MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138d)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138d)

In my mind August 1st was the halfway point of the Summer. I couldn’t believe it because the time had gone by so fast. With five months to go until we were to switch over to the service bureau it seemed a little early to be purchasing the equipment we’d need but the people at the service bureau insisted that it wasn’t. It had been over a year since I’d been to the city. The meeting was scheduled for 10am which didn’t give me a lot of time after arriving by train. The equipment manufacturer was Burroughs and they had a beautiful show room and office with all types of equipment for all kinds of applications. The managers of the service bureau were there along with their programmers to get started on the programming that would be necessary on the teller machines that the bank would be buying. We were getting a break on the price as the service bureau was to be the actual purchaser of the equipment. We’d end up getting the quantity price break the service bureau was entitled to. I didn’t know how that worked but it was certainly a good deal.

After lunch with the service bureau people I had most of the afternoon free and I knew exactly where I was headed... Macy’s and Gimbel’s department stores. I still remember my first time at Macy’s. Eight stories of ‘stuff’ and the biggest lingerie department I’d ever seen. The store took up almost one whole city block and the lingerie part was easily one half of one floor. However, I’d been there a few more times since that first visit but it was still pretty overwhelming to see whole tables just filled with panties. It was about the time that flowered panties were coming in vogue. I stopped at one table and took a close look at them and the ones I’d picked up had a funny feel to them. The material was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was for just that reason that I decided to buy a pair.

Since Gimbel’s was right next door I had to make the trip across the street. Gimbel’s was six stories high and wasn’t quite as big as Macy’s. But, the lingerie department was equal to it. What I liked was that they had panty makers that Macy’s didn’t have (or, at least that I could discern) which made an impression on me. The name Gimbel’s was also in my mind because I’d seen Bebe’s new panties (after she’d gotten new clothes after the fire that burned down her parents house and restaurant) which were purchased at a Gimbel’s store. They were nylon satin bikinis made by Modern Globe and, even though Elle had never worn bikinis, I wanted to get some just in case she did. I was in the right place. There was one whole table with nothing but Modern Globe nylon satin bikinis in all sizes from 4 to 10. I remember standing there holding a pair of the size 10’s and wondering just what the woman who would wear them would look like. I was laughing to myself as I put them back on the table. I ended up buying six pair (NOT the size 10!). Of course I had no idea if Elle would ever wear them but I didn’t care.

The train trip home was brutal. There was no air conditioning and the trains were crowded. When I finally got home it was around 6:30pm, over twelve hours since I’d left that morning. Thankfully, the kids had eaten and were occupied outside because I was really tired. Elle was all bubbly and excited with the news that it was the new principal who was moving in next door. The family had arrived in the morning and our girls had already been next door to meet their kids... five girls. Elle was smiling when she told me about her meeting the mother and that my observation from the ‘meet and greet’ at Pat’s house the other night had been “right on the money”... she definitely “wore the pants” in that household. She described how she ordered the moving men about and later, when the principal showed up, he didn’t have much to say as she did most of the talking. I asked how the kids were and she said they were really nice. Two of them were in high school and two were in junior high which calculated out to mean they were teenagers. The youngest was ten and a year ahead of Jean. The last thing she said about them was that all were short. I didn’t know why she said that and didn’t ask.

Later, I showed Elle the flowered print panties. She had the answer as to why they felt funny to the touch... they were made of a crepe material. When we went to bed I had her try them on but she said they felt “scratchy” to her. They were made by a company called SeamPrufe. Somewhere before, I’d seen that name but couldn’t recall where. They were nicely made and I asked Elle if she’d wear them with another pair under them. She smiled and said she’d “think about it”. That was better than a “No!”
                                

SeamPrufe
As strange as it may seem, I sort of hated taking a day off for pleasure or business. It always seemed like something bad happened when I wasn’t there and then I’d have to sort it all out upon returning. The minute I walked through the door I knew there was a problem... no air conditioning. A heat wave was in the process of engulfing the whole area. It wasn’t the first time it had happened but even with the experience of the past to go on it seemed like no one knew exactly what to do about it. I remembered that we rented large fans to put in the front and rear vestibules which helped on the first floor. However, when the bank had last been remodeled, all the windows were sealed so the second floor had no respite. It was only 9am and the temperature up there was over 80 degrees.

The fans were delivered and in place by 10am. If you’ve been reading this for any length of time then I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to guess who didn’t waste any time before coming downstairs to complain... J J. He was such a PITA (pain in the ass)!  I didn’t waste any time with him which only made him complain even more. However, when he gave up and started back upstairs he did tell me that the new hire (Moira) was “a keeper”. I remember giving him one of those looks that was meant to say “I don’t believe you just said that.”

To be continued...