Friday, August 09, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113f)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113f)

By Friday the ”busy period“ was winding down. Lobby traffic was moderate and Bret and I actually were able to get a break. The help wanted ad generated a few phone calls and I set up interviews for the following week. I’d again noticed Mala leaving her window a few times that weren’t in her assigned break schedule. I decided I’d speak to her before she left for the day. The only thing was... she beat me to it. When she came to my desk she asked if we could find a non public place. With the change in officers due to the old president retiring there was one available upstairs. Mala requested that we take the elevator noting that there was a definite change in her body configuration. We ended up in the vacant office and I chose not to sit behind the desk but took a chair next to the one she sat in. It was very obvious that she was nervous as she made a couple a stabs at trying to tell me why she wanted to meet with me. Finally she just blurted it out. She wanted to be considered for Willa’s job.

That caught me totally by surprise. My first reaction (not spoken) was here was my best teller wanting to go into a position in which she had no experience... and it was a negative one. However, for once in my life I didn’t jump the gun and kept my mouth shut. Mala went on to say that she was experiencing some difficulty with her pregnancy and that standing up for six to seven hours a day had become a problem. She was hoping that in Willa’s position that she’d be sitting most of the day. I remember looking at her without speaking and that made her more uncomfortable. I finally told her that I’d have to think about it. She told me that she didn’t expect I’d give her an answer straight away. When she started to make an effort to get up to leave I told her I had a question for her. That put a puzzled look on her face that turned to embarrassment when I asked why she'd been leaving her tellers station with customers still waiting in line.

The redness of her cheeks gave away her embarrassment. It took a few seconds for her to answer and I didn’t fully understand it at first. She told me that it was the underlying reason why she wanted to get away from the window. I didn’t pick up on it right away. Finally she asked if I remembered a conversation we’d had in the parking lot a few months back. It took a bit of thought and the only time I could remember was after one of her ”melt-downs“ with a customer. That was all it took and then I was the one embarrassed as it was when I’d told her about Elle’s incontinence and how she handled it. Once I realized that was what she was referring to I didn’t know how to gracefully answer her question. But she was sharp enough to recognize that I’d remembered so she went on to say that standing long periods of time caused her that same problem. All tellers stations had permanent stools and, me not thinking, suggested that she make more use of hers. I can still remember the ”look“ she gave me when she said that in her condition she couldn’t get up onto the stool. Being only 5’4” and showing as much as she did it was pretty much an impossibility. I apologized and repeated that I’d think about her request and get back to her. At that point I think the two of us were ready for the conversation to end.

However, it wasn’t the end. As Mala got up and bent ever so slightly to push the chair back in place I saw a very evident “smile” on the back of her skirt. I knew immediately what it was having seen it many, many times on Elle’s rear end. I deduced that she’d been wearing a pair of sanitary panties, ones with the large plastic crotch, and had wet whatever she was wearing under them. The shape of the wetness indicated they'd leaked around the leg openings. As she walked towards the elevator I was debating with myself weather to tell her or to just let her go. I chose the latter as she’d been embarrassed in front of me for well over a half hour.

By then Elle and I had bought a dinette set so that we had a regular place to eat. I’d also installed shades on the bedroom windows and ordered curtains for the living room. That pretty much took care of the Christmas money. We’d moved in without changing any of the room colors or wallpaper that the previous owners had put up. After a month in the house there were two rooms that were driving us crazy. One was our bedroom. The color was watermelon pink... and it was hideous. The other room was the living room which was wallpapered. The print was an enlarged ivy print that made you feel like you were in a jungle. After just a little time in the room you had a feeling that there were bugs crawling on you. So, with what little money we had left we set about changing both rooms. Our room was relatively easy... two coats of light blue paint. I did it in one day. The living room was going to be a challenge as I'd been told  to steam the old paper off. Never having worked with wallpaper I wasn't looking forward to it.

The girls had adapted to the new school and quite quickly had made some friends. Jean wanted to invite one over and Elle said it was OK. However, the mother of the girl wanted to meet Elle first. The woman’s name was Ginger and after Elle had passed muster she brought her daughter over. I got to meet her as well. I’ve put some thought in how to describe her in a single word and I really can’t come up with a good one. One (unkind) way would be to call her “frumpy” because, from a fashion standpoint, she was. She was probably ten pounds overweight and her hair was all helter skelter. I was polite when Elle introduced us. It wasn’t until she pulled out of the driveway and I had made some sort of disparaging comment about her that she told me that she’d had four kids (all girls) in just four and a half years. That helped to explain her look. Getting past that look, I felt that as a girl/young woman she’d probably been attractive. In thinking about it I felt that if she made a half hearted attempt that she could be again. As Elle and I walked into the house she told me that Ginger was going to have a party to introduce us to some of her friends. It sounded good to me.

To be continued...

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113e)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113e)

I was awakened by the sound of a tractor. It was still dark out but I got out of bed to look out the window. I could see headlights but not the tractor. Looking at the snow in the lights I tried to figure out just how much snow was out there. While I was peering out the window I suddenly remembered back when I’d gone to my old bank to get the mortgage. Monte, the Chairman of the Board, had warned me about snow and the driveway. He told me that when it was a true snow storm the wind would blow from the East and, as it did, the snow would drop into the cut in the hill made for the driveway... and at the bottom it was some 12 feet lower than at the top. I grabbed my clothes and went outside to see what was going on. The wind was really blowing and so was the snow. It wasn’t very deep right outside the door but as I made my way to the driveway I could see how much snow had already been moved. I flagged the driver of the tractor down and discovered that it was Jon, the neighbor we’d recently met. I tried to tell him thank you but between the motor and the wind all he could do was wave. Back inside I was pretty impressed... a neighbor that plowed our driveway without being asked. I still wasn’t sure about the people to the East but the other one’s were top notch.

By daylight the wind had stopped. The kids were thrilled with the snow, especially knowing they could use their sleds to slide down the hill. I measured just how deep it was near the bottom and it was over three feet. There was very little on the grass both in the front and rear of the house, the wind having blown it pretty much away and into the farm. Around noon time I walked over to Jon’s house to thank him and all he did was laugh saying that he’d been doing if for over ten years for his uncle. To him it was just a small part of his routine.

One negative thing with not living just a mile away from work was that I now had to leave a lot earlier. The end of December and the start of January had us in one of the four quarterly ”busy periods“. This one had started off especially busy. I made a point of leaving even earlier than usual with the idea of being prepared for the onslaught of people. I arrived around 8:30am and, much to my surprise, found Willa standing by my desk. Things between us had continued to be ”chilly“ as she, again, had been tapped to be the runner between the drive up window and the line tellers during lunch break for Katie, the drive up teller. Her body language told me that it wasn’t anything good. Without saying a word she handed me an envelope and walked away. I waited for a few seconds before peeling it open. It was her two week notice. Her body language told me not to pursue her right then but I definitely wanted to find out why.

Within the first fifteen minutes the lobby had filled up. It was like a zoo. Even though Bret and I had a steady stream of customers I tried to keep an eye on the teller line, especially Mala who had a history of melt downs. I’d shortened the lunch breaks to help the lines in the lobby and pretty much knew who was off and who was on. At one point I looked up and saw that Mala was missing. That was not good. I asked Trish to go into the ladies room to see if she was OK. She was back right away and indicated the Mala would be right back. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I never got to speak with Willa but I did catch Trish, one of her good friends, and asked if she knew why she was resigning. I’ve written that Trish and I were working well with each other but, in this case, I was treading on a friendship so she told me I’d have to wait and talk with Willa. I was waiting for her the next morning. Her answer was short and and to the point... she was going to work for the County and would be making more money. I pressed her on what it was that she’d be doing and I was more than shocked when she said she had taken the Clerk/Typist exam (the one I’d administered while working for the Civil Service department) and had been offered a position in the Court system. I remember looking at her not wanting to believe that the County had increased the base pay enough to exceed what Willa, with three plus years of experience, was making. I didn’t challenge her but almost immediately called my old boss, Mrs. K, to ask... and Willa had been right. Effective as of January 1, there had been an across the board adjustment to all positions. It was to get the County more in line with the neighboring county. They’d been having difficulty filling positions that were located near the county line. I remember taking a deep breath after hanging up.

We hadn’t run an ad for new employees in a few months and the applications in the file were quite old. I had to start there as I couldn’t run an ad until Thursday when the local paper came out. I made a few calls between customers and wasn’t really surprised to find that there wasn’t any interest. I remember talking with a few mothers and being told that their daughters had obtained jobs. Later, in the afternoon, I saw Mala was missing from her station again. I held off asking Trish to check on her and a little while later saw her emerge from the ladies room. I didn’t make it a point to follow up on it.

A day or two later a young woman came in and asked for an application for employment. Even though we were still very busy I told Trish that I’d take time to talk with her. I really don’t remember anything about her except when she asked what the pay was. When I told her she actually laughed. I didn’t think there was anything funny about it. It was $55 a week. Having talked with Mrs.K at the Civil Service office I knew their new starting salary was $65 a week, which was $10 a week more than it had been when I left there not even a year earlier. There wasn’t much I could say other than ”Thank you for stopping in.“ At that point I pretty much knew I was in for a rough time in trying to replace Willa.

To be continued... 

Monday, August 05, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113d)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113d)

Much to every bank employee’s relief, there was extra money in the paychecks we received on Christmas eve. To be truthful, I was disappointed. The net amount of bonus money in my check was a little over $125. Of course it was better than nothing but from what I knew the bank had had a very profitable year. I did ask Hobie about it and he told me that I would’ve gotten more had I been employed for the whole year. He said it was up to the Trustees and not a management decision. Basically, those who had been there the whole year got 5% and those who who had six months service but less than a full year got half of that. Those who started after July 1st got nothing. I wasn’t very happy and sort of knew that there were some who were really disappointed. I made a big mental note to myself to pursue the matter in the upcoming year.

We wanted to celebrate Christmas in our new house and told both sets of parents that we wouldn’t be visiting with them on that day and that there was only going to be one house for Christmas and it was ours. I budgeted out the money to the point I knew we’d have enough for the turkey and all the fixings but not much else. Elle and I had worked up a story to tell the kids why Santa didn’t make it to our house. We were going to tell them that we’d forgotten to let Santa and his elves know that we’d moved. I remember reading ”Twas the Night Before Christmas“ to the kids after church and then sending them off to bed. We were sitting on the sofa looking at the small tree we’d set up and not being all that enthusiastic about decorating it before we went to bed. I finally got up and thought I saw headlights out by the garage. I watched as my mother and father got out of their car and proceeded to unload a boxes from the trunk of it. By the time I got my coat on they were at the back door. It wasn’t really my parents... it was Mr. and Mrs. Santa in disguise.

To say that they saved Christmas for the kids is putting it mildly. They got more than we would’ve bought for them even if I’d had some money. Christmas day with everybody (including our brothers) at our house made for a memorable day. I think the only negative was that it’s the only Christmas that not one picture was taken. With the new house and all that went with it, pictures (or I should say film) were never on the radar. And speaking of the house, Elle’s parents gave us $200 to buy shades and curtains for the girls rooms. My parents kicked in another $200 to be used towards buying a dinette set for the kitchen, something that was drastically needed. When everybody had left we took our ”want/need“ list and happily crossed out some of the items and then headed off to bed.

In the few weeks we’d been in the house we really hadn’t met many people. The neighbors to the West were related to the people we’d bought the house from. They stopped by after we’d been in for about a week. Jon actually farmed the land that bordered two sides of our property. His wife, Kathleen, was a stay at home mom with three boys similar in age to our three girls. The boys were very disappointed when they found out our kids were girls. Jon had what seemed to be a permanent smile on his face and came across as very quiet. Kathleen was very animated and the exact opposite of Jon. On a first meeting basis they appeared to be very nice.

While they were there I asked about the neighbors to the East whose house was right next to ours. I saw Jon roll his eyes and had an immediate panic attack. Kathleen happened to catch his rolling eyes and stepped right in and described them as "OK but different“. That didn’t make me any more comfortable. My first thought was that I’d done it again... made a major decision without getting all the necessary details. After Kathleen had made her statement Jon spoke up and said he didn’t personally know all that much about them but, his uncle, who had lived in this house for longer than the neighbors had lived in theirs, had not said anything bad about them. They definitely kept to themselves and he had only seen the man a few times over recent years. He was a WWII disabled veteran and pretty much a recluse. The story was that he was mad at the government and felt he hadn’t been treated right. Their house had belonged to his wife’s family and when they died she inherited it. They had a daughter who ”wasn’t right“. Kathleen jumped in at that point and said that she’d been born with some ”mental difficulties“ and proceeded to scold Jon. While she did she said that she’d seen her with her mother a few times and that there was nothing wrong with her except that she was ”slow“.

I’d glanced at Elle a few times and I could see the furrow on her brow. This was news that didn’t make me happy and I was sure Elle wasn’t either. I think Kathleen saw the look on Elle’s face and suggested that we call Jon’s aunt and ask her about the people, especially the girl. She did say that they (Jon and Kathleen) had never been made aware of any problems. Their niece and two nephews had grown up living right next door and if anything had happened she was sure that she and Jon would’ve been told. It was a bit more comforting but still disturbing news.

Elle and I did talk about contacting the people we’d bought the house from to confirm what Jon and Kathleen had told us but, for some reason, were reluctant to do so. New Years Eve was quiet for us. With no money to spare and no local friends we decided to just watch TV. After the ceremonies in Times Square we headed for bed. On my way, for some reason, I stopped in the kitchen and turned on the outside light. I had to look twice to see that it was snowing. I was a bit surprised because my father, still the amateur weatherman, hadn’t called to warn me. I passed it off as probably just a snow flurry. We hadn’t had a measurable snow yet this Winter and if it was to be a storm I was sure he would have called.

To be continued...

Friday, August 02, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

I had the mistaken belief that things would slow down after we moved in. WRONG! Elle and I resurrected our old ”Want vs Need“ list and it become abundantly clear that, when it came to the house, it was just one list... and in just a matter of days it amounted to almost two legal size, lined yellow pad pages. I’m not going to make excuses because it was basically my fault. I hadn’t thought the process of being a homeowner through. Yes, we had a beautiful house that was in excellent shape BUT, there was so much more we needed to make it a home. As the list grew I did manage to be disciplined enough to not go out and buy everything and put it on a charge card. By the second weekend in the house Elle and I went over the list and prioritized it. Christmas was only a week away and other than a few things we’d picked up for the kids during the year, we didn’t have anything for them. I didn’t have anything for Elle either... just plain no money.

The rumored Christmas party came to fruition on the evening of the regular Board of Directors meeting. It was for employees only and was held at the old hotel. It was a buffet and had an open bar. I knew better than to go near that so just hung out with Bret during the cocktail hour. When it came time to eat I ended up in line behind Lena, the secretary for both the president and vice president. It only took a few second to realize that she’d had more than a few drinks. She almost dropped her plate and I managed to keep it from spilling back onto the serving table for her. I filled my own plate and was looking for Bret but didn’t see him so took the first empty seat i saw. Within seconds Lena was seated beside me. In any number of ways I felt sorry for her. She was, basically, attractive and had a nice personality. Trish had told me, more than once, about how she took care of her alcoholic father, thus giving up any social life. Knowing her current state I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect from her.

Having worked closely with her only a bit over the nine months I’d been at the bank I’d classified her as a very ”reserved“ person, always trying to please those around her. That perception was blown away over the next half hour. I won’t go so far as to say she was coming on to me but the conversation did stray from what I’d expected based upon my workday observations. After she finished off a few more drinks and we’d pretty much finished our meal she turned to me, all serious, and put her hand on mine. I was surprised but didn’t pull away. Then she asked me what I’d seen that day I’d opened the door from the attic into the upstairs ladies room. It was from so far out in ”left field” that I didn’t know what to say. But she was dead serious and leaned closer to me and in a sort of husky whisper asked if I’d seen anything “interesting”. Hearing that I know I blushed crimson red. Thankfully, the lighting was so poor I doubt anyone noticed. Knowing the state she was in I told her that I hadn’t. Then she really blind sided me when she said “Not even my panties?”

OH MY GOD! is what I thought. Somehow she knew of my panty fetish. The directness of the question disarmed me enough to make me mumble out that, yes, I had seen them. When she heard that she smiled. After few more seconds passed she asked if I liked them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. My main fear was that she did somehow know of my penchant for panty peeks and might spread it around, especially in her current state. After all, she was the secretary for the president and if she told him I probably would be through. On the other hand... what was her purpose in pursuing this line of questions. Taking a deep breath I told her I did like them. It was like a switch went on in her face and she lit up with a big smile. While sitting there at the table, with a few others still around, she, whispering, asked if I’d like to see the ones she had on. My poor heart! I knew I had to end the conversation and did by saying that I really would like to see them but I had to use the men’s room. As I got up she grabbed my wrist. I made sure not to look at her. While in there all I could think about was how was she going to feel in the morning after realizing what we’d been discussing. As much as I would’ve liked to have taken her up on her offer I knew it just wasn’t right especially in her condition. When I returned to the main room she, thankfully, was gone. By the way: It turned out that the real reason for the party was to announce that the president would be retiring on December 31st and that Bert, the vice president, would become the new president. My boss, Hobie, was to be promoted to vice president.  

Trish had told me that, in the past, the bank had given out a Christmas bonus but it wasn’t guaranteed. There was hope that an announcement would be made at the Christmas party what with the Board having met that same day. But it wasn’t. In the past it usually showed up in the last paycheck before Christmas and this year it happened to be on Christmas eve. I didn’t want to spend money that I didn’t have. Waiting to go buy presents on Christmas eve wasn’t prudent either. My mother, in passing, had asked what we were getting for the kids and when Elle told her ”not much“ she was upset. However, she didn’t indicate that she was going to help out in any way.

To be continued...

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113b)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113b)

Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t lend itself to panty play. As I’d been doing for a few weeks, I went to Ferd’s house to work on the race car. On this day I managed to get my right hand burned and, after a trip to the ER, I went home to listen to Elle tell me I was stupid to continue to work on the car. However, the time at home allowed me to meet some people who were interested in buying our mobile home. They were very interested but wanted to negotiate the price. I’d set it knowing exactly what I needed for the purchase of the house so didn’t have much, if any, “wiggle room”. They wanted to wait until the first of the year to take ownership which was a slight problem what with the projected settlement on the house projected as the very end of November. But it was the price that was at issue.

Elle and I already knew we would have to furnish the house and my parents had indicated that they would help us out. With the passing of my grandfather my father was saddled with disposing of his house and all the contents. My mother, wisely, had told my father that Elle and I would not be interested in turn of the century (and older) antiques. Also to be disposed of was all their own furniture from their apartment in the city that was stored in the carriage house. My mother had promised us that we’d get to look at it before the auction. We both liked the living room furniture we had in the mobile home and Elle had expressed a desire to keep it, especially the sofa bed for the den area of the house. So... taking a chance I offered to lower the price to take into consideration of our keeping the furniture. Initially, it was rejected. The lady took her husband aside and when they came back we had a “handshake deal” even if I couldn’t actually use mine.

I thought I was home free what with a mortgage commitment and a contract on the sale of the mobile home. Man, was I in for a rude awakening! I’d bought two mobile homes and it had been as easy as buying a car. I had NO idea of just how complicated buying and “settling” on a house was. Over the next few weeks I was educated on the process. My naive notion was that with the $20,000 from the bank for the mortgage and the $5,000 from the sale of our unit I was “in business”. If it hadn’t been for an off hand comment from J J, I would’ve really been in trouble. He asked if I knew what my “closing costs” were going to be. I’m sure the blank stare he got in response made him laugh, at least internally. Fully embarrassed, he “schooled" me after work that night. When I left to go home my head was reeling. I had to come up with more money and it was money that I didn’t have. As I remember it the amount was almost $1,500 to cover PMI (private mortgage insurance that the bank required), homeowners insurance, fuel oil in the tank, property taxes, title search and on and on. When I saw Elle I didn’t know what to tell her.

I won’t bore you with all the machinations between then and the actual closing where we walked away as homeowners. The month of November was a blur. Almost everything we did was about the house. I really don’t remember much about work (... did I really go?) except that Judy was making no friends upstairs in the mortgage department. I even heard the bank appraiser make an off hand comment that she had the personality of a rock. In my area, it came out (literally and figuratively) that Mala was pregnant which explained the sudden marriage. There also was a rumor that the president was going to host a Christmas party which had all the ”old timers“ all abuzz. From what I’d heard Christmas had been almost a non event in the past so  if it were true it would be a ”first“.

The previous owners had left some furniture behind that we gladly accepted. The most important was the furniture for the master bedroom. Of all the other furniture we’d lined up there was nothing for us in that vein. My father hired a friend with a flatbed truck to haul the furniture my parents were lending/giving to us from my grandfather’s carriage house. I’d lined up J J and Bret to help us move the furniture into the house. An old friend, Jay from when I worked for the County in the data processing department, also volunteered. He still had his four wheel drive pick up and said he’d bring the furniture that we were taking from the mobile home. We walked out of the attorney’s office around 2pm, or so, officially homeowners. By 7pm we had all the furniture in place. J J, who was still waiting for his house to be finished, was presently living in the rented house less than a quarter mile away so he’d been the last to leave. As I was thanking him for his help he made the comment that I’d ”stolen” my house. I didn’t know what he meant and when he explained it I was somewhat shocked. My house was actually bigger than his was going to be and the cost to buy his property and build the house was over $6,000 more than I’d paid. It made me feel better but, in my mind, I was still worried about being having enough money to pay for everything on a month to month basis.

We’d taken the kids to Elle’s parents so they were not a worry. Running on adrenalin, Elle and I worked past midnight unpacking boxes and putting things in their place. When we finally decided to ”crash“ we realized we still had to make our bed. Once there I was out cold. It wasn’t the same for Elle who just rolled and tossed. I don’t remember how long it was before she grabbed me and, obviously frightened, told me she’d heard some moaning from one of the front bedrooms (we were in the back of the house). She wanted me to go find out if someone was in the house. I’m not the bravest person in the world but I’m also not a coward. I hadn’t heard the sound so I turned on the light and headed down the hall. I hadn’t gotten very far when I heard it too. Long story short... the house wasn’t haunted as she’d thought. It was a sick cow in the pasture across the road. However, it made for an unforgettable first night in out new home.

To be continued...

Monday, July 29, 2013

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113a)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113a)

Vic was a big man with an always present smile. I have to say that I wasn’t expecting to see him. Having stopped at his office on Friday I thought I might get a phone call but not a visit. His first words, while still out on the top step, were “Good news!”. I invited him in and before I even finished he blurted out that the owner of the house he’d shown me had dropped the asking price by almost 10%. That was quite a drop as I knew he’d come down in the asking price once before. I asked him if he knew why and now Vic was really smiling. The property tax bills had been mailed out that week and when the people who owned the house added that to the bill for their new house he knew he had to take a “hit”. Elle was in the bathroom so didn’t hear any of the conversation which was good. I asked Vic what was the least the owner would take and it was still more than I figured we could pay. Then he asked what was the absolute best I could offer. Under the pressure from Elle since I’d showed her the house I answered $25,000 even though that would be a “stretch“. Vic was out the door before Elle returned. She wanted to know what was up and I, truthfully, didn’t know.

Vic was back in less than half an hour. In his hand he had some papers. He’d talked with the owner and he’d agreed to my offer. In the next few minutes Elle and I committed to buy a house. Life, as we knew it, would never be the same.

Even though I worked for a bank that primarily made mortgage loans I was unbelievably naive when it came to knowing all the procedures. I turned to J J for help. He probably spent an hour on the phone with me. When I hung the phone up my head was spinning. Elle, having seen the good shape the house was in was ready to start moving right away. When I explained all the things that had to be done prior to that happening, she didn’t believe me. J J’s best guess was about five to six weeks.

The biggest decision was on where to get the mortgage. Banking laws prevented getting one from your employer so my first choice was to go see Artie at the bank I’d first worked for. I was able to get a quarter percent break and when I was at Artie’s desk filling out some of the paperwork, Monte, the bank’s chairman, stopped to say hello. I’d brought the plans for the house with me and he reached over my shoulder to take a look at them. After just a quick look he put his hand on my shoulder and said “You’ll have fun when it snows.” I had no idea what he was talking about so turned to look up at him. He had a big smile and then said the house had been built by his wife and her sister before he married her. He went on to say that back when he was “courting“ her there when a snow storm hit and he got snowed in because of the ‘cut” into the hill for the driveway. Snow just filled it in and he was stuck for a day.

I’d taken an afternoon off to go submit the loan forms. By the time I got finished there was no way to get back to work and get anything done so I decided to stop in at Judith’s boutique and catch up with how she and the store was doing. I shake my head every time I think of that store. She had so much stuff packed in you could hardly make your way from the front to the back. In any case, she was unpacking things behind the counter when I approached. There were a couple of thin, aqua colored, flat boxes on top and she was in the process of emptying them into a clear plastic bin. I could read the words VanRaalte written in script across the top. It took a few seconds for me to realize that was the name in the panties I’d “borrowed” from Nan, Elle’s high school friend when we’d visited back in the spring. (see Part 104g on 1/21/13 and Part 104m on 2/5/13)

Seeing me, she stopped for a few seconds and after the “pleasantries” she went back to emptying the aqua boxes. While she did I could see that what she had in her hand were panties. I don’t remember my exact words but I asked if she was a VanRaalte “dealer”. I know I didn’t use the word dealer but she acknowledged that she’d just started handling their products. She surprised me when she asked why I wanted to know. I wasn’t expecting that and I surely don’t know how I came up with the line “My wife loves their things.”

I also wasn’t expecting her to say “What size?”  and when I said “five” she reached behind her and pulled down one of the plastic bins lined up on the shelf. She told me to find something that I thought she’d like. It was a panty lovers delight. I have no idea how many panties were in the bin but she told me that the VanRaalte panties were right on top. Not wanting to embarrass myself I took the pair right off the top.
She took them from me and put them in a little bag and handed them back saying something about “For old times sake”. In spite of my efforts to pay she wouldn’t accept anything, extracting a promise that when it came time for gifts for my wife that I’d be back. The most important thing was that I now had a source for Van Raalte panties. They had, by far, the largest crotch panel I’d ever seen, even bigger than the ones on the panties I’d just gotten from my friend Willy’s company. Having seen Elle’s friend Nan’s VPL’s back in the Spring I couldn’t wait to get some on Elle. Even though I had the two pair that I’d “borrowed” from Nan I hadn’t had the nerve to have Elle wear them. I was afraid she’d ask where they came from. Now I could pull them out and if she did ask I had an answer. I couldn’t wait for the weekend.

To be continued...

Saturday, July 27, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112i)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112i)

Friday morning got a little hectic for me in trying to get all the kids stuff together. I was running late when I pulled up to deliver the kids. Kaye didn’t cry like on Monday but she didn’t want to let go of me. When I finally got her on the floor Birgitta haltingly asked if I could look at the back door. She said she couldn’t get it to latch. What could I do but say ”yes” what with her watching our kids. I walked down the hall and could see daylight around the door frame. When I pushed the door open I was greeted with one of my favorite sights... a clothesline with clothes hanging from it. I was a bit surprised that I hadn’t noticed when walking up the path. But from where I was standing I was actually looking down on it. The fold up type like this one was usually didn’t put forth good viewing but from my vantage point I could see three sides of it... and one side held a batch of panties.

I picked up on the problem with the door right away. The woman had tripped the locking mechanism. But I stepped outside to “fiddle” with it even though I didn’t need to. What I needed was to get a closer look at the panties. My concern wasn’t Birgitta as she was involved with the kids. It was the next door neighbors. I knew them and certainly didn’t want them witnessing me playing with the panties. If there was one good thing about the fold up type was that you could spin it around. While fiddling with the open door I reached back and slowly turned it so the side with the panties was now facing me. There were three full brief panties and I think a couple of bikinis, all nylon. Here I was less than a foot away from them but I couldn’t bring myself to touch and inspect them. The temptation was there but the nerve wasn’t.

Elle’s birthday was the following Wednesday. It was agreed that we’d hold off on her party until the following weekend so her Father could be a part of it. My mother, a traditionalist, believed that birthday presents she be given on the actual day of birth. She’d asked me for suggestions for a present for Elle and I referred to our “want/need” list and found a three piece suit from the Fall Sears catalog. I don’t think my mother had ever bought anything from Sears in her whole life but it was something I couldn’t afford. So, without telling her the source, suggested it. I charged it on my Sears card with the promise that she’d pay me back.

My parents arrived after supper. Elle had made cupcakes with candles so the kids could celebrate her birthday and they were in the process of finishing them up. I’d been working on the house plans and had put them on the sofa so we could eat supper. To make room for my parents I had to move them again and when I did it was my mother who asked how I was coming on them. When I told her that I’d just started back working on them she proceed to say that one of her friends had just told her of a house with four bedrooms that would be going on the market as the owner had died. It was just down the road from their house but neither Elle nor I recognized the name of the owner. In thinking about the situation as I write this I’m a bit amazed how quickly the subject changed from birthday (and present) to house(s).

Before the present was given and opened we managed to get down all the information about the house. Elle was surprised to get her wanted suit but, truth be known, she was more excited about seeing the house. After my parents left I tried to calm her down a bit saying that we had no idea of the price. Also on my mind was the house I’d looked at without Elle back at the end of the Summer. Knowing the price of that house and the shape it was in made me a bit leery of this one.

I asked for an extended lunch on Friday and as soon as the bus piked Anne up for school we were off to see the house. The keys for it were held by the attorney handling the estate. Ironically he was located right next door to the real estate firm where Elle’s old teacher worked. We got the keys and, to be truthful, when we got there neither of us could remember ever seeing the front of the house even though we’d gone past it hundreds of times. The reason was because the trees and shrubbery were so overgrown. We couldn’t go in the front door because of it. Once inside I started shaking my head. The house, built in the late 20’s or early 30’s hadn’t been cared for in a long, long time. The kitchen was a walk back in time. Everything was original... sink, stove, refrigerator, cabinets... everything.

Elle just loved the floor plan, especially the four large bedrooms. All I could see was a ton of work and a lot of time and money to make it livable. When I got to the basement I knew there was no way that we’d ever own the house. There was a coal furnace complete with a coal bin. I grabbed Elle by the hand and pulled her out of the house telling her that if she liked that house I had one she’d absolutely love.

I returned the keys to the attorney and ran next door to the realtors office. I could see Vic’s car wasn’t there but I stuck my head in the door and yelled to the office manager. I asked if the key to the Smith house was still in the same place and she said “yes” before she even knew who I was. Without a doubt, Elle fell in love with the house even before she stepped inside. Once inside I knew it was over. My problem was going to be coming up with the money. My grandfather had died but I knew that both my brother and I were not in his will. The trust fund he’d established for us was in lieu of that feeling that we should not have to wait until he died to get our share of his estate. The problem with the trust fund was that we had to attain a certain age to have access to the principal.

The whole way back home I had to fend Elle off. She was ready to move right in. I had a very hard time sleeping that night trying to come up with some plan to obtain the necessary money to be able to buy the house. Saturday, while working on the race car with Ferd, was a welcome relief. Elle kept the pressure on though and it continued on Sunday. We’d just gotten home from church when there was a knock on the door. I still had my tie on when I opened the door to see Vic, the real estate agent.

To be continued...  
     
    
      

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112h)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112h)

The first call Elle got to come in and substitute teach came the second week of October. She (we) got lucky because it was for a whole week. It was a lot easier for both of us knowing she was going in to work instead of having to react to a phone call and only having about 45 minutes to get everything done before leaving for work. Elle’s mother agreed to come three days a week which left us sort of scrambling for the other two days. Back at the end of the Summer we’d gotten together with a young Swedish couple, Lars and Natalie, who’d moved into the park during the Summer. They both worked full time but the girl’s mother was living with them. With nice weather during September and Elle not working she would often put the baby in the stroller and walk around the park. On a few occasions the mother joined them. Other than having a bit of trouble understanding the lady (she was learning English) they hit it off quite well. Elle had dropped a hint that she might need help and the woman indicated that she might be willing. 

Very pretty, Birgitta was the woman’s name. It was hard to look at her and realize her daughter was about the same age as Elle and I. When Elle called she was delighted. Elle wanted her to come to our place but, through her broken English, indicated she’d be more comfortable if we brought the kids to her. It meant a lot of extra work for us but it was the best we could do. Elle’s mother was able to come Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Since Elle had to leave for school by 7:50am it left me to deliver the girls that Monday with all their things. It took me about ten minutes to load it into my car just to drive it about a quarter of a mile. Birgitta was all excited when we arrived but Anne wasn’t so sure about it. Kaye was absolutely dead set against it. As soon as she saw the lady she started screaming. I pretty much knew it was coming because she was definitely a “mommy’s girl”. As I left I felt bad for both of them.

When I walked into the bank I saw most of the tellers gathered around Mala’s teller’s station. Trish was among them so I knew I’d get the “real scoop“. I asked Bret if he knew what was going on and all he did was to shrug his shoulders. When the doors opened to the public Trish was still by Mala so when this well dressed lady came to the gate Bret stepped up to ask if he could help her. To be truthful, she looked out of place. Our area was primarily rural with farming as the basis for the economy. This lady looked ”citified“, for sure. There were two other things that caught my eye(s)... a very short, dark skirt and one of the biggest diamonds I’d ever seen.

She seemed very intense as she spoke to Bret before sitting down. I was intrigued, for sure. I made like I was busy but was really concentrating on Bret and the lady. I watched her pull a piece of paper from her pocket book and give it to Bret. Then she sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. WOW! It was like she was in slow motion. It was for only a quick peek but I definitely saw a flash of white in the ”magic triangle“. Then she sat there and looked at Bret. After Bret started to speak to her she sat bolt upright, uncrossing her legs and turned her body towards Bret. When she did her right leg remained planted on the floor where it landed after uncrossing her legs. But, she moved her left leg at least a foot towards Bret. What that created was like a tunnel... with the end of it at her crotch. With no exaggeration it was the best sitting upskirt I’d ever seen. The hem of her very short skirt was only about three inches from the material that covered her privates. It was a good thing she was upset and focused on Bret because if she’d looked my way... well... it would’ve been embarrassing.

My ”view“ was unobstructed for at least 30 seconds, and probably a bit more. Bret, obviously under attack, turned to me for help. It had to do with FDIC insurance coverage on bank accounts and she wanted all of her $50,000 deposit covered. I got Bret squared away and sat back hoping for more but I ended up having to solve a problem on the teller line. However, I couldn’t wait to tell Bret about what he’d been so close to but had missed.

The BIG news that had all the tellers interest was that Mala had gotten married over the weekend. Trish was less than enthusiastic as she’d mentioned a time or two that Mala’s boyfriend was a jerk. It didn’t make sense to me as Mala was probably the most level headed of all the tellers. I wondered (to myself) why would a bright young woman get involved with someone like that? When Bret got the ”word“ I remember him shaking his head in disbelief. As far as I knew they were only boyfriend/girlfriend and weren’t engaged. It didn’t appear to be a big deal to her because here she was back at work. Strange!

Things worked out for Birgitta and the kids. Anne made it to school on time and Kaye stopped crying. Elle said that when she stopped to pick her up she clung to her like her life depended on it. Elle suggested that Birgitta stop by our place to visit with her mother and the baby the next few days so the baby would get used to seeing her. She thought it was a good idea.

Kaye, the ”baby“ was now 18 months old and was very mobile. Once freed from her crib the whole place was her domain and with the cooler weather it was becoming even more of a problem. Elle was pushing me to get back to work on the house plans that we’d bought back in the Spring and I knew she was right. I just had to get my mind back on the subject.

Ferd, the guy who was helping me fix the race car, and I had come up with a plan of attack. He worked a half a day on Saturdays so we decided that we’d work from 1pm until dark on the car. What got done, got done and what didn’t could wait until the following week. Listening to him it was going to be fairly easy. We’d removed the motor, transmission and rear end and were ready to cut away the rear cross member. I liked working with him as he was very ”laid back“. His wife, to make extra money, baked custom birthday cakes. On my first visit to work on the car I was treated to a piece of a ”failed“ cake. Whatever the ”failure“ was it was beyond me. It was delicious. I remember hoping for more ”failed“ treats.

To be continued..
      

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112g)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112g)

Elle knew something was bothering me but I’d decided back when I was working at the first bank that I wouldn’t bring problems home with me. To get it off my mind I decided to call Ferd to see if he was willing to work on the race car. He seemed glad to hear from me and he said he’d borrow a wrecker to town my car to his place. By the time we finished up for the day I’d put the hiring situation on the back burner.

As soon as we walked in the door getting home from church the phone rang. It was Bret. He’d been worried that I had it in mind to hire Judy to fill the position that Joanne was supposed to take. I told him about the letter she’d brought and that it was really out of my hands. It was the first time I sensed any real emotion from Bret. He proceeded to tell me a few experiences he’d been a party to that involved her and they weren’t pretty. In essence, he was begging me to do anything to keep her out of our area. I told him I’d try but I didn’t really know how.

Life evolves in strange ways. We’d just finished dinner when the phone rang again. This time it was J J. As I’ve written more than once, I liked him but he sometimes tended to be a “PITA” (pain in the ass). Right after he’d been hired he talked his way into having his own secretary even though the president and vice president shared one. It never set well with me but I wasn’t in a position to say anything about it. He’d been “fishing” for another clerk for the mortgage department to replace one of the women who was pregnant. I had a problem with his thinking in that she’d just announced her pregnancy and was probably going to work for at least another three months.

When I picked up the phone I had no idea what the call was about. My past experiences with him calling at home was for him to ask for some kind of help. However, since he’d brought his wife out from the city those requests had pretty much dried up. I was flabbergasted when he asked about “the pretty blonde” I’d had at my desk when he left for home. Even though I knew he had  an eye for the ladies he’d never asked something like that before. I pleaded ignorance and made him tell me why he wanted to know.

Somehow he knew I was back to interviewing. He proceeded to start in again about needing someone to replace the pregnant woman. All of a sudden it came to me... send Judy up to him and let her become his problem. I didn’t tell him that but told him I couldn’t do anything unless I knew he had permission to hire someone. He assured me that he would. I told him she was due back in the next day and I’d see that he got a chance to interview her. He sounded happy when he hung the phone up.

When Judy arrived Monday morning I took a closer look at her. While she was sitting waiting to meet with me I decided that she actually was cute. She was wearing a Summer dress and it looked like the bodice was tailored as she definitely had a figure. My next thought was that it was too bad she didn’t have a personality to go with it. When Trish brought her over to my desk I suggested that we go upstairs and I’d introduce her to the mortgage officer. I don’t think she said a word even after J J had said “hello”.

Bret and Trish wanted to know what was going on and all I could do was smile. Long story short... J J got permission to hire her. (Once her connection to the former Trustee came to light it was approved.) The one thing I remember when the “word” filtered down was Bret just shaking his head from side to side with a smirky smile on his face.

I mentioned the work “politics” when Judy had presented the letter from her grandfather. Her being hired by J J for the mortgage department actually bought him some “brownie points” and much to my surprise, cost me the opportunity for an employee. Hobie came to me later that day and said that “they” (senior management) felt that we had enough employees for the time being and that “they” would reassess the situation in early December. Hearing that, all I could do was hope what Bret and Trish had told me about Judy was right.

It only took a few days before “word” started filtering down from upstairs that Judy was “strange”. As much as I wanted to I had to resist asking J J about her. I was bound and determined to let him come to me. The ONLY positive that I was able to come up with concerning her was I was positive she was wearing band leg panties, probably cotton. On one of her first days she had to complete forms for her personnel file. She was sitting at the table in the waiting area and only had one cheek on her chair. Her dress was pulled tight against her butt and, with all the experience I’d garnered in looking at panties, I was almost 100% positive. Regardless of personality, a panty peek, even if it was only a VPL, was Ok by me.

To be continued...
      

Friday, July 19, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112f)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112f)

In 99% of the time there is no ”good“ time for death. For me and work, the timing was very bad. The ”busy“ period at the bank was to start on Tuesday and I was still faced with staffing the drive up window  at lunch hour. I’d put off telling Willa, my only choice, because I knew her reaction would be very negative. When I called Hobie to tell him about my grandfather I mentioned Willa to him. I was sure glad to hear him say he’d handle it. It was one weight off my shoulders.

Viewing was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings with the funeral on Thursday. My father handled all the details which left me with little to do. I felt guilty about not being at the bank to help out, at least on Tuesday and Wednesday so, after talking with my father, decided to go in. The reaction (by the employees) was far from positive (especially Willa) but I knew in my heart that my presence helped with the crush of people. I did take Thursday off for the funeral and burial. In a way it was strange in that I got to meet distant relatives that I didn’t even know existed. One surprise was in seeing the president of the bank at the service although he barely acknowledged me. It just served to confuse me even more as I’d had the feeling that he didn’t like me since I’d started.

It was good to be back at work on Friday. Hobie said the additional teller in the lobby really helped out. Although I was curious as to how Willa handled the news of her drive up assignment, I figured it best to leave it alone. The real good news was that Joanne had melded in fairly seamlessly with Liz in the Audit department. I think the first thing I noticed was that she wasn’t wearing a tight skirt like I'd seen her wear since her hire. I mentioned it to Bret and he laughed. He said one of the first jobs that Liz had given her was working with some files located down near the floor. Her skirt was too tight so the next day she came in with a shorter, flared one. As he told me I could see a bit of a smirky smile on his face. When Katie had been the back-up drive up window teller she was also responsible for doing a lot of the filing. Being short and liking short skirts she’d given Bret many peeks. I’d been a bit envious as he had the first desk which put him closer to the ”action“. That wasn’t to say that I didn’t get a glimpse of white, pale blue or pink once in a while. But, with her taking over the drive up window the chances for peeks were gone. I had yet to hire a replacement but Liz had assigned Joanne to work on those same files. He didn’t come right out and say it but what I took away from the conversation was that in shorter and flared skirts Joanne would, at least temporarily, fill the panty peek void.

I really don’t remember anything untoward happening during the rest of the busy period other than Mala getting a bit frustrated with one of the bank’s known problem customers. I stepped in and told her to take a break. I have to admit I wondered if she’d experienced an ”accident“. As I remember it, the ”busy“ period slacked off a bit early which allowed me to review applications to fill the position I’d hired Joanne for. There were a few that looked promising and I set up interviews for the following week. However, as they say, the best laid plans...

The last day of the ”busy period“ was on Friday and, just to be on the safe side I’d scheduled the whole teller line and Bret to work the 3pm to 6pm period. As I remember it the ”platform (where Bret, Hobie and I were located) was very busy. Trish ushered customers in in the order they arrived and one of the last ones for me was a young girl/woman with a very pale complexion and light blonde hair. In her mid 20’s she seemed ill at ease as she sat down by my desk. I asked what I could do to help her and her words were like bullets. “Give me a job!” and it was with a straight face. I don’t remember my reply or even if there was one. She promptly put down a piece of paper in front of me. I looked at the heading and recognized the name of a former member of the Board of Trustees. It was a letter of recommendation from the woman’s grandfather. I’m being somewhat kind in calling it that though. Cutting through the BS, what it said was that he’d been a Trustee for 30 something years and had never asked for anything. His granddaughter need a job and he thought she should get it... plain and simple.

I understood “politics” and, having seen it at work when I worked for the County, hated it. I was looking at the letter and glancing at the girl/woman and was actually a bit mad. I did ask what her work experience was and I got more “bullets” as an answer. “I don’t have any!“, said in a loud monotone. I saw Bret turn around to look and saw him roll his eyes. Then Trish came over to say that I had an important telephone call. It was Bret. He’d moved over to the Audit area to make the call. ”Bad news!“ was what I heard. He went on to say that she’d been in his class in school and she was a ”looser”. By then it was after six and I took advantage of that telling the girl/woman that I had a personal emergency and had to go. I told her to make an appointment with Trish for a formal interview on Monday. The look on her face told me she wasn’t happy but with me pushing away from my desk her audience with me was over.

Bret followed me out to the parking lot and started telling me about the girl/woman and how no one liked her when she was in school. While he was talking Trish joined us and had a wry smile on her face. I had to ask why. Judy was her name and Trish said her nickname (behind her back) while in school was “The Black Widow” and she had absolutely no friends. She said she didn’t have much time to talk right then but as she walked away she called out “Good luck!”. Not a good way to start the weekend.

To be continued...       

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112e)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN...  time to regroup (Part 112e)

Arriving home I found all the lights out except in our bedroom. I walked down the hall and as soon as I stepped into the room Elle threw back the covers. She was lying there naked except for her panties. The crooked smile on her face told me she was in an exceptionally good mood. As I stepped around to my side of the bed and started shedding my clothes she sat up and moved over to my side of the bed. While I was trying to get out of my shirt she was trying to undo my pants. In thinking back on it it was pretty comical. Finally naked, she motioned for me to lie down. Before I was even settled she was straddling me. Needless to say my member was at full attention. She slid up over it and closed her eyes. While she was doing this I was studying the panties, something I hadn’t really done yet. I noticed the elastic was somewhat unique and the crotch was higher in the front than any others that I’d seen. As I rubbed my hands over her hips the satiny feel of the material served to arouse me even more (if that was possible). Suddenly I felt a warmth surround my pubic area. Almost in the same motion she lowered herself onto my body all the while guiding my penis between the legs and into her crotch area. With my heightened state of arousal I had to be careful not to spoil it for Elle.
Evette Size 4




We rolled over onto our sides and while in that position I was rubbing her wet butt cheeks.  I really don’t know how to describe the feeling but I knew that I was going to like these panties... a lot! We didn’t waste much time after that and got down to business. I can still remember lying there in the darkness wishing that every night could be like that.

We’d only been to church a few times over the Summer and Elle felt that it was time to get back into a routine. As Elle showered I decided to try and slip another new pair on her when she came into get dressed. I had actually been surprised that she hadn’t noticed them or, if she had, that she hadn’t mentioned it. For most of the Summer she’d worn cotton panties, usually the lighter Lollipop kind, under the nylon ones so that part was easy. The night before I’d turned the new ones face down so the applique wasn’t visible. However, I didn’t and as I reached for them she asked where they came from. I had to go through the whole story about sailing with Willy and the sexy panties that she didn’t like. It was worth it because after feeling them and inspecting them she approved them. One she did I was thinking ahead to later on.

At church we caught up with Karen, the girl we’d had as a baby sitter and who had introduced us to Peggy. She’d spent the Summer as a counselor at a 4H camp. She told us that Peggy, who she saw at school every day, had gotten her caught up on the girls as well as her sailing adventures. I remember thinking what nice girls the two of them were.

Early in the Summer my grandfather’s health had deteriorated to the point he was no longer able to go to the hospital to visit my grandmother. That meant I didn’t have to go over on Sunday’s to drive him there. Now, with me working just down the street, I’d go visit him a couple of times a week during my lunch break so I wasn't forgetting him. I tried to take Elle and the kids at least once a month. He now had 24 hour care with the daughter of an old family friend living permanently at the house. I felt sorry for him and remember thinking that I never wanted to get old like that. I remember that it was a beautiful day and, for the end of September, quite warm. I had entertained the idea of taking Elle and the girls over to see him after church but decided to take advantage of the day instead. So we drove home, changed our clothes, made a picnic lunch and headed for the ocean. I knew the Summer crowds were gone and hoped I could find a secluded spot where I could get to "play" with Elle.

We had a good time. We went to a relatively remote area and set up our spot behind a protected dune. We were there for almost five hours. That meant Elle had to pee a couple of times and I was even able to persuade Elle to pee through her panties the second time. I based it on the holdover from the good time we had the night before. It was hard to keep the kids from seeing my bulge when we came out from behind the dune. Needless to say I was already looking forward bedtime.

Arriving home, I found a note from my father taped on the door. It told me to get to the hospital as soon as possible. The note didn’t say who it was about. My grandmother, who was already there, had been barely existing for years and was expected to pass on at any time. I changed my clothes and headed on up. It was my grandfather. He was experiencing internal bleeding and was in the ICU. My father told me that the doctors thought they had it under control. I stayed for a few hours and, as there was nothing I could do, was told to go on home. My father said he’d stay and would call with any news.

I couldn’t sleep. All I could think of was that I’d had the chance to take the family for a visit and hadn’t. I remember it being just about daybreak when the call came. My grandfather had passed about an hour earlier. I remember sitting there in the dining room and crying. He was 91 years old.(z)

To be continued...     

Monday, July 15, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112d)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112d)

It was during this period of time that the things I’d ordered for Peggy from Willy's lingerie company arrived at the bank. With SCSM on the label as the shipper I didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing it and thinking I was weird for having lingerie delivered to the bank. The problem was in getting the things to Peggy AND explaining the panties. I knew it would have to be on a weekend what with her school activities during the week. I made a special trip to her father’s gas station to get an idea what her plans were. I lied when I told him I was interested in her availability for baby sitting. When he told me that as far as he knew she was free Saturday evening. For that to work I’d have to spring the idea of a movie on Elle at the last minute and hope that it was one she’d be wiling to see.

I embarrassed myself attempting to play tennis. There were two other couples and it was obvious that they played a LOT of tennis. I tried the excuse that with the new job I’d not had much, if any time for tennis during the Summer and after the first game begged off. The other players were kind to Elle and invited her to play with them while I watched. That part was fun. One of the women, about 40,  was especially interesting. Wearing a dress, all she had to do was bend over just a little and her panties would show under the hem of the dress. I couldn’t be sure but I thought they might be the only pair she was wearing. Fancy, frilly panties with lots of lace were becoming popular at the time but the pair I could see didn’t have any lace at all. I’d persuaded Elle to wear a dress so I was getting “views” from her as well. However, she had on her frilly panties over a pair of heavy cotton Spanky Pants. Because they were cut a bit different I could see the leg bands of her cotton panties sticking out from under the leg elastics of the frilly ones. For whatever reason, that excited me.

We’d brought the kids as one of the other couples had brought their kids along as well. That kept them occupied for a while but the baby, who was now walking, wasn’t happy in the playpen so we didn’t stay too long. I’d gotten what I wanted and had made Elle somewhat happy by going. The next step was to get the information on the movie.

I made the excuse that I wanted to drive past my grandfather’s house to see if the yard was being kept up. To do that meant we had to drive by the theater. I was happy to see it was the movie The Great Race. We’d wanted to see it earlier in the Summer but didn’t get around to it. I’d heard that when it was in town there had been some problems with the projectors so only a few people got to see it. I was surprised that it had been brought back but it made it an easy “sell” to Elle as she was a big fan of both Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Her problem was that her mother hadn’t been notified a day in advance. I played it up a bit and made like it was be a real shame to miss it. Then, using the best acting skills I could conjure up, I suggested Peggy. Elle liked Peggy so had no problem with that only questioning her availability. At home, a quick call cleared that up. I now had my plan. I could give the things to her when I took her home... and I still had some time to come up with an explanation about the panties for her.

While Elle prepared supper I opened the small carton that contained all the goods and extracted the box of the size 4 panties I’d ordered for Elle. I managed to get it inside while she was concentrating on cooking and made straight for the bedroom. Upon opening the box I was amazed to find that they were made using nylon satin tricot, my favorite panty material.  Since she hadn’t showered or changed out of her tennis clothes it meant I had a chance to have her wear a pair of the new panties that night. I thought that would be kind of ironic having Elle wear the same kind that I’d be giving to Peggy.

It took some “doing” but I put myself in the position of helping her get dressed after her shower. I laid both cotton panties and the new nylon ones face down on the bed so she couldn’t identify the new ones. She put the cotton ones on herself and then I helped her with her slip. (Back in those days going to the movies was considered “going out” and you dressed accordingly) While she was putting on her blouse I picked the panties up and held them down by the floor so she could step into them. She never gave it a thought and I pulled them up around her waist getting enough of a look to know that they fit much better than the size 5’s sexy panties that I'd gotten from Willy earlier. Now I was looking forward to getting home after delivering Peggy and having a chance to “break them in” properly.

The movie was hilarious. The best way to describe it was that it was old fashioned slapstick comedy. Elle was in a good mood all the way home. I was anxious to get Peggy home for two reasons. The first, quite obviously, was to give her the panties. I’d come up with a “line” that I thought would work. The second was to get back home to “test” the new panties with some wet play before we got down to business. However, Elle wanted to chat with Peggy to find out how things were going at school and her role as a majorette with the marching band. After explaining her life she then pleaded with us to come to a football game to see her perform. At that time high school football was pretty low on my preference list but Elle said we’d do it. That did not make me happy.

We hadn’t made it out of the park when I handed the three boxes to Peggy. I was somewhat surprised that she picked up on the extra box so quickly and asked about it. I hesitated for a few seconds but interjected that it was the correct number. That was when she started peeking inside to inspect the contents. She liked the house dress for her mother as soon as she saw it. The slips were next. I hadn’t looked in the box so when she said she really liked the feel I wondered if they weren’t the nylon satin tricot as well. She pulled one out and it had an applique down one side that she commented on. Knowing the panties had an applique I hoped that if she protested about not ordering them that it might be a selling point for her to keep them. I didn’t have long to wait to find out.

There were six pair in the box grouped in three's. I was trying to drive and look at her face for the reaction and it was hard to do. I could see she had one pair in her hands and when she didn’t say anything I asked if there was something wrong. She didn’t immediately answer but finally mumbled that they looked nice but she didn’t order them. That was my “cue”. I told her I’d seen a notation in the catalog and had thought she wanted them. Again, a bit of silence. Finally she said that she hadn’t meant to mark the catalog. I spoke up and asked what her comment meant. By then we were on her street. As we pulled in the driveway she said that she liked what she’d seen but didn’t have the money to pay for them. Now, with the car stopped, I told her that she didn’t have to pay for any of the items, that they would be like “pay” for baby sitting. There was a bit of “back and forth’ with that but when she got out of the car she had all three boxes. As I drove away I was hoping that I’d see more of her and then when I did I’d wonder if she had on a pair of the panties.

To be continued...


Tuesday, July 09, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112c)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112c)

Since the season was over and it would be eight months until the next season began there was no rush to get started on the project. Ferd(inand) was the name of the guy who said he’d help me. We agreed to wait until the busy time at the bank was over to get started but, in the meantime, I arranged for the car frame I'd just gotten to be delivered to his house. At that point in time I wasn't overly optimistic about my racing future but at least now I had one.

Joanne's training had gone well until it was time to actually handle a customer. I only heard about it but, basically, she 'froze" and got all muddled. I'd chosen Mala to train her as she was the best, most efficient teller we had but I overlooked one thing. She didn't have a lot of patience. Again, long story short, by the end of that day Mala and Joanne wanted nothing to do with each other. The other tellers were behind Mala and when I tried to get someone to work with Joanne in place of Mala it was a mini revolt.
It was the first confrontation I'd had since the early days of my being hired. I wasn't sure what to do but it was Joanne, herself, that solved my immediate problem.

When I called her to my desk to try and settle things down she was shaking. Before I could say anything she blurted out that she'd do anything to get out of having to wait on customers. Liz, the older woman who was the bank Auditor, had been pleading with senior management for an assistant. The bank had doubled in size (assets) since she took over the position and she felt (strongly) that she needed help. The resistance came from Edgar, the president. I'd not been involved in any meaningful way but, as is the case in any small business, it was a well known fact. It was obvious that I'd made a mistake in hiring Joanne as a teller. However, I've always felt that if you hire nice people you can teach them a job. You can't teach a person to be nice. Other than the fact that the Polish Mafia hadn't taken to her, everybody else (Hobie, Bret, Liz and even Trish) felt she was a nice person and made a good impression. I didn't want to see her leave. I told her to go home and "sleep on it" and we'd talk in the morning.

By then it was just a week to go before the busy period began. I knew it would be useless to try and force her to do a job she was uncomfortable with so decided to take a different approach. I called Hobie at home, after work, and went through the whole situation with him. Even though I knew the auditing area was basically "out of bounds" as far as daily operations were concerned, I told him I felt that Joanne would be a good fit to help Liz. I remember there being silence for about 15 to 20 seconds. Then he said he'd be back to me in the morning.

Joanne was waiting at my desk when I got there. So were the other tellers and they were watching and waiting to see what transpired. It was rather uncomfortable for me because I didn't know if my call to Hobie was going to come in to play. What was worse was that Hobie wasn't there. It was almost like being naked out on stage. I sat and chatted with Joanne for a few minutes before the phone rang. Trish took the call but indicated that it was Hobie. He was upstairs with Edgar and wanted me to come up there with them. I didn't have any idea of what to expect so was quite apprehensive when I climbed the stairs.

My apprehension was eased... for a brief few seconds... as Pauline, the switchboard operator, was down on her haunches trying to find something in her hand bag. She absolutely did not see me but I sure saw her! Few people used the stairs what with an elevator right there. The PBX board was quite large and basically blocked anyone in the work area from seeing the operator or her area. The only thing I can think of was that Pauline felt she was in a safe place. The gap between her knees was at least 9 inches if not more. Once I saw that I stopped in my tracks. I don't really know how long I stared at her before she turned towards the wall... maybe 30 seconds. All I know was it was a very pretty sight with the material pulled tight to her body. The bright sunlight made it obvious that the panties were pink. As soon as she started moving I did too. I walked past without even acknowledging her, something I rarely did.

Even though I was into my sixth month at the bank I was still uncomfortable in the presence of the president. I've never been able to come up with the reason. I remember standing in the doorway and seeing Liz and Hobie. He asked why she wasn't going to be a teller. I told him the same things I just wrote above and, after a pause, he said it was OK for her to work under Liz. I was looking at Liz and, although it wasn't that obvious, I could see a slight smile in the corner of her mouth. The smile on Joanne's face was VERY obvious. I was happy too. However, it left me one person short for the upcoming busy period.

There wasn't time to interview, hire and train someone. That left me but one choice and that was to use Willa as a "runner" as I'd done during the Summer busy period. She hated it and then it was weeks before she'd give me the time of day. I wasn't looking forward to telling her.

By mid month Elle was getting "antsy" to get back to teaching. She'd enjoyed a few days of tennis and I have to admit I missed seeing her (and her friends) in tennis clothing. I made one such comment and it touched a positive nerve in Elle. She asked if I was willing to play, weather permitting, on that Saturday. With car racing over and done with I really didn't have anything that HAD to be done. I did ask for one favor from her and that was to be allowed to pick her outfit. She gave me a "look" but followed it with a smile. As much as I disliked playing tennis, it was worth it for the chance to see some really good peeks.

To be continued...

Sunday, July 07, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112b)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112b)

When I'd finally gotten the sexy panties on Elle I wasn’t really happy with them... and neither was she. They looked good in the catalog and lying on the bed. The unusual treatment of the crotch area made it a bit uncomfortable for me when I "plugged in". Even though the label read size 5 they were definitely baggy. During lunch hour I pulled the catalog out with the intention of picking out some other style of panties for Elle. I also wanted to try a size 4 when I phoned in the order for the things that Peggy wanted. Looking at the choices I saw a pencil notation on one that read ”pretty“. I knew I hadn’t made it and when I’d shown the catalog to Judith at her boutique she didn’t have it long enough to make any marks. The notation had to have been made by Peggy.

They had a really pretty applique on one side. I sat there debating with myself as to what to do. I’d told her to pick out something for herself and as far as I could see she hadn’t. She’d made the one word note and that was all. I decided I’d order a box (of 6) for her but I struggled with what size to order. From Elle's sexy panties I knew they ran a bit large. I’d just seen the label on the panties Peggy had worn when sailing with me over the Labor Day weekend and it read size 6. On the spur of the moment I decided to order a box of size 4’s and a box of size 5’s. I called the order in before going back to work. Even though I had no idea how to give the panties to Peggy I was anxious to get them. I knew I’d come up with some way to handle it.The lady who took the order told me it'd be about a week. That was OK by me as it gave me some time to come up with a plan.

Training for the new hire, Joanne seemed to be going well. Both Bret and I had enjoyed a few VPL's in her first few days. She liked to wear fairly tight, straight line, single colored skirts. Even though they'd never allow an upskirt I was willing to accept what I could get. Trish, who'd become my pipeline for information emanating from the Polish mafia, was a little concerned in that she seemed "distant" as far as making friends with the other tellers. I thought it strange especially in that she also happened to be Polish. My concern was more in line with how the public would accept a "colored" girl (remember, it was 1965) on the main teller line when I moved Corrine from the drive up. There was no question that she was more than ready for "prime time". So was Katie, the girl who would be her replacement at the drive up window. Since she was only going to be on the window for lunch hour all Joanne had to do was grasp the concept.

Speaking of Katie and of upskirts, Bret had passed on to me that he'd had a "view" or two. Since his desk was in front of mine he had a pretty much unobstructed view of her activities. Her short stature and skirts made it somewhat easy if you could put yourself in the right position. Evidently, Bret was able to do so. As I've written in previous posts, I'd been reluctant to do much more than acknowledge Bret's observations along those lines. My interaction with his wife concerning panties before they were married had me leery of getting to deep into the subject with him. His continued comments had me tempted though.

I was still so discouraged about what had happened with the race car that I couldn’t bring myself to start to dismantle it. Another reason was that I didn’t know what to do with the stuff after I did. I’m not sure exactly when I got the call at home but it was around mid month. Someone had seen the car out in the storage area of the mobile home park and had stopped at the sales office to inquire about it. One of the owners of the park gave the guy my telephone number. When he identified himself I sort of recognized the name as a former racer. Back when I was still in high school and had my first race car he and his brother were very good drivers. It had been almost ten years since I’d last seen the guy.

Long story short... he wanted to know what I was going to do with the car. When I asked if he wanted to buy it he laughed. I told him I didn’t really know. He said that if I could find a chassis (frame) for it he’d help me fix it. I sat there in disbelief. It took a few seconds to grasp what he’d said and after I did I asked him how much would it cost. I don’t remember his exact answer but, basically, told me not to worry about it. Among the people I’d met at the track since I’d started driving one was a bona fide character. He’d stopped by the car and given me his telephone number telling me that if I ever needed a chassis to give him a call. I don’t know why I kept it but I did. I immediately called him up. The news wasn’t good in that he said he’d just sold the last ”good” one he had. I picked up on the “good” part and asked if he had anything at all. He didn’t answer right away but he finally told me he had one that had a lot of rust. I asked if I could see it and we set a date of that Saturday.

As you can imagine, Elle wasn’t happy when I told her where I was headed that Saturday. I wasn’t happy when I saw what the guy had. The frame was rusted through in two places but he was willing to give it to me for free. I wasn't too keen on it. We chatted a bit and just as I was about to leave he said he’d weld some steel plates on it and charge me $10. I thought about it for a minute and decided it was better than nothing. I didn’t have a truck or trailer to bring it home so, for another $5 he said he’d deliver it. I was back in business... sort of.

To be continued...

Friday, July 05, 2013

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112a)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112a)

By the time I got home it was after 2am. I was still ”wired“ and glad Elle was asleep. It took quite a while for me to fall off and then when I did it wasn’t for long. I’d been asked by the ambulance people if I was OK and, other than being a little dazed right after hitting the guard rail, felt fine. When I woke up I ached all over and couldn’t understand it. The top of my shoulders were especially sore and when I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror I saw why. When I hit (and immediately stopped) the shoulder harness dug into my shoulders and I could see red streaks from the top of my shoulders down about two to three inches on each side. My hips ached a bit two and when I looked at them it was the same thing. The seat belts had dug into my flesh and left their marks as well. Seeing them had me reliving the ”hit“ and I could clearly remember my body leaving the seat. Without waking Elle I got dressed and headed up to look at the car in the daylight.

I was shocked. Even though I’d looked at it in the pits I swear it didn’t look anywhere near as twisted as what I saw it in daylight.  I climbed in and sat in the seat. I could barely reach the right hand side of the steering wheel because I'd bent the steering post and moved it over that far. As I sat there I pretty much realized that my car racing days were over. The day before I was thinking all I needed was a decent motor and now I didn’t even have a car.

Later, Elle was pretty upset after she saw the car and pleaded with me to give up racing. Being a realist it wasn't hard to give in to her. My thoughts quickly went to figuring out what I could get for the various parts and pieces that were left. Again, being a realist the answer was ”not much“. It didn’t make me feel any better. By noon time I found I had a big bruise on my left calf and it was getting harder and harder to walk. It had started to rain and knew I should go at least cover the car but I was so ”bummed“ that I didn’t.

Even with a bad leg it was good to get back to work. Bret knew me well enough by then not to talk racing to me. The new hire, Joanne, was waiting at my desk for me. I’d decided to have Mala, the best teller I had, do the training. I wanted Mala’s no nonsense intensity to get the new girl’s attention. She had to be ”ready to go“ in just three weeks. As I mentioned before, Joanne was a tall girl and standing next to Mala made her seem even taller. She was wearing a khaki skirt and, somewhat surprisingly, it was tight enough to see the outline of the leg elastics from her panties with her just standing there. It was Bret who brought it to my attention.

I’d tried to avoid J J the previous week and had been fairly successful. This Monday was a different story. As I’ve said a time of two before I liked J J in spite of some of his annoying habits. One of them was that his needs always seemed to come first. I’ve also mentioned that my job responsibilities continued to expand. I can’t deny that I sort of asked for it by asking questions that usually led to me being told to go find the answer. One of the things I’d discovered was that the bank had no inventory control on just about everything. I’d made a cursory attempt to get my arms around supplies for my area and had it in mind to start something for both the mortgage and accounting areas. On this day J J appeared at my desk waving a couple of forms and wanting to know where they rest of them were kept. Still ”down“ both physically and mentally from the wreck I verbally jumped all over him. I couldn’t believe it when the half smile never left his face. It was almost like it was impossible for him to get upset of even frown.

By lunch time I’d calmed down and went upstairs to apologize. I always walked knowing that I could beat the elevator and, more importantly, there was also a chance for an upskirt from the switchboard operator. I don’t think I got lucky that day but I had come up with a suggestion for J J. One of the things that had been overlooked when the building was remodeled was storage space for those working on the second floor. For some reason I remembered my visit to the attic when the fuses had blown on the air conditioning unit. There was a lot of empty space up there so, after the apology, took him up there. He agreed it would work and I told him that I’d arrange to have shelves built. I also told him that he’d have to handle his own inventory. He smiled.

When we came down the stairs the door was closed. I explained how the system worked since the ladies bathroom was right there. I do remember seeing his face light up when I told what the closed door meant. Seeing that got me to wondering about what his time without his wife had been like what with Amy living right next door. I didn’t dare ask though. When the door opened, just to make conversation, I asked how the move of his family went. Since the look on his face seldom changed I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not but he said it went smoothly. Thinking of his wife (a shrew) It was hard to believe.

I needed gas for my car during the week and when I stopped at James garage he handed me an envelope. It took a few seconds for me to remember that I’d given his daughter, Peggy, the Evette catalog over a week before. I was hoping that James wouldn’t ask what was inside and he didn’t. With the envelope in hand I couldn’t wait to see what, if anything, Peggy had selected for herself. I found a note with page numbers and descriptions. The panties were listed in the front and I was disappointed that I didn’t see any page numbers to correspond with them. She had some things that were obviously for her mother and then I saw the word ”slip“ and, knowing they were packaged two in a box hope one might be for her. I slipped the catalog back in the envelope and headed for work.

To be continued...

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

FURTHER ALONG... fun in the Fall (Part 111h)

FURTHER ALONG... fun in the Fall (Part 111h)

Lars came out and then Natalie introduced us to her mother who had just moved in with them. It was obvious that she was from Sweden when she spoke. I couldn’t help but to keep looking between her face and that of her daughter. I swear they could’ve been sisters although the mother was prettier. However, Nadia’s shape was definitely the better of the two. The baby, in the stroller, was fussing so we didn’t stay all that long. Walking away I was already thinking of how I’d take a chance at peeking at their clothes line. 

As I said, the need for substitute teachers at the beginning of the school year was always slim and Elle liked it that way. September still had some really nice days and with both the older kids in school, for at least a half day, it gave her some time for herself. Anne was in school in the afternoons for the first half of the school year which was perfect in that it allowed Elle to try and get in with a group of tennis playing ladies.

With the bulk of vacations out of the way I was able to start planning for the end of the month when we had out next “busy period”. The one change I wanted to make was to take Corrine from the drive up window and put her out on the lobby teller line full time. Since the bank began advertising on a regular basis we’d opened a lot of new accounts. Due to that I was anticipating longer lines and wanted to hire a teller trainee. It took some persuasion before Hobie let me do it. I didn’t waste any time in starting to interview as I wanted the person to be trained by the time we started into the “busy period” where we posted interest on the accounts. The first person that came in was certainly impressive by her size. At least 5’10“ tall and blonde she was a girl that everyone would take notice of. I didn’t waste any time and told her the job was hers. After she left Bret turned to me and commented that he hoped that I’d hired her.

Bret hadn’t been to the races since his baby was born even though his friend, Bags, was experiencing a good racing season and had a chance to finish first in the points. He promised that he’d be there for closing night and I was ragging on him that Jan wouldn’t let him. I even bet him a dollar on it. I’d gotten to know him over a period of a year and had definitely seen a change in him since he married Jan and they had a baby. It made me sad that he’d had to give up something that he loved so much. I felt lucky that Elle didn’t make a big deal about my love of racing.

As I’d written in a prior post I was actually glad the season was at an end. After being competitive the previous season I really didn’t like going out on the track knowing I didn’t really have a chance. My plan, sketchy as it was, was to put a new, powerful motor together for the following season. I knew the car was good so the missing part was the engine. All I needed was money.

I connected with both Jim and Lars from the park to go as part of my pit crew. Darren and his friend Donny met me at the track. I didn’t spend much time warming the car up as there wasn’t much to learn and I figured I’d save some wear on the tires. I started in the middle of the pack in my qualifying heat and felt I’d have no trouble in making the feature event. When the green flag dropped I punched the accelerator and the car didn’t respond like it usually did. Because I didn’t pick up speed like I should’ve I got hit, hard, by the car behind me. It was a two pronged shock for me. First was that the car didn’t go and the second was getting hit. I pulled to the outside and, out of the corner of my eye, saw a bunch of cars go roaring past me. By the time I made it to the first turn the motor started running right. As I got through the second turn I could see all the other cars going through the third and fourth turns, almost a half track ahead of me. I was mad and just kept my foot on the gas pedal. Going past the starters stand I was concentrating on trying to catch at least some of the cars in front of me. I figured that everybody that was supposed to start behind me had driven on past so never looked in my rear view mirror. With my foot hard on the gas I angled into the first turn to start my second lap when all of a sudden I heard a ”WHOMP“ and the sound of another motor in my left ear. I turned and saw the blue hood of another car. Before I could turn my head back to the front the car came to an immediate, very hard, stop. The only thing I remember was that for a split second my whole body was up and off the seat in spite of the safety belts I was wearing over my lap and shoulders. I was a bit dazed but my hands were still on the steering wheel... and it was now located in the center of the car. I just sat there looking out the windshield at people sitting in the grandstands  Finally some people came to the window and asked if I was OK.

I don’t remember getting out of the car or even looking at it until it was towed into the pits. I do remember my reaction and it wasn’t good. The car was basically ruined with the frame badly bent and twisted. Darren and Donny weren’t there and I wondered why. Lars, who really didn’t know much about racing, asked a question that started to explain what had happened. His question was ”Why did the blue car turn you into the guard rail?“ The question brought back the visage of seeing the blue hood before the crash. I wasn’t sure which car it was but within minutes Darren showed up with the answer. He’d just come from yelling at the driver. He was livid. I was puzzled as I couldn’t remember ever having an issue with him.

It wasn’t long before there was a steady parade of people walking over to look at the car. Among them was Pop, the man who had built it. Never one with words, all I remember him saying was ”It’s a shame.“ A few minutes later Seeg and some of his son’s crew came by. His comment was to ask what I’d done to make the guy who’d put me into the guard rail so mad. I sure didn’t know. The one positive from his visit was that he told me he’d paid the tow truck guy to tow the car back to the mobile home park after the races were over. It was a nice gesture.


To be continued...