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

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

There was a lot going through my mind on the trip home that night not the least of which was how to explain the car. As I walked up to the kitchen door I decided to wait to tell her until I could asses what kind of mood she was in. Being that it was around 7pm I knew the kids had been fed but sometimes Elle would wait for me to eat. I was hoping that was so. Usually, the first thing I’d do after walking in was to go to the end of the kitchen counter and peruse the mail. Approaching it I saw a bunch of bikini panties spread out there. I looked for Elle but there was no one in the room. I can tell you that I had turned a shade of cooked lobster red after seeing them.

When I returned from my visit to the city when I purchased the bikinis I’d planned to put them with all the other new panties I’d been collecting. Standing there looking at them I remembered that I was tired that evening so just stuffed them, still in the bag, behind my shoes in the clothes closet. Then I promptly forgot about them. WHEW! Elle had heard the car come up the drive and had been waiting for me to see them before appearing. She walked in with a sneer on her face and her arms across her chest in somewhat the same manner that Mala had done just a little earlier. She didn’t say a word. I pretty much knew the drill... she would wait for me to speak first. I think I shrugged my shoulders and said something inane like ”They’re bikinis...“ and waited for her. ”For who? Your girlfriend?“ I know I frowned at that and responded ”For you!“  As I remember it she spit out a ”HA!“ and then, knowingly, stated that she didn’t wear bikinis plus they were a size 4. That last bit of information surprised me because I knew she wore size 5. I reached for a pair and there. plain as day, was the tag with size 4 printed right on it. I stood there remembering the table that they were on. There had been rows of them, in each size, and I was sure I’d taken the size 5’s. Standing there holding the panties I knew I’d screwed up, big time.

Without taking you through the rest of the discussion the end result was that she believed me. The fact that they were nylon satin and that I’d briefly hinted at having her try bikinis earlier in the Spring gave her pause and she backed off on her ‘attack’. It ended up being a ‘chilly’ night even though the temperature was in the 80’s.

Discretion being the better part of valor I decided against telling her about my purchase. I’d come up with the idea of mentioning it when I told her about the refund of the retirement money but wanted it to be under better circumstances. I still needed to borrow the dealer plates so I could move the car from the bank parking lot. I grabbed a bite to eat (a peanut butter and honey sandwich) and headed out towards the garage. I was halfway there when I heard a voice from the side yard. I turned and saw it was the oldest daughter, Mo, of our new neighbors. She was carrying a wash basket loaded to the brim with clothes. She said a cheery ”good morning“ as she caught up to me. I know I was frowning when I asked where she was going. Still bright and cheerful she announced that she was going to hang out the wash. I stopped and I don’t remember just what it was that I said but it was abrupt enough to make her stop in her tracks. I asked if she asked my wife if she could use it knowing that Elle usually did the sheets and towels on Saturday. She looked surprised at my question and after a few seconds told me her mother had told her to go do it. I know what I wanted to say but quickly realized that she (Mo) was only the messenger so kept my response somewhat civil. I told her to go tell her mother that if she wanted to use our clothes line that she would have to clear it with my wife. The girl just shrugged her shoulders and headed back for the opening in the hedge.

I can honestly remember standing there at the end of the path shaking my head. The woman (the principal’s wife) was unbelievable. No one mattered but her. Standing there I thought about Sabrina and how I thought she was a PITA (pain in the ass) but I’d take a dozen Sabrinas to just one of this woman. I debated as to weather to go warn Elle but decided against it. She was the one who wouldn’t let me go tell the woman off when I'd wanted to so I figured it was now her problem.

I stopped at the Chevy dealership to see Henry. the GM to see if I could borrow the dealer plates. He had no problem with it. I thanked him for the info on the pricing of the car the night before and he said he didn’t know anything about it as he stood there smiling. I took the opportunity to ask about how the delivery of the new car went and he just shook his head. He made some sort of disparaging comment about the transaction and having to deal with Mala’s husband but did say the sale, thankfully, went through.

When I got to the bank it was the first time I had actually sat in the car. It was a clean as on the day it was delivered. There was only 30 something thousand miles on. When I started it up and the motor just purred. Lifting the hood, the engine looked like it had just been installed and the tires looked fairly new (not like the ones on my old car). I felt pretty good about it. I’d come up with the idea of asking James if I could leave it at his service station for a few days until I got the registration changed so headed on up to his place. I had continued to frequent his place for gas but hadn’t seen him in quite a while. Pulling in I spied his daughter, Peggy, pushing a baby carriage through the front door. As soon as I saw her I felt badly because I hadn’t followed up on how she was doing. However, I did notice that she’d lost some of the weight she’d gained during her pregnancy. I also noticed that she was wearing short shorts and as she bent over a bit to give a gentle push to the carriage up over the sill I saw a little snippet of white from both leg openings. It brought back memories of the last Summer Elle and I lived in the mobile home. In a way it was sad seeing her. She was still a teen (19) but was already a widow with a very young baby. She looked much older than that but a lot of it had to do with the extra weight. When I'd walked into the office and she saw me I was embarrassed but she seemed genuinely glad to see me. It was obvious that she was in a much better frame of mind than the last time I'd seen her. When she smiled she was still a pretty girl.

To be continued...