A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114f)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114f)

For those of you who’ve been following this tome for a period of time you might remember that when I turned 25 years of age I was made aware that my grandfather had created trust funds for both me and my brother. After attaining age 25 we were able to use the income generated from the trust but the principal wouldn’t be available until we turned 30. I’d arranged for the bank who was administering the trust to mail me the income (from interest and dividends) each month. The amount varied from month to month but was usually around $75. It usually arrived about a week after the 1st of each month but, in February, it hadn’t arrived and it was well into the second week. It doesn’t sound like much today but in 1966 it was. I hadn’t talked to the bank who administered the trust since singing the papers after my 25th birthday so didn’t have a specific person to talk with. After a bit of a runaround I finally got someone to help me. Long story short... they were in the process of changing internal systems and, evidently, my account got ”swallowed up“. The man promised to track my check down and get back to me. Just before I left work he called and told me that he had personally cut the check and put it in the mail drop. That gave me some relief but what he told me right after that pretty much made my day.

He had tracked down the trust agreement to make sure they (that bank) were following the instructions properly. He asked me if I was aware that once I turned 29 I would be able to borrow against the trust. That pretty much floored me. Nothing had ever been mentioned to me and of that I was sure. He went on to explain that I would be allowed to borrow up to 5% of the total value of the trust each three months. I did a quick calculation in my mind and it would be more than enough to cover what I owed. The only thing was that I would have to wait two months for my birthday. I thanked him and asked for him to send the necessary paperwork. It was a load off my mind to have that knowledge but I needed money now.

I haven’t mentioned the race car in quite a while. That’s because I really hadn’t done anything on or with it since I bought the house. Ferd, the man who’d been helping me repair it, called me at the bank and told me I had to get the car moved as he need the space at his house. Everything he could do had been done but the car still needed a front axle. I’d located one but it was going to cost money and, with money so tight, I just ignored the situation. I truly felt guilty when the check came from the trust and I cashed it to pay for the axle. It cost $25 which left me with about $55. The second problem was in telling Elle that I was going to work on the car and not work on the house. It made for a ”chilly“ weekend.

Ferd helped me with installing the front end so I was able to tow the car home. When Elle saw it in the driveway she was beside herself. I tried to appease her telling her that I could probably sell it for over $300 come racing season but she was still mad. It had been a case of ”Out of sight, out of mind“ for her and seeing the car was like a red flag to a bull.

That Sunday morning we woke up early to find the house was somewhat cold. I went down to the basement to find the oil burner wasn’t working. I didn’t have a clue as to what to do or who to call. It had been running when we moved in and other than to adjust the temperature I hadn’t paid any attention to it. Another long story short... I called John, the farmer neighbor, and he came right over. He asked one simple question... ”Do you have any fuel oil in the tank?“ I didn’t even know how to find out. After we found a rod long enough to ”stick“ the tank the answer was clear. No oil!

He invited all of us over to his house. Kathleen was a bit overwhelmed as she was still in her bathrobe when we all arrived. She was very gracious, actually providing breakfast for Elle and the kids. I noticed that she only had a sash to hold it closed and as she darted about I was able to see a bit of what I presumed to be her panties. However, my focus was on getting oil. John made a few phone calls and was able to get the company who provided his oil to come out and make a small delivery even though it was a Sunday. However, my trials and tribulations weren’t over. When we tried to start the burner up it just wouldn’t stay lit. That’s when my experience with the kerosene furnace in the mobile home came in handy. I remembered that when I’d waited too long to fill the tank I’d end up having to change the filter. That was the problem only I didn’t have a new one to replace the old one. I took a chance without one anyway and got it fired up. My neighbor had come through again.

When John and I left to go get Elle and the kids I suddenly realized that I was going to have to get more oil and, more importantly, pay for it. The only good thing was that Elle had gotten over her ”mad“. I was pretty much on pins and needles about the oil burner for the rest of the day because if some debris got into the ”gun“ I would be back in the same position I was when we woke up with and no recourse. Elle’s father bailed us out the next day and ordered some oil to be delivered and put on his bill. At work I waited for a call from Elle to tell me that it was getting cold again. Thankfully, it didn’t come.

To be continued...

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114e)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114e)

The first thing I did was to turn off the motor. Amy had been pretty much thrown under the dash board with her head over on the passenger side. Her hips were on the hump in the middle and as I climbed on the seat and over towards her I could smell alcohol. I remember calling her name and not getting a response. I put my hand on her back and could feel that she was breathing, My first reaction was to get her up from the floor but, in a flashback, I remembered that one of my college roommates had been in a serious car crash and some good samaritans pulled him from the car and totally messed up his back.  Not wanting to take a chance I backed out of the car and ran home to call the police. Elle was waiting at the back door waiting for me wanting to know what happened. I pretty much ignored her as I made the phone call for help. On my way back out I remembered a flashlight. By the time I returned a car had shown up and a man was looking in the drivers side of the car. I went to the other side and could see the whole side was bashed in from just behind the front wheel all the way back past the rear wheel. I shone the light in on Amy and could see broken glass all over the seat. The guy yelled over to me to help pull her up but I told him to wait for the police. It didn’t take long.

Being new in town I didn’t know any members of the police but the other guy recognized the cop and called him by name, Eric, as he walked up. I told him what I’d heard and then seen after getting to the car. By then Amy was moving and trying to get herself off the floor. We were able to get her to sit up but it was obvious that she was really out of it. The cop wanted to get her out of the car and into his vehicle so we assisted him. She was so drunk that she couldn’t even begin to stand on her own. Another patrol car came and as soon as he did the first cop took off with Amy. We all chatted for a bit while waiting for a wrecker to come get the damaged car. The stranger who’d come to the car after I’d left to call for help was commenting on how drunk Amy was and, in passing, made the statement that she’d even ”pissed herself“. That caught me by surprise but I didn’t want to potentially embarrass myself by asking how he knew. Later on, in bed and reflecting on the whole incident, I was somewhat amazed that I’d somehow missed that. Now without the pressure of the moment I was able to recreate (in my mind) just what I’d seen and I wasn’t sure if I hadn’t seen Amy’s panties while she was stuffed on the floor and partially under the dash.

The next morning I went out to look at the skid marks and debris. She’d hit the telephone pole right in front of my house but it had been a glancing blow so the pole was still intact. However, the car had left a good deal of cream colored paint on the pole and there were shards of glass all over the shoulder. There were some skid marks leading up to the pole but none after it. On the way to work I wondered if Amy hadn’t fallen asleep and then woken up to see the car headed for the pole and hit her brakes. I also wondered how she was.

I got the answer when I got home. Kathleen, (John the farmer’s wife from next door) had called Elle to ask how she survived all the ”excitement“ the night before. In the course of the conversation she mentioned that her brother in law (Eric) had been the one to respond to the call and went on to say that Amy wasn’t hurt but had been arrested for DWI.
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OK... at this point I’m going to ”fast forward“ a bit.  Less than a week later it was announced that Amy’s father had sold their advertising business to two men from the city and they were coming in to take it over immediately. One of the men had also bought their house. I never saw Amy of her father again. They, supposedly, had moved to Florida. I remember it was a topic of conversation at the Post Office for about a week. Moving even further on... there was a rumor during the Summer that Amy had given birth to a baby boy.
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It was one happy day when the employees received their first paycheck with the adjustment reflected in it. I’d been getting subtle comments from some of them about how thankful they were and how much they wanted to thank me for my efforts. I’d been there almost a year and for some of them it was the first effort they’d made to talk to me at all. Bret was still a bit miffed that he hadn’t been included because he was still, technically, an ”employee“. Hobie had spoken to him and told him to have patience. Even with all the work I’d done on salaries I still had no idea what he or any of the bank officers were making. My anniversary was coming up as well and I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that I needed to be making more money than I was. After writing the check to pay my second month's mortgage payment I had less than $20 to buy food for the next two weeks. I’d tallied up just what I owed to various local merchants and it was way more than the net pay of my next paycheck and we would still have to buy food. Even though I professed to not run up debt it had been impossible not to do so. The Spring ”wish books“ from both Sears and Montgomery Wards had come and in perusing them I saw one item that absolutely had to go in the ”need“ column of our want/need list and that was a power lawn mower. The cheapest one was right around $90. On top of that were some of the mundane yard tools like a rake, spade and trowel. The joys of home ownership were quickly eroding.

To be continued...

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114d)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114d)

Rob’s less than graceful exit put a bit of a damper on the party, such as it was and by 10:30pm or so Pat (the PTA lady) and her husband decided to leave. If there was one saving grace to the party it was that she offered to put in a good word for Elle with the school secretary, the person who called to get substitute teachers when needed. Elle very much wanted to teach there as the school was less than five minutes away. Substituting at her old venues meant a half hour drive. The other couple hung around a little longer but by 11pm they were also gone.

Cleaning up afterwards I noticed that about a quarter of the bottle of bourbon was gone. It had been unopened at the start of the party. It was no wonder Rob had been so drunk when he left. Elle and I talked about the party and both of us felt that it had been worthwhile. Elle said that she’d gotten to talk with the other new lady, Nanci (with an i), about our girls joining the Brownies and was going over to her house to get the necessary information during the upcoming week.

Even though we were alone neither of us was interested in any ”romance“. Both of us had been ”uptight” getting ready for the party and were still “unwinding”. As we turned out the lights our plan for Sunday was to go to the early service at church. We’d only been there on Christmas eve and were feeling somewhat guilty. However, when we awoke the next morning our libidos were “in sync” and after some very enjoyable “morning delight” found it was too late to make that service. I was all for forgetting about church for the day but Elle insisted that we go and meet some of the parishioners. When I got up and looked out the window I was surprised to see it snowing. It wasn’t like the last time with a howling wind but was just gently falling. By the time we left for church there was probably about two inches on the ground. I didn’t take the time to shovel it figuring I could do it later, after it stopped.

We were a little early arriving so there weren’t many people in the pews. Being our first time I was a bit concerned that if we just sat down we’d be taking someones seats. Elle dragged me into the next to last row. In a few minutes the rows started to fill up and in the row right in front of us were two younger women with two very young boys. It didn’t take long to see that they were a handful. They were perpetual motion with the two women trying to keep them still. As they did i saw something to make my day... DP’s. Not one but two. As the women bent over to drag the kids back to their seats I got some very nice peeks. It was a nice introduction to the new church.

We ended up attending the “meet and greet“  after the service. I was actually surprised to see some people that I knew from back when I was a teen and worked at the local market and at the gas station. I was also pleased when I met the minister. He was, by far, the youngest minister in any of the churches that I’d attended. In his mid 30’s he was very happy to see Elle and I and made a point of introducing us to the the two women who’d sat right in front of us. It was another surprise to find that one of them was the sister in law of Bags, one of my racing competitor friends. By the time we left we had a bunch of new contacts.

There was at least four inches of snow as we headed for Elle’s parents house to fetch the kids. Thankfully, there was no wind to blow it into drifts. The kids were upset when we arrived in that Elle hadn’t packed any clothes for playing out in the snow. Knowing that the hill on our driveway would be a bit of a challenge we loaded them into the station wagon and headed home. As I made the turn into the driveway I could see our neighbor, Jon, on his tractor and pushing the snow around. I tried to thank him but he just waved me away. I remember asking Elle if she could think of anything we could do to thank him for his kindness and all she could do was shrug her shoulders. I wondered how did we get so lucky to have him as our neighbor.

Speaking of neighbors, the ones directly to the East were still pretty much a mystery to us. We’d see lights from the house at night but had seen little activity. It was about mid week when Elle heard a knock on the kitchen door. She didn’t recognize the person so didn’t open the door. It turned out to be the lady from next door. She was finally able to make Elle understand who she was. Their phone had died and she needed to call their doctor about her disabled husband. Elle let her use the phone and then briefly chatted with her for a few minutes. When Elle told me about their meeting she commented that the woman seemed quite normal and not "different" as John had indicated back when we first met he and his wife. Elle said she didn’t see anything different or abnormal about the woman. That was good news but I still wasn't so sure about them. I just hoped that Elle's observation was right.

That night as we were saying good night to the kids we heard a screech of tires and then a loud "whomp!" I went to the window, which faced the road, and could see headlights shining into the field opposite us. Something wasn't right. I ran downstairs, grabbed my coat, ran down the driveway and over to the car. I could see debris spread across the road leading to the car. It had stopped with the front end buried into a fence. I could read the license plate and recognized that it belonged to the family who did the bank's advertising and who lived just a little further down the road. I got to the drivers door and could see someone lying across the front seat. It took some tugging to get the door open and when I did saw it was Amy, the daughter of the ad agency's owner.

To be continued...  

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114c)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114c)

The pay adjustments were to be effective the first payday in February as there wasn’t time to process them for the current pay period. No one seemed upset about it. There was clearly an uptick in attitude throughout the whole bank. In my area, Jerena was turning out to be a quick learner. Cara, who had the reputation of being hard on new tellers, admitted that fact to Trish who, in turn passed it on to me. The one negative about her was that none of the others made any effort to befriend her. It didn’t seem to bother her though as her ever present smile continued to greet everyone, customers and employees alike. I made a point of observing her for a while and it was obvious that customers took a liking to her. She had a way of making them all seem like they were the most important people in the world. On her first Friday night, when one of the tellers least favorite customers came in, I watched as Cara suddenly disappeared leaving Jerena to handle her by herself. The lady (and I use the term loosely), knowing that she was new, was at her bitchy best. However, Jerena never wavered. The smile never left her face. I didn’t hear the words that Jerena used but I know she managed to disarm the woman. I was impressed. I’d left her in Mala’s old spot so that Cara could work with her and then, when her training was over, was going to put her on the drive up window and move Katie. But after just two weeks I was convinced she should stay on the main teller line, right where she was.

Elle worked the whole next week and, even though she was tired when she got home, was clearly happy to be back in the classroom. With her mother now only a couple of miles away she'd been willing to watch the kids each day. It was the best of both worlds. I had my list of jobs to do after supper each night and I was getting into the routine. One of the hidden benefits of having the new drapes and curtains up was that we now had complete privacy. As soon as Elle got the girls tucked away in bed she’d come downstairs wearing just a shortie nightgown or a pajama top and her panties. As a “reward” for my labors she’d periodically give me a squirt and then sit in a position that would give me a good look at her wet crotch. She'd hold back the “grand prize“ until we headed for bed. For me it was a very pleasant game to play.

With the living room and den now almost completely decorated the way Elle wanted it she was getting anxious to have Ginger and Lisa, (and their husbands) over. Ginger had arranged for Elle to meet some of her friends soon after their first meeting. Elle had liked them right away and thought it would be a good way for us to meld into the community. I wasn’t so sure but a couple of ”large squirts“ helped change my mind. In spite of working all week she managed to put it together for that Saturday night. With neither of us being drinkers I had to ask my father for some help in the way of alcohol for our guests and could only hope that they would mix their own drinks. Elle’s mother willingly took the kids for the night because it gave her father a chance to see and play with them.

I don’t know why I was nervous since I was meeting new people every day at work... but I was. Elle couldn’t help me out much with information on the to other couples so I was ”flying blind“. Thankfully, it was Ginger and her husband, Jon, who were the first to arrive. She introduced him as ”the milkman“ because he really was. He had bought the local dairy and, on weekends, actually delivered milk. His primary job was as an instructor at a local Community college. I was pleasantly surprised at Ginger. Her hair was neatly coiffed and she had on a bit of makeup and lipstick and her skirt, although short, wasn’t wrinkled like it was the day I’d met her. She ended up introducing us to the two couples we hadn’t yet met. Jon’s brother, Rob, and his wife were the last to arrive. I could tell that Rob had imbibed in more than just a few. Lisa, his wife was in a snit about it and when she saw the liquor on the counter told him to ”behave“. It wasn’t a good beginning, or so I thought.

Like so many affairs, there was a hidden agenda to this one. It turned out that Jon was going to run for the school board. One of the two women we’d just met was president of the local PTA (Parent Teachers Association) and had very strong ideas on the way the school was being run. Her name was Pat and it was obvious that she and Jon were on the same page. Their concern was that there had been no ”new blood“ on the board in over ten years. Elle and I were pretty much captives in our own house as they espoused their own ideas. Thankfully, Pat’s husband stepped in and managed to somewhat change the subject. The men headed for the kitchen and the ladies stayed in the living room. Luckily, I’d thought of beer late in the afternoon as the two strangers preferred that to the hard stuff. Rob headed right for the bourbon and he poured himself a ”stiff one“. Jon and I stuck with soda. However, Jon did mix Ginger a gin and tonic and took it in to her. The other man, Fritz, had seen my sailing pictures hanging on the wall in the den. He was quite interested in learning how so, having a subject to talk about that I was familiar with eased some of my discomfort.

Elle came out to the kitchen after a while and encouraged us to join the ladies. When we did it was obvious that Rob was drunk. When his wife saw him she exploded and let him (and everybody else) know her displeasure. She insisted that they were going to leave and if Jon hadn’t almost pushed Rob out the door he would’ve stayed. While that was going on Ginger decided to get up from the sofa. The sofa was part of the furniture my parents let us have. It was oversized, both deep and and long and it had down cushions. I kid you not when I say you would get swallowed up when you sat down on it. When she tried to get up she couldn’t. In fact, she couldn’t even get her feet on the floor. I was standing in the doorway across from her and as I started over to help she put her hands behind her on the back of the sofa and pushed herself forward. When she did her skirt stayed put as her body moved forward. It was a short skirt and when she did I got an incredible ”free show“. It was enhanced by the fact that she had spread her legs to steady herself as she tried to rise. I would say I had about 10 seconds of unrestricted viewing of her pantied crotch. What made it even better was that she was totally unaware of what I was viewing, being totally engrossed in trying to get up.  

To be continued...

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114b)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114b)

That night, at home, I found a much larger list of ”to do“ items than had been there a week ago. Even though I could justify the effort put forth for the bank, Elle didn’t want to hear any of it. The good news was that she’d been contacted by the school district where she’d previously done all of her substitute teaching and they wanted her for a whole week. She actually knew about it earlier in the week but since she’d been giving me the silent treatment it was a surprise to me. I’d been on J J’s case all week letting him know that he owed me ”big time“ for helping him move his furniture. He promised that he would find a way to reciprocate. Knowing his wife I somehow doubted it. At supper I remember telling Elle to prioritize her list and that I’d get started on the one on top that night. Mistake!

Because of the cold weather and a large piles of snow out by the clothes line she’d been trying to dry clothes using hangers and then hanging them wherever she could. They were forever falling and frustrating her. The basement was basically empty and she wanted me to come up with a way to string a clothes line down there. I really didn’t have much in the way of tools other than my mechanics tools. I knew my father had a lot of them so I headed that way. I got some from him and was lucky in that I was able to find some large screw eyes as well. The trouble was the time it took to put it all together and to get back home. It was almost 9pm by the time I got started and it was after midnight by the time I finished. I’d been hoping for a little ”snuggle time” with Elle but she was all curled up, asleep, on her side of the bed. Thinking of the big announcement at work the next day helped me get to sleep.

When the announcement was made about an all employees gathering in the lobby at 4:30pm it had everybody “buzzing”. Trish tried to pry some information out of me but I wouldn’t budge. I remember wishing that it was a busier day to help pass the time but it was a typical slow day after the “busy period” where the interest had been posted to all the accounts. Most of the employees were gathered by 4:20pm. I took a position where I could see the faces of the majority. When Bert, the president, stepped from the elevator a hush came over the group. He started with a lot of platitudes about how they were such good, loyal, workers. Then he went off on how things in the world were changing. I stood there looking down at the floor and I remember repeating to myself, “Tell them! Tell them! Tell them!” Finally he got more to the point and when he started I’m sure none of them knew what he was telling them. Finally, when he told them that they would all be receiving more in their paychecks I got the reaction I was hoping and looking for... shock. Unfortunately, with all of his rambling, there was no clear understanding of how it was derived. Bette, the lady in charge of accounting (and who did the payroll), asked if they would all be told just what their increase was going to be and how it was derived. I thought Bert was going to choke. He turned and looked directly at me. I don’t remember what he said but, in essence, he told them that I had all the information. The problem with that was... I didn’t. I’d turned it over to Hobie and the salary committee. All eyes were on me and I didn’t know what to do.

Hobie stepped up and, more or less, solved the problem. He told them that I would meet each and everyone one of them up in the Board room. I remember him telling Bette to get the employee list and then telling the employees to line up in order of seniority according to that list. Then he motioned for me to follow him up to the Board room. We stopped at his desk and retrieved my worksheets. I wasn’t very comfortable as we went into the room and was thankful that he chose to remain. It took almost an hour and a half but it was very rewarding. The weekly increases ranged from a high of around $16 to the $2.50 that Jerena, the cause of the exercise, (and who had yet to receive any pay) would get. If there was one personal benefit it was that all the employees knew that I had played a part in it. Even though I didn’t deserve it, some gave me all the credit. Almost instantly I became a very popular person.

It took most of the weekend for me to achieve that same level of appreciation from Elle. I knew I was close when she came up to me and pointed to her crotch. I hadn’t touched her there in over a week. The reason, of course, was that she’d “leaked”. Even though I was rubbing on her slacks and was nowhere close to the “promised land”, I had an instant hard on. I asked what she was going to do then, pretty much knowing she’d get washed and changed. She told me and headed for the bathroom. I followed and, as she stripped out of the slacks, placed my hand on her wet pantied crotch. She tried to move my hand using the kids as her excuse. I knew Kaye, the two year old, was taking a nap as we had to walk past her room. The other girls were playing in the living room and, as they were quiet, I felt we were pretty safe. I reached behind me and closed the door. Elle relaxed and stopped tugging on my arm. Within seconds I could feel her warm pee flowing between my fingers. As soon as it stopped my fingers were inside her panties and it wasn’t long before we were both peeling my pants off. I think it was the first time I ever had sex while sitting on a toilet.

We got away with it. By the time we cleaned up the mess and ourselves the older girls were starting to get bored with each other so the timing was right. I was told that I could give the “to do” list a rest. However, when I took a look at it a bit later that evening it seemed never ending. Some, because of the season and the weather, were not doable but the little nitty gritty jobs were piling up. We’d only owned the house for just over a month and it seemed like I was wedded to it and not Elle.

To be continued...

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114a)

A HAPPY HOMEOWNER... maybe, maybe not (Part 114a)

I knew I’d get grief from Elle when I got home but not as much as I got. With the Christmas money from our parents we’d ordered drapes for the living room and curtains for the den from the Sears catalog. They’d been delivered during the week and Elle was hell bent to get them up as we’d found the windows to be very drafty. So, I’d told her that I’d do it over the weekend and she wasn’t about to change her mind... for anything. I desperately wanted to get started on the adjustment project for work but I could see that it would have to wait. I worked that Friday night until after midnight to get them hung. I have to admit that from an esthetic standpoint they surely changed the look of both rooms. I just hoped they would help the draft problem.

I was up early (for a Saturday) and got started on the project. I quickly found that it was going to be harder than I’d expected. First, I reviewed all the personnel folders and extracted what I thought I needed. By then I thought I had a process to follow and was just about to being when there was a knock on the back door. It was J J from work. Now, I haven’t mentioned him or his new house in a while. The reason is because the completion, scheduled for early to mid December, had been delayed because his wife decided to change the layout of the kitchen after the walls were up and it had been rough plumbed. J J and his family were still renting the house owned by the people who owned the ad agency that the bank used. He was there asking me to help him move some of his things as they wanted the house back. His lease was up as of January 1st and he’d “sweet talked” his way into staying an additional two weeks but now they wanted him out. When he told me couldn’t believe it... and I don’t know why I didn’t tell him “NO!”.

At that point his house was basically finished but needed a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) from the township. What he wanted to do was move his furniture and other things into the house and to be out of the rental house by Monday morning. He’d managed to find a place for them to sleep for a few days so it was just his possessions he was concerned about. I know he could see the negative look on my face. However, he said he’d arranged for a flat bed truck and some laborers to help. The look on Elle’s face when I told her where I was going was not pretty.

I got to see Amy, the daughter of the man who was operating the agency, in a non workplace setting for the first time since J J had moved in. I liked the pants she had on as I could see the indentations of the leg elastics of her panties even as she walked around... no bending necessary. The moving took most of the afternoon. It was the first time I’d seen J J’s almost finished house and, compared to mine, I didn’t like it at all. As it started to get dark I told J J I had to get going. It was easy to see that he was clearly “frazzled” and having watched his wife constantly hectoring him as we unloaded the furniture I knew why. What a bitch! As I drove home I wondered how Elle would be.

It wasn’t bad. She’d decided not to speak to me. I did get supper though. I’d hoped to have a rough idea on just how much the adjustments would cost the bank by the time I went to bed. I was using the $60 a week starting pay that had started the whole mess but I wasn’t even close. By Sunday afternoon I had more questions than solutions. I took a chance that Hobie would be home and got lucky. He didn’t have the answer(s) that I needed but said he’d make a call or two for me. Just as I was about to eat Sunday night the phone rang and it was the Trustee I didn’t really know who was on the salary committee. I was a bit shocked to get the call but even more so to hear what he said. In essence he told me to ignore the negative comments made by the other three members of the committee during the meeting I’d attended. He went on to tell me to do another projection with the starting pay at $62.50 in addition to the one at $60 that I was already working on. I didn’t ask why but knew when I hung up the phone that I had an ally.

It took a long time because I had to re-do each employee’s pay history twice... by hand. I didn’t finish the whole project until late Monday night. On Tuesday I handed it to Hobie. By then I knew I knew, for sure, that the salary committee was looking for what the adjustment would cost on an annual basis. I don’t remember the exact amount but it was over $15,000 and I was worried it would be too much for the Board to swallow. All I knew was I did what I was asked to do and now it was up to the Board.

None of the employees knew what I’d been working on, not even Trish. Hobie and Bert were the only two outside the salary committee. Both Bret and Trish could see I was not myself, especially on Wednesday, the day of the Board meeting. It was one of the slowest days I could remember. I saw the salary committee members arriving around 2pm and was extremely agitated as I kept thinking how three of them were dead set against any adjustment at all. I knew that two of the three ran a Mom & Pop type store with primarily family members as employees and had no real idea what it was like to hire people in a competitive market. The third member’s company had a union controlling wages so he didn’t have any knowledge either.

It was just as the rest of the Board showed up that I got a call to report to the Board room. I walked up the back stairs and when I got to the room the only person there was the Trustee who’d called me. He told me that in spite of the objections the other three members had he was going to present it to the full Board and thought he could “sell“ the majority of them. I remember shaking his hand for some reason before returning to my desk.

At around 5pm  I got a call from Hobie telling me that it would be best if I left before the Board meeting was over. I thought that was strange but he was my boss so I did what I was told. My stomach was in knots as I drove home. Was all my work an effort in futility, trying to buck stubborn Board members? I walked in the house and Elle handed me the phone. It was the Trustee who’d called on Sunday and from the sound of his voice I could tell that it was good news. The new starting pay was to be $62.50 a week and all regular employees would have their salaries adjusted going back to the time when the pay was raised to $50 a week. However, there was no adjustment for any officer or for Bret. His anniversary was coming up soon and he’d be recognized at that time. I was happy for all the employees. Never, since I was given the assignment, had any thought been given to adjust officer pay so I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t wait to see the faces of the employees when the announcement was made... and to get back in the good graces of Elle and back to working on my house.

To be continued...

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113h)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113h)

I took her up on it and while she filled out all the necessary papers I went to Mala and told her to follow me to the back. I gathered Willa, Lori and Mala together and proceeded to tell them of the change. It was obvious that Mala had spoken to the other two about her conversation with me about the possible switch because there was little in the way of a surprise reaction. The surprise came when I told them that Mala would be free for training as long as the lobby traffic was slow. They all seemed happy about that. The next step was to get Jerena started in her training. At that point I decided Cara would be the one to do it even though I knew she wouldn’t like it. I knew I’d get constant feedback on how she was doing though because Cara and Trish shared just about everything.

Everything seemed to go well the rest of the day. The first reaction came on Friday when I took Jerena’s paperwork up to the lady in charge of accounting as payroll was handled there. Her name was Bette (like in Midler) and she was a long time employee. She and Hobie were hired around the same time and they and their spouses were good friends. She’d always had a smile for me and on this day it was no different... until I handed her Jerena’s paperwork. She didn’t say anything until I’d turned and was walking away. Then she called me back and I could tell from the tone of her voice that there was some concern. She pointed to the annual salary number and didn’t ask but stated, quite firmly, that it was wrong. I didn’t react (honest!) but calmly said that it had been approved by Hobie. The words weren’t hardly out of my mouth before she had the phone to her ear. I stood there and listened as she argued with him. She didn’t say anything that I hadn’t thought of and tried to broach with Hobie. I knew of their friendship and could see she was upset so tried not to add any fuel to the fire by saying anything. However, I did nod my head in agreement as she stated the unfairness to existing employees that the new salary represented. When she hung the phone up she looked at me and asked if I agreed with her. All I said was ”Yes“ and headed back downstairs.

Hobie didn’t say anything to me but soon left his desk and headed upstairs. I wondered what happened to Hobie when he hadn't returned by noon. There was an obvious ”buzz“ among the employees. I also noticed a few of the mortgage people look over to where Jerena was being trained as they left for lunch. I didn’t put ”two and two“ together right away and when I asked Trish what she’d heard she wouldn’t come right out and tell me but lifted her head up towards where Cara and Jerena were. After I returned from lunch I tried to talk with Hobie but he waved me away and picked up the phone. Soon after that he went back upstairs again. It wasn’t long after that when I saw some Trustees coming in and heading upstairs. Again, I questioned Trish and she said she didn’t know why they were here on a Friday afternoon.

It was about 3pm when Trish gave me a message that I was wanted upstairs in the boardroom. I’d been at the bank for nine plus months and I couldn’t remember seeing a group a Trustees there on any day but a Wednesday. That’s what I was mulling over as I climbed the stairs and with no thought of getting a peek of Pauline’s panties. I was quite nervous when I walked into the board room. There were four Trustees plus Bert, the president and Hobie. I knew two of them as store owners in town and I also knew that one of the other two owned and ran a farm equipment sales and repair company. I wasn’t sure of the fourth. Bert asked me about the trouble I’d experienced during the week in filling the job opening. I told them basically what I’ve previously written about it. One of the store owners then made a comment that told me he wasn’t buying what I’d tried to explain. The six of them had a somewhat heated conversation that was going nowhere fast. The three who owned businesses were dead set against doing an adjustment for the existing employees. Finally, the Trustee I didn’t know asked the others to let me have a chance to speak and then told me to explain about the reason for Willa’s resignation. When the store owners tried to interrupt he, thankfully, shut them up. When I was finished I was excused. On the way back downstairs I didn’t know if I’d created a bigger problem than there already was.

Long story short, by the time they left it was decided that I would be given the responsibility to create an across the board adjustment for all the employees that was to be considered by the salary committee (the same group I been called in to see) and, if approved, be taken before the full board the following Wednesday at their regular monthly Board meeting. However, to do it I had to be given all the employee salary information. As Hobie unlocked the files with that information I couldn’t tell if he was upset or not. When he handed it to me all he said was ”Do a good job!”

On the one hand I was excited but when the reality came to me that the only way I was going to have it all done by Wednesday was to spend the weekend on it. I had a hundred and one things to do on and about the house scheduled with Elle and I knew she wasn’t going to be happy. On the other hand, if I did a good job and the Board accepted my work there would be a lot of happy employees. Driving home I decided it would be worth it to put up with Elle's complaining.

To be continued...  

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113g)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113g)

On Saturday morning I went outside to bring in the milk (... remember, this was in the 60’s and milk came in bottles and was delivered right to your house) and found a note from the milkman. There was a telephone number, a name and the word “steamer” written on it. I called the number and found it was the brother in law of Ginger, the lady who Elle and I had just met. Rob had been a painter/decorator for a number of years but had changed careers. He still had some equipment as he still moonlighted a bit but told me he’d be glad to loan me the steamer. When I told him I didn’t have any idea of what to do he volunteered to come over and give me a lesson. It was way more than I expected.

He showed up after lunch with a small dark haired girl with him. Once inside the house, Anne, my middle daughter, recognized her immediately as one of her classmates. The two of them took off to play freeing Rob to teach me what to do. When he was finished the daughter asked if she could stay. Later on, the mother came to pick her up. Lisa was a tiny, dark haired woman and the resemblance between mother and daughter was clearly evident. However, Lisa had dark, firery eyes and seemed to be a bundle of nerves. I liked Rob right from the beginning but I had some concerns about Lisa. I ended up spending the rest of the day steaming the living room wall paper off. It was amazing how much brighter and bigger the room seemed without it. I’d gotten paid on Friday and the first mortgage payment was due on Wednesday. It was hard to fathom that almost the whole thing was needed to make that payment. I’d been resisting the use of the Sears charge card but with the living room now ready for paint and the two of us so anxious to finish the job off I just had to break it out.

I was already apprehensive about the upcoming week at work. I’d pretty much decided on moving Mala and hiring a replacement teller instead of someone for Willa. I was concerned with the fact that my first attempts to interview applicants hadn’t gone all that well and just hoped that it would go better this week. It didn’t. I was only able to arrange a couple of actual interviews for Monday but the results were the same as the previous week... although the women didn’t come right out and laugh at the pay. I remember one telling me that it was less than she was presently making as a store clerk and at the store she got a discount on merchandise.

After the doors closed I turned to Hobie to express my concern. I asked if I could do a quick salary survey of the local banks as far as the entry level was concerned. He was a bit reluctant but then I told him the results of the want ad. After that he said he’d make a few calls to the people he knew. While he was doing that I decided to call the first bank I’d worked at and talk to Artie, the mortgage officer. I really had no idea what people there were making but he volunteered that as of the first of January they had raised the starting pay to $62.50 a week. To be truthful, I was surprised.

Hobie was on the phone for quite a while. When he finished up he came over to me and showed what three of the four banks were paying and they were all $60. I told him of my call but all he’d say was that $60 “seemed adequate”. I tried to emphasize the fact that Willa, with three years experience, was leaving to make more money in a beginning level position with the County. He pretty much dismissed me at that point. I was upset (and probably showed it).

The next day, a Wednesday, was the regular meeting day of the Board of Trustees mortgage committee. Hobie, the corporate Secretary, always attended to take the minutes. I didn’t think anything of it and was still “stewing” about having to try and hire someone at a less than competitive salary. I did have one woman who had said she was interested and if I hadn’t had one more interview schedule for Thursday would’ve hired her. I’d bought the paint for the living room on Monday and by Wednesday, all I had to do was to cut in the edges around the windows and trim. I left as soon as I could to get home and finish the job so I wasn’t there when Hobie returned from the meeting.

He was waiting for me the next morning. He handed me slip of paper and I saw $60 printed on it. He told me that it still had to be approved by the whole Board at their monthly meeting the following Wednesday but that I could offer it to the persons I was interviewing. I guess it should’ve made me happy but it didn’t. The reason was that it meant that whoever I hired would be making more than the last two people hired and, based upon what Willa had indicated to me, probably some of the people who’d been there more than a year. When I tried to protest to Hobie he basically told me to be happy with what it was. I wasn’t.

As it turned out, I ended up hiring the person who I interviewed that day. Jerena was a bit different. (In the not too distant future I’ll be devoting a whole post just about her.) She was fairly short, maybe 5’3“, and nicely proportioned. She definitely was ”cute“ with a never ending smile. Actually, she was a flirt. She’d graduated from school in June but had, in her words, been ”forced“ to work in the family business which was upholstering. She told me that she’d made up her mind that she was going to defy her parents and go out on her own as of January 1st. Since then she’d been living with a cousin. Her telling of that was a definite ”plus“ in my evaluation of her. Although young, her dress was stylish and yet in good taste. I was also very impressed with how well spoken she was as a teenager. Like so many in the area, her parents were Polish. She said she’d resisted speaking it but could, if necessary, and definitely understood it. That was another ”plus“ as I’d found that I needed someone who did on the teller line on Friday nights when we were at half staff. My final question was to ask when she could start. She looked right at me, blinked her eyelashes a couple of times and with an even bigger smile than she’d worn throughout the interview said, ”Right now“.

To be continued... 

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113f)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113f)

By Friday the ”busy period“ was winding down. Lobby traffic was moderate and Bret and I actually were able to get a break. The help wanted ad generated a few phone calls and I set up interviews for the following week. I’d again noticed Mala leaving her window a few times that weren’t in her assigned break schedule. I decided I’d speak to her before she left for the day. The only thing was... she beat me to it. When she came to my desk she asked if we could find a non public place. With the change in officers due to the old president retiring there was one available upstairs. Mala requested that we take the elevator noting that there was a definite change in her body configuration. We ended up in the vacant office and I chose not to sit behind the desk but took a chair next to the one she sat in. It was very obvious that she was nervous as she made a couple a stabs at trying to tell me why she wanted to meet with me. Finally she just blurted it out. She wanted to be considered for Willa’s job.

That caught me totally by surprise. My first reaction (not spoken) was here was my best teller wanting to go into a position in which she had no experience... and it was a negative one. However, for once in my life I didn’t jump the gun and kept my mouth shut. Mala went on to say that she was experiencing some difficulty with her pregnancy and that standing up for six to seven hours a day had become a problem. She was hoping that in Willa’s position that she’d be sitting most of the day. I remember looking at her without speaking and that made her more uncomfortable. I finally told her that I’d have to think about it. She told me that she didn’t expect I’d give her an answer straight away. When she started to make an effort to get up to leave I told her I had a question for her. That put a puzzled look on her face that turned to embarrassment when I asked why she'd been leaving her tellers station with customers still waiting in line.

The redness of her cheeks gave away her embarrassment. It took a few seconds for her to answer and I didn’t fully understand it at first. She told me that it was the underlying reason why she wanted to get away from the window. I didn’t pick up on it right away. Finally she asked if I remembered a conversation we’d had in the parking lot a few months back. It took a bit of thought and the only time I could remember was after one of her ”melt-downs“ with a customer. That was all it took and then I was the one embarrassed as it was when I’d told her about Elle’s incontinence and how she handled it. Once I realized that was what she was referring to I didn’t know how to gracefully answer her question. But she was sharp enough to recognize that I’d remembered so she went on to say that standing long periods of time caused her that same problem. All tellers stations had permanent stools and, me not thinking, suggested that she make more use of hers. I can still remember the ”look“ she gave me when she said that in her condition she couldn’t get up onto the stool. Being only 5’4” and showing as much as she did it was pretty much an impossibility. I apologized and repeated that I’d think about her request and get back to her. At that point I think the two of us were ready for the conversation to end.

However, it wasn’t the end. As Mala got up and bent ever so slightly to push the chair back in place I saw a very evident “smile” on the back of her skirt. I knew immediately what it was having seen it many, many times on Elle’s rear end. I deduced that she’d been wearing a pair of sanitary panties, ones with the large plastic crotch, and had wet whatever she was wearing under them. The shape of the wetness indicated they'd leaked around the leg openings. As she walked towards the elevator I was debating with myself weather to tell her or to just let her go. I chose the latter as she’d been embarrassed in front of me for well over a half hour.

By then Elle and I had bought a dinette set so that we had a regular place to eat. I’d also installed shades on the bedroom windows and ordered curtains for the living room. That pretty much took care of the Christmas money. We’d moved in without changing any of the room colors or wallpaper that the previous owners had put up. After a month in the house there were two rooms that were driving us crazy. One was our bedroom. The color was watermelon pink... and it was hideous. The other room was the living room which was wallpapered. The print was an enlarged ivy print that made you feel like you were in a jungle. After just a little time in the room you had a feeling that there were bugs crawling on you. So, with what little money we had left we set about changing both rooms. Our room was relatively easy... two coats of light blue paint. I did it in one day. The living room was going to be a challenge as I'd been told  to steam the old paper off. Never having worked with wallpaper I wasn't looking forward to it.

The girls had adapted to the new school and quite quickly had made some friends. Jean wanted to invite one over and Elle said it was OK. However, the mother of the girl wanted to meet Elle first. The woman’s name was Ginger and after Elle had passed muster she brought her daughter over. I got to meet her as well. I’ve put some thought in how to describe her in a single word and I really can’t come up with a good one. One (unkind) way would be to call her “frumpy” because, from a fashion standpoint, she was. She was probably ten pounds overweight and her hair was all helter skelter. I was polite when Elle introduced us. It wasn’t until she pulled out of the driveway and I had made some sort of disparaging comment about her that she told me that she’d had four kids (all girls) in just four and a half years. That helped to explain her look. Getting past that look, I felt that as a girl/young woman she’d probably been attractive. In thinking about it I felt that if she made a half hearted attempt that she could be again. As Elle and I walked into the house she told me that Ginger was going to have a party to introduce us to some of her friends. It sounded good to me.

To be continued...

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113e)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113e)

I was awakened by the sound of a tractor. It was still dark out but I got out of bed to look out the window. I could see headlights but not the tractor. Looking at the snow in the lights I tried to figure out just how much snow was out there. While I was peering out the window I suddenly remembered back when I’d gone to my old bank to get the mortgage. Monte, the Chairman of the Board, had warned me about snow and the driveway. He told me that when it was a true snow storm the wind would blow from the East and, as it did, the snow would drop into the cut in the hill made for the driveway... and at the bottom it was some 12 feet lower than at the top. I grabbed my clothes and went outside to see what was going on. The wind was really blowing and so was the snow. It wasn’t very deep right outside the door but as I made my way to the driveway I could see how much snow had already been moved. I flagged the driver of the tractor down and discovered that it was Jon, the neighbor we’d recently met. I tried to tell him thank you but between the motor and the wind all he could do was wave. Back inside I was pretty impressed... a neighbor that plowed our driveway without being asked. I still wasn’t sure about the people to the East but the other one’s were top notch.

By daylight the wind had stopped. The kids were thrilled with the snow, especially knowing they could use their sleds to slide down the hill. I measured just how deep it was near the bottom and it was over three feet. There was very little on the grass both in the front and rear of the house, the wind having blown it pretty much away and into the farm. Around noon time I walked over to Jon’s house to thank him and all he did was laugh saying that he’d been doing if for over ten years for his uncle. To him it was just a small part of his routine.

One negative thing with not living just a mile away from work was that I now had to leave a lot earlier. The end of December and the start of January had us in one of the four quarterly ”busy periods“. This one had started off especially busy. I made a point of leaving even earlier than usual with the idea of being prepared for the onslaught of people. I arrived around 8:30am and, much to my surprise, found Willa standing by my desk. Things between us had continued to be ”chilly“ as she, again, had been tapped to be the runner between the drive up window and the line tellers during lunch break for Katie, the drive up teller. Her body language told me that it wasn’t anything good. Without saying a word she handed me an envelope and walked away. I waited for a few seconds before peeling it open. It was her two week notice. Her body language told me not to pursue her right then but I definitely wanted to find out why.

Within the first fifteen minutes the lobby had filled up. It was like a zoo. Even though Bret and I had a steady stream of customers I tried to keep an eye on the teller line, especially Mala who had a history of melt downs. I’d shortened the lunch breaks to help the lines in the lobby and pretty much knew who was off and who was on. At one point I looked up and saw that Mala was missing. That was not good. I asked Trish to go into the ladies room to see if she was OK. She was back right away and indicated the Mala would be right back. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I never got to speak with Willa but I did catch Trish, one of her good friends, and asked if she knew why she was resigning. I’ve written that Trish and I were working well with each other but, in this case, I was treading on a friendship so she told me I’d have to wait and talk with Willa. I was waiting for her the next morning. Her answer was short and and to the point... she was going to work for the County and would be making more money. I pressed her on what it was that she’d be doing and I was more than shocked when she said she had taken the Clerk/Typist exam (the one I’d administered while working for the Civil Service department) and had been offered a position in the Court system. I remember looking at her not wanting to believe that the County had increased the base pay enough to exceed what Willa, with three plus years of experience, was making. I didn’t challenge her but almost immediately called my old boss, Mrs. K, to ask... and Willa had been right. Effective as of January 1, there had been an across the board adjustment to all positions. It was to get the County more in line with the neighboring county. They’d been having difficulty filling positions that were located near the county line. I remember taking a deep breath after hanging up.

We hadn’t run an ad for new employees in a few months and the applications in the file were quite old. I had to start there as I couldn’t run an ad until Thursday when the local paper came out. I made a few calls between customers and wasn’t really surprised to find that there wasn’t any interest. I remember talking with a few mothers and being told that their daughters had obtained jobs. Later, in the afternoon, I saw Mala was missing from her station again. I held off asking Trish to check on her and a little while later saw her emerge from the ladies room. I didn’t make it a point to follow up on it.

A day or two later a young woman came in and asked for an application for employment. Even though we were still very busy I told Trish that I’d take time to talk with her. I really don’t remember anything about her except when she asked what the pay was. When I told her she actually laughed. I didn’t think there was anything funny about it. It was $55 a week. Having talked with Mrs.K at the Civil Service office I knew their new starting salary was $65 a week, which was $10 a week more than it had been when I left there not even a year earlier. There wasn’t much I could say other than ”Thank you for stopping in.“ At that point I pretty much knew I was in for a rough time in trying to replace Willa.

To be continued... 

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113d)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113d)

Much to every bank employee’s relief, there was extra money in the paychecks we received on Christmas eve. To be truthful, I was disappointed. The net amount of bonus money in my check was a little over $125. Of course it was better than nothing but from what I knew the bank had had a very profitable year. I did ask Hobie about it and he told me that I would’ve gotten more had I been employed for the whole year. He said it was up to the Trustees and not a management decision. Basically, those who had been there the whole year got 5% and those who who had six months service but less than a full year got half of that. Those who started after July 1st got nothing. I wasn’t very happy and sort of knew that there were some who were really disappointed. I made a big mental note to myself to pursue the matter in the upcoming year.

We wanted to celebrate Christmas in our new house and told both sets of parents that we wouldn’t be visiting with them on that day and that there was only going to be one house for Christmas and it was ours. I budgeted out the money to the point I knew we’d have enough for the turkey and all the fixings but not much else. Elle and I had worked up a story to tell the kids why Santa didn’t make it to our house. We were going to tell them that we’d forgotten to let Santa and his elves know that we’d moved. I remember reading ”Twas the Night Before Christmas“ to the kids after church and then sending them off to bed. We were sitting on the sofa looking at the small tree we’d set up and not being all that enthusiastic about decorating it before we went to bed. I finally got up and thought I saw headlights out by the garage. I watched as my mother and father got out of their car and proceeded to unload a boxes from the trunk of it. By the time I got my coat on they were at the back door. It wasn’t really my parents... it was Mr. and Mrs. Santa in disguise.

To say that they saved Christmas for the kids is putting it mildly. They got more than we would’ve bought for them even if I’d had some money. Christmas day with everybody (including our brothers) at our house made for a memorable day. I think the only negative was that it’s the only Christmas that not one picture was taken. With the new house and all that went with it, pictures (or I should say film) were never on the radar. And speaking of the house, Elle’s parents gave us $200 to buy shades and curtains for the girls rooms. My parents kicked in another $200 to be used towards buying a dinette set for the kitchen, something that was drastically needed. When everybody had left we took our ”want/need“ list and happily crossed out some of the items and then headed off to bed.

In the few weeks we’d been in the house we really hadn’t met many people. The neighbors to the West were related to the people we’d bought the house from. They stopped by after we’d been in for about a week. Jon actually farmed the land that bordered two sides of our property. His wife, Kathleen, was a stay at home mom with three boys similar in age to our three girls. The boys were very disappointed when they found out our kids were girls. Jon had what seemed to be a permanent smile on his face and came across as very quiet. Kathleen was very animated and the exact opposite of Jon. On a first meeting basis they appeared to be very nice.

While they were there I asked about the neighbors to the East whose house was right next to ours. I saw Jon roll his eyes and had an immediate panic attack. Kathleen happened to catch his rolling eyes and stepped right in and described them as "OK but different“. That didn’t make me any more comfortable. My first thought was that I’d done it again... made a major decision without getting all the necessary details. After Kathleen had made her statement Jon spoke up and said he didn’t personally know all that much about them but, his uncle, who had lived in this house for longer than the neighbors had lived in theirs, had not said anything bad about them. They definitely kept to themselves and he had only seen the man a few times over recent years. He was a WWII disabled veteran and pretty much a recluse. The story was that he was mad at the government and felt he hadn’t been treated right. Their house had belonged to his wife’s family and when they died she inherited it. They had a daughter who ”wasn’t right“. Kathleen jumped in at that point and said that she’d been born with some ”mental difficulties“ and proceeded to scold Jon. While she did she said that she’d seen her with her mother a few times and that there was nothing wrong with her except that she was ”slow“.

I’d glanced at Elle a few times and I could see the furrow on her brow. This was news that didn’t make me happy and I was sure Elle wasn’t either. I think Kathleen saw the look on Elle’s face and suggested that we call Jon’s aunt and ask her about the people, especially the girl. She did say that they (Jon and Kathleen) had never been made aware of any problems. Their niece and two nephews had grown up living right next door and if anything had happened she was sure that she and Jon would’ve been told. It was a bit more comforting but still disturbing news.

Elle and I did talk about contacting the people we’d bought the house from to confirm what Jon and Kathleen had told us but, for some reason, were reluctant to do so. New Years Eve was quiet for us. With no money to spare and no local friends we decided to just watch TV. After the ceremonies in Times Square we headed for bed. On my way, for some reason, I stopped in the kitchen and turned on the outside light. I had to look twice to see that it was snowing. I was a bit surprised because my father, still the amateur weatherman, hadn’t called to warn me. I passed it off as probably just a snow flurry. We hadn’t had a measurable snow yet this Winter and if it was to be a storm I was sure he would have called.

To be continued...

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

A BIG STEP... wise or not (Part 113c)

I had the mistaken belief that things would slow down after we moved in. WRONG! Elle and I resurrected our old ”Want vs Need“ list and it become abundantly clear that, when it came to the house, it was just one list... and in just a matter of days it amounted to almost two legal size, lined yellow pad pages. I’m not going to make excuses because it was basically my fault. I hadn’t thought the process of being a homeowner through. Yes, we had a beautiful house that was in excellent shape BUT, there was so much more we needed to make it a home. As the list grew I did manage to be disciplined enough to not go out and buy everything and put it on a charge card. By the second weekend in the house Elle and I went over the list and prioritized it. Christmas was only a week away and other than a few things we’d picked up for the kids during the year, we didn’t have anything for them. I didn’t have anything for Elle either... just plain no money.

The rumored Christmas party came to fruition on the evening of the regular Board of Directors meeting. It was for employees only and was held at the old hotel. It was a buffet and had an open bar. I knew better than to go near that so just hung out with Bret during the cocktail hour. When it came time to eat I ended up in line behind Lena, the secretary for both the president and vice president. It only took a few second to realize that she’d had more than a few drinks. She almost dropped her plate and I managed to keep it from spilling back onto the serving table for her. I filled my own plate and was looking for Bret but didn’t see him so took the first empty seat i saw. Within seconds Lena was seated beside me. In any number of ways I felt sorry for her. She was, basically, attractive and had a nice personality. Trish had told me, more than once, about how she took care of her alcoholic father, thus giving up any social life. Knowing her current state I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect from her.

Having worked closely with her only a bit over the nine months I’d been at the bank I’d classified her as a very ”reserved“ person, always trying to please those around her. That perception was blown away over the next half hour. I won’t go so far as to say she was coming on to me but the conversation did stray from what I’d expected based upon my workday observations. After she finished off a few more drinks and we’d pretty much finished our meal she turned to me, all serious, and put her hand on mine. I was surprised but didn’t pull away. Then she asked me what I’d seen that day I’d opened the door from the attic into the upstairs ladies room. It was from so far out in ”left field” that I didn’t know what to say. But she was dead serious and leaned closer to me and in a sort of husky whisper asked if I’d seen anything “interesting”. Hearing that I know I blushed crimson red. Thankfully, the lighting was so poor I doubt anyone noticed. Knowing the state she was in I told her that I hadn’t. Then she really blind sided me when she said “Not even my panties?”

OH MY GOD! is what I thought. Somehow she knew of my panty fetish. The directness of the question disarmed me enough to make me mumble out that, yes, I had seen them. When she heard that she smiled. After few more seconds passed she asked if I liked them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. My main fear was that she did somehow know of my penchant for panty peeks and might spread it around, especially in her current state. After all, she was the secretary for the president and if she told him I probably would be through. On the other hand... what was her purpose in pursuing this line of questions. Taking a deep breath I told her I did like them. It was like a switch went on in her face and she lit up with a big smile. While sitting there at the table, with a few others still around, she, whispering, asked if I’d like to see the ones she had on. My poor heart! I knew I had to end the conversation and did by saying that I really would like to see them but I had to use the men’s room. As I got up she grabbed my wrist. I made sure not to look at her. While in there all I could think about was how was she going to feel in the morning after realizing what we’d been discussing. As much as I would’ve liked to have taken her up on her offer I knew it just wasn’t right especially in her condition. When I returned to the main room she, thankfully, was gone. By the way: It turned out that the real reason for the party was to announce that the president would be retiring on December 31st and that Bert, the vice president, would become the new president. My boss, Hobie, was to be promoted to vice president.  

Trish had told me that, in the past, the bank had given out a Christmas bonus but it wasn’t guaranteed. There was hope that an announcement would be made at the Christmas party what with the Board having met that same day. But it wasn’t. In the past it usually showed up in the last paycheck before Christmas and this year it happened to be on Christmas eve. I didn’t want to spend money that I didn’t have. Waiting to go buy presents on Christmas eve wasn’t prudent either. My mother, in passing, had asked what we were getting for the kids and when Elle told her ”not much“ she was upset. However, she didn’t indicate that she was going to help out in any way.

To be continued...