"SPRING"ING AHEAD... Better days? (Part 170a)

“SPRING”ING AHEAD… Better days? (Part 170a)

Mae had asked if we could start at 8:30am to give her a little more money. It didn’t matter to me since getting out of there by noon was my goal. It sounds trite but the best way to describe her that morning was “bright eyed and bushy tailed”. She was really anxious to get something accomplished and her enthusiasm rubbed off on me. We carefully went through a couple of crates and, after showing her how to identify items that just might be valuable, turned her loose. There was no humidity in the cellar and we soon found ourselves to be thirsty. The coffee break room was just around the corner and Mae knew how to brew a pot of coffee on the bank’s equipment. While she did that I went over to the luncheonette to get a couple of sweet buns. As I was paying for them I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back and it was Lynda.

About the last person I expected to find in town, on a Saturday, was Lynda. She quickly explained that the “junior” brokers in the office were required to take training courses to prepare them to take a test to become certified or whatever it was called. She’d been asked to come in to “baby sit” the group as both Bill and Stan were tied up. She’d been dispatched to get sandwiches for them so they wouldn’t have to take time out for lunch and could get done early. She asked why I was in town as well and after explaining my situation she told me that her group was due to finish up around 2pm. She, back to being ever so coy, asked if I wanted to stick around and visit with her after the others left. I remember taking a deep breath and telling her I’d have to see how the rest of my project was progressing and I’d call her, one way or the other. Even though it normally only took a few minutes to cross the street to get to the bank I stood on the corner for a couple of light changes weighing the offer.

Back in the cellar I was pleasantly surprised to see Mae had gone through a couple of crates while I was gone and had set them aside to be taken out to be burned. She’d also polished off half a pot of coffee. We sat in the break room for a few minutes wolfing down the buns. It had been in the back of my mind to ask what her work aspirations were. She’d shown she was extremely bright and had a good quick mind. I’d hoped for a ‘snappy' answer but she sat back on the couch and sort of stared up at the ceiling. I wasn’t expecting the answer I got but, after having some time to think about it, it made sense. She, quite calmly stated she just wanted to be able to provide a good, stable life for her family. I was expecting an answer along the lines of “I want to be a branch manager.” But, before I could get her to expand on her answer, she started telling me about her early life and how her father had been killed in WWII and how her mother never really accepted his death. She and her siblings lived with relatives until she met the man who married her at age 17 and that wasn’t much different. I felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to her relate what it had been like so, abruptly, told her we had to get back to work. However, as I stated above, with a little time to assimilate all that she’d shared, her answer made sense. It told me that she didn’t really have a plan.

When the noon siren went off I asked if she wanted to stay a little longer. We’d accomplished what I’d set out to do and a little more. Between the two of us we’d cleared the space I wanted but if we went another three or so feet we could have the partition wall clear. It would allow us to move some of the stuff from the middle storage area out of the way to allow us to, hopefully, get to the back. So, we started in again  but ran into crates that I couldn’t make a determination of just what they held. That was a ‘sign’ that it was time to quit. I know it was after 1pm. As we went back upstairs I was debating with myself weather to stay until 2pm and meet up with Lynda. A quick calculation told me if I was on my way home by 2:30pm or so I could still get my Saturday chores done before dark. After thanking Mae and letting her out the door I headed for my desk.

I could tell by the tone of her voice that Lynda was excited that I’d called. I gave her the phone number for a direct connection to my desk so she could call when all the people were out of the broker’s office. That’s when I took some time to think about my participation on the State Association’s Personnel Management Committee. I’d jotted down some ideas about teller training that I felt could benefit banks of all sizes. In looking at what I’d written it came to me that the concept could possibly be broadened. After the last meeting in the city my new friend, Dan, and I had talked about hiring practices and I’d been impressed with his thought process. I decided to contact him during the week to run my ideas about training past him, hoping for some encouragement. New to the committee and being from one of the medium to smaller sized banks, I was a bit intimidated and reluctant to speak up. It was my thought, if Dan thought my ideas had merit, that he’d put them forth at an upcoming meeting. I was “psyched” and when the phone rang it startled me.

“The coast is clear…”, or something close to it was what I heard from Lynda when I picked up the receiver. I’d tried to call Elle around the time Mae left but got no answer. Before heading to see Lynda I tried again but there was still no answer. In a way that was good because Elle couldn’t deny that I’d called. Lynda was waiting at the door for me. When we’d been at the luncheonette I couldn’t tell what she was wearing as she had on a long coat. It was a pleasant surprise to see her wearing slacks. As soon as I saw that my first thought was to hope for a VPL. From what she’d previously told me I pretty much knew she would be wearing bikini panties but I still wanted to see a VPL. It was a little awkward for me at first since she was the one who initiated the idea of meeting. However, she broke the impasse when she asked what I’d done with the pictures she’d given me. When I assured her they were safe from prying eyes she hit me with an unbelievable question… would I like to see more?

That was like asking a person who was out in the desert in the noonday sun if he’d like some water. I have no idea what the expression on my face was but I certainly can imagine it. The hardest part was in giving her an answer that didn’t make me look like a fool. Specific words are long gone but what I do remember was trying to be calm when telling her I’d really like that. I also remember her smile as I spoke. With the smile still on her face she said the only way I could do it was to come to her house. That dimmed some of the excitement of the offer… but not all. I couldn’t give her a commitment telling her that I’d try to work something out. I remember her making some sort of comment as I did indicating that the pictures were there for me any time I wanted to see them. I didn’t get the VPL I’d hoped for but what I did get was far better. Now it was up to me to follow up on it.

To be continued…