WINTER... way too soon (Part 40d)

The Trooper had said it was about 20 miles to the Thruway and a decent sized town. He said the problem with the electricity and phones was strictly a local one. I’d asked about places to eat and he said there were plenty in that town. I’d been running on adrenalin and wasn’t all that hungry even though I hadn’t eaten for 24 hours. The girls were famished and complaining. None of them had eaten anything since lunch the day before. It took about 3/4 of an hour to get there. I stopped at the first eating place that I saw. It was almost noon. They all wanted to eat but I insisted that they all call home first. Of course I only heard one side of each conversation. I remember the part that I heard was almost universal for all three... “Yes, I’m alright. No, I’m not lying! Yes, I’ll call when we get to Nancy’s house. I love you! Bye.” Fortunately, when it came my turn I got my father. At least I knew there would be no histrionics. I assured him that all the girls were fine and that I hoped to be home by supper time. Then I went and joined the girls and ate my first good meal in over 24 hours.

It was noon by the time we got gas and on the road. I was surprised to see that the Thruway only had one lane completely clear and that the other was still snow/ice packed. Traffic wasn’t bad though, even going around the city. I had told Elle before we left the diner that I wouldn’t be stopping before Nancy’s house so she was prepared. When I calmed down from the stress of the road conditions I was able to think about Elle and I have to admit that after a few hours I was picturing Elle sitting there in the front seat, peeing. Being a Saturday there wasn’t the usual rush hour traffic. There still was plenty, but manageable. We got to Nancy’s house just before it got dark. It was quite a “welcome home”. It was like she'd been lost for a month and just been found. Of course her father "grilled" me about how I managed to get lost. I had to go through the whole scenario for him and he seemed to accept it. I really hadn’t wanted to stay that long.

I knew Elle had needed to change. When I got Nancy’s suitcase out of the car trunk I pulled Elle’s out so she could get dry panties. Nancy’s parents wanted us to stay for supper but, more than anything, I just wanted to get home. I was so tired!. I was still running on adrenalin and wanted to get the last two hours over with.

Because it was two hours or less until we would get home, Elle decided to wear just panties without pads and the sanitary panties. She’d washed up at Nancy’s and since she’d been wet, or close to it, for 24 hours straight wanted her skin to “dry out”. We still had about an hour to go when I felt really tired. I asked Elle to drive but she’d never driven a stick shift car. So we started singing silly songs to keep me awake. It worked and when I pulled into Pauline’s driveway it was as good as being home. It was another big “welcome home” and I had to reprise the explanation all over again. It was hard to escape. When we pulled into my driveway I just shut off the engine and sat there. Since it was dark and my parents were looking for me, it only took a minute until I saw the driveway light flashing on and off. I still just sat there, totally drained. Elle wasn’t saying a word, just sitting beside me. She was the one that saw my parents, as well as hers, coming down the walkway. After the hugs we all made our way into my house. My parents had invited Elle’s parents over to wait for us and then to have supper and they had been waiting, impatiently, for our arrival.

The one good thing was that we only had to tell our story once. I had to hand to my father as he kept my mother in check. She, on occasion, could go off on a tangent and every time she started that way, he’d cut her off. After eating, all I wanted to do was crash into my bed. I walked Elle out to the car to get her bags but her parents walked her home and I went back inside telling her that I’d see her in the morning. No kiss. No hug. No nothing.

It was around 10 am when I woke up. It was hard for me to grasp that it was Sunday. I’d lost all day Saturday and I’d planned on using it to do my Christmas shopping. Now I’d have to wait until Monday, (there were still “blue laws” back in those days where the stores were closed) Christmas eve, to get it all done. One of the most important things was to go get the panties I’d bought over Thanksgiving and that was going to take some time because the store was almost an hour away. When I came downstairs my father got to me first and told me that my grandfather wanted to see me sometime before Christmas day. At first I thought there was something wrong with him or my grandmother but my father assured me that they were both OK but that was all he’d say. Of course I was intrigued. I wanted to see Elle but the shade in her room was still down indicating that she wasn’t up yet. On the spur of the moment I decided to jump in my car to go see him right then and there. As I walked out to my car I saw a third car in the driveway. I swore to myself that it hadn’t been there the night before. As I looked at it I recognized it as a brand new Buick hardtop and yet, my father’s old car, the convertible, was there as well. I was going stop and go back in the house to ask about it but kept on going.

To be continued...