ANOTHER YEAR... with new adventures (Part 151e)

ANOTHER YEAR... new adventures (Part 151d)

I’m sure you’ve all experienced situations where you’ve been ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’. That was me that evening. Elle didn’t say anything except to tell me if that if I wanted to eat, sit down, because she was cleaning up the kitchen. That took away any chance I had to check out the upstairs bathroom and to see if Gracie’s panties were still behind the faucet. I could see Elle had changed from her school clothes which was an indication that she’d been in that bathroom. I tried to make conversation but most of what I got was one or two word answers. I certainly didn’t enjoy my dinner and just sat there waiting for her to ‘pounce’ on me. It was an uncomfortable situation.

When the girls realized I was home they came charging into the kitchen wanting me to play Situation Four (the game they got for Christmas) with them. It was one way to escape the ice cold atmosphere I was in but it didn’t help to answer the question about the panties. I tried to beg off saying I wanted to change out of my “good clothes” but they were relentless. So, onto the floor of the living room I went. I could probably use the excuse that I was ‘distracted’ for losing to both of them. Elle and I’d forbidden them to play each other because they would end up fighting so that was it for the game. Now it was time to find out  about the panties.

Elle had finished in the kitchen and had gone out into the den to look at the newspaper. I was anxious to get up the stairs but took my time. Because our bedroom was right above the den and had hardwood floors I decided to go in there first as I knew she'd hear my footsteps. I turned on the light and started unbuttoning my shirt when I saw something on my pillow. I walked over towards it and immediately recognized the puckered material. In less than a second I was wet from perspiration. I immediately realized that Elle would be waiting for me when I returned to the first floor and I also realized that she was in control of the situation. With the kids still up I was pretty sure she wouldn’t do or say anything that might upset them so, after changing and holding my breath, I headed down the stairs.

I’m sure she was pretending to read but watching me as I walked through the living room. I wasn’t sure what to do especially with the kids right there so took advantage of that. Kaye was coloring in one of the books she’d received at Christmas so chose her as my ‘target’, asking how she liked day care. That was a good move as she bounced up and started babbling about all the things she got to do. That lasted for a few minutes and gave me a chance to take a peek at Elle. Still hiding behind the newspaper I couldn’t get a ‘read’ on her at all. I grabbed a section of the paper and sat on the couch but had no intention of reading. I don’t know how long it was before Elle called for the girls to start getting ready for bed. It was while they were headed up the stairs that I made my decision on just what to say and do when she returned.

My grandfather had a number of pet sayings, almost all of them cliches, that he used frequently. One that had resonated with me a few times in my past went something like this... ‘If you tell the truth you have nothing to forget.’ In spite of the number of ideas I’d generated on my way home, none seemed plausible. I remember sitting there with a half smile on my face thinking that even the truth didn’t seem plausible. I also remember thinking that, worst case, I could call Gracie to have her explain to Elle what had happened... but knew that wouldn’t be fair to her. So, I just sat there and waited for Elle to return.

There was an opening in the wall adjacent to the stairs that allowed you to see anybody descending the last six or so steps. I took a deep breath when I saw Elle’s form appear. I sort of expected that her facial expression would show anger but it didn’t. It was basically blank. But, in her hands were the panties. For a few seconds it was a standoff, neither of us speaking a word. From out of the deep recesses of my ‘gray matter’ I came up with a question that I think surprised both of us... “Did you find Gracie’s towels?”

“Why?” was her answer. Then I told her that if she had she would’ve found one that was soaked in urine. That made her face wrinkle up in disbelief. I wasted no time at all in describing the situation that Gracie had described to me. I never hesitated because I didn’t want to give Elle a chance to ask any questions until I finished. I wasn’t a student of ‘body language’ back then but now I know that when she crossed her arms across her chest she was saying “Bull shit!” I wasn’t sure it was the right time to to tell her about me giving Gracie a pair of her panties but I went ahead anyway. Her arms remained across her chest for a short time before she asked which panties I’d given her. When I told her a pair of Carter’s Spanky Pants she immediately blurted out “You didn’t!”. The look on her face was a cross between disbelief and embarrassment. All of a sudden some of the pressure was off me. “Why would you do that? They’re all stained!” were the next words I heard.

I assured her that the pair I’d given her were the newest ones and were not noticeably stained. It was obvious that her concern had shifted from me doing something wrong (with Gracie) to me embarrassing her. (The female mind has always amazed me) My answer gave her pause and with it I asked where she’d put the towels. I’m almost sure her answer was one of reflex as she said they were in the washing machine down in the basement. Not wasting a second I bolted for the cellar door. I was back in less than a minute and had the towels which were all rolled up in a ball. The outside one was the bath towel, still a bit damp. As I unrolled it the hand towel dropped to the floor. It was wet but a lot of the wetness had wicked out to the edges. I picked it up and started to  hand it to her but, naturally, she wouldn’t touch it. At that point I just stood there looking at her and shrugged my shoulders waiting for her to say something.

To be continued...