BIG CHANGES... better times (Part104k)

Once I got the machine started I went back upstairs and got started on the repacking. Elle reminded me that Nan had offered to have us stay over on our return trip. I’d pretty much dismissed it but with our money situation a little tenuous I gave in and told her to call. I’d always liked Nan but the situation with her husband made me uncomfortable. I figured I could endure another night if it would guarantee that we’d have enough money to make it back home.

When I returned to the basement I found it still had a ways to go. The other machine was empty and the wash basket of clothes I’d gone through was gone. I was still puzzling over just where I’d seen Evette panties in the past. As much as I would like to have taken a pair of the Evette panties there was just no way. The young woman would have known exactly who had taken them. Even though they probably would never see me again it was the high esteem they had for my grandparents that made it impossible to go there.

With the thoughts on nothing but panties, panties, panties I remembered the white thing I’d seen under the picnic table back in the park. There was a door to the outside at the end of the hall. It only opened from the inside and I got the idea to run back over there to see just what it was that I’d seen. I was actually quite excited as I jogged over. I reached under the table and my hopes were rewarded. It was a pair of panties but, in spite of my hopes that they would by nylon, they were cotton. With the dim lighting I couldn’t really inspect them. I jogged back to the hotel but to get in I had to ride the elevator up to the main floor. Walking past the front desk I saw the young woman I’d met earlier. She asked how I’d made out downstairs and I told her I’d find out in a minute. I started to go on but she called out that she’d only used about half her time on the dryer and that I could use the rest of her time if I wanted. Up to that point my plan had been to just do the wash and then find places to hang it in the room to dry. I knew most, if not all, would still be somewhat damp in the morning but I figured I’d just spread it out on top of the luggage in the back of the wagon and hope that they would dry by the time we got to Nan’s.
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A few words of explanation are due here... Back when we were first married neither of us had any real experience with clothes dryers. They were still quite new back then. Our first few experiences were disasters as we ”cooked“ the elastics in our underwear (bras, panties and my underpants) as well as drastically shrunk her cotton panties as well as a couple of Elle’s cotton tops. We decided that the safest thing was to let those type items dry naturally. As I explained in a few earlier posts, I rigged up clothes lines in the bathroom in the tub area and purchased a couple of fold up drying racks to get the job done.
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I was curious as to why she hadn’t used the whole time and her answer was that she didn’t want to ruin her delicate things. She told me she’d put them in just long enough to start the drying process and then stopped the machine. I thought it was a great idea and promptly thanked her as I headed back downstairs. I was still a little leery when started the dryer back up and I’m sure I could’ve left everything in for longer than I did. Since this was the first time trying it thought that caution was the best route. I do remember that even though the items had only been in the machine for about ten minutes they felt very hot when I took them out. They were definitely still damp though. Back in the room I told Elle what I’d done and she wasn’t too pleased with me for doing it. We managed to get everything hung up on something; door knobs... backs of chairs...  shower curtain rod, before turning out the lights. I was really hoping that they’d all be dry by morning as I snuggled up to Elle. It wasn’t until then that I remembered that I hadn’t inspected the panties I’d found in the park. I’d so concentrated on using the dryer that they completely slipped my mind. I thought about making up an excuse to get back up but decided that it wasn’t worth the risk. It’d have to be in the morning.

We didn’t need Elle’s alarm to wake us in the morning. For some reason both the girls were awake and made enough noise to rouse us. I’d packed up most everything except for the things we’d worn to bed plus the panties and few items of clothing that were hanging around the room. Surprisingly, most were dry so I made a mental note about the use of a dryer for future reference. Elle got the girls dressed while I got washed up and shaved and when it was her turn for the bathroom I took the first load of things to the station wagon... and inspected the found panties.

I was somewhat disappointed in them as they were what I would call ”ratty“ in that, although white when new, they definitely had a dingy tint to them. I couldn’t call them common in that the manufacturer had used red thread to sew on both the leg and waist elastic. I'd never seen anything like that before. They had no label and on one side the stitching had given way making a hole. However, when I inspected the crotch, that was a different story. It was very obvious that the girl/woman was active sexually. There were a few different sets of stains and one sure looked like cum. For her little tryst the previous night she’d taken them off but it was my guess that she’d been ”visited“ with them still on at some other time.

At first I was conflicted as to what to do with them but I quickly decided that it was in my best interest to just ditch them. Not that I would’ve been able to explain my ”stash“ if it was found but the cum stains on these would’ve crested an impossible situation. Plus, one of my "things" was to associate a face with the panties and all I'd seen was a form running into the woods. I balled them up and threw them under the back of the wagon and headed back inside to get another load. Hindsight being 20/20 I wish that I hadn’t but that’s because I know the stash has not been discovered (so far).

To be continued...

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104j) 

When I got back to the room I found Elle dressed and ready to go to dinner. She’d put on the new dress and with nice black shoes (in place of the penny loafers she’d been wearing when she tried on the dress) and with her hair combed and in place she looked great! She was about to dress the girls and as I watched her bending over to assist them I was almost drooling from the view. Even with a slip on I could see not only the outline of her panties but also a VPL of the crotch. It immediately made me think of the VanRaalte panties still in my pocket. I stood there imagining just how vivid it would be if she were wearing them.

I told Elle about the washing machines in the basement but she wanted to eat early and get that out of the way. I remember following her into the dining room as we were being led to our table. I saw a couple of the men follow her with their eyes and it made me feel good. While eating the girls started pestering us to go back to the park. My plan was to get back downstairs to the washing machines and then to get our things together so we could leave fairly early the next morning. Elle reminded me how well the girls had behaved on the trip and that they had a long trip ahead of them. It wasn’t worth arguing about and since it was still warm enough out for just a sweater I, reluctantly, agreed.

Even though the park had been upgraded with new equipment sometime since my last trip to visit my grandparents nothing had been done to upgrade the lighting. There were only three incandescent bulbs to light the whole playground and picnic area. We were almost there when I saw something moving on the seat part of one of the picnic tables. I didn’t say anything to Elle but kept my eyes on the spot. It looked like someone was lying on the seat. The girls started to squeal when they saw the merry go round and right after they did I saw this dark form rise up to a standing position. Elle saw it as well and stopped walking. Then another form rose up. On this one I could see it was female as I could see the white of an open blouse and part of her bra. The two of them then ran off into the bushes between the playground and the stores that lined the street by the rail tracks. Elle wanted to go back but I told her to wait where she was and I walked on down to the picnic table. I really had no reason to but I did anyway. I walked around the table and I was just about to head back to Elle when I saw something white under the table. My first thought was that it just might be the girl’s panties but I couldn’t tell and I didn't dare go look. Elle was now yelling for me to get back to her and the kids. When I got there she was trying to explain to the very upset girls why we weren’t going to use the merry go round. As we walked back to the hotel I kept wondering just what that white thing I saw was.

Elle said she’d occupy the girls while I took her pail of panties down to the basement to wash. She handed me the slacks she’d wet earlier along with some of the girls trousers to do as well. I walked into the room with the washing machines and startled a young woman who was about to walk out. She stopped and seeing the pail immediately apologized. She said she'd just started the second machine. Before she said anything else she identified me by name. That was a bit of a shock as I’d never seen her before. Long story short, she was the granddaughter of the owner and her mother was the lady who’d been behind the front counter. After that she, again, apologized for occupying both machines. She went on to say that if I wanted to wait for about ten or so minutes the one machine would be available. She said that when the cycle ended I could just remove her things and put them into the wash basket that was on top of the machine. I didn’t have anything that needed to be done in the next few minutes so decided to stay and wait. As she went out of the door she asked what I thought about the warm weather. I told her that it had been just perfect for what we wanted to do. I remember her smiling and then saying that she preferred cold weather. I asked her why and she laughed and said that she missed skiing. That didn’t make much sense to me being in North Carolina. The explanation was that the family owned another hotel up in New Hampshire that was open only in the summer. When it came time for college she decided to go to the University of New Hampshire and had fallen in love with skiing. Then she told me that she’d just returned from spending a week there and needed to get some things washed.

I probably had to wait for over twenty minutes but I’d enjoyed talking with her. She was nothing special to look at and was fairly small but she had a nice smile and personality. After she told me about the other hotel I remembered my grandmother telling me how they’d found out about The Hollywood. She and her mother had gone on a ”motor trip“ (what they called them back in the 30’s) and had ended up staying at the New Hampshire hotel. It wasn’t until after WWII that my grandparents managed to get to the North Carolina one.

You probably won’t believe it when I say that I didn’t have any thoughts about going through her wash on a panty peeking expedition when she walked out of the room. I was really wanting to get Elle’s panties washed and then back to the room to start packing up. I’d probably pulled three batches of her wet wash out before I saw a little sliver of pale pink sticking up. I pulled on it and out popped a pair of bikini’s. That discovery got my mind turning. After a quick check into the hall I made a concerted effort to find more. Total tally (I didn’t spend more that a minute, if that) was three bikini’s and two full briefs. The tags in all three bikini’s were the same... a script ”Nylon“ and a circle with a 4 in the middle. The panties and the labels appeared to be fairly new. I was sure they had to belong to the young woman I’d been speaking to. However, the brief panties had me scratching my head. They had to belong to her mother. First off, the waist elastic was very distinctive and I kind of knew I’d seen it before. Then, the label... it was embroidered in maroon and read ”Evette size 5“. I knew I’d seen that label before and I was staring at it trying to remember just when and where. I heard a bell ring on the the other washing machine which got me to refocus. I’d been gone from the room for quite a while and still hadn’t put Elle's panties into the machine.

To be continued...

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104i)

As we headed for the park all I could think of was having enough money to get home. Approaching the playground I could see some kids playing on the equipment. As we got closer I could see they were young girls in school uniforms. That made me look at my watch and was shocked to see it was almost 3:30pm. That pretty much doomed my idea to leave that afternoon. The school girls ran off as they saw us approaching leaving all the equipment free for use. Jean and Anne had never seen a playground merry go round before and wanted to ride on that first. It was a simple design where kids would stand on this large round disk attached to a short pole with pipe handles to hold on to. I became the pusher and they squealed with delight as they went round and round.

It wasn’t long before two mothers and children around the same age as our two arrived. Of course their attention was on Elle and the baby. Their children, two boys and a girl, ignored our girls. I took my two over to the swings and got them going while they concentrated on the slide. Upon closer look one of the boys appeared to be a bit younger than the other two. He wanted to go on the slide and I heard his mother tell him he was too young. The women were in conversation with with Elle and weren’t paying attention to their kids. I had my hands full trying to keep my girls in motion on the swings so wasn’t paying attention to them either. All of a sudden I heard crying. I saw the two older ones and they seemed to be OK. Then I looked up and saw the little one up at the top of the steps to the slide.

The mother, yelling at him, came running and started up the steps after. I watched for a few seconds and could see that she was in a panic, still yelling at the boy. That, in itself, wasn’t helping. The slide had to be at least ten feet high. I started over to it and as I looked up at the woman I could see she was about three quarters of the way to the top. From my vantage point the boy appeared to be in no trouble. He was hanging on to the rail with both hands and crying uncontrollably. I walked to the steps and tried to get the woman’s attention. She wouldn’t take her eyes off the boy and as I looked up wind caught the hem of her dress and puffed it up. It was only for a split second but I immediately knew she was wearing pale blue panties but that didn't change the fact that the child had to be retrieved. Finally, at the top of my lungs, I yelled and got her to look down at me. I told her to come down and I’d go up and get him. For at least ten to fifteen seconds she just stared down at me, not saying a word. Then she started to back down. As she did another puff of wind blew by and up went her skirt again. Because I was following her every move, afraid that in her own panic she might make a misstep, I was in the absolute perfect position. To make sure she got her feet on every step she’d pushed her butt out and as I watched I got a perfect view. Basically, I saw her whole crotch. It was probably only for a few seconds but it was long enough to create a very nice memory.

Once she exited the steps I was on my way up. At the top I had to pry the little guy’s fingers off the rail. I think it was because he didn’t know or recognize me that he stopped his crying for a few seconds. I managed to squeeze in beside him, lifting him up as I did and then placing him on my lap. Then it was down the slide for both of us. All four of the kids were at the bottom along with the boy’s mother. She grabbed him up and walked away with him. Anne, a bit of a ”daredevil“ grabbed my pants leg and, looking up at me, asked if I’d give her a ride down the slide. The pleading look in her eyes was too much so, very slowly, up the stairs we went.

While we were doing it the two ladies and their kids picked up and left. I never got as much as an acknowledgement for what I’d done. I even asked Elle if the mother had said anything to her and she said she hadn’t. In reality, I was satisfied with the panty peek being my ”reward“. I gave Anne a few rides. I offered to do the same with Jean but she, very much a ”scaredy cat“, declined the offer. By then Elle was ready to go.

Back at the hotel we were waiting for the elevator to the main floor from the parking lot and Elle let out a bit of a cry.  She handed me the baby and then promptly squatted down. I knew the drill. We’d exceeded her time limit. Fortunately there were no other people waiting so she had that in her favor. However, it was Anne who spied the puddle under her mother and I heard her say ”Look! Mommy made a tinkle!“. I actually had to stifle a smile. Elle, wearing a pair of khaki pants, stayed down as long as she could trying to lessen the ”damage“. At least this way the wetness was confined to her bottom and not down both her legs and showing on the front. On the first floor I knew to walk right up close to her back as we made our way to our room. Once there I tried to make light of it and tried to get in a "rub" but she would have none of it. I even reminded her about her statement that she'd ”do anything“ in her plea for the dress. All I got was one of those ”you’ve got to be kidding looks“.

When Elle was washing up she asked me to bring her some dry panties from the suitcase. I was somewhat surprised that I could find only two pair of the heavy cotton panties that Elle used for her night time ”package“. I’d counted out what I thought was enough for the trip and if she wet those that night she’d not have anything for the next night. (A few words of explanation... On the trip when Elle would have an ”accident“, either day or night, she would rinse the panties out when she could and would put them in a small plastic pail with a cover on it. She’d washed the baby’s diapers when we were at Nan’s but hadn’t done her panties and now it was possible that she might be ”short“.) I knew from my past visits at the hotel that they had an in house laundry and for long term guests they would do a weekly wash for them. I gave Elle her dry panties and then went to the front desk to see if there was anything they could do for us, using the baby and her diapers as the excuse. The daughter in law told me that a few years earlier they had installed two washing machines and a dryer for use by the guests. I was happy because I thought that solved the problem.

To be continued...    

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104h)

 I collected Elle over the protests of Maggie who wanted us to stay for lunch. Their unit wasn’t all that big and I could see the kids were definitely restless when I returned. We said our goodbyes with the usual promises to keep in touch. The talk of lunch got the kids interest but the little town of Pinehurst was strictly upscale and there were really no places to just grab an inexpensive bite to eat. I remembered back when I was working for AJ and he had an owner visiting that he’d drive back to Southern Pines to a small diner on the fringe of the business district. I knew exactly where it was. Elle reminded me we needed baby food and my memory was that there was a food market called Piggly Wiggly in the same area so we headed there.

As we drove the 5 or 6 miles I got to thinking that when we finished lunch it might not be a bad idea to pack up all our things and get a head start on heading home. I didn’t bring it up with Elle though. The market was pretty much where I remembered it. Elle ran in and got what she felt she needed for the rest of the trip. I found the diner and also that it had very little parking. That meant I had to drive around the block to find a place. My last recollection of the diner was that it was the last retail establishment on the South end of town but it wasn't any longer. Right behind the row of new stores was the town park and one block above that was The Hollywood where we were staying. We could see the park and the playground within it as we walked to the diner. Elle suggested that we should take the girls there after we ate to let then get some exercise and burn some of their pent up energy. On that point I couldn’t disagree even though they’d been surprisingly good the whole trip.

For the girls it was macanoonies and cheese. When Jean was first learning to talk she could never get macaroni right. Even after she could we continued to call it macanooni. I’m not sure what Elle and I had but I was still mulling over packing up and leaving in my mind. By the time we left the Northbound train came through. It scared the girls at first as they’d never really seen a train like that before. Even though they were girls they wanted to stand and watch it. When we finally got started for the park I saw that Elle looking in a store window.

The attraction for the whole area was golf. There were seven championship quality golf courses within a ten mile area. Back in those days it was primarily the rich who played golf as most courses were located at country clubs and there were few if any, public courses. So, it was the rich who populated the area in the Winter and the stores catered to them. The store Elle was in front of was a women’s boutique. I waited for a minute and then she waved for me to come to her. She pointed to a robins egg blue dress on a mannequin. There was no doubt that it was in style with the hem about three inches above the knee. Elle pointed to the treatment around both the neck and sleeves and even to my male eyes it was attractive. Then she said she wanted to go ask about it. Believe me when I say I had an idea what was coming next.

She asked the saleswoman for the dress in the window in a size 12. She’d discovered that sizing was an imperfect science when it came to women’s clothes so always asked for a size larger than she usually wore just to be sure. The lady, almost looking down her nose at Elle, said the only one left in the store was the one in the window. The woman made no effort to offer to go check the size of the dress which made Elle mad. I was smiling when she asked/told the woman to go "PLEASE" go check it. Reluctantly, the woman dragged the mannequin into the store and started undressing it. It was almost as if she’d won the war when she, haughtily, announced that it was a size 10. Elle, now clearly mad, said she’d try it on. After a few minutes struggling to dismember the mannequin the clerk gave Elle the dress and pointed her towards the changing booth. It only had a curtain for privacy and I could see her moving about getting peeks of her bra and panties as she undressed. When she came out the look was terrific. The dress looked like it was made for her without a wrinkle anywhere. Of course, one of the things I noticed (and liked) was that I could see right through it. The material was synthetic, much like a nylon or rayon, and without a slip on I could see through it to both her bra and panties. When she turned around I couldn’t believe how snugly it fit her bottom and I immediately thought of the VanRaalte panties and what a great VPL it would be if she were wearing a pair.

The next step was to ask the price... over $40. I don’t know what the expression on my face was but I do know I had to take a deep breath. I knew I still had to pay for the hotel and the food we’d consumed plus a motel on our way home. There was also gas, tolls and food to be added to that. I really felt it would be taking a big chance so ended up looking at Elle with one of those ”can we really afford it“ looks. Then she hit me with ”I’ll do anything!“ plus some typical female persuasive looks. The ”anything“ was what got to me. It’d been quite a while since I’d had anything in my ”pay for play“ bank and this would add a good amount to the account.

Right about then this heavy set woman with way too much makeup on came in, gushing about how nice it was for us to stop by her store. She saw the dress on Elle and continued to ”gush” saying that Elle must’ve been the model for it as it fit so well. Then, without me saying a word, she said that her annual Spring sale was just over two weeks away and that since this was the last dress in that style left we could have it for 20% off. I remember smiling at her but not committing. I nodded to Elle to go get changed. Elle hesitated and disappeared behind the curtain with a pout on her face. While she was changing I saw a pair of white shorts on a table marked “clearance“.  I picked them up and saw they were also size 10. I could also see the price tag had an original price of $20 but it had been crossed out and reduced to $15 and then to $10 and then, in red, to $7.50. The owner came up and took them from me showing me the reason for the reduction. On the inside of the waistband there was a black mark about a half inch wide. She said that a woman had some tar on her shoe when she tried them on and then didn’t say anything. She looked right at me and said that if they fit Elle she’d throw them in as well. I think my exact words were "We've got a deal!"

To be continued...     

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104g)

The main reason for going to North Carolina was to, hopefully, reconnect with some of the people that I’d gotten to know when I was working with the race horses there. I was excited when I got up looking forward to seeing them. Elle was also excited looking forward to seeing our former neighbors, Maggie and Roy, from when we lived on the grounds of the racetrack. They’d kept up for a few years with Christmas cards but there was no real ”news“. The lady had been like a surrogate mother to Elle, helping Elle adapt to her new life as a ”racing widow“. As usual with kids it took longer than I’d wanted to get everybody ready to go. It was mid morning when we arrived at the track.

Pulling onto the grounds the first thing I noticed that the doors to Barn 1 were closed. Going back to my first visit to the track as a pre-teen the information center was the ”Cook House“, the name given to the little restaurant that served the stable hands at the track. I stopped and went in fully expecting to see the bustling business that I remembered from the past. What I saw was an old man asleep in the corner under a black and white TV with a rolling picture and another man sitting at the counter reading a newspaper. He was wearing a white uniform so I took him to be the cook. In the past, track management had provided a pamphlet with a roster of the trainers and their horses and made it available at the Cook House. I asked for one and all I got was a blank stare from the guy in the uniform. I tried to explain but he was of no help. Then I asked about some of the people I had come to see. It was the same story... no help. Frustrated I decided to take a slow drive through the grounds.

My memory is that about 1/3 of the barns had their doors shut with no signs of activity. At mid morning there should’ve been a constant parade of horses coming and going to the track for their training. I stopped at a barn that had been occupied by a successful trainer the Winter that I had spent there. I asked a stable hand if the trainer was around and was told that he no longer spent the Winter months there. I asked who the trainer was who occupied the barn and didn’t recognize the name. I was even more puzzled than before. I expected to find some changes in the five years since I’d been there but was finding way more.

Elle was anxious to find our former neighbors and when we got to the area where the mobile homes were parked there was another shock. There were only three. The year we were there there were at least ten. However, a sign on the front of one exhibited the name we were looking for. I went to the door and knocked. I almost didn’t recognize the woman who answered. She’d aged a lot in those five years. She definitely didn’t recognize me and even after I told her my name she hesitated. When I mentioned Elle’s name her face lit up with a big smile. She peeked behind me and saw Elle in the station wagon holding the baby and then pushed past me to get to her. After hugs and introductions we were ushered into the unit.

The next surprise came when I asked about her husband, Roy. He’d been the assistant trainer for his son’s very successful stable for, in my mind, forever. As soon as I asked a frown came to her face. Very somberly she pointed to the big cement barn exactly opposite the mobile home and told me he was over there. That barn had been occupied by trainer that didn’t have the greatest reputation for the way he treated his help or his horses but always had a large stable. It had always been a question as to how he managed to have so many horses to train with that kind of reputation. I asked if it was the same trainer occupying the barn and she slowly nodded her head, affirmatively. At that point I had to ask about the son. Still with a frown she told us how he’d lost most of his good race horses to an unscrupulous trainer. I asked who but didn’t recognize the name. She went on to say he was in Florida racing at a new track down there. That prompted me to ask about what appeared to be empty barns scattered around the grounds. The answer to that was that more states were offering racing the whole year round so taking a few months off for Winter training had fallen out of favor. I asked about some of the people I’d remembered from my days there and she seemed to know where they were located but none were at the track.

I left her and Elle and walked across to the cement barn where there certainly was a lot of activity. Horses regularly coming and going in and out the door. Roy drove up with one just as I reached the entryway. He, like his wife, didn’t recognize me either. After a brief reintroduction he grabbed my hand and have it a good shake. One thing I did remember about Roy was that right from the time I’d first met him he looked older than his age. At this point in time he looked to be about 75 and I think he was in his mid 60's. We didn’t get to talk much before a groom handed him the reins for another horse and he was on his way out the door. Upon his return he asked if I wanted to go on a training trip with him. I laughed when I told him that my days behind a horse were long gone... and within seconds so was he... back out the door.

It was obvious that he was very busy and really not all that interested in talking to me. I wondered where the ”big man“, his boss, was as I saw no sign of him. I was glad because I really didn’t want to see him as I had no respect for him at all. After he made a few more trips to the track and back I told Roy that we had to be going even though it was a lie. It was more that I was so disappointed/depressed with what I’d found or, realistically, hadn’t found, that I wanted to leave. I’d driven all this way and only found two people that I’d hoped to see and one was too busy to spend any time with me.

To be continued...

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104g)

When I pulled the wagon into the parking lot and up to the new entrance I was greeted by a pleasant young colored man with a cart for our things. Once inside he led us down a long hall and to our rooms. I had a feeling that what I was going to see inside would be familiar and I wasn’t all that wrong. Flowered wallpaper down to a chair rail with wainscoting from there to the floor. The ceilings had to be at least twelve feet high with one light fixture hanging from a pole right in the center. Sparse would be the best description of the furnishings. The bed, a double, had a painted metal headboard with one small table along side with a small lamp on it. There was along painted dresser with a mirror and also a small wooden desk with a straight back chair in front of it. A wicker love seat with upholstered cushions and what would probably pass as an “easy chair finished it off. Even with all of us inside there was still a great expanse of empty space. The young man opened the door to the adjacent room which held two single beds but other than that looked the same as the one we were in.  I gave the man a small tip as I’d seen my grandfather do many years before and he left. I remember looking at Elle as she surveyed the room and she had a sort of smile on her face. I knew what she was thinking without asking.

By then it was after 5pm and we knew the buffet was open. The only thing was that Elle had to change her panties first. It wasn’t until I opened the suitcase that I remembered Nan’s panties that I’d stuffed in the side pocket. Fortunately Elle was checking out the girl’s room. I stuffed them into my pocket not knowing exactly want to do with them. What was annoying was that I still hadn’t looked at them to know exactly what my ”prize“ was. When Elle returned I suggested that the girls go check out their beds and then followed Elle into the bathroom. This was another step back in time what with a pedestal sink, footed tub with what I’ll call a makeshift shower. The pipe for it was attached to the wall and the shower curtain was hung on a piece of pipe attached to two walls. It was sagging mightily and looked as if it would come down with just a little tug. In any case I was hoping for a little attention from Elle. With her panties damp I figured I could get her to pee through them while sitting on the toilet and could get a nice feel. In anticipation, I already had a hard on. It had been the previous week since I’d really had an opportunity. Reluctantly, she acquiesced but didn’t let me linger long. To indicate how horny I was I still had a bit of a bulge even after she’d washed and put on dry panties. I was certainly hoping for more after the kids were asleep.

Supper was interesting. As we surveyed the dining room I didn’t see anyone that I could be sure was less than 60 years old with the majority in their 70’s or older. I was actually amazed when we were given a high chair for the baby. We found enough from the buffet to satisfy the kids. Elle and I were pleasantly surprised with our choices. The only problem was that Elle had left our supply of baby food back at Nan’s so the baby had to munch on cooked noodles. We were just about finished when the owner came to the entryway to make some announcements. I couldn’t believe it when he told everyone about us. He told anyone who remembered my grandparents to come up and speak to me. I wanted to hide under the table. The second announcement had to do with the Bingo Party scheduled at 7:30pm. If things weren’t already bad enough he walked up and handed us a bunch of bingo cards telling us that we could play for free. I’m smiling as I write this because of all the games I’ve played in my life I can’t think of one that I hated more than bingo. I’d not told Elle that and before he walked away she thanked him and turned to the girls saying that we were all going to play a game after supper. They loved games so the seed was planted and I was stuck. Fortunately only a few of the guests came up and introduced themselves as know my grandparents. I guessed that most of the others had died.

With Elle overseeing, the girls one actually won a game. Because the real players were playing for money the daughter in law, who was running the game, came up with some cookies from the kitchen. I took that as a sign that it was time to go. It was past the normal bed time for them all. Once we had them asleep I was hoping for some ”action“. I’m sure you’ve all heard of or used the ”headache“ excuse. That was my fate on this night... but with a promise she’d be nice the next day. All I could do was to hope. However, her early bedtime gave me an opportunity to finally inspect Nan’s panties.

I was pleased. They appeared to be ivory in color with two light beige strips of lace going from the side seam near the waist down to the crotch and leg elastic on both sides. I liked the lace treatment but what really turned me on was the size of the crotch. In studying them I thought back to being with Nan and wondering why I hadn’t seen a nice VPL while around her. I was puzzled by that. One thing I knew was that having possession of a pair of the VanRaalte panties was going to keep reminding me to find a source of them for Elle. But, my immediate problem was keeping them hidden them from Elle for the rest of the trip. My pocket seemed the safest place so that’s where they went... and I to bed.

To be continued...  

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104f)

 The trip to North Carolina went without incident. I’d figured on taking about eight hours what with stops for Elle and the kids plus eating. The target destination was a place called Southern Pines. We took US route 1 which was quite nostalgic for me as it was the same route my father took when went to Florida in the late 40’s and early 50’s. I knew I was in the South when I started to see signs for the Stuckey’s shops selling pecans and pralines. That, in turn reminded me of Burma Shave limericks posted on individual signs along the road. One year my brother and I tried to write them down as we drove past. I still remember one... “Slo down Pa - Sakes alive - We missed signs four and five - BURMA SHAVE ” because that was what we'd tell my father when we missed one. My goal was to get there while it was still daylight as we didn’t have a place to stay. The majority of the motels back in those days were “Mom and Pop” type and I wanted to have a good look at just where we were going to stay.

Before we left on the trip my grandfather, upon hearing of my plans, asked me to stop by to see him. The first thing he did was to give me $10 for gas but what he really wanted was to give me a letter to be delivered some old friends. After WWII he and my grandmother would head South for a few months right after Christmas. I don’t remember how or why they ended up in Southern Pines but they did. They stayed at a place called “The Hollywood”. The name had nothing to do with the California one. It was derived from the fact that the grounds were landscaped with many varieties of holly bushes. It was a hotel of sorts but didn't cater to people wanting to stay over night. Most stayed for an extended period. In earlier posts I wrote about some of my memories of the place from when I’d spent time with my grandparents during my Spring breaks from school. It was owned and run by two brothers and their families and over the ten plus years my grandfather stayed there they’d become good friends. The letter was for them.

The business district of Southern Pines was split in half by one of the main North South railroad lines. One half was on the East side and the other on the West. US route 1 ran parallel to the railroad tracks but about two city blocks to the East. Even though The Hollywood was right on route 1 there was no direct access off of it. The grounds occupied one whole block and the front of the facility was on a side street which ran slightly down hill towards the tracks. I pulled up to what was generally considered to be the front of the building, a two story wooden structure that, as I remember it, was built around 1900. My plan was to just run up the steps, deliver the letter and for us to be on our way.

I was halfway up the path when I heard Elle call. She decided that it would be a good idea for her and the girls to make a visit to the bathroom. It was unseasonably warm for the first week in March, even for North Carolina. I was in my shirtsleeves and when Elle asked for help to put on the girls coats I was a bit annoyed. Even though it was still daylight, it was fast fading. By the time we started up the stairs at least ten minutes had passed.

As I reached the top of the steps I surveyed the porch (which ran the whole length of the building) and it was just as I remembered it. Wicker sofas and chairs with high back wooden rocking chairs interspersed for as far as I could see. The front door was imposing, at least 40 inches wide, with the words “The Hollywood” etched into the glass which covered the top half of it. It was really like stepping back into time as I surveyed the lobby. The front desk was to the right and the dining room right across from it. The only thing I noticed different was an elevator where the billiard room used to be. As I headed for the desk Elle asked where the rest rooms were located. I really didn’t know. I don’t think I ever used the public restroom when I was there. There was no one behind the counter so I rang the little push bell. By now Elle was looking at me, pleadingly. I told her to look down the hall just to the left of the counter just as a woman in her mid to late 40’s appeared. Once she opened her mouth I knew I was in the South. I heard a lilting southern drawl as she asked if she could help me. I asked for the owners and told her I had a letter for them from a long time former guest. A frown quickly appeared on her face and she told me that one of them had died a few years ago. I knew my grandfather would be upset to hear that but asked if the other brother was available. She tried to defer me but her curiosity got the best of her and she asked who the letter was from. Once I told her my grandfather’s name her whole demeanor changed.

At that point she identified herself as the daughter in law of the deceased man. She said that she definitely remembered my grandparents and gave a brief description of both. Then she said she’d be right back and disappeared into a back room. The girls were back but Elle and the baby had yet to appear. Freed from the confines of the station wagon they were ready to use up some pent up energy so started running around the lobby. It was empty so I let them get away with it knowing that Elle would corral them when she returned. Before she did an older, balding man walked up to me and introduced himself as being the other brother. Even though I vaguely remembered him from eight or so years earlier I was a bit shocked. I didn’t expect him to be that old. Of course he wanted to hear how my grandparents were doing, especially my grandfather. It was at this time that Elle appeared. A quick glance at her face told me the story. I introduced her and then continued about my grandfather. The man seemed sincerely interested so I continued until Elle tugged on my arm. I knew it was coming.

I gave the man the letter and told him we had to be on our way. Elle gathered up the kids and as I was about to say goodbye he asked where we were staying. That truly caught me by surprise but, when I didn’t quickly respond he suggested that we stay there. I can tell you my first thought was “Oh no!” as the memory of the place was that it was strictly for old people. In the times I’d stayed there all I remember was people my grandparents age. Before I could conjure up an escape he said that they had two adjoining rooms on the first floor that were available. I looked at Elle and couldn’t get a “read” off of her expression. Then, the man pointed to a sign at the entryway to the dining room that proclaimed “Wednesday Buffet - 5pm to 7pm” saying that it would be perfect for the kids. I really didn’t want to stay but with the man’s ties to my grandfather being what they were I also didn’t want to upset him. I asked Elle and she just shrugged her shoulders.

To be continued... 

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104e)

On our way to the White House she told us the building had been a blessing and a curse. Of course we had no idea what she meant, so, we asked. Harry had designed it, on a whim, after he’d gone to work full time for a prestigious downtown architectural firm. He hadn’t expected anything to come of it and it languished in a file for a while. A developer, looking for a radical concept, happened upon it and Harry was on his way. Nan, varying between being proud and unhappy, told us that it had gone to Harry’s head and he and another member of the same firm left it and started their own firm.  She didn’t come out and say it but it was easy to read between the lines that they hadn’t been all that successful. Thinking back on my observations of Harry over the past two nights, I had a good idea why.

After lunch and driving around the historic areas of the district we ended up taking the kids to a fascinating interactive children’s museum to finish off our travels. As we were headed back to the house Nan told us we had to come back some year to see the cherry trees in bloom as it was a spectacular sight. We were about three weeks too early this year. As was the case the day before, Harry was at the house when we arrived. I could only hope that he’d be reasonable with his drinking so we could have a reasonably quiet evening.

It went marginally well. Harry "behaved" mostly because Nan blocked his attempts to get into the refrigerator. It went marginally well. Even though I’d enjoyed the visit to the Washington sights I really wished that we’d left in the morning. The only thing I had to look forward to was a the possibility of perusing Nan’s panty drawer. I didn’t know how but it was primary on my mind when we headed for bed. As we said our ”good nights“ I asked Nan to make sure we were awake and up by 7am. Any chance for a peek into the drawer that night was eliminated by the fact that, as I previously mentioned. Elle and I had an ”open“ policy as far as the bathroom was concerned whenever our girls were in bed or weren’t around. When she was at the sink the mirror gave a good view of the night table that held the panties and even when sitting on the toilet she could see part of table. I fell asleep trying to visualize just how I’d get into it in the morning.

I have no idea what time it was when the lights came on. Initially, I thought it was morning. However, it was Nan, carrying a crying Anne, our four year old. As she headed towards me I realized Elle wasn't beside me but was in the bathroom. When Nan turned at the end of the bed I could see part of her panties as one of Anne’s feet had hooked under the hem of her nightie. I could see they looked pink and I definitely saw an applique as she sat down beside me. Anne quickly transitioned to my arms, still sobbing. Nan explained that she’d fallen out of bed and, not recognizing where she was started crying. By then Elle had reappeared. As we calmed her down Nan got up to leave. I watched her get up to walk away and could see the nightie was almost translucent. I could see the areolas around her nipples even though her breasts were small. As she walked away I could also clearly see her panties through the filmy material... and the start of a bulge.

One thing that Elle and I had never allowed was for the girls to sleep with us. Elle carried her back to the room she’d been sleeping in to tuck her in tightly and stayed with her for a time. I was so tempted to open the panty drawer when Elle left but, not knowing how quickly she’d return, deferred. I fell asleep but it seemed like only minutes before our girls were climbing over us letting us know it was time to get up. Elle got them washed and dressed while I collected some of their random paraphanalia that they’s spread around the house. When I returned Elle was getting dressed. I noticed that, even though she’d woken up dry, she was putting on only a pair of cotton panties. I questioned her about it and she said she was tried of wearing even a partial ”package“. I could tell by the way she said it that it would be useless to argue but I was able to get her to at least add a pair of nylon satin panties. I was finishing the packing when she walked out of the room. I knew this was my last chance.

To make sure that both women were occupied I took the carriage that the baby had used as her bed out to the living room. Elle was helping Nan serve the girls their breakfast so I quickly retreated to the bedroom and went straight for the drawer. I fully expected to see neat piles of panties much like Elle had hers stacked at home. What I saw was a complete mess. The drawer was maybe 15 inches square by about 5 or so inches deep and filled with panties of all colors. While looking over my shoulder at the door I stuck my hand in, grabbed a handful and made straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I turned on the shower even though, initially, I had no intention of taking one. Then I dropped the panties on the floor and spread them out. The first thing I noticed was that they all had that super big crotch that I’d seen on the black pair I’d discovered the first morning we were there. I think there were six pair and I do remember a bright red pair as well as a pale green and yellow pair. I think the rest were white. Another common thing was that they all had lace cutouts or appliques on them. It hadn’t taken much time to look them over but I was already perspiring from fear of being caught. I did look at the label on a couple and they both read ”VanRaalte size 5“, just as the black ones had. I vowed then and there that I had to make a concerted effort to find a source for them.

I peeked out into the bedroom and saw nothing so, now in just my boxer shorts, ran over to the drawer and dropped the panties back in. By then I really needed a shower. It was a quickie and I was just toweling off when Elle walked in to find out what was keeping me. When she left I breathed a big sigh of relief. I quickly dressed and went out into the kitchen to get a bite to eat. I really didn’t have an ulterior motive for leaving the suitcase in the bedroom. I just wanted to make an ”appearance” since Elle had thought I was taking too long. The girls said their good byes as I loaded the wagon up, leaving room for the suitcase in back in case we needed to get at it. I was concerned about Elle not wearing a “package”, especially since we were in our our new wagon. Everyone was outside when I went back to get it. It was right in front of the night stand that held the panties. I looked at the drawer and, without any aforethought, pulled it open and stuck my hand in. I grabbed the first pair I felt and stuffed it into one of the side pockets in the suitcase. I snapped it shut and rushed out side. As soon as the outside air hit me I realized I was perspiring again... but I did have a “prize”

To be continued...   

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104d)

We were back at the house by 4pm and Harry was there. He hadn’t shaved but at least appeared to be sober. While Nan and Elle prepared for supper I asked him about a record album I’d seen on his desk. I’d been a country music lover from the time I was old enough to operate and listen to a radio. By this time I’d narrowed my interest to a type of acoustic country music called Bluegrass. The album was by a group called the Country Gentlemen and I’d discovered (and liked) them back when I was still working with the racehorses. He told me they were based out of DC and made a comment that the banjo player in the group was a childhood friend. That impressed me. While we listened to some of the cuts on the album he got up and grabbed a newspaper. He rifled through it and then, somewhat excitedly, asked if I wanted to go see them in person. I didn’t hesitate for a second.

When he walked into the kitchen to tell Nan what he was planning it was the first time I observed her actually saying anything to Harry. She wasn’t pleased with his plan and told him that they had two guests and he was out of line ignoring Elle. Elle bailed him out in saying that she wasn’t really interested. He, trying to make back some ”points“ noted that we wouldn’t be leaving for the club until after the kids went to bed. That pretty much ended the discussion. However, right after that Harry headed for the refrigerator for a beer. I noted that Nan had a frown on her face as he did but didn't say anything.

By the time we left Harry wasn’t exactly drunk but was well on the way. I volunteered to drive as my wagon was blocking the driveway and his car. The name of the club we were headed for was the Cellar Door and it was in downtown DC. I was rapidly finding out parking in the District was a problem. By the time we got to the place, a dingy, smoke filled, cellar filled with small tables, the music had already started. It was a ”house band“ and Harry knew some of the band members. It was exciting for me as it was my first experience at seeing live bluegrass music. At around 10pm the Country Gentlemen started their set and Harry pointed out the banjo player. After they’d played a few numbers Harry, now drunk, stumbled up to the front and got the banjo players attention. He acknowledged Harry and then returned to playing some more. At that point Harry was in his glory. When the set was over the banjo player came over to the table and sat with us for a few minutes and Harry bought him a beer. A nice guy, he told me to take care of Harry and then left.

We stayed for the second set and by the end Harry was hardly able to stand. I had a hard time getting him up the stairs and out of the place. Then I had to go find my wagon. I left Harry sitting up against the building while I went looking for it. It took a while and by the time I got back Harry was out cold, just like the night before. I double parked while trying to rouse him and a cop pulled in behind me. Not what I wanted to see. However, luck was with me and when I asked him how to get back to the suburb where Harry and Nan lived he was able to give me directions. Finding the specific development they lived in was the real problem. By the time we got there and into the house it was after 2am. Harry said he would ”crash“ on the couch which was fine by me.

I’d only had a couple of beers but by the time I woke up the next morning it was after 9am. I’d had a thought of leaving for North Carolina on that day but when I appeared in the kitchen Elle and Nan had the rest of the day already planned out. Like the previous morning, Harry was no where to be seen. I found the situation between Nan and Harry to be somewhat strange as well as strained and I was uncomfortable with it. I’d not had a chance to talk with Elle to find out what she knew about it which made it more difficult for me. As Nan was her long time good friend I didn’t want to say or do anything to upset either of them so agreed to go along. Getting up so late turned out to short circuit my hope of exploring Nan's panty drawer. As Elle and I readied ourselves to leave all I could do was to look longingly at it hoping for another chance.

The day was to be a combination of things for the kids to see as well as some of the famous sights for Elle and I to view. Surprisingly, the first stop was a brand new enclosed shopping mall. It was the first one Elle or I’d ever seen and it was humongous. There were three large department stores within it with the only one we’d heard of being J C Penney. Thankfully, we didn’t stay long although I would've liked to spend an hour or two by myself to peruse their lingerie departments. We got on the just completed Capital Beltway that completely circumnavigated DC and got off at the Pennsylvania Avenue exit. One of the places we were going to look at was the White House which made Pennsylvania Avenue famous. Nan told me to take a right hand turn at the first light and to pull over to the side after we did. I was puzzled. As soon as I stopped Nan told me to look at the building on the opposite side of the street. I saw a rather strange looking three story office building with mostly glass on the second and third floors. There appeared to be some retail stores on the first floor but they were hard to see as the second floor was overhanging the facades. It was at least three hundred feet long and to make it even more of a curiosity it was curved from end to end. Nan then told us that Harry was the architect who had designed it. It sure looked weird to me but I wasn’t going to tell Nan.

To be continued...

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104c)

I decided to get up and to track Nan down to find out if Harry was going to use the bathroom. As I walked out of the bedroom I could hear the kids having fun in one of the other bedrooms. Nan was in the kitchen and I saw no sign of Harry. I asked about him and, without looking up, she said he was gone. I didn’t really know to react to that or what to say so went back into the bedroom. Elle was tending to the baby so I headed in to the bathroom for my shower. In the few minutes Elle and I had to chat alone the evening before we talked about how nice the house was. The new appliances with nice features and plenty of closet space especially caught our attention. The bathroom of the master bedroom had plenty of light and was roomy with a more than adequate linen closet. Quite the opposite of ours. As I walked in I saw something that caught my eye. One of the cabinet doors wasn’t on hinges but was on runners like you find on file drawers and was pulled out from under the counter. Sitting on the bottom, or platform, was a bin. Intrigued, I went and looked in it. There were some clothes and right there on top was a white bra and something black. I started to reach in for it but, because Elle and I had an ”open“ relationship when it came to bathroom use and I knew she could walk in at any second, I hesitated. I also knew I wanted to get a good look at what I was sure was a pair of panties. My interest was enhanced by the fact that, in spite of my vivid interest in panties lo those many years, I’d never seen a pair of black panties.

I went back into the bedroom to ask Elle her plans. She said that she’d used the toilet and was dry so she was going to go out to visit with Nan while she fed the baby. In my mind I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth to use up some time just to make sure. I just wanted to be positive that Elle didn’t walk in on me. By the time I stuck my hand in the bin my heart was pounding. As soon as my fingers touched the material I knew I had a special pair of panties. I held them up and since they were inside out the white label against the black material stuck right out. What also stuck out was some discharge in the crotch area. I eagerly read the label and I saw "VanRaalte, size 5". The real eye opener was the size of the crotch. I wasn’t sure if it was the biggest I’d seen because I knew that the Kayser panties my friend Buddy’s wife wore had a pretty big one. Even though I’d only had them in my hands for a few seconds I had a huge hard on and knew I was perspiring. I was tempted to root around in the bin but didn’t want to push my luck so just dropped the panties back in and stepped into the shower.

As I took my shower my thoughts were on just what I might find when I got a chance to check out the drawer of the night stand on my side of the bed. Anxious was the only word to describe my feelings as I walked back into the bedroom. I so wanted to just go over to the drawer and peer in but the last thing I wanted was to get caught doing it. As I dressed I convinced myself that with at least 24 hours before we’d be leaving I’d find at least one good opportunity. I knew I just had to be careful.

Because we arrived a day later than Nan had expected us her plans had to be changed. The one thing that Nan and Elle (and me as well) wanted get accomplished while we were there was to visit the National Zoo. The original plan was to go on Sunday when there wasn’t as much traffic in and around DC. But Monday it was going to have to be. In the vein of making lemonade out of lemons Nan did feel we'd benefit by the fact that with school in session the zoo was going to be less crowded. By the time we got all the kids dressed and organized it was after 10am. Parking was almost impossible but we finally found a spot. We had to walk quite a distance and once inside found restrooms right there. I’d convinced Elle to wear a full ”package“ and she fought me on it. Not knowing where or when we’d be able to find rest rooms was what prompted me to do it. I paid the price of having her be a little mad at me by the time was got onto the grounds. She was complaining because it was pretty bulky especially with all the walking we’d done and would face as we perused the grounds.

Needless to say the four girls were excited as could be. The monkeys were an instant hit and it took a promise that we’d come back for us to get them to move on. The larger animals had them in awe. Pictures in books don’t do justice to the enormous size of elephants and rhinos. Jessie, Nan’s oldest fell in love with a white polar bear and didn’t want to leave even though it was time to eat. Nan had packed snacks for them which had kept them satisfied for a while but we, the adults, were hungry. The only place for food was back at the entrance and Nan told us we were still quite a distance from there. Unfortunately, our path took us right past the monkey house and the girls pleaded for us to stop again. I looked at Elle and her look told me that she had a ”problem“. She wasn’t the only one.

As we finally herded the girls in the right direction I noticed a large stain down the inner part of Jessie’s pants. I pointed it out to Elle who passed it on to Nan. She just gave Elle one of those ”I know but what can I do about it now“ looks. Back at the entrance, after visits to the restrooms, we settled on hot dogs from the cart vendors located there. I asked Elle how bad the ”damage” was and she stuck her tongue out as me as a response. She hated it when I’d be right and she wrong. 

I fully expected that Nan would suggest it was time to return home due to her daughter’s wet condition. I couldn’t believe it when she said we still had more to see. I overheard her tell Elle that her daughter had a ”thing“ about not going to the bathroom and would often pass it up to keep on playing or whatever else she was doing. I remember her shrugging her shoulders and putting her hands up as if to say it was her daughter’s problem and not hers. I found it to be an interesting approach.

To be continued...

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104b)

We made it to the end of the New Jersey turnpike in surprisingly good time. We pulled in at the last gas station on the pike so Elle and the girls could use the bathrooms and we could get a bite to eat. When Elle got out of the car she was pleased as her “package” was still dry. However, by the time we got the kids into their coats and on the way to the building I could see the look on her face telling me that she didn’t make it. I headed back to get her some dry panties and fresh “supplies”. By the time we got out of there we’d lost the little time advantage we’d gained.

The turnpike was the smoothest road we’d been on and I was a bit concerned about the way the wagon handled. The best term I can come up with to describe it is “wandering”. Going down a perfectly straight road and holding the wheel tight it would just start to drift to the left or right. When I’d go to correct it it would then dart back the other direction. It wasn’t all that bad but it was annoying.

We pulled into Nan’s driveway around 4pm and were both impressed with the house. It was located in what looked like a new housing development. The house was a large (for the time) split level with a fair amount of property. My first thought was that Nan had married well. We hadn’t even gotten out when there was Nan and her two daughter by the doors. It had been at least eight years since I'd last seen her and other than her hair was darker than I remembered it she hadn’t changed. I’d always liked her personality. There was always a smile lurking and it usually didn’t take much to draw it out of her. At that moment it ran from ear to ear. When Elle stepped out Nan engulfed her with a hug. I watched her two daughters, close in age to our two oldest, bouncing up and down waiting for them to emerge. It was funny when they finally did get out because Nan’s two just backed away and stared at them. It was almost as if they were looking at aliens.

By the time I had our bags and baby paraphernalia unloaded and into the house the kids were already laughing and having fun. Watching them I so wished that there had been more girls in our mobile home park for them to play with. Nan, very graciously, let us have the master bedroom. That way the carriage, which the baby was to sleep in, would fit, the other bedrooms being too small. After having just come from a tiny little house, Nancy’s, the spare bedrooms in this house looked monstrous. It got me to thinking/wondering just how long my growing family was going to fit in our mobile home.

By the time I had everything sorted out Elle and Nan were in animated conversation about the whereabouts of their old high school friends. I was wondering just where Nan’s husband was. It was now almost dark on a Sunday night and I knew as an architect that he wouldn’t be working. Just as I was about to ask there was a commotion in the kitchen. We all got up to see what it was and the only thing I saw was a very drunk man trying to hold himself from falling. He pulled himself up to standing and without saying a word made right for the refrigerator. Nan never said a word. That was my introduction to Harry, her husband.

 After grabbing a beer he did acknowledge me asking if I wanted one. I passed on it and watched him stagger into the living room collapsing into an overstuffed chair. I remember Elle and I looking at each other with a “What the hell?” look on our faces. I think Nan saw us because she asked Elle if she’d help her prepare supper for the kids. That left me to fend for myself so I went into the living room preparing myself for the worst. It had only been a matter of minutes but when I walked in, there was Harry, passed out.

We ate without any mention or sign of Harry. The kids were getting along just great which made it easier for all of us. Both Elle and I joined Nan in doing the dishes and we ended up just staying in the kitchen until it was time to put the kids to bed. I remember Jean, our oldest, asking Elle as she kissed her goodnight when she was going to have a room of her own like her new friend Jessie’s. I don’t think she gave her an answer.

The three of us made a cursory pass through the living room and saw Harry hadn’t moved. It was back to the kitchen. I couldn’t believe Nan hadn’t had a hissy fit knowing that if I’d pulled a trick like that Elle would’ve cut me a new a__ h___ right then and there. I wasn’t really a part of the conversation so I told them I was calling it a night. Before I left though Nan told us that in the morning she’d be using the bathroom off our room. They’d disabled the shower in the other bathroom because she preferred her girls take baths and they insisted on playing with the shower. She promised that she’d be quiet. With little to no sleep the night before I didn’t give it a thought as I headed for bed.

I didn’t hear or feel Elle climb into bed. I was as “out cold” as Harry had been. I did hear her last alarm go off in the morning and knew she’d gotten up to check the baby and use the toilet. I was rested enough that I didn’t fall back to sleep but didn’t want to get up. With not knowing what the situation between Nan and Harry was I felt it was best to just lay there in bed. I thought I heard a door close and when I sat up I saw the bathroom door was closed. I figured it was Nan taking her shower. It was after 7am and was light out. Even with window shades it was quite bright inside as well. Lying on my side I could clearly see the bathroom door. When I saw it start to open I kept my head buried in the pillow with one eye on it. Nan came out wearing what appeared to be a filmy robe and went right to the large dresser. I could see her opening different drawers and then heading over to the bedside table right by me. I closed my eye and could hear the drawer right by my head open and then close. I waited for a few seconds before peeking and could see the room was now empty. I lay there for a minute of two going over the sequence of actions that Nan had taken wondering just which drawer held the “magic“, at least for me.

To be continued...    
    
      

BIG CHANGES... better times (Part 104a)

I think Elle was more pleased about going to visit her old girlfriend than she was of the new car. This would be the first long trip for the older girls in four years. I was worried that now that they were older they would be restless being cooped up in a vehicle for an extended period of time. The trip to Nan’s would be, with stops, at least eight hours. When Elle’s roommate for four years at college, Nancy, called to say that she, her husband and young son had moved back from the mid West and were temporarily at her parents house all our plans changed. It was less than two hours to Nancy’s and Elle thought it would be just great to stop and see her as it would break the trip up. There wasn’t much I could say to dissuade her so I added at least another three hours to the trip.

I finished up at the old bank and headed home to pre pack all the “supplies”, Elle’s and the baby’s and clothes we wouldn’t need until later in the trip. My idea was to take off no later than 8am hoping that, realistically, we could be on the road by 9am. When we got up I was shocked to see about 2 to 3 inches of snow. If it had been predicted I sure never saw or heard about it. By the time we got started it was after 10am but the snow had turned to slush. That was good but it upset me because now our new wagon was driving through road salt. The further West we went the worse it got and by the time we reached Nancy’s parents house it was after 1pm and everybody was famished. Nancy greeted us with lunch and before I knew it the time had passed and it was close to 4pm. I’d calculated it would take at least six hours from there to Nan’s and we would still have to stop to eat. Nancy spoke up saying that we should stay over and get a fresh start in the morning. She went to her parents and asked if we could squeeze in with them. What could they say... as an only child Nancy always had their "number".

I knew Nancy’s parents from driving her home from college on various occasions and they were really nice people. However, their house was really small. If we stayed it would mean six adults and four kids would be stuffed into a two bedroom house with a half basement and only one bathroom. Truthfully, I didn’t want to stay but I also didn’t want to face the rest of the trip in the dark, especially not really knowing the way. Somehow we managed. The worst part of staying was listening to Nancy’s husband telling me about his latest get rich quick scheme until midnight. By the time I got to lay down on the camp cot down in the basement I wished that we’d gone on.

Our older girls got to sleep on the floor in the living room with Elle sleeping on the sofa. Nancy and her husband were sharing a single bed in her old room with their baby. When I saw it getting light I got up and went upstairs and snuggled up with Elle. It was the most comfortable I’d been since trying to go to sleep. I happened to catch Nancy darting into the kitchen to warm a bottle for her baby who was about nine months old. She had always been tiny. If you remember my description of her from when we were in college she had absolutely nothing on top so she never wore a bra. However, when I caught a glimpse of her I definitely saw the outline of panties through a filmy gown. When she returned with the bottle in hand she saw that I was awake. I thought for sure she’d disappear right back into her room but she walked over to where Elle and I were on the sofa. I could clearly see the band legs of her panties and the slight arch of the crotch. If I wasn’t fully awake before she came over I surely was with her standing less than a foot away. This really surprised me as I remembered her from college as being very much a prude. She bent down and whispered that I could go into the kitchen and help myself to whatever I could find and then turned and walked away. When she did I could see the slightly higher and larger arc of her crotch through the gown. I immediately determined that they had to be Lollipop panties. When I did that I suddenly realized that there was a washing machine in the basement. I decided to go back downstairs to see what, if anything, I could find in the way of dirty wash. Unfortunately, when I moved to get up I woke Elle so I had to talk with her about out our “getaway”. While we were talking all our kids managed to wake up so my trip to the basement was temporarily thwarted.

There was only one bathroom so we washed up in shifts. We also ate breakfast the same way. I made sure I was one of the first for both so I could repack the wagon. In so doing I found a way to make a last ditch trip to the basement. The problem was that I knew I only had a  minute to do my “research”. The machine was under the stairs and I quickly popped the top and peered in only to find it empty. I took a quick look around to see if there was anything that might be holding some dirty wash. Over in a dark corner by a small work bench I spied a clothes dryer. As I approached it I saw a small pile of clothes on top all folded up. I looked for a light but couldn’t find one. On the very top were a couple of bras. Knowing that Nancy didn’t wear a bra I knew they had to be her mother’s. Her mother was short and also wide so I had no interest in them at all. I was just about to head back upstairs when I decided that as long as I was right there I shold flip through the pile. About halfway down I hit “paydirt”. Folded neatly and stacked side by side were at least six pair of cotton band leg panties. I carefully pulled one pair out and took it over to the light. My observation from earlier was right... they were Lollipop panties but the size surprised me as the label read 12. I stood there for a few  seconds before I decided to return them to the pile of clothes. As I climbed the stairs I was happy that I had confirmed just what kind of panties she wore. It was still a high priority for me to know the maker of the panties that women I knew actually wore.

To be continued...   

A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103k)

My question didn’t get answered and the first words I heard were the same ones that he’d asked at the beginning of the conversation... “When can you start?” Now it seemed like it was a game. He wasn’t answering my question about medical coverage and I wasn’t answering his question about a starting date. I was the one to “blink” and told Mr B I’d have to work it out with my present bank. He encouraged me to get back to him as soon as possible. I was tempted to ask about the medical again but chickened out.

In leaving Monte’s office I looked for him but didn’t see him. I headed back to my work area and found a message waiting for me. It was from Elle telling me to call the car dealership ASAP. Here I was trying to work out the details on a new job and now what had been so eagerly anticipated was now becoming a distraction. Before doing anything I sat down to think about how I wanted to handle my resignation. I knew that at the end of the next week I would complete six months service and my probationary period would be over. Prior to the new job offer the one thing I’d been anxiously anticipating was to be able to use my earned vacation time. I’d earned five days in the six months but wasn’t allowed to use them until my probationary period was over. While sitting there I came up with the idea of giving one weeks notice and then asking to be paid for my earned vacation. At that point I went looking for Monte in earnest.

When I finally tracked him down I was excited about my plan. It didn’t last for long. He seemed happy for me but explained that the bank had a policy not to pay employees for unused vacation. So, my immediate thought was that I’d give two weeks notice and still start at the other bank after the one week. It was almost like Monte knew what I was thinking because he called me out on it with a warning. Because the new bank I was going to be working at was the same type as Monte’s bank all the benefits were administered by the same organization. I couldn’t work for two of them at the same time. If I wanted to start at the new bank on the first of March I’d have to forego my vacation pay. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy, at all, so I told him I’d get back to him.

I decided that I needed to change the subject so called the car dealership. The new wagon was in but it wouldn’t be ready for delivery to me until Monday. It was just more aggravation. After that I don’t remember what I did until lunch time. I sat in my car trying to figure out exactly what I was going to do.

OK... I’m going to backtrack a bit here. During the Christmas season Elle received a card from her childhood friend Nan, the girl who had lived with her and her family during her senior year in high school. With all the moving we did when I was training the race horses they’d lost track of each other. Nan took the initiative and sent a card to Elle addressed to her parents and it was passed on. In the card she let Elle know she was married and had two kids. She’d just moved into a new house just outside Washington DC and wanted Elle to come visit. When Elle asked me if we could do it I told her that maybe during the Spring when we didn’t have to worry about snow. Once we signed the order for the new wagon she started pressuring me about doing it.

So, after going over my options I decided that I’d give two weeks notice and take the second week as vacation. Now, with a week off and a new vehicle it actually would be a good time to go visit Nan. In the very back of my mind I had, from time to time, thought about some of my old horse training friends in North Carolina. I wondered if I might be able to go down there as well since DC was about half way. By the time I went back inside I was actually quite excited about the vacation. However, I still had to call Mr B and tell him when I could start.

Monte was very accepting to my plan. When I called Mr B he wasn’t all that happy but told me that he’d be looking for me on the second Monday of March. I chose not to bring up the subject of the medical coverage thinking I would do it after actually starting the job. By the time I got all that worked out it was almost time to go home. I told Alvin that I’d be leaving and he actually surprised me by telling me that he thought I’d be successful in my new job. He went on to say that he felt I would’ve been severely underutilized if I stayed. It was nice to hear.

Monday was a bank holiday (Presidents Day) and Elle and I went to pick up the new station wagon. Since she was going to be the one to drive it most of the time I told her to drive it home. She did and when we got there she was already complaining. It was "too big". There was no doubt that it was longer and wider. Parked in the space where we kept the old wagon it was quite obvious. I told her it was too late to change our minds about it. Later, I drove over to show it to my grandfather since he was the one who had co-signed the loan that allowed us to buy it. Elle was right...compared to our old one this one was a "boat". I knew, in time, we'd both get used to it and we would make good use of the extra space inside.

My last week went by without incident other than the knowledge that Stasia was leaving. I let Judith know of my plans and she wished me the best of luck. She also told me that her dream of opening a ladies clothing store right next to the drug store  was going to come to fruition sometime in May. I told her I'd call from time to time to get the latest on Stasia and when I did she could let me know about the date of the grand opening. On my very last day only a few people made an effort to say good bye. One was Artie, the mortgage officer, and he told me that if and when I bought a house that I should come see him and that he'd give me a "break" on the interest rate. I truly did appreciate the offer.

To be continued... 

A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103j)

It took less than half an hour. I remember looking at the big clock on the wall of the bank that read 5pm as I turned the corner. I pulled into the parking lot and the back door was right there. Two men were standing in the vestibule with the shorter, balding man looking somewhat impatient. The other man looked quite distinguished, smoking a pipe. He was taller and had a full head of salt and pepper hair. As soon as I opened the door of my car the door of the bank opened and the taller man thrust out his hand. I was too nervous to hear his name but the other man identified himself as the president. They ushered me in and I proceeded to follow them across a wide open lobby. I was immediately struck by how light and airy it was even with the sun almost down. It was the total opposite of the bank lobby I’d just left. The tellers windows didn’t have metal “cages” and thoroughly modern with soft curves to all the edges. As we approached the front of the building the tellers line ended and we walked through a gate into an area with four very modern desks. Even with no real knowledge of furniture types I had a feeling that there was some sort of Scandinavian influence to it. The taller man sat at the back desk and the president and I sat in side chairs. Then the interview began.

To be truthful, I’d not experienced all that many but this one was certainly different. It was like a contest between the two men as to who could ask the most questions in the shortest time. I found myself not fully answering one question before there was another fired right at me. And talk about being disjointed... the questions jumped from family history to education to experience and back, all in a matter of what seemed like seconds. Then, the president stood up suddenly and shook my hand and thanked me for coming in and walked away. To me it seemed like I’d only been there for five minutes. The other man stood up at the same time which, to me, indicated it was time for me to leave as well. At the back door he shook my hand and said I’d be hearing from them... but he didn’t say when.

I sat in my car for a few minutes trying to figure out what had just happened. I looked at my watch and it was just a little past 5:15pm meaning the interview, such as it was, lasted but fifteen minutes. From the parking lot to home took about seven minutes even though it was “rush hour” and I had to around 5 corners like I had to do when working at the county center. Pulling into my parking place at home I was surprised to see Elle standing by the gate. Stepping out of the car I heard her yell at me that "the car place called and our new car is here". That news in itself was exciting but paled in comparison to the possibility of a career change. As I started walking towards her she, rather casually, added  “Wherever you just were, they want you to go back”. I don’t think I hesitated even a second before driving off.

Pulling into the same parking place I’d just left I saw the taller, distinguished man standing in the vestibule with a blue loose leaf binder in his hand. As I approached he thrust the binder out the door to me and told me to look through it... and told me to call him the next day. He then closed the door and walked back into the lobby. I sat in the car and looked at the words on the binder... Manual of Operations. I didn’t know what to think. Did giving me the binder mean I’d been hired? If so, I had no idea what my job responsibilities were to be or what the pay was. I was totally confused.

The potential of a new job took priority over the new station wagon. Curiosity got the better of me and I ended up reading the material, cover to cover not once but twice over the weekend. I tried not to get too “high” or too “low” while doing it. When  morning arrived I gave a thought to stopping by at the bank to see what they had in mind but as I approached the parking lot I backed off from the thought. The man had said to give him a phone call so that’s what I was going to do. I also had a brief thought about stopping at the car dealership but passed on that as well.

Monte, the Chairman, was there when I arrived at work. He asked how the meeting had gone and after I told him what had transpired he smiled. I couldn’t figure that out either. After a few seconds he offered that it was a sure sign that they wanted me but he couldn’t understand the lack of a clear offer. Then he told me to call them from his office and then left the room, closing the door behind him. I won’t deny that I was very nervous when dialing the number. When the operator answered on the other end of the line I had total brain fade. I couldn’t remember the name of the man who’d given me the binder. I broke into a sweat and tried to describe him to the operator. The pipe he was smoking when I'd met him was what did it and I heard her say “Oh! That’s Mr B” and then heard the phone ringing.

I was only one small step better than I’d been when the phone had originally been answered. I didn’t know what followed the the “B” in his name. Thankfully, I managed to get through my introduction without his name but I didn’t know what to say after “Hello”. He saved me by asking what I thought of the material he’d given me. Taking a BIG chance I told him that there was nothing in there that I didn’t think I couldn't handle. His answer... “When can you start?”.

I truly wasn’t expecting that and hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. He finally broke the silence and asked if I was still there. Although it was what I wanted to hear I also knew I still needed some very important information... salary, benefits and job responsibilities before I could answer. When I summoned the courage to ask about the salary I heard a loud “Oh my God!” from the other end of the line followed by an apology. Actually, it was one apology on top of another. He claimed that in the rush to get me there for the interview and the fact the the president had to leave for an important meeting he’d completely overlooked all of that. Then he proceeded to verbalize all the information I’d requested.

When he told me that I’d be making $10 a week more than I was presently making I thought my knees would buckle. The other benefits would be equal to what I presently had. The position that I was to fill was that of bank officer although that wouldn’t come until I finished my six months probation. I remember covering the mouthpiece of the phone when I let out a “WHEW!”. Before I could say anything I remembered that I wouldn’t be eligible for hospitalization until I finished the probation period. That had been a bit of a sticking point when I was hired at the bank I was presently working for but they relented and purchased a policy from a private insurer. I took a deep breath before I raised that point. When I did that brought silence from the other end of the line. I went into a panic thinking I’d just blown my chance to escape from the purgatory I was presently in.

To be continued...

A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103i)

OK... I’m actually going to backtrack here. The situation with Stasia wasn’t the only activity going on over the last two weeks of February but I didn’t want to be jumping back and forth. I wanted to take the Stasia situation to a conclusion, such as it was.

Getting back to the things that involved me, Rich returned from his week long training on the new equipment that was due to be delivered sometime before the end of the month. Talk about cocky... he strutted around his area like a bandy rooster and made a point of “zinging” me about it. I really had to rein my feelings in and not give him the satisfaction of knowing that it did affect me. Real excitement came mid week when the new equipment arrived without warning. Space for it had been identified but nothing had been done to prepare for the installation. It caused quite a stir and most of the employees watched as the riggers wheeled the machine into the lobby. When I saw it I wondered where the rest of it was.

Background... When I called Jay, the Data Processing manager at the County Center that I had worked with, to tell him I was hired to run the bank’s new computer he asked what kind of equipment they were buying. When I told him it was made by Burroughs he said he knew nothing about their equipment and wished me luck. Because I knew that I’d be spending a week being trained on it I didn’t spend any time doing research on the specifics of it. When John, the bank president, had been trying to lure me to come to work I heard the word “computer” and had “assumed” that it would be at least somewhat similar in nature to the one I’d operated when I worked at the County.

When the riggers left just that one piece of equipment and then drove off I was truly puzzled. It looked to be the size of a small dining room table, about 2 1/2’ by 4’ by 2 1/2’ high. It was still on the wooden palate and covered with a tarpaulin. The one person who could answer questions about it was Rich but there was no way I was going to ask him. Surprisingly, Alvin, my immediate supervisor, took some interest in it. He told me he wanted to know the basics of its operation so he would be able to do a proper audit of the product that it would produce. Not wanting to appear overly interested, knowing it would trigger more “guff” from Rich, I made a point of subtly paying attention to what Alvin did to satisfy his curiosity. The day after the delivery I noticed that he had some material on his desk that prominently featured the name Burroughs on it. As soon as he left for lunch I was all over it. I had almost an hour to peruse it and long before I was finished actually felt a rush of both excitement and relief.

What I was able to glean from the material was that the equipment was NOT a computer at all but actually a relatively new type bookkeeping machine. It was not capable of doing calculations more than addition and subtraction. The new concept was that it would use ledger cards with magnetic stripes that would hold the most recent information of each account. The machine operator would now be relieved of having to enter the old balance as it would be read from the ledger card by the machine. The actual transaction, either a deposit or a withdrawal, would be entered by the operator and the new balance would be encoded on the ledger’s magnetic stripe for future use. Armed with that information I was truly relieved that Rich had butted in and had me removed as the operator. I was excited in that it was an “escape” from what was, in my mind, sure to be a dead end job. I certainly had no idea what was in store for me other that the Chairman’s promise of “We’ll find something for you to do...” but by the time Alvin returned I was fairly happy.

In retail it’s “location... location... location”. In life it’s “timing... timing... timing”. In most cases it’s out of our individual control. It certainly was in my case when Monte, the Chairman of the Board, came up to the table I was working at near the end of the day and tapped me on the shoulder, motioning me to follow him into his office. My first thought was that in actually seeing the equipment on the premises he had some solution in mind for what to do with me. However, I wasn’t so sure when he closed the door behind me... again.

There was one difference this time, though. He had a bit of a smile on his face when he said that he’d just gotten off the phone with the president of a bank located in the town where I lived. I knew of it because I had to go past the building both going to and coming from work. He told me that one of their key employees had just died of a massive heart attack and they were looking for people to interview for the job. Monte said he immediately thought of me and asked if I’d be interested. As soon as he mentioned the heart attack my butt moved forward on the chair I was sitting in. I know my reaction was just that... a reaction... a very positive reaction! Of course I said "yes" and he immediately picked up the phone. After just a few words he told me to be on my way, that the president would be waiting for me at the back door. I will tell you this... that was the fastest trip I had made heading West since I’d started at the bank.

To be continued...

A NEW YEAR... new beginnings? (Part 103h)

It was the following Wednesday when Stasia didn’t come in. I had to smile to myself because it was the day of the monthly Board meeting. One of her jobs was to prepare the meeting room and with her gone the job fell back on Mona. She started complaining soon after it had become obvious that Stasia wouldn’t be in. It had been one of her jobs before she’d been promoted and to have to do something as mundane as that was, in her mind, beneath her. I also found it interesting that she would choose a Board meeting day what with her grandfather on the Board. I just hoped the trip would go well for her.

When it came time to go home I made a side trip to see if Judith’s car was out behind the drug store. It wasn’t. I can’t describe how anxious I was to find out how it all worked out. I had to wait until Elle was putting the baby down to sleep before I could call Judith. I knew Elle would ask who I was calling if I did it in front of her. I’d told her very little about Stasia and didn’t want to start. Judith’s husband answered the phone which was something I’d hoped to avoid. He didn’t ask who I was which helped but Judith seemed uncomfortable when she got on the line. She told me that the ”plan“ was still working but that she couldn’t talk right then. She told me to meet her at the store around 8am. I’d never been involved in anything like this before so I was both excited and nervous at the same time. In bed I lay awake going over the different scenarios that might play out.

I had to lie to Elle to leave so early. I’ve never been good at it and when I drove away I had the feeling that she knew something was ”fishy“. I pulled up behind the store where the car was sort of hidden from view. Judith actually looked a bit worried when she answered the door. Basically, she hadn’t told her husband of the ”plan“ until just before she took Stasia to meet her brother and he wasn’t in favor of it telling her that if it backfired it could hurt their business. She told me that she put "female pressure“ (I loved that term) on him and he, reluctantly, went along with it.

As far as the trip went Judith told me that Stasia was very nervous the whole way in and when they got to her brother’s office she was shaking. When they walked in the brother’s partner and wife were there to greet them. Stasia didn’t ask many questions about the work but when the partner’s wife took them to her home to show her the apartment they had for her things changed. Cutting to the quick, Stasia was really concerned about her son and who would care for him while she was at work. The lady, who did not work in an office, took in neighborhood children after school. Once that was out Judith said Stasia ”warmed up“and she and the lady seemed to get along. Before they headed back Judith drove around the area trying to give her an idea what it was like since Stasia was truly a ”country girl“. Judith told me that she was overwhelmed by all the people, houses and lack of grass. When they headed back Stasia was quiet and Judith waited until they were almost back into town before she ”pushed“ her on how she felt about the offer. Frightened was the answer. Judith said they sat in her car behind the store for a while and she went over all the ”pluses“ stressing that it was, truly, a chance to have a life of her own. The end result was that Stasia would ”sleep on it“.

There wasn’t anything I could really do so headed off to the bank. Stasia arrived right as the bank opened. I looked at her hoping to get a ”read“ on her but it was more of the blank look that I usually saw. I went to the drug store at lunch time. I hadn’t been into the store itself in quite a while. There were some people at the counter so I had to wait. When Judith finally saw me she had her familiar smile and gave me a ”thumbs up“. It wasn’t until I was leaving that she could really speak to me and was able to tell me that Stasia had told her that she was going to do it. She told me that she’d get the details to me as soon as she had them. Walking back to work I felt better than I had in quite a while.

As it turned out there were a lot of fluctuations in the ”plan“ as the following week played out but Judith drove Stasia and her son in on Friday soon after the noon siren. Stasia had her pay (we got paid in cash) and they went to her son’s school and took him out and then were off. The day was very stressful to me and yet I wasn’t really involved. It was a strange feeling. Judith stayed overnight. One of the things she desperately wanted to do was to get Stasia to a hairdresser and to give her new look.  She also wanted to get her some new clothes that were in style.

I was very tempted to call Judith on Sunday but was able to resist. When I got to the store Monday morning the first thing Judith did was to put both her hands up in front of her with her fingers crossed. I remember smiling. But I also remember how excited Judith was telling me about Stasia’s ”new look“. She told me that if she were to walk in the store right then and there that I wouldn’t recognize her. She told me that she’d gotten her husband ”fully on board“ and he'd written a letter for Stasia to sign that explained what she’d done without giving her family any clues as to where she was. She also told me that she’d be talking with her every day and would keep me posted. I remember asking Judith what happened when she got in her car to come back. She told me that Stasia surprised her and gave her a big hug. That surprised me as well.

At work, it took a few days for the word to filter down that Stasia had “run away”. I went along with it, smiling inside as I listened to the old biddies come up with their theories. I was never asked by anyone about her which made me very happy. By the end of that next week they had hired a replacement for her... another Trustee’s relative.

To be continued...