I walked into the room, turned on the light and closed the door. As I did I saw something hanging from the water faucets for the tub... a bra and a pair of panties. It was obvious that she’d washed them out before retiring and left them there to dry.

I knew I only had few seconds to take a look as Elle didn’t think twice about walking in on me when in the bathroom. I grabbed the panties and immediately felt a difference in the material. They were a light beige color and when I looked for the tag found it was quite small. I don’t remember the brand name... I think it might’ve been French... and the printing on the back of it was very small. Then I saw the answer. to the strange feel... 100% pure silk. They were definitely larger than Elle’s but I couldn’t find a size. Putting them back I grabbed at the bra, still hanging on the faucet handle, and saw that it wasn’t anything like what Elle wore. To start with, the cups weren’t anything like Elle’s bras and they had lace across the top. Afraid Elle would walk in on me I just let it go. Seeing those two items was a bit of an education, for sure.

In the morning we got her up, fed and on the train in plenty of time. Even with the experience of seeing and handling silk panties for the first time I was still upset that the lady had ”hijacked“ a part of my/our weekend. With Summer winding down there weren’t going to be many more opportunities for sailing ”comfortably“. By ”comfortably“ I meant that the combination of air/water temperature was high enough that you didn’t have to worry about what you wore. In our area, the water temperature started downward at the end of August and the air temperature soon followed. The easiest place to launch the Sunfish was at the sailing club. However, my mother had been ”on“ us for not coming over to visit so, even though it meant more work, we headed there.

Trying to take advantage of the situation of being at my parents I figured it would be a good time to fetch the box with my ”stash“ in it. After getting the boat rigged and Elle and one of the girls off and sailing I made my way to the garage. As I climbed the stairs to the apartment I tried to figure out just how long it had been since I’d actually gone through it. I really didn’t have any idea of just how many panties I’d collected. On the other hand I also knew that this wasn’t the time to do it. I’d made up some excuse to go over to the garage (it was on the other side of the street) and knew I’d have to rummage through my father’s pile of boxes to find the one marked ”SAVE“. It took longer than I’d hoped and as I was walking back to my car I saw my father heading towards me. I made it to the trunk of my car and dropped the box into it before my father reached me. Of course he asked what I was doing and I had to struggle to come up with an answer. The look on his face told me he didn’t ”buy“ it. and that worried me. I got bailed out by the least likely person that I would’ve thought of... Elle’s mother. She couldn’t get the side door to the kitchen to latch and wanted me to come right over to see if I could fix it. WHEW!

When we made the decision to go to my parents house to sail I knew there was the chance that we might get ”attacked“ by Ali, the lady from down the beach who owned a children’s clothing store located in by the city. When I got back to the beach I saw Elle sitting at the water’s edge playing with Kaye and no sign of the older girls or the Sunfish. Elle explained that Ali had seen her sail by and walked down to remind her that she’d put some clothes for the girls aside for her. I wasn’t sure just how Ali ended up with both the girls and the Sunfish as well but... Upon her return I, reluctantly, told her that I’d take a day off and that we’d be in to visit the store before Labor Day.

I ended up giving Danny, the son of one of the next door renters a ride. Unfortunately, it was without his mother who usually gave me a panty peek. She was away, helping her brother open his new restaurant. I actually remember thinking that this visit to my parents would one of the first during a Summer that I didn’t get at least one peek from someone. We were in the process of leaving and strapping the Sunfish to the trailer when some people walked by. It was a middle aged man and two girls who were probably teenagers that I didn't recognize. It was fairly obvious that they were just coming from the beach as the man was in a wet bathing suit and holding a rubber tube. One of the girls was in shorts and a blouse and holding a small dog. Anne, our middle daughter, loved animals and wanted to pet him. The girl squatted down to put him on the ground and as she did I got my ”peek”. I stood there staring down at the white material of her panties contrasted against the sun tanned skin on her back and the dark blue material of her shorts. I was fixated on that so much that Elle had call to me to finish up strapping the boat. She was at the front of the boat and, thankfully, never asked what it was that had my attention.

At home, putting the boat away, I remembered the box with my “stash” was in the trunk. To get it in the house I had to find a time when Elle wasn’t home and, standing there thinking about it I struggled to come up with a time when I was there and she wasn’t. I really didn’t want to leave it in the trunk knowing how hot it would get in there with the car sitting out in the sun all the time. The garage was the only place I could come up with. Among the things the previous owners had left behind was a refrigerator. We didn’t have an immediate need for it when we bought the house but had decided to keep it anyway. I think it was Jon, (the milkman) who’d suggested that I turn it so the door was to the wall. After doing that I hadn’t touched it until then. The perfect, but temporary, place to hide my stash. I was proud of myself for thinking of it... panties “on ice”.

To be continued... 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120j)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120j)

I had to wait until we got home to find out just how Elle’s shorts got wet. Once Liz and Elle reached the beach the kids were into the water. Joey, Liz’s son, was giving her fits by not staying out of the water. Finally, Liz gave in and took him in, holding him and swishing him through the water as if he were actually swimming. Kaye, seeing that, wanted Elle to do the same with her. Elle told me she had no feelings or warnings that she had to go but... once she was in the water she felt a spasm... and then another. Holding Kaye in her hands in the water she was able to look at her crotch and saw the damage. Not wanting Liz to see it she pretended to stumble splashing enough water to cover the peed wetness. Back at Liz’s house she turned down the offer for dry clothes. When Elle told me that I was seriously disappointed. If she had it would’ve given me a chance to see if Liz still wore the cotton Lollipop band leg panties that I knew she used to wear. I asked Elle why she’d not taken her up on the offer and she just shrugged her shoulders.

It was late afternoon by the time we got back. Elle had invited Sandy and her husband over for desert and she still had to make it. The women had played tennis on Friday and, in the course of conversation, it was mentioned that Johnny and I hadn’t seen much of each other during the Summer so Elle offed to have them over. I wasn’t thrilled with the timing of it but I did like them both so figured I’d survive. My mother had given Elle her bundt pan and she was anxious to try it out. As she was preparing the mix I remember accusing her of using them as guinea pigs.

It turned out to be an enjoyable evening especially since the kids behaved. The cake turned out well which pleased Elle to no end. After Elle put the kids to bed the conversation turned to tennis. Both Sandy and Johnny were interested in the tennis academy that we’d learned about while visiting with Fred and Liz that afternoon. Johnny’s parents didn’t live too far from the site and said he’d try to get more information about it. The time seemed to fly past and after they left I realized that I hadn’t even gotten a VPL or DP from Sandy, a rare occurrence. She and Elle agreed to meet again the following Friday for tennis and, as they did, I made a mental note to try and get off a little early and go watch them.

We woke up Sunday morning to a very ugly day. It was raining and the wind was blowing out of the East, not a good sign. Even though it was my father who was the weather ”expert“, I’d learned that this combination usually lasted for a few days. We decided to skip church and hunker down at home. If there was one positive it was that I got Elle to wear something that would give me ”easy access”. I was even able to get her to give me a picture while she was in the process of getting dressed. The best part of that was that it didn’t “cost” me anything. She, for whatever reason, was in a very good mood and I was the beneficiary... all day. The disappointment about the weather was more than replaced with her benevolence towards me.

The nasty weather continued through Monday and into Tuesday. Due to the fact that we’d gone to visit with Fred and Liz on Saturday Elle was fretting about the fact that she’d only done a part of the laundry when I got home Tuesday night. We didn’t have a dryer and Elle needed clean diapers for Kaye. I had some extra clothes line from when I’d put up the outside wash line so headed to the basement to figure a way to put it up. We hadn’t had time to do much of anything down there so it was fairly easy. When Elle came down the stairs to see how I was doing I noticed that there was a bit of discoloration in her crotch area. I asked her about it since I’d heard the toilet flush only a short time before she appeared. She wrinkled up her face and said it was a “dribble“ after she’d gone and pulled up her panties and shorts. She was amenable to my making a ”visit“ which meant  she wasn’t all that upset. However, she did make a statement of how nice it would be to have panties that had a cotton crotch to help soak the dribbles up better than the nylon ones did. She usually wore two pair of the nylon ones and that helped but sometimes, like just then, they didn’t. I just shrugged and enjoyed my ”visit“.

Later on that week she finally heard from the lady whose dress she was supposed to alter. The call actually left her puzzled and a bit upset. The lady lived and worked in the city and didn’t have a car. She told Elle that the only time she had to do the fitting was the upcoming Saturday and that she was taking the train and expected to take the train back the same day. Elle knew the schedules and that the morning train came in just before noon and the return was but three hours later. She knew that wasn't enough time. Before she could say anything the lady had hung up. She also told Elle that she needed to be picked up and returned back to the station. When I got home and Elle told me I told her to forget about doing the work. We didn’t need the money and certainly didn’t need the aggravation. Elle partially agreed but said she still wanted to help Pat (the PTA lady) out. Her hope was that Pat would be able to actually get a viable business going and that she’d be a part of it. There wasn’t anything more for me to say.

On Saturday Elle sent me to pick the lady (?) up at the station while she fed the kids their lunch. It wasn’t hard to pick the woman out. In the Summer our area was a vacation destination and the clothes were casual. As soon as the woman stepped off the train she was the only one that looked out of place. She looked like she was dressed to go to the theatre, complete with high heels. She looked to be in her 30's, maybe 5'5" and fairly trim. I got her attention and introduced myself. The only thing she carried with her was a pocket book. I think her name was Mae. I don’t think I said more than a dozen words on the trip home. All I heard was how busy she was and what an inconvenience the trip was to her schedule. I remember thinking that this wasn’t going to go well for Elle.

To be continued...           

Monday, February 10, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120i)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120i)

Sunday was the last day of my vacation and I decided that we’d take the Sunfish to the sailing club. It was much easier to launch from there than at my parents. When Elle had taken Jo there she’d observed a number of kids that looked to be about the same age as our older two girls taking sailing lessons. Elle and I’d talked about that a number of times. Even though I was perfectly capable of teaching them, lessons at the club would have them with kids their own age and, based upon my own experience, it was a lot more fun that way than when my father was the teacher. We thought we could talk with some of the current members about the program while we were there. When we told the girls they were excited about it with Anne begging me to let her steer.

It was a perfect day in just about every way. There wasn’t too much wind and everybody got some time in the boat, including Kay. We got to talk with a couple of parents who had kids in the program and they said it was a good one. A teacher from the high school was the supervisor and was hands on... a big improvement from back when I was active in the club. Jean would be eight the next year which was the same age as I was when I started. Anne would be turning seven and possibly a little young but she had shown such a love of sailing that I felt she’d fit in. At least we’d started the process.

Going back to work was a bit difficult after having ”freedom“ for a week. Trying to get caught up I didn’t leave the building until after the cleaning people had done their job. Thank goodness there hadn’t been a ”catastrophe“ while I was gone. August was known to be the slowest month for lobby traffic and from what I was told the week had been really, really slow. The only ”news“ was that Cassie was engaged and one of the women in the mortgage department had resigned. She was pregnant and had been having difficulties. Her doctor strongly suggested that she stop work ”just to be sure“. Ironically, an applicant had come in with mortgage experience, the week before I went on vacation. It only took a phone call to get her in and then J J hired her right away. We already had two women working on the second floor with the same name but she bailed J J out by telling him she was OK with being called Ali, which was a shortening of her middle name. Nothing special to look at, she did have a nice ”form“ and I knew that had been a part of J J’s decision making.

It was one day that week when Pat dropped off the dress that Elle was to alter. She had told Elle that the woman who would be wearing the dress would call to set up a fitting. When I got home Elle was a excited and showed me a satin burgundy dress. She wanted to try it on in the worst way because she’d never been a bridesmaid due to all the traveling we had to do when I trained horses. I told her to go ahead even though the dress was a size larger than she would have worn. I have to admit that she looked good in it.

By going to the sailing club on Sunday I’d awakened a sleeping desire. I’d witnessed  about nine Sunfish racing and it looked and sounded like the racers had fun. I knew a few of them and they, seeing my Sunfish, tried to cajole me into participating. It was hard to say ”No.“ but I did. I think it was that next week that I got a call from Rex, the man who’d sold me the boat, telling me that he was putting together an ”old timers“ race for the last weekend of racing. He was trying to get as many of the former Comet Class sailors together as he could to race Sunfish. He’d gotten permission from most of the current Sunfish sailors to use their boats and was hoping I’d join in. I told him I’d let him know.

Another phone call I got that week was from my old friend from boarding school, Fred. It had been three years since Elle and I had seen him and his wife, Liz. He now had two kids, a girl Anne’s age and a boy around Kaye’s age. They’d been out in Ohio for around five years and had grown disenchanted with the area so he quit his job and returned to the East coast. They were living with his in-laws while he decided what he was going to do next. He wanted for us to get together and was planning on spending the up coming weekend at his in-laws Summer home which wasn’t too far away. I’ve written about it in earlier posts. It was, and still is, one of the most interesting locations I’d ever seen with water views from three sides of the house. The only problem was that it was located on a bluff and there were fifty to sixty steps down to the water’s edge.

For us, it meant changing some of our plans but Elle wanted to see their kids and to show off ours. We told them we’d arrive about noon on Saturday. Elle and I decided not to bring bathing suits because we didn’t want the kids navigating all those stairs. Knowing that Liz was a bit on the prudish side, Elle chose to wear bermudas rather than short shorts. Because we’d be at their house Elle didn’t wear even a partial package. It took about 25 minutes to get there and Liz had a lunch waiting for us. As expected, the kids were shy during introductions but food soon broke down that barrier.

Fred looked about the same except for a receding hairline. Liz was as thin as I remembered her and, with her clothes seeming to hang on her and hollow cheeks, she looked quite a bit older. Her personality was still the same though... bubbly. After eating the kids wanted to go swimming. Elle expressed her concerns with the stairs so Liz suggested they go to the public beach known as the causeway. When Elle mentioned that our kids didn’t have their bathing suits Liz shocked me when she said they could swim in their underwear and, so our kids wouldn’t be uncomfortable, she let her kids do the same. I remember shaking my head (mentally) wondering how Fred had gotten her to loosen up a bit.

The women took the kids and left Fred and I to get caught up. He told me that his father-in-law was offering him a loan to start a business and he was in the process of doing research. Initially, he’d identified the field of food provisions. There were a couple of regional housing areas that were growing rapidly and he felt he’d be able to take advantage that. He figured it would take a few months to get it all put together. In the mean time they’d be living with the in-laws. I’d been to their house and it was certainly big enough to house them. He mentioned his sister-in law was also living there. As soon as he mentioned her I smiled. I remembered her as being a ”free spirit“ and some ”interesting“ experiences when we were all together. I’ve mentioned that my brother and I were exact opposites but Liz and her sister were even more.

When the women returned I could see that Elle’s shorts were wet. I started to ask and she signaled for me to shut my mouth. At the beach, in the course of conversation, Elle mentioned her new love of tennis. Liz mentioned her sister was a the business manager of a new tennis academy just a few miles from her home. Elle couldn’t wait to tell me about that and as she did, Liz invited us to come in to spend a day with them and to go see the facility. Fred seconded the idea and I said we’d work on it.

To be continued...

Friday, February 07, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120h)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120h)

I was up early, before Elle and the kids, the next morning. Saturdays were always busy at the landfill and I wanted to get right in and out. Normally, Elle would collect the trash from all the household waste baskets but she hadn’t so I made the rounds. When I got to the downstairs bathroom I noticed the foul smell again. I picked up the little plastic pail we used for trash in there and found the source of it. I poked around and found a clumped up ball of what looked like damp toilet paper. I squeezed it and found it to be soft but not mushy. Curious, I peeled the paper off and found a pair of panties. They had a sort of light brown color to them and as I shook them out recognized them as being the ones I’d seen the day before belonging to Jo. The smell told the story. I surmised that she’d had diarrhea in them and had tried to wash it out but without success. Giving up, she wrapped them in toilet paper and discarded them. Even as bad as they looked (and smelled) I knew they weren't going to the landfill.

By then I could hear the kids and knew they, and Elle, would soon be downstairs. I made a hasty retreat to the garage and hid the panties in the new bump out area. I knew I had to figure a way to get them washed out and clean before the stain and smell became permanent but that wasn’t the time to do it. I loaded all the trash and debris from the garage project into the station wagon and, with the dress from Judith in hand, headed East.

Judith laughed when I told her about Elle trying on the dress and saying it wasn’t designed for everyone. I paid her for the panties I'd had her put aside and headed back home, all the while thinking of how to get Jo’s panties clean. At home, Elle was doing her weekly wash. The soap powder she used was on the counter and when she wasn’t looking dumped a little into one of Kaye’s plastic cups. It took some doing but I managed to make up some soap water in the watering can out in the garage and dumped the panties in to soak. Every so often I’d go over to it and shake it up a bit as I finished nailing all the pieces together for the bump out. When Elle went in to make lunch I was able to take the panties out to check on them. They weren’t pristine white but the smell was gone and I felt the washing was a success. Drying them was easy as I had a plastic jug in the trunk of my car and draped them over it. I knew in the heat they’d dry quickly. Their next stop was into my "stash".
                                                         
                                                            Formfit Rogers

That reminded me that I really had to retrieve the box with my "stash" from my father’s garage. I’d been super lucky that he hadn’t stumbled on it as he continued to clean out his garage. I’d hidden my box in a cardboard box that my father had written ”SAVE“ on it, in crayon, knowing that he would. He’d moved it a few times and I had a mini heart attack when I’d gone looking for it and found that it’d been moved. Now, with Jo’s panties plus the pair from next door, it was a good time to do it. A while back I’d written about finding money in the cedar closet of the Northwest bedroom when I’d been painting it. The money was found behind a drawer built into the base of the closet. I’d thought about moving the stash into that space a time or two but, like so many other things, I’d put it off.

We’d been invited to go to a party but Elle had declined because her parents had company and couldn’t take the kids. When she did I didn’t think much about it but, as the afternoon progressed, she started having second thoughts. As I’d written, on my way back from downtown to get the screws for the shutters the previous day, I drove past the ”panty house“ and had seen one of the daughters sunning herself in her backyard. I ran the idea of asking her or her sister to come over for a few hours by Elle but she thought they probably had sitting jobs since it was so late in the day. I told her that the worst case was that they couldn’t make it and jumped in my car. Their father (the electrician) was by his truck when I pulled up. We chatted a bit but, looking at my watch, got to the point of my visit. He sent me on up to the back door where I was greeted by the older girl. I’d spoken to her a time of two when arranging for her father to do the electrical work for me so it really wasn’t all that awkward. I’d carried a positive attitude with me and just flat out asked if she could baby sit for us. She started to wrinkle up her face but then called out to her sister who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She turned away from me and the two of them seemed to engage in some serious negotiation. The older one then turned back to me and asked what time she was needed. It was funny because I had no idea. Embarrassed, I told her I’d call back in a few minutes.

We knew the older girls would have no problem but, with Kaye being such a ”mommy’s girl“, that might be a bit of a problem. When Susan arrived she was in a sun dress which sort of surprised me. She’d been in short shorts when I had talked with her and I was hoping she’d be wearing the same thing when she arrived. The older girls were actually happy to have a new "playmate" and dragged her off to the screened in porch. Elle was holding Kaye and ”selling“ the idea that she would have fun with the visitor but she was having none of it. It was time to go and when Elle put her down she started crying. Susan came over to try and talk with her and, to do so, squatted down in front of her. Kaye had a death grip on Elle’s leg with her face buried in her skirt. Susan sort of duck walked to get closer and as she did I got a few flashes of white. I remember thinking how glad I was that she had worn a dress. I had to drag Elle off the porch but as we drove down the driveway we could see Kaye in Susan’s arms.

The party was at the house of a friend of Pat’s and the lady was another who was going to be doing alterations for Pat. I knew some of the others from a combination of church and having worked in town as a boy. For me, it was fairly boring but Elle felt it was worth the time. Nothing of real interest (at least to me) took place. For Elle, she learned that Pat really wanted to get a bridal business going in the area and had shared some of her ”vision“ with Elle and the other ladies present.

We didn’t stay all that late and when we got home spent some time talking with Susan. The girls, even Kaye, had been good for her and she said she really had fun with them. She told us was going to be a senior at school, was a cheerleader, on the yearbook staff and hoped to go to college to become a pharmacist. I sat there listening and marveling at how pretty she was. Peggy had been a ”cute“ pretty but Susan was a natural. When she smiled I could see her as a model. She had ridden her bike over but I wasn’t about to let her ride it home in the dark. We put her bike in the back of the station and when she climbed into the front set she ”flounced“ the skirt of her dress. I got just a glimpse of her panties because the dome light wasn’t all that bright but I couldn’t help but think that if it had been daylight I would’ve had a decent ”peek“.

To be continued...

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120g)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120g)

Jay didn’t want to nail everything together permanently until all the pieces were tacked on just to make sure he’d thought of everything. We’d just tacked on the roof when we heard voices. Elle, Jo and the kids were back. It was just around 2pm which seemed early. We went out to see if everything was OK and found that Jo wasn’t feeling well. I remember her asking Jay when they’d be able to leave. Jay wasn’t all that happy to hear the news but told her he could be ready to go in less than an hour. I don’t remember Jo saying anything but I do remember Elle and Jo heading for the house with the kids headed for the playhouse.

Jay went over what I’d have to do to finish off the "bump out" and then we headed for the front of the house. I carried another shutter out with me as Jay took the step ladder, drill and extension cord. We walked past the screened in porch and although Elle was there Jo was missing. We went right to work as I held a shutter in place while Jay drilled the holes. He had some long screws but after using them he was concerned that they weren’t long enough to reach the siding of the house. They seemed to only go into the wooden shingles. He didn’t like that saying that they weren't sturdy enough but, since he wanted to head home, said he’d drill all the holes and that I could attach them at a later time. There wasn’t much I could say what with Jo not feeling well except to thank him for his efforts. When we walked to the back yard Jo still wasn’t on the porch. We asked where she was and Elle said she was in the bathroom. We loaded Jay’s equipment into his truck and by the time we finished Jo and her daughter had joined us. More apologies from Jo along with a promise to come and do it again pretty much ended their visit. I looked at it as productive even though we didn’t get everything done.

I don’t think Jay’s truck had reached the end of the driveway before Elle was badgering me about the shutters. She’d walked out to the front of the house and saw we’d attached one and wanted to know when I was putting up the other three. I didn’t need that right at that moment as I hadn’t had any lunch and my focus was on finishing up with the work on the garage. Plus, to do the shutters I would have to go downtown to get the longer screws that Jay had suggested. I explained that to her and I got a look of disappointment back. Never one to give up she started back with a ”But...“ and I knew she wasn’t going to back down. My initial reaction was to resist but it quickly came to me that I was actually in the ”catbird’s seat“ so I told her I’d make a deal with her. Before she could speak I told her she’d owe me another picture and that after they were up I’d expect some ”lubrication“. I remember her standing there looking at the front of the house for a few seconds and then I heard a soft ”OK“.

There was no way I was going downtown without something to eat first so we went inside. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands as she made me one of my favorite lunches... peanut butter and honey. The kids were in to get something to drink so I shut the door while I did my business. When I’d first walked in I thought I smelled something a little ”off“. Now, with the door closed it was worse. I finished up in there, ate my lunch and then took off to get the screws. On my way back I took the road that ran past the ”panty house“. I’d struck out the last few times I gone that way but there were a bunch on the line this afternoon. Also, one of the daughters was lying on a chaise and I wished I could come up with a reason to stop but I couldn’t. Seeing the girl reminded me that we’d not made any attempt to get one of them over to baby sit.

To get the shutters up I needed Elle to help. As she struggled to hold a shutter in place I remember thinking that Jay and I could’ve had them all up in the time it took to get just the one attached. I knew it wasn’t his fault but I was still disappointed that he wasn’t able to spend the whole day. I think the only thing that kept me from being really upset was that I knew I’d get something from Elle for getting the shutters installed. To me they were just an aesthetic where the garage project was of a practical nature and, to my way of thinking, more important.

By the time the last one was up it was getting close to 5pm. We stood back to look at the house and I could see Elle was pleased. Elle liked to eat around 6pm and I knew I still had a few minutes to get the first of my ”rewards“. We’d been struggling with the shutters for well over an hour and I knew she’d not been to the bathroom during that time. With a big smile on my face I stepped in front of her with my right hand formed into a cup. We were on the front lawn which was 15 feet higher than the road. I knew that cars driving by couldn’t see the steps to the front stoop so pulled her over to them. I sat down and had her sit straddling my knees. The look on her face was one of resignation but within seconds her warm pee was flooding over my fingers. Her shorts were loose enough for me to get a good ”rub“ in but she wouldn’t let me inside. When she got I up I persuaded her to leave her wet panties on but she did want to change into a dress. That reminded me that I still had to return the stripped dress that Judith had let me take. I figured I could do it the next morning when I took the trash to the landfill.

We'd planned to cook on the hibachi but the wind had really come up and Elle didn't want the smoke blowing into the house so we moved to the front of the house. On nights when the wind was up we'd head for the front lawn to play lawn games. We'd found it calmer to be there and the kids liked it as well. The dress that Elle had chosen was meant to be worn with a pair of short shorts but, with her wet panties (and to please me) had left them off.  It was actually as short as the dress from Judith's store. I was able to get a few really good peeks and ran inside to grab the camera. There were two pictures left. Elle, seeing the camera in my hand, made a pouty face to which I responded by pointing to the newly installed shutters. There was nothing she could say or do. This was the result.
                                                   
                           
With one picture left I hoped I could catch her and get a candid but she caught me, still with camera in hand. With a resigned look she proceeded to let me take one more...
                             
                                           Note the shutters...

To be continued...

Monday, February 03, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120f)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120f)

I don’t know if it was that I looked so distraught or that she really felt guilty but she apologized profusely. Then it was like a light bulb went on and she, animatedly, dashed to the store room. I didn’t know what was happening so I sort of followed her. I heard her call out that she’d had one returned but it didn’t have a tag on it and  wasn’t sure of the size. I’d actually wandered back to the area she’d set aside for lingerie and as I did I saw a pile of robins egg blue boxes on the counter. I recognized them from a previous visit as being Van Raalte products. I took a close look at the markings on the end of the boxes and determined they were panties. Each box displayed a different size number, from 4 to 8. I knew Elle was a size 5 in the Van Raalte panties so I pulled out that box. By then Judith was back with the dress. She apologized again and said she didn’t know if it would fit but I was welcome to take it home and to have Elle try it. I didn’t have anything to lose so said I would. She wouldn’t take any money but did ask that if Elle didn’t want it to get it back to her as soon as possible. I handed her the box of panties and told her I’d pick them up when I came back to either pay for the dress or to return it. She gave me a “knowing” smile.

Back at home Elle was preparing supper. I told her about having to try the dress on and why. She said it’d have to wait until later which was a bit disappointing. Eating supper I hoped I could get the picture she’d OK’d while she was in the process of trying it on. From that moment on time seemed to drag. With the kitchen finally cleaned up and the kids occupied she stepped out of her shorts and stripped off her top. I had the camera at the ready but she said I’d have to wait. I watched eagerly as Elle slipped the dress over her head and then I took a deep breath. Neither of us had realized just how short it was. It was about the same length as her newest bathing suit. Facing me I couldn’t see her panties but when she turned around it was a different story. When she ran her hand down her backside she could actually feel her panties just below the hem. She started laughing immediately. Then she made a comment that I can’t fully remember but it made me laugh too. It was something along the lines that the dress must’ve been designed by someone who thought like me. I still had the camera in my hand and asked if I could take one “just for laughs”. She agreed saying it would be fun to look back on it some time in the future. She was in such a good mood that I actually got her to OK two of them and here are the results.
                    

After she took the dress off and folded it up I told her I owed her one. Her reply was something along the lines of “or more” and she proceeded to pull a pad from one of the kitchen drawers and showed it to me. There were dates and notations behind each one. Basically, they were the “promises“ I’d made after getting her to give me a ”squirt“ or to fully wet her panties. The last two entries were the promises for letting me take pictures. It caught me by surprise and the look on her face could’ve been considered a ”gotcha!“. A closer look at the pad showed many entries crossed off which made the list less intimidating. I ended up asking what entries were still ”open“ and she said the only ones that mattered were this dress and the outfit from the Sears catalog. With that I breathed a sigh of relief. Her comment was that ”I had a memory of convenience“ and the list was a way to make sure she got what she’d been promised. There wasn’t much I could say even though it wasn’t completely true.

Jay had told me he hoped to arrive fairly early and when it got to be 10am I began to worry. Elle had me carry a shutter out to the front of the house and to hold it up so she could get an idea what they’d look like when attached. As we were doing that Jay’s pick up was pulling up the driveway. Jo got out and started explaining their lateness and apologizing. I was looking at Jay as she did and saw him roll his eyes. All I could do was smile.

Elle and I had discussed where to take Jo and her daughter to go swimming. We both agreed the best place was the beach at my parents house but... since I wasn’t going to be with them Elle’s mother would have a hissy fit if that’s where they ended up. So, I suggested they go to the beach at the sailing club and, since we were members again, they’d all be allowed to use the restrooms inside the clubhouse. Elle and my girls all had their bathing suits on so they were ready to go. Elle led Jo and her daughter inside so they could get changed as Jay and I unloaded his tools from his truck. Then we put the station wagon in the garage so Jay could remeasure just how much we had to add. By the time we finished Jo was back. She was wearing a one piece suit with a skirt across the front and looked quite good in it. I backed the wagon out and then they were off.

Having the right tools made the job easier. It didn’t take long for Jay to cut out the portion of the back wall of the garage in question. He gave me various things to do while he cut the wood he’d had me buy to the proper lengths. By the time we heard the noon siren from the fire house he’d got most of the pieces cut and was ready to start building the ”bump out“. He didn’t want to stop to eat but asked for something to drink. Walking into the kitchen I saw a pile of clothes on the end of the counter. I walked up to it and saw the daughters clothes right on top. I removed them and saw Jo’s bra on top of her panties. I carefully moved the bra and picked up the panties. I wasn’t expecting to see bikini as the last time I’d seen her panties they were full briefs. They were definitely nylon satin and had a combination applique/lace cut out right in the middle of the front. I liked it! I’d not seen anything quite like them before. The label read Formfit Rogers, size 5. I remember holding them wishing there was some way I could keep them but knew there was absolutely no way. I put all the clothes back and headed back to the garage with the pitcher of ice water.


To be continued...

Saturday, February 01, 2014

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120e)

MORE GOOD TIMES... August (Part 120e)

It was hard for her not to say anything but I persevered. I did admit that I probably should have told her when I first noticed the missing suit panties but I was sincere when I told her I was positive that Ginger had not noticed. It took some doing but I got her to say she believed me. At that point she reminded me about my promise to buy her the outfit she wanted from the Sears catalog and asked me to follow her into the kitchen. The catalog was open and I saw a three piece, plaid wool set made up with a skirt, vest and cape, with the cape acting as a coat. I liked what I saw as far as the clothes were concerned but looking at the price I took a deep breath... again. I’d told her that I’d get it for her as a birthday present. Her birthday was in October and, as of October first, I’d be eligible to borrow against my trust again. I shook my head affirmatively only to hear her say that I had to order it right away. Being early August she was afraid that if I waited they’d be all gone. I remembered I had a Sears credit card that I’d taken out when I was buying and selling cars but hadn’t used all that much since then. I told her that I’d place the order at lunch time on Monday. That news didn’t take all the ”heat“ off me but it sure helped.

On Thursday morning the big question was were we still going on the planned family sailing trip. Just to be on safe side I waited until everybody was up and eating breakfast before asking. The decision to go wasn’t unanimous but Elle made the most important one. Because of the delay in deciding we got a late start. Among the lessons Elle and I had learned on our trip on Monday was that the girls needed to wear their sneakers. Big B had varnished his floorboards and they were very slippery when wet. We’d also discovered some hardware (cleats) that were just lying in wait to ”bite“ anyone not paying attention. We brought along some of my old socks to wrap around them hoping that it would soften the blow should one of the kids run into one. By the time we got away from the dock it was almost noon.

Elle wore her pink seersucker bating suit, the one piece one that looked like a playsuit. I liked that one too as it was the one where she wore a pair of her regular panties in place of the sewn in ones. It didn’t take much movement for me to get my ”peeks“ in. Elle really didn’t like having the kids out in the noonday sun so she put a time limit on our voyage saying we had to be back at the dock around two o’clock. We motored out into the bay before hoisting the sails. There was definitely more wind than we’d had on Monday but not too much. Because the boat was heeling with more wind Elle had to hold on to Kaye which didn’t make her very happy. Jean, our oldest, didn’t really know what to make of it and with every puff I could see her eyes bug out a bit. On the other hand, Anne just loved it. With the wind there were waves and with waves there was some splashing of water up into the cockpit. Anne positioned herself so the spray would hit be sure to hit her.

I’d hoped for the trip to be an opportunity for the older girls to learn a bit about a boat with two sails but there was too much wind for that. I did offer Anne the chance to help me steer the boat. At least she thought she was helping. I had to give her credit for being willing to give it a try. We made it back to the dock a little early and because we hadn’t had any calm water to take a lunch break Elle broke out the sandwiches and cookies. For Anne, anyway, that was the icing on the cake. All in all I gave the trip a grade of ”B”. By the time we got home and all cleaned up Elle was back to what I called normal. I just knew I had to “behave” to keep it that way.

I called Jay at work and confirmed that he’d be at the house “as early as possible” , the next day. He qualified that by adding that it was really subject to getting Jo and his daughter organized.  I was pretty much ready, having transplanted two rose bushes the night before and set the cement blocks that would act as the footing for the “bump out” addition to the garage. I was in the garden looking at my handiwork when Elle walked up behind me. Still feeling a mite bit guilty I wondered what was up. When I turned around to look at her she had a bit of a sheepish smile on her face. I returned the “look” and waited for the the shoe to drop... and it did... but it wasn’t all that bad.

When we’d gone to Judith’s boutique a few weeks back Elle hadn’t seen anything jump out at her. However, she did make a statement that a striped dress she’d looked at was “cute” and, in hearing that, I had told Judith to put it aside for me. And then, in a moment of weakness and to get a few pictures told her I’d get it for her. I’d forgotten about it but she hadn’t. Standing there in front of me with a sheepish smile still on her face she hinted that since I wasn’t involved in a project at that moment that I could go and get it for her. I hesitated for a few seconds and her look changed to more of a pleading one. Knowing that I had a bit of an upper hand I decided to take a bit of a risk and said I’d do it if I could have a picture. She wrinkled up her face and with it still that way sort of hissed out and asked when. I told her I didn’t know yet and then she kind of whispered “OK”. I was on my way within seconds.

It was about a twenty minute drive to Judith’s store. On my way it came to me that Elle hadn’t tried the dress on so I was concerned about the size of the one that Judith was supposed to put away for me. Another thing was that I knew Elle’s preferences for color and they were mostly pastels and bright. As I remembered the dress it was quite dark even though it had horizontal stripes of many colors running through it. Judith was happy to see me but when I asked about the dress she said she’d sold it since I hadn’t contacted her about picking it up. Upon hearing that my heart sank. I’d worked so hard to get back in Elle’s “good graces” and now it would be gone when I showed up at home without the dress.

To be continued...