FROM FALL INTO EARLY WINTER... (Part 29a)

The goal was to make it to the Thanksgiving “break”. The eating arrangement was working marginally well. The food was good but Mrs. B, on an almost everyday basis was a little “much”. Some of my “brothers” at the fraternity were somewhat envious (but they didn’t have to live with an ulcer) and others were “on my case” for not spending enough time at the house. It was a different kind of pressure that I didn’t need on top of my almost across the board failing grades. I don’t remember the bland diet actually helping the ulcer situation but I’m sure it didn’t make it any worse. I’d been losing weight all through the semester and at least, with Mrs. B feeding me, that trend had stopped.

I was able to secure a ride home from a junior who lived only 40 miles from where I did and who would drop me off in the town where my grandparents lived. It seemed like the minute I sat down in his car all the “pressure” was of of me. I think I slept most of the way home (nine hours). Elle had a ride home from a girl from our town who was a senior at her school. We had touched base with each other the night before we left and fully expected to see each other later that night. It wasn’t to be. When I got dropped off I was to stop in at my grandparents to say “Hi” and to call my father to come pick me up. You can imagine my surprise when I walked in and found my whole family already there. It wasn’t a welcome home party, for sure. Living in a rural area we had to depend on a well for our water. After a hurricane or any other storm that brought abnormally high tides with it there was always some salt water contamination. The most recent storm had thoroughly compromised the well and a new well had to be dug. The drilling company had sunk three new wells and they all had substantial salt in them. My mother, after going without water for two days and with Thanksgiving upon her, decided she’d had enough with waiting for water and that afternoon had convinced my father that they had to move in with my grandparents. It wasn’t the news I wanted to hear. I had nothing against my grandparents. It just mean a crimp in my plans to be with Elle.

Not knowing when Elle would arrive home and the fact that her father went to bed at 9 each night prevented me from calling that night. I didn’t have my car and with the next day being Thanksgiving and the fact that we were having dinner with my grandparents meant the earliest I could get my father to drive me home to get it would be either late that day or even early evening. I was not very happy. The whole car ride home I’d fantasized what the two of us would do together and now I’d have to wait another day.

Thanksgiving morning I was sent on an errand to get a good cigar for my grandfather and the morning newspaper. It was deja-view as that had been my daily routine when I’d lived with my grandparents. As I walked out the kitchen door and across the back porch I saw something that perked me up. I looked over to the house next door and saw a pair of pale yellow panties on a small line hung between the back porch pillars. I was enamoured by the color. I don’t think I’d ever seen yellow panties before. I had no idea who lived there now as I knew the family who had been there when I last lived with my grandparents had moved to the city. All the way to the cigar store I kept thinking of a way to at least find out what the owner of them looked like. I’d gotten pretty good at seeing attractive girls and then visualizing what they looked like in their panties. In this case I already knew what the panties looked like but I needed the other half.

Thanksgiving dinner went well. My grandfather gave me a complete update on his racehorses, showing me pictures taken during the racing season which helped move time along for me. I didn’t nag my father too much and when my grandparents decided to take a nap it was a good time to go get my car and to visit Elle. The well drilling rig appeared to be blocking the garage door where my car was stored. I went into a mini panic when I first saw it but patience paid off and I was able to get it out. I knew that Elle’s family had invited friends for dinner but she’d expected them to leave soon after as they had a three hour trip to their home. I wasn’t happy to find them still there. They were still visiting and when I arrived Elle’s mother “suggested” that she (and I) could wash the dishes. The one good thing about that was we would be somewhat alone and as soon as we walked into the kitchen I grabbed her and gave her a big kiss. It felt so good just to hold her even with her parents just a few feet away. I couldn’t wait to be alone with her.

It was about 8pm when the company finally left. I knew it was useless to suggest we leave because her mother would want to know where we were going and I couldn’t come up with any place that was rational and that she’d accept. That meant we’d have to wait until her parents went to bed. Normally it was about 9pm (as her father left for work around 5am or so) but it wasn’t to be on this night. It was much closer to 10pm when they finally bid us a “good night” with a strong suggestion that I leave at midnight. At that point I didn’t care just as long as they went to bed.

To be continued...