FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Cont.) (Part 144d

FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) (Part 144d)

I’d glanced up at the clock when Gina had let out her little cry and it wasn’t yet 4pm. I’d noticed that there was a dress laying over the back of the work chairs and, to ease my latest embarrassment, I asked about it. She said she was meeting some friends for dinner and wouldn’t have time to go home to change. In looking at the dress I’d also noticed that it wasn’t like anything I’d seen her wear at work. Most of her clothes were skirts in shades of grays and blues with a few khakis thrown in. This dress was kind of an ivory color with a flower print. I made a comment noting that this dress seemed ‘out of character’ for her. She laughed her easy laugh and told me that I didn’t really know the ‘inner’ Gina. She was right.

At that point I thought I was home free from her teasing and when she asked if I could do her a favor I jumped at it. I remember her hesitating a bit before going on. She said she’d forgotten a slip and was a little concerned about how sheer the material of the dress was. She wanted me to be honest and to tell her if I could “see too much” after she put it on. And, she was serious. I nodded that I would and watched her start to head for the ladies bathroom. I told her to save time and use the one by Hobie’s and my desks. She didn’t hesitate for a second and walked right past me. As she did I was hoping that it would be too sheer just to see what she’d do then.

It took her less that a minute to drop the Farmer Johns, strip off her top and reappear with the dress on. It was a bit of a revelation to see her wearing something light in color... and she looked good in it. With her facing me I couldn’t tell that she wasn’t wearing a slip. However, when she turned and the sun, still streaming through the windows behind her, it was almost like she didn’t have a dress on at all. I was honest and I told her she needed a slip. She made a bit of a face but before she could say anything I suggested getting one next door at W.T.Grant’s. She didn’t respond immediately so I said it was the simplest solution. Grant’s was cheap and was right there. I asked what time she was to met her friends and when she said 5pm I told her it was her only option other than the clothes she’d worn to work. She laughed... and said she’d do it.

I honestly didn’t have an ulterior motive when I offered to go buy the slip for her. I remember the look on her face when I did. Without any embarrassment at all I told her I bought almost all my wife’s lingerie. Again, her exact words are long gone but it was definitely in the vein of “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I told her I wasn’t but I needed her to tell me what size and what length the slip was to be. She gave the details to me and wanted to give me money but I told her time was fleeting and headed for the back door. I was back in less than 10 minutes. When I handed it to her she made another comment but this one I do remember... “You are one of a kind!”. I was embarrassed once again.

I fully expected her to go back into the bathroom to put the slip on. To get a full slip on the woman has to be, basically, undressed. I watched her reach for the door and then stop. She took a couple of steps and then turned around to look at me and reached down and grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled it up over her head. I don’t think I took a breath for over a minute. As she was doing this she paid no attention to me at all. It was as if she were in her bedroom and getting dressed by herself. She took very little time and when she smoothed the hem of the dress out she walked over to the place she’d been where the sun was behind her. The first and only word she spoke was “Well?”(120)

I won’t say I was entirely honest when I told her she’d be fine. I could still see her silhouette but felt that by the time she was due to meet her friends the sun would be almost down. She thanked me and told me she’d pay me the next day. She grabbed her work clothes and we headed for the door. I could’ve gone out with her but decided to stay for a few minutes to recap what I’d just witnessed. Walking back to my desk I realized that I’d missed the opportunity to chat with Gina about me being “a panty man” that she’d suggested. The bit with the dress and slip had taken ‘front and center’ and I wondered if I’d ever get another chance.

The week was a strange one in that there were two days the bank would be closed... Election day and Veterans Day. I had thought about approaching Gina to see if she might be willing to work on that day as well. Thankfully, she declined. Because of the two holidays the lobby traffic remained busy which cut into the one on one training I wanted Gina to get done. By the time we left to go home on Thursday only Cara and Janet were proficient. I’d put off asking Gina just when she would be leaving for her new job as I was getting concerned that she wouldn’t have all the tellers trained by the time she left. I hated the thought of asking her but over that weekend I knew I had to and had to do it soon.

The next Monday, as expected, was very, very busy and Gina was forced to work her teller window the whole day. There was no opportunity to take her aside to ask the dreaded question. The only chance I got to speak to her at all was to tell her who would be her next ‘trainee’ and that was as she was leaving for the day. The next morning I found an envelope, hand addressed, on my chair. It was a formal letter of resignation from Gina, nicely worded with thanks for all the bank had done to help her and her daughter. There were no words that even hinted of negativism on her part and I was truly impressed. Her last day was to be December 1st which was just over two weeks away. Now I had the job to let everyone know she’d be leaving and I wasn’t looking forward to that, especially Hobie who’s attitude towards her seemed to have changed.

To be continued...