FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Peggy (Part 146e)

FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Peggy (Part 146e)

Bret still wasn’t all that optimistic about my plan but agreed to go along with it. The first real test was going to be the end of the day ‘proof’ for Peggy. I observed her working on the school savings project and she seemed happier than I’d seen her since she started. There was no deposit activity for the program as that had been done on Tuesday and Wednesday. She was cleaning up a lot of the detail work that had been neglected for who know how long. Without someone to oversee it on a regular basis it had become a ”tuit“... someday, someone was going to get 'around to it' and that day had finally come. When Lillian told her she had to take over the drive-up window so she could go to lunch Peggy had forgotten all about it. I had Bret keep an eye on her and when the hour was up he said he saw no problems. I didn’t expect any because there still wasn’t that much business at the drive-up. My concern was when it came time to do her ‘proof’. I wont say I held my breath but I remember smiling when she she did and the debits and credits matched. In my mind that was step one.

The next day, Friday, it was the same. Peggy was smiling and at ease as she continued to work on the project and had no problem sliding into the drive-up position. As I remember it, she got a number a favorable comments from the customers. Lillian had a group of ‘regulars’ and when they saw Peggy they wanted to know what had happened to her. I was standing by the vault when I overheard the conversation with one of them. As the lady was about to pull away I heard her say ”You’re nice too...“ Again, Peggy had no trouble proving up. So far so good.

I made a point of stopping her as she was leaving. I asked how she was doing and certainly didn’t expect the answer I got. This was a completely different employee than the tentative one I’d spent so much time with earlier in the week. Her answer was firm and to the point... ”School savings is a mess!... but I’m working on it.“ I didn’t dare bring up the fact that she’d struck a proof two days in a row and all on her own. I’d been walking with her to the back door and when we got to the vestibule I was going to return to my desk. However, she put her hand on my arm and took a deep breath. I didn’t know what to expect. At this point she reverted to the tentative girl she’d been when talking to me in the Board room. She made an abortive attempt to say something but stopped. Then she blurted out that she'd taken my advice. I stood there not saying anything. I know I had to have had a questioning look on my face. Then she told me that she’d gone to the department store and then I knew immediately. But, I didn’t know what to say. I’m sure was I blushing because, being in the vestibule with people coming and going, this was certainly not a topic for public consumption. I thought it would end there but then she asked if I’d come outside for a minute.

We walked behind a truck that was parked by the back door and when we stopped she asked if she could ask a somewhat personal question. I knew I’d probably opened a ‘Pandora’s box’ when I told her about Elle’s ‘dribbles’ and how she handled it but I didn’t expect that I’d have to go into the detail of it. I know she was happy that it was dark out when she asked how Elle handled the plastic panel in the sanitary panties against her skin. I knew what the answer was but thought there was no way Peggy would buy into it. I tried to get around the question but she really wanted to know. Reluctantly and slowly I told her that Elle wore her panties and put the sanitary panty and pad on over them. My ‘take’ on her was that she thought it was a crazy idea so I went on. Using a bit of psychology I told her that with wearing her panties she would try harder not to have an ”accident“ in them. If she just had the sanitary pantie with the pad in it she wouldn’t try as hard. I could tell she didn’t fully understand so I got out of it by reminding her she originally wanted to know how to keep the plastic panel off her bottom. She acknowledged it and, as always, thanked me profusely. As she walked away I wondered if she was wearing them.

Each passing day was bringing the bank closer to the end of the month and year as well as the conversion of all our deposit records over to the service bureau. The end of the month also meant the ‘busy period’. I had my mind full of things that could go wrong and Peggy was sure one of them. I hadn’t told her, or Bret, that I was planning on having her take over the drive-up window, full time, during that period and moving Lillian out to the lobby teller line... but it depended on how Peggy was doing with her nightly ‘proofs’. I pretty much kept my distance from Peggy over the two weeks leading up to the busy period... with the exception of during the Christmas party. It was handled the same way as the previous year with it taking place in the lobby and using the Secret Santa idea for the gift exchange. Bret, again, was "Santa" and did a good job. I tried to stand back and just be an observer but Peggy sidled her way over to where I was. She didn’t say anything but within seconds I felt something touch my hand. I looked down and saw Peggy was trying to slide something into it. Thinking that she, somehow, had drawn my name I told her that Bret was supposed to hand out the presents. She was smiling when she said she knew and then walked away. It was an envelope that she’d given me. With all the attention on ”Santa“ I was able to open it.

It was a letter. Peggy had obviously put a lot of thought into it. In summary, she pledged to ”reward’ me for my “faith” in her by giving her another chance. There was one more thing... a request to meet with me where no one from work would see us. I wasn’t sure how to take that. If it hadn’t been for the sincerity of the letter I wouldn’t have even considered it. I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out where we could meet where there would be the least chance of being seen. Usually, I was able to come up with something but my mind was blank. When my name was called to get my gift from “Santa” I glanced at Peggy. The smile on her face told me she knew I’d read her note... and I found myself starting to perspire.

To be continued...