AUTUMN... now the changes (Part 143r)

AUTUMN... now the changes (Part 143r)

I left it up to Elle to make contact with Phyllis knowing I wouldn’t be a part of any conversation about it anyway. My thoughts were on the upcoming week at work with the new man, Mike, replacing the recently departed Hank. Even though he’d be there, both Bret and I would still have to walk him through all the things he had to do and when to do them. I was hoping he was a quick learner. Also on my agenda was following up with the service bureau and the telephone company on the missing switch so we could get started on the name and address transfer since November was right around the corner. As I mentally went through the week it suddenly came to me that I’d not followed up with Brucie on the rental of the mobile home for Moira. I’d gotten so engrossed with my plan for Elle’s birthday ‘present’ on Friday that I’d completely forgotten that I was going to call him about how much he was planning on charging for rent. There were two parts to it... rent for the unit itself and then the pad rental. The amount was critical for Moira because she was getting no money from her husband. It upset me a lot that I’d forgotten. Don’t ask me why but that got me to thinking about the fact I’d told my friend James that I’d interview his daughter Peggy and hadn’t gotten back to him on that. Of course that thought got me to thinking about Gina and the fact she’d be leaving in just four weeks. My head was spinning.

I seldom watched pro football on TV until the weather made it uncomfortable to work outside. That Sunday had started out fairly nice but by the time church was over it was getting nasty. By the time we’d eaten lunch it has started to rain. I’d had it in mind to rake the leaves from the back yard out into the farm. John, the neighbor farmer, had told me it was OK and it saved me a lot of time not having to bag them up and cart them to the ‘dump’. So, with the rain I rationalized that it would be permissible to take the afternoon off and watch the game. However, watching it from my recliner was a guarantee that I’d fall asleep... and I did.

When I woke up the game was over. Whenever I’d watch a game Elle would send the kids to the basement to play. I didn’t hear any sounds at all and Elle wasn’t in sight. I got out of my recliner and headed for the kitchen. As I started down the hall I heard a German accent so I stopped. It was Phyllis, Barbara’s mother. The next thing I heard was Elle asking a question and it seemed to be for Barbara. But, the answer came from Phyllis. Then I heard Phyllis say something like ”Isn’t that right, Barbara?“ but didn’t hear an answer. I hadn’t expected Elle to follow up on our bedtime conversation quite this quickly but it seemed like that was what was happening. Knowing I wouldn’t be welcome in the conversation I retreated to the den. From my recliner I could see out onto the patio and had a first hand look at anybody leaving the house. It might have been fifteen or twenty minutes before I saw Barbara leave. I waited for a few minutes for Phyllis but she didn’t follow. I got up again and went back to where I’d overheard Phyllis speaking earlier. I heard Elle asking Phyllis to be sure Barbara was OK with the arrangement but I didn’t hear an answer. The last thing I heard was Elle saying was that she wanted Barbara to feel comfortable. Then I heard the door close.

I hesitated for a minute or so before walking out into the kitchen. I could see concern on Elle’s face. In my mind I knew I  had to ask but I acted like I had no idea what had taken place. I remember clearly what she had to say. Having heard Phyllis speak for Barbara I thought she’d be all over Phyllis. But all Elle would say was that she wanted to talk with Barbara alone. Other than that she wouldn’t tell me anything about what had taken place. However, having been married to her for nine years had taught me to be patient and if I did she’d eventually tell me and without having to plead.

Monday was a LONG day! As I previously had written I was happy to have a replacement for Hank (the messenger/custodian) so quickly. Both Bret and I found that filling in for him after his death made for a lot of aggravation. However, it was a long and tedious process walking the new man, Mike, through all the things he was to do. I did manage to call Brucie on the matter of Moira’s rental of one of his mobile homes and pleaded her case. Moira had told me that anything over $100 a month would be almost impossible for her. The amount Brucie had given me was $120 with $50 of it for rent of the unit and the rest for the pad. Brucie could be a real A__ H___ but I’d had dealings with him in the past and as long as I didn’t get upset could usually get him to ‘bend’. I told him about her ‘limit’ and asked if he’d cut it back to $100 for six months until she could get the situation with her husband squared away. He hemmed and hawed for a few minutes but finally said OK and hung up. I remember sitting there holding the receiver in my hand for a few seconds. Needless to say Moira had mixed emotions when I told her, glad she had a place to stay but still worried about how to pay for it. I told her she worried too much and got a smile in return.

While at lunch the service bureau had called and left a message that the missing telephone company switch would be installed sometime during the week and that they were shipping two teller machines to us on Thursday. That made for two pieces of good news but it forced me into planning for the work to be done. It included training on the new machines. There was lot to be done in a short period of time. Bret had done the preliminary floor planning but now I’d have to tell everyone what was about to happen. I’d decided to put Gina in charge of the name and address project but hadn’t told her (or anybody else) about it. I knew I’d get some ‘flak’ for my choice but was determined to go forth. I figured the place to start was with Gina.

To be continued...