AUGUST...The backside of Summer... (Part 26g)

I was up in time to give her a hug and a peck on the cheek before she and her mother left. I still had to limit my physical actions when her mother was around. As they pulled out of the drive I was told by her mother that it wouldn’t be worth my while to come in and visit and Elle would be “in recovery”. I had told Elle that I would and when she heard her mother’s words I could see the disappointment on her face. I did get her mother to promise to call my mother to let her know how it went.

Because of the motor problems with the racecar we hadn’t raced it in a while. That Wednesday night was the last Wednesday show for the Summer and there was a special show because of it. We decided to try one more time. Before we left for the track my mother called to say Elle was OK and would be home the next afternoon. Even though I knew she’d be in a period of recovery I couldn’t wait to see her.

The results at the races were more of the same old stuff... motor problems. It was frustrating to say the least. The guys who worked on the motor were at their wits end. Back at the station we decided to call it a year even though there were still more scheduled races. That meant I would be free Saturday night. I’d received a formal invitation to Pam and Penny’s (the sailing twins) party but originally wasn’t going to attend. Elle was also invited as well as David, the fellow who had loaned the girls the part they needed at the last big regatta. With the decision not to race I began to give the invitation some serious thought. Even though I was dating Elle, it was flattering to be pursued by two other girls.

Elle arrived home not feeling well at all. She’d had a reaction to the anesthesia and was still lethargic on Friday. She was also required to have a catheter which was very uncomfortable. So, when Saturday arrived she told me she wasn’t going to the party. I’m not sure what my reaction was. In hindsight I would probably say I was relieved as Elle had indicated some jealousy towards the girls before she met them and their parents. In any case it was just David and me that headed for the party.

I knew that the family was rich from just observing the parents and seeing some of their things. However, I had no idea just how rich they were. We had the address and some limited directions to follow and, as we went down the road to their house I thought there was some mistake. On both sides of the road were these very large estates. (Remember, this was in the late 50’s) We arrived at the street number and there were these two large brick columns with an iron gate attached to each. At the end of the drive was this large house with colonnades in front. We were guided as to where to park and I remember feeling I was way out of place. The party was out in back of the house and in a formal garden. I could see a pool and pool house as well as a tennis court. I was able to recognize some of the people who were there as being part of the sailing community. As I remember it there were probably two to one young people as opposed to adults. I think it was Penny who saw us first and she came running up and gave me (not David) a big hug. I didn’t know how to react. Pam followed a minute or so later. They were wearing the same summer dress but one had a yellow ribbon as a belt and the other a pale green one. They had matching bows around their pony tails as well. We had to go through the obligatory welcoming and met the parents once again. (As an aside: The father was the President of General Tire, a major tire maker at the time)

The girls led us around to the food and drink (and there was plenty of that) and then we intermingled with some of the people who’s faces we recognized. Somewhere along the line I lost track of David and soon after I did I was “attacked” by (I think) Pam. She asked if I wanted to see the inside of the house. I said I did and she took me in through the kitchen. It was huge and there were quite a few people in there making up food trays for the party. I’d been in the kitchen of a few restaurants and this kitchen was equally as large. I got to see all the rooms that were downstairs and remember thinking that this was only a Summer home to them. I was amazed. Even in my wildest dreams I don’t think I would have believed that I got to go upstairs. The master bedroom was almost as big as the living room in my house and I knew that ours was much larger than most. There was a bathroom in there just for her parents as well as a closet that was bigger than the room my brother and I shared. I’d never seen anything like that before. As we walked down the hall we went past four large bedrooms, two on each side, with a full bathroom between each. There were doors from each bedroom going into the bathrooms so you didn’t have to go out in the hallway. I was very impressed. At the other end of the hall was the bedroom the twins shared. Pam told me that when the house was being designed they were asked if they each wanted their own room and they said no to the idea. They wanted to be together.

As I walked in I saw two canopy beds, one on each side of the room. Each side was a mirror of the other. They each had their own full set of furniture including a soft, comfortable chair. Each had their own closet. They weren’t anywhere near as big as the closet the parents had but they were still impressive. While Pam was in the process of showing me her side of the room this lady, in a uniform, knocked at the door (which was open). She was holding a small wicker basket under her arm. Pam told her to come in and told her to put the basket on the end of her bed. After she left Pam went looking for an entry in her diary that she wanted me to see. It was for when she saw me for the first time. When she told me this I remember getting all flushed. She was having a hard time finding it so she retreated to her bed and sat as she flipped the pages. I followed and sat next to her. As I sat down I glanced into the basket and, right on top and not folded, were cotton panties. They had the same unique waistband that I seen both the girls wearing. Oh how I wanted to just reach over and pick a pair up. Actually, I wanted ask where they were purchased. But I knew that neither was a possibility. Pam finally found the date and the entry she was looking for. All I can say I was embarrassed as I read it. Pam was holding the book and leaning towards me so I could see it. All of a sudden we heard a very loud “Ah Ha!”. It scared both of us. When I turned towards the door I somehow managed to knock the basket onto the floor. It wasn’t intentional. (Really!) The sounds had come from Penny who’d been looking for Pam. Both Pam and I stood up and looked at Penny. We probably looked guilty of something even though we’d done nothing wrong. She said her parents wanted to see her right away. Pam left immediately with Penny standing in to doorway and me standing by the side of the bed with a pile of clean underwear around my feet. It would have made for an interesting picture.

To be continued...