BACK TO SCHOOL (and Elle)... (Part 36c)

All good things must come to an end and that was when it was time to get Elle back to the sorority. I couldn’t have scripted the evening better than it played out. Having the patience to just let things happen on their own worked out for the best. Neither of us wanted the evening to come to an end.

I still had the open invitation to stay at my college classmate Danny’s house as I had sometimes done in previous years. It sure was easier what with having a car. What had taken me over a half hour to walk took but a few minutes driving time. The ”catch“ had been that I never knew where I would end up sleeping... sofa, chair, or maybe sharing a bed. Having a car, and with the weather still warm, I could now fall back on sleeping in the car and that was a nice feeling.

Elle had classes on Saturday and had persuaded me to come over early in the morning to drive her up to the main campus. When I arrived I found her and her three roommates waiting. As a Junior and being a full ”sister“ in the sorority she was able to get a more personal room than the dormitory style room she had to endure the year before. She joined three of her previous roommates in a room for four. Nancy, Lois and Ellie (ironically, there had been two with the same name in the same room the previous year) had gotten along well together and were very sympathetic to Elle’s ”situation“. Lois had a few things to say to me about the dunking I’d given her the previous Spring at the sorority picnic. It was all in good fun though. But, as I was letting them into the car Elle asked if I could come back and look at Mrs M’s (the housemother) car. It wouldn’t start and since she knew I was involved in cars, said she’d ask. What could I say but ”yes“.

Only Seniors were allowed to have cars at Elle’s school. It worked out perfectly for the sorority as they only had 11 spaces and Mrs M had the prime one. It was out back by the carriage house and I was able to pull up beside it. I had a feeling that the battery needed charging as Mrs. M only used the car on the weekends. What got my attention was that, as I pulled in, I was looking right at the outside clothesline for the sorority... and there was a girl hanging up her panties. I sat there for a minute pretending to look for something on the front seat. I could see three pair and the one closest to me had lace around the leg openings. It was always a thrill to see a pair of panties and to know what the girl who wore them looked like. I took it all in.

I was right about Mrs M’s car... only it was worse than just needing a charge. For some reason the case had cracked and one of the three cells was dry. It was useless to try and fill it because she would have to buy a new battery anyway. There was another girl now hanging wash and I went over to her and asked if she could go get Mrs M. She put her basket down and headed back to the house. That left me standing right next to the clothesline and about four pair of cotton panties. One got my attention in that there were little blue flowers printed all over them. I’d never seen any like that before. I really wanted to go over and peek at the label but I didn’t have the nerve. I then went back to Mrs M’s car to wait for her.

When she appeared I told her about the problem and offered to get a new battery and to install it for her. She was very pleased with the offer and proceeded to give me more than enough money to buy a new one. As it turned out I won a whole lot of ”brownie points“ and it also filled my morning. When all was said and done she insisted in paying me for my efforts. I couldn’t give her a price so she stuffed some bills into my pocket. I was embarrassed. I asked her if I could go inside to wash my hands and she directed me to the basement. The door led into the room where the washing machines were and, as I’ve described before, the inside wash lines. There was no one there and within my line of sight there had to be at least a dozen pairs of panties. The temptation was incredible... but, somehow, I resisted. There was a tub like sink just inside the door and I went right to it. As I washed up I saw a small piece of cloth in one of the front corners. On a whim I picked it up and it was a pair of nylon panties. I finished washing my hands and then grabbed the panties and squeezed them tightly into my hand. I returned to my car and quickly stuffed them under the front seat. Elle returned right after I did that. It was a close call!

We’d agreed that she’d eat lunch at the sorority and sneak some food out to me. She didn’t have to. Mrs M made up a whole plate just for me. It was probably around 1pm when we left the sorority. I told Elle about my morning and getting paid for my efforts. I’d actually forgotten about it and it was Elle who ended up digging in my pockets to find out how much Mrs M had given me. I think it was $4 and the first thing Elle did was to suggest that we go back to Woolworth’s and buy a beach towel so we could go back to the barn where we’d been the day before and have a place to sit (?) down. I liked the idea!

Because Summer was over they had all the Summer related things on sale. I think we spent like a $1.50 for a beach towel. Elle said that it’s be a good idea to buy a few small towels ”just in case“. By the time we were done we'd spent the whole $4 and a little more as we each had an ice cream soda. We were both in a very good mood as we left, heading back to the abandoned barn.

To be continued...

BACK TO SCHOOL (& Elle)... Part 36b)

The Sugar Bowl, where we enjoyed eating (when I had the money) was right across the street. As soon as we walked in Elle headed straight for the ladies room. We had to wait for a booth so I was still standing when Elle returned. She was empty handed so I asked her what she did with the other panties. I remember her looking at me like I was crazy or something. I don’t remember her exact words but, in general, she said she wasn’t going to throw them away and she surely wasn’t going to be carrying them around in public. I do remember asking her, point blank, if she’d just put them on over the wet ones. I also remember her hitting me in the arm and telling me to ”shut up!“.

I’ll admit I liked the idea... enough to give me the start of a bulge. When we were seated we worked out a meal budget for the rest of the weekend. Elle said she’d eat breakfast and lunch at the sorority and sneak out some things for me. One of her roommates had a date that had taken her to a decent diner with reasonable prices on the outskirts of town so we planned on that for the next night. It was still quite light out when we finished up so decided to go to one of the places we’d discovered on my Sunday trips while still working at the track. It was on the outskirts of town and was on a hill that overlook the downtown area. We thought it would be a good place to watch the sunset. It was. While we waited for the sun to go down Elle snuggled into me so that my right arm was over her shoulder. I was a ”good boy“ and didn’t attempt to get ”fresh“. I was thinking about how the kiss in the afternoon had evolved and hoped that a good opportunity would present itself. Maybe we were there for a half hour when Elle put both her feet up on the car seat. As she did her skirt hem fell towards her lap. When it did she aided it a bit and exposed the crotch of her panties. I could see the bright white of the new panties and that excited me. I wanted to reach down to touch them but waited. Maybe another ten or so minutes passed when she turned over so that she was now facing me and assumed the position she usually took when we were in the car. Initially, I just let my right hand rest on her hip but, almost immediately, she raised her left leg. It was an ”invitation“. My patience had been rewarded.

Based upon the feel of them the nylon panties had probably dried before she’d put the new panties on.. I knew I had to be patient so satisfied myself by just rubbing her crotch lightly. The panties were made with combed cotton so were quite soft. Because there were hills all around the area, I noticed the the sun was rapidly disappearing so told Elle she needed to turn around so she could watch it go down. She snuggled in close to me with my right arm draped over her shoulder. She did drape her skirt over her lap which didn’t make me very happy but I was hoping that would be remedied soon.

Even though the sun disappeared it remained quite light out. That bothered Elle in that she was hoping that once the sun went down it would soon get dark. She knew it was time to pee and with cars parked in front and behind us she was worried how she could do it without being seen. I was happy that she was willing to discus the situation with me, something she’d had a hard time doing in the past. I told her that if she opened her door and then stepped in front of it, right up to the front fender and that I could stand in front of her to block anyone parked in front of us, that she would be OK. After a little persuasion, she did. My bulge was so blatantly obvious that Elle had to smile. I had to stand close to Elle so I couldn’t see the stream of pee but I could hear it as it puddled beneath her. I wanted, so badly, to have my hand on her crotch as she peed and to feel the warmth of it and then to be able to get my finger inside, but I had to just stand there.

We pretended to talk for a few minutes and when we did move Elle climbed in the passenger side and as I took my position behind the steering wheel she lay down across my lap, facing me. It took my fingers but a few seconds to find her wet crotch and to work their way inside. She jumped as I touched her ”magic button“ and, as she did it set me off as well. I could feel myself coming and cursing.

Because it had been such a long time since we’d been this ”close“, she didn’t let me stay around her” button very long. It was still light enough out that she was uncomfortable going any further than we’d been. That part “saved“ me though. As darkness took over we could see the lights of the town below and it was very interesting to see from that perspective. As we waited for full darkness we talked about some of the things that it would’ve been nice to have had. We came up with a list and right on the top was to have towels in the car. The seats were cloth and not the plastic seat covers that were on the seats of my old car.

Eventually, we got back to ”business“ and, with the darkness Elle’s reluctance to get really ”involved“ abated. It didn’t take long for me to move over to the passenger side and for her to be on her knees facing me. I really wanted her to take off her skirt but that was asking a lot, what with not really knowing the area where we were parked. I’d ”recovered“ by then and had slid my pants down to the floor. Elle’s panties were still slightly damp and I could feel it as she snuggled up to me. I know if I hadn’t come earlier that I surely would’ve within a few seconds.

As we got more and more involved I knew what the culmination would be. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to pay attention and to make sure Elle ”jumped“ when I told her to. It had been a LONG time since we’d ”gone all the way“ but we both wanted it. I’ll say this... worrying about when to tell Elle to get up off me took some of the enjoyment from me... but it was still a wonderful and memorable experience.

To be continued...

BACK TO SCHOOL (& Elle)... (part 36a)

As I said, AJ leaving early was bittersweet. I had really enjoyed working with the horses and, of course, making money. But, love was in the air and by that time it had been 17 weeks since I’d really spent any significant time with Elle... and I truly missed her. I’d been able to get over from the track for a few hours on the first two weeks she was back to school and, having a car to go off in gave us some privacy. However, I had no idea where to go to get complete privacy. We actually spent most of our time together riding around trying to find a good place to park. We found a couple of good possibilities but really didn’t have enough time to take advantage of our discoveries. What they did, though, was to give me something to look forward to once the horses were gone. We’d have from Friday night until Sunday night to be together (with time out for Elle’s Saturday classes and, of course, curfew at the sorority).

The trip that first Friday night seemed to take forever. I left my campus around 1pm and got to Elle’s sorority around 2:30pm. I was so excited at the prospect of having Elle alone for almost 10 hours that I remember perspiring as I waited for her to come down the stairs. I honestly don’t remember what we talked about at first as we drove to one of our “hideaways”. It was behind an abandoned barn. From where I parked the car we could see down a small valley. We could hear cars pass by on the road but, because of overgrown weeds, we couldn’t see them. In my excitement to see her I didn’t do a good job of planning. Days in late September in the upstate area usually remain fairly warm and this day was one of them. It would’ve been nice to get out of the car and find a place in the shade and to sit on the ground. But I had nothing so we stayed in the car with the doors open. In one way that proved beneficial. Elle, as usual, was wearing a skirt and blouse. Because of the length of time we’d been apart there was a “period of adjustment“. Things did not go back to the way they were when classes were ending. Elle pulled her skirt up but not enough to show her panties. Of course I was disappointed but didn’t say anything. Patience was necessary.

Even though I’d gotten bits and pieces about Elle’s Summer activities from her letters there was a lot that had been left out. She was in a talkative mood so I let her go. It was mostly ”girl stuff“ but I had the patience to let her go on. Neither of us paid any attention to time. I have no idea how long we’d been talking when Elle let out a little squeal. As she did she jumped out of the car and grabbed the hem of her skirt. I watched and saw a steady stream of liquid falling from under it. She had only grabbed the front of her skirt and when she did she actually pulled the back part forward. I could see it getting wet and yelled at her to pull her whole skirt up as the back of it was getting wet. She did and it gave me a whole view of her panties. She was wearing only a single pair of nylon ones. Instant bulge!

As she continued to stand there, like that, waiting to ”drip off“, I got out of the car on my side and came around to her. I put my arms around her and gave her a big kiss. She resisted at first but gradually gave in. She let her skirt go and put her arms around me. We stood there kissing for a long time. I thought about putting my hand between her legs but didn’t. When we finally broke apart we started walking around the exterior of the barn. She volunteered that that was the first time she’d actually ”flooded“ her panties since she’d been back at school. Having a daily routine allowed her the luxury of not having to wear a ”package“ all the time. As the Doctor’s had told her, her situation would improve with time and she said that it had. I actually dared to ask how many ”floods“ she’d had during the Summer. I don’t remember her reacting in a negative way to the question and I also don’t remember her answer. She explained that she’d been so anxious to see me that she hadn’t planned ahead and, we’d gotten so ”involved“ in talking she’d forgotten about having to go to the bathroom. She actually apologized. She, obviously, hadn’t noticed (or felt) my bulge.

She’d signed herself out from the sorority until 11pm so we were in good shape as far as that was concerned. The only thing was that she was now wearing peed in panties. It sure didn’t bother me but she was concerned. She really didn’t want to go back to the sorority since she’d basically told everyone that she’d see them later... much later. I told her we could go downtown (which we had to do to eat anyway) and to buy a pair a pair of panties. She thought it was a good idea so we left but I knew we’d be back... sometime.

There was a ladies clothing store in town, much like the ones where I’d bought panties for Elle in the past at home, but we got there too late. The only option on Main Street was a Woolworth’s. I was going to go in with Elle but she didn’t want me to. I gave her a couple of dollars and waited outside. I watched as a clerk locked the door with Elle still inside. I wondered what was happening. She surprised me when she walked up behind me. She’d been let out through a side door. I asked what she’d bought and she handed me a bag. I looked in and could see band legs which told me they were cotton. I’ll admit I was disappointed.

To be continued...

THE END OF SUMMER... and maybe normalcy (Part 35c)

I hate to admit it but the ”angel“ won. I did give in to one request and that was for her to let her kiss me. I don’t specifically remember the kiss but I remember having both my hands on her hips and feeling the silky texture of her panties. I also remember that I had no trouble staying awake for the first hour of the trip back. The crossroads that I had mentioned earlier was a four way stop. I went whizzing right through it and probably another quarter mile before I woke up. The realization that I had fallen asleep while driving was enough to wake me up enough for me to make it safely the rest of the way back.

It was around 3am when I climbed onto the bed, still dressed. I couldn’t get to sleep, rehashing not only the situation with Vicky but also the one with Pat. I couldn’t believe that things like that really happened in real life... and to me, to boot.

It was to be a very busy day because AJ was shipping six horses to the track in the city. The owners had been complaining that the purses (the money horses raced for) at the track were too low as well as it was too far to travel to see them race. Two of my grandfather’s horses were among them. When the track closed at the end of the month, AJ was planning on shipping the rest of the stable to a track in New Hampshire. By October a lot of the racetracks closed for the year and only a few stayed open. That meant there were more horses than there were stalls so the track allotted them by the ability of each horse. AJ had been given 10 stalls which meant there were 5 horses that had to be turned out to pasture. AJ didn’t like that because if he wasn’t training them he didn’t get paid for them. On top of that, he was sending Ed, his best groom and the man who had done my job before I got ”promoted“, to the city along with two of the best grooms. I added to the problem because I had to register for classes the next day and, once they started, would only be available for part time work. To say he was stressed was putting it mildly. It was one of the longest days of my life.

I’d pre-registered but still had to go to the campus to make sure that the classes that I’d chosen had filled and to confirm my schedule. I told AJ, worst case, I’d be back in time to warm up the horses we had racing that night. On campus I found everything in order so, basically, I was off until 5:30pm. I’d made arrangements for one of the other grooms to feed and water my horses. Looking at my watch it was around 1:30pm. I did a quick calculation and, figuring on 2+ hours for traveling, I’d have about and hour and a half with Elle if I drove down there immediately.

The look on her face was priceless. Even if I’d only had 10 minutes with her, it would’ve been worth it. Even though she wrote (I didn’t) and we talked at least once a week on the phone, there was a LOT of catching up to do. I’d committed to continue working for AJ until he shipped the horses to New Hampshire but, upon seeing Elle I was kicking myself in the butt for having done so. On the trip back to the track I remember praying that AJ would ship out early.

I know I didn’t have my mind on my job that night. The emotions from having just seen Elle were in control and, when I messed up the warm up of one of the horses, AJ was all over me. That sure didn’t help my state of mind but I didn’t do or say anything rash. I’d indicated to the B’s that I’d come up and visit with them by the end of the week but, after the situation with Vicky, I really didn’t want to face her so I didn’t. I think it was on Friday night that one of the horse owners that the B’s had befriended up in the clubhouse tracked me down in the paddock. He indicated that Mr B really wanted to see me. Out of respect for the B’s I decided it would be best if I bit the bullet and went over to see them.

To say that I was nervous while approaching them is putting it mildly. But, as I did I noticed that it wasn’t Vicki who was waiting their table. That was why Mr B wanted to see me. The B’s hadn’t seen her since the night I’d taken her home and were worried that something was wrong. I couldn’t help them on that matter, assuring them that I’d delivered her safely home. I was a bit concerned, as well, but relieved that she wasn’t there. (What we later found out was that the trailer park owner (Harry) had found out that she wasn’t married and she (and her boyfriend) had been kicked out of the park. None of us ever saw or heard of her again.)

My wish came true! AJ decided to ship out early. He’d heard that the New Hampshire track wasn’t honoring their verbal commitments as to the number of stalls they were allocating. Even though they hadn’t yet started racing he felt it was best to get there early and stake out the stalls he'd been promised and needed. I’ll admit that I was happy about the decision as it applied to Elle. But, from an economic sense, it hurt. As I was now a Junior at college I was allowed to have a car. That was an added expense that I was going to be faced with all the expected visits to see Elle that I was planning. AJ's decision meant about $100 less for my budget. Bittersweet!

To be continued...

THE END OF SUMMER... and maybe normalcy (Part 35b)

I had to go back to the stable to make sure Ed could/would follow up on the horses that had raced that night and then do my final chores. By the time I did all that the races were over. I’d told Vicki that I’d pick her up at the entry way to the Clubhouse. As I drove around (I had to leave the barn area to get there) I remember shaking my head wondering how I’d gotten myself into this situation.

Vicki was waiting. Almost all the cars in the parking lot were gone and there was no one else was around. As Vicki opened the car door she leaned in and asked if it was OK to “get comfortable”. What was I to say? She threw her canvas bag into the back seat and then proceeded to step out of her slip. That certainly caught my attention. Then, as she slid into the seat, she started unbuttoning her blouse. She only went down to where I could see a bit of her bra. Very interesting, for sure. As I started driving off she pulled the hem of her skirt over halfway up her thighs. I couldn’t see her panties but it was close. The only light was from the radio and when I’d sneak a peek I could clearly see from her knee to the hem of her skirt. Hmmmm...

Air conditioning in cars back then was rare and for my 51 Merc it consisted of turning the front quarter windows as far a you could so as to direct the flow of passing air towards you. When Vicki did her side she also opened up her legs so that it could cool her panty encased privates. Every so often I’d glance her way to see if her skirt had blown any higher. At least I could hope.

The trip was made up of three separate parts both geographically as well as for conversation. The first part was from the racetrack to the crossroads that led to both my college as well as Elle’s. During that part the conversation was primarily about Vicki. I knew a fair amount of what she told me having heard Mrs B tell of it. The only really interesting part was why she would tell everyone she was married. The owner (Harry) of the trailer park where she lived, as well as his wife, were very moralistic people. She knew of a few others who had been asked to leave the park because they weren’t married and, since the location was so central, didn’t want to have to move.

The second part was from the crossroads to the town where she and Elle went to school. Even though I’d been over it dozens of times as a passenger I’d only driven it once and that was in daytime. Vicki wanted to hear all the details about me and my life and, in a way it was good because it kept me awake. Of course, the big item for her was that I was secretly engaged. I had to go over all the reasons why and than go into what our plans were for the future. All the while, I’m sneaking glances at her lap, hoping for at least a peek at her panties. As we passed through the outskirts of town it struck me that Elle would be there in about 15 hours... and I wouldn’t.

The last part was from the college town to where she was living. This is where the conversation got personal. She built up to it but what she was angling for was to know if we did “it”. Even though it had finally started to cool down I found myself perspiring as she pressed me for details. It was a subject that I just plain didn’t discuss with anyone... not even my best friend, Fred, or with my roommates. When I wasn’t forthcoming she got up on her knees on the front seat and got closer to me. That didn’t make me any happier. As we approached the town she pleaded with me to at least tell her what it was about Elle that “turned me on”. I still dodged the questions. When we pulled up in front of her trailer I still hadn’t given her an answer that she wanted. As late as it was I figured that she’d just grab her bag and get out of the car... but she didn’t. The engine was still running as i waited for her to get out and before I could react, she leaned over and turned the ignition off and removed the keys. I was tired and I surely didn’t need this aggravation. I looked over at her and asked her, nicely, to please give me my keys back. By then she was holding them up by her face and letting them swing back and forth. I probably could have “attacked” her and grabbed the keys but I didn’t. She told me I had to tell her what it was about Elle that really turned me on... was it her ass or her breasts or whatever. I remember having both hands on the steering wheel and looking straight ahead, out the front window when I answered. I told her that it was seeing her in just her bra and panties. I can remember the perspiration running down the small of my back after I told her.

As soon as I did she jumped out of the car, still holding the keys, and ran up the steps and into the trailer. I sat and watched a couple of lights go on. By then I was really annoyed. I slid across the front seat and out the passenger door and went in the open door and into what seemed to be a living room. It was the first time I’d ever been in a trailer and, to be truthful, was impressed. I know it sounds funny, considering the situation, but you have to realize just how tired I really was. In any case, I called out to her and got no response. There was a doorway on the wall to my right and, just as I was about to look in the other direction, Vicky appeared. I will not lie. She got my attention, for sure!. She’d let her hair down from the pony tail and it had completely changed her look. But, more importantly, she was standing in the doorway in just her bar and panties. She was probably ten pounds heavier than Elle and just a skosh shorter. But with the light from the end table shining right on her tummy it looked pretty good to me. There was a very clear crotch line showing in the front and, as I remember it, not a wrinkle in the panties. She filled them out perfectly. I honestly don’t remember what she said to me. I probably didn’t hear it anyway. It was like I was in a trance. It wasn’t until she started walking towards me that I came out of it. I do remember her saying something like “I guess you’re a panty man”. The combination of her walking towards me and hearing her voice was like an alarm going off in my brain. If you can remember the scene from “Animal House“ where the guy is standing there and there’s a devil on one shoulder egging him on and a an angel of the other saying no, you can pretty much get the picture of what I was faced with.

To be continued...

THE END OF SUMMER... and maybe normalcy (Part35a)

I’ve hardly mentioned my parents friends (and mine as well), the B’s. They were the couple who ran the clothing store in the town where I went to college. Childless and not much for traveling, they decided that their “vacation” would be taken by going to the races any night it wasn’t raining. They would go to the Clubhouse for dinner each night. As “regulars” they were afforded some perks which included having the table closest to the finish line. That afforded them an unobstructed view of the whole track. They also go to choose who was to be their waitress. Her name was Vicki and there was no doubt about the fact that she was pretty. She had strawberry blond hair and when she wore it in a pony tail, looked like they typical “girl next door”.

Spending as much time at the track as they did they got to know a fair number of horse owners. Mr B was always looking for a “hot tip”. When he found out that I was going to be working at the track he got really excited thinking that I’d be a regular source of “inside information”. When I started work for AJ there was no time for me to get over to the Clubhouse to visit with the B’s during the races. After my “promotion”, where I was now helping to warm the horses up between races, I was able to get over to the clubhouse three or four times a week, but only for a race or two. Whenever I did, the B’s insisted that I have something to eat. It was usually fairly late so I’d usually choose something sweet. As soon as Vicki would see me she’d wheel the dessert cart over to the table.

I’d seen Vicki once the previous season the one time I’d been to the track and seen the B’s. I actually remembered her, but not her name. On that one visit I’d noticed a very prominent VPL and, when I saw her again I was actually disappointed. Management had changed the waitress uniforms and it was impossible to see a VPL dressed the way she was. Bummer! However, I eventually learned that, if I caught her retrieving something from the bottom of her wait station,sometimes I could get a quick upskirt. So, that became my goal for each visit with the B’s.

As the Summer progressed I ended up learning a lot about Vicki from Mrs B. She was a very inquisitive woman and, over the two Summers that Vicki had been their waitress, she’d learned a lot and passed some of it on to me. One of the interesting things was that she was attending the same college as Elle. But, being a year ahead of Elle and in a completely different program as well as a “day student”, commuting daily, she didn’t know her. What I found somewhat fascinating was that she commuted an hour and a half, each way, to her job at the track. She told everybody she was married but was actually just living with her fiance. Somehow Mrs. B got that out of her. In any case, she and her fiance lived in a mobile home (trailer) in this town about 1/2 hour from where she (and Elle) went to school. Her fiance, who had graduated a few years earlier, worked in a small city about 45 minutes south of where they were living. The owner of the mobile home park (Harry) also had a stable of horses at the track. He would drive up and back each day that his horses were racing. Since he had a number of businesses to run it was the only way to make it all work. When he found that Vicki had once worked at the track and needed a job he offered to drive her both to and from work on the nights he had horses racing. Because of Vicki, on the nights that he finished early Harry would come up to the clubhouse and visit with the B’s. And that’s how I met Harry. But back to Vicki... (7)

Mrs B told me that Vicki had told her that I was “interesting” and looked forward to my visits. Truthfully, I never noticed that Vicki made a “fuss” about me when I’d show up. Even after Mrs B told me I really couldn’t see it. Labor day weekend was a rough one for me because that was when Pat (the track photographer) had come on to me after we’d gone to the track picnic. I was also stressed from work and that experience certainly didn’t help. I was also stressed about the fact that my idea of getting off work to be able to go home to bring Elle back to school had been shot down by AJ. So, on that Labor day night, I wasn’t planning on going up to the Clubhouse when I got through in the paddock. But, one of the horse owners that knew the B’s made a special trip to the paddock to give me a message that they wanted to see me. “No” is a word that has never come easy for me. Reluctantly, when I was finished with my paddock duties, I made a mad dash up to see them. As always, they were happy to see me. But, Vicki didn’t bring the dessert cart, which, in itself, was a surprise. I was going to defer anyway. When he saw me approaching, Mr B got up from his chair and met me in the aisle. He’d never done that before. Being some six inches shorter than me I had to bend down to hear what he was saying. The track announcer was giving the names of the horses and their drivers for the next race which didn’t help matters. It was somewhat surreal.

What Mr B wanted was for me to do him a big favor. He’d never asked before and I knew I certainly owed him (and Mrs B) more than just one favor. So I listened. Vicki needed a ride home. Because I knew how far away she lived my first reaction was to say “no”. But I didn’t and listened to Mr B explain why. Basically, she was stranded and Mr B had eye problems and driving at night was a problem so Mrs B wouldn’t let him. Being young, and the fact that Vicki had mentioned (more than once) that I was “interesting”, I came to mind... and here I was. By then I could see Vicki standing off by her wait station. What could I say but “Yes, I would”.

To be continued...

MORE SUMMER... and my new life (Part 34f)

And wait I did. Long story short... I never saw Alida again. I went to her room before I went up to the races that night and there was still no Alida. It was the same after the races. The next morning the stable superintendent stopped by to inspect the area she and her horses had occupied. When he saw her things in the tack room he asked one of our grooms if they belonged to him. He said “no” and referred him to me. I told him what I knew and he then asked if I’d make sure they got moved out as there were horses due in that afternoon and that room would be needed. I was really behind in my work so I didn't go there until I saw a horse van pull up to that end of the barn. As I started to roll up her mattress I found a note addressed to me under her pillow. As much as I wanted to read it right away, I knew I had to get her things moved. I just folded it up and put it in my back pocket. I finished rolling up the mattress and then folded up the cot and the chair. I carried them down to our end of the barn and stored them in the rafters. I wasn’t sure what to do with her foot locker though. The lock for it was still hanging there. I decided to make it look like it was locked and carried it down to our end of the barn and hid it under a couple of bales of straw with the idea of waiting to see if I got any news about Alida. She’d also left a few bales of hay and straw as well as a partially filled grain barrel. I lugged them all to our area and told the others not to use it until told to do so.

By then it was time to change clothes and go up to the track. I’d actually forgotten the note from Alida in my pocket and didn’t think of it until much later in the evening. I pretty much knew what was in it. Back at barn, after the races, I found my work pants and dug the paper out of my pocket. I think I stood and looked at it for about a minute before I opened it up. There were two pages, hand written, on lined yellow pad paper. I remember the beginning just like I was reading it right now... “Sonny Boy; Thank you for allowing me into your life.” I honestly didn’t know what she meant by that. In essence, what the note contained was the fact that she’d come to realize that the only reason she was doing this (training and racing the horses) was to retain something in her life that her husband dearly loved. She wasn’t doing because she loved it herself. She said that when I’d told her to “be herself” it finally struck home. When she ditched the manly clothes and persona she felt much better... and that led her to, realistically, question her motives for staying with the horses. She said that the better of the two horses had been bred by her husband and he died before it ever got to the races. She’d vowed to make sure that the horse raced, in honor of her husband. After reading that I questioned how she could’ve sold it. But she went on to say that, once the bills that she owed were paid, she felt it was time to walk away. With “Wingo” winning those races the value of both horses went way up and when he approached her about selling the better horse she said she would. Once that deal was done there was no reason to keep the other one so she sold it as well.

She went on to say that she couldn’t stand “Good bye’s” and felt that it was best if she just left a note. She told me to do whatever I wanted with her cot, chair and lamp and to just throw the “junk” in her footlocker away and, if I didn’t want it, to give the locker to one of AJ’s grooms. I think the only way to describe how I felt after reading that was “empty”.

I know I didn’t get to sleep for a long time that night. I pretty much went over that whole period of time from my first encounter with her right up to the last time we’d talked. None of the feelings were sexual in spite of the fact that she’d paraded around in front of me in just her underwear. I had truly grown to like her as a person and knew that I’d miss her.

It took a few days before I went though her footlocker. There really wasn’t much in there other than few of the plaid shirts with the sleeves cut or torn off that she liked to wear when she first arrived. There was also stained shirt/jacket, a few dirty baseball caps and a woolen sweater with holes it it. When I pulled them out I found a couple of bras and panties. I remember smiling when I saw them because they were a light shade of gray. I guess “dingy” would be the word to describe them. Of course I had to inspect the panties but they were just like the ones I’d washed for her on those Sundays... just old and worn out. As much as I loved panties and missed Alida, I didn’t keep them.

Knowing that the track owed her money from the last races that her horses had competed in I went up to the office to see what her forwarding address was. They said all she gave them was “General Delivery: Livonia, Michigan”. I actually did write a post card to her but never heard back. If there was one valuable lesson I learned from meeting Alida was to not judge people so quickly. Through the years, when I found myself making a judgment based on a cursory meeting I'd think of Alida and would "back off" until I got to know them better.

To be continued...