BACK TO WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137j)

BACK TO WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137j)

The kids had already developed a plan of how to ‘attack’ the activities and rides before we arrived so the older two were off to the merry go round. Bret had been the operator the previous year and they, vaguely, knew him. I told them to go up to him and ask if their ride could be longer than usual. I followed after them and once they were on board I came up to Bret to ask what they’d said. He laughed and told me he knew I’d put them up to it. I knew the ride was supposed to last about three minutes. With me talking with him I’m sure the kids rode for at least five. Following that I made the rounds to check up on the other bank employees. Hobie was a “money man”, counting the cash that came in. J J was one of the “chefs” and Lena, Bert’s secretary sold tickets. She’d filled in for him for quite a few years because of his wife’s poor health. Seeing her wearing shorts was a pleasant surprise as she was the ‘fashion plate’ at the bank and always wore skirts and dresses.

I was on my way back to our ‘spot’ when I saw a tall red headed woman. It was Moira. With her was a pretty strawberry blond teen. I hailed her and that easy smile reappeared as she introduced me to her daughter. They’d just gotten there having had to wait over an hour in their car trying to get into the grounds. Moira was wearing a sun dress which was above her knees. The dresses I’d previously seen her in were very modest and this was a pleasant surprise. The daughter, who was starting to ‘fill out’,  was wearing short shorts. I had the thought that I’d like to see Moira in a pair. I told her to take a walk around the grounds and then, later, if she wanted to they could join Elle and I. Again, the warm, easy smile.

We’d had a light breakfast so that we could eat fairly early before the crowds would gather and the lines would be forever. It was when we were on our way to get our food that our path crossed that of Moira and her daughter. I introduced Elle and the kids and told Elle that I’d invited them to join us. While we were chatting I saw something startling out of the corner of my eye... Kaye and Moira’s daughter were talking. Kaye was painfully shy and it usually took a few meetings for her to let her guard down. The daughter’s name was Mae and I watched as she squatted down to be closer to Kaye, showing her the necklace she was wearing. From my vantage point I could see some white peeking out above the waist of her shorts. Even though she was a teen she was  female and I wasn’t going to look away.

We got our food and headed to our ‘spot’. There were few places on the grounds with any kind of trees or shade but this was one. In the past, with guests, I’d taken more space but hadn’t done it this time. With three adults, an almost grown teen and three kids we were a bit squeezed. As we settled down I was especially cognizant of where Moira chose to sit and how she went about it. Initially, she squatted down and then flopped onto a sitting position with her legs out to one side. She was trying to keep her plate of food balanced as she did. But, trying to balance herself and her plate at the same time wasn’t working. She finally put her plate on the ground and then tucked her legs up under her, yoga style. In so doing I was in position to see right up her right leg all the way to her panties. If she saw me she didn’t show it as she concentrated on getting settled. I remember taking a deep breath.

I was hoping for a ‘second showing’ but her daughter was partially blocking my view. In so doing she was crawling over to where Kaye was seated next to Elle. As she did I got another pleasant surprise as her panties were showing below the leg openings of her shorts. I can’t say I was surprised when I recognized she was wearing band leg cotton panties. In conversation with Elle I’d heard her mention that they’d just come East from a remote air base in the mid West. She made mention that the Eastern styles were a bit 'much' and that she was having a hard time adjusting to them. With her current marital status, style and fashion wasn’t a priority for them.

When Kaye talked Mae into taking her over to ride the train Elle told Moira that she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing. We all followed a short distance behind them. Kaye wasn’t much of a talker but she hadn’t shut up since she’d finished eating. When it was their turn to ride Mae helped Kay get in and bent over to fasten the seat belt for her. I stood there watching and observing... two nice white lines peeking from the leg openings. I concluded that she must’ve grown as it was obvious that the shorts were too small. I’d seen her try to pull them down a couple of times as they were bothering her. It certainly didn’t bother me!

Jean had a birthday party to attend so we left earlier than we usually did. Elle managed to make it through without a problem. I’d told her that there were plenty of porta potties and that they were clean this year so she only wore a pair of ‘dribble panties’. It was my hope that I’d get some ‘attention’ back at home. Elle had been in a particularly good mood all day and I’d catered to her whims so I felt I was ‘owed’ a favor or three. I’d learned not to be too anxious in situations like this. Plant the seed... wait... casually pursue it... wait... and hope for a favorable result.

I knew I had to mow the lawn but I wanted to ‘play’ before I got all hot and sweaty so went out on the screened in porch with the newspaper. It probably took a half hour. She set Kay and Anne up at the playhouse so we were pretty much alone. I saw Elle headed towards the porch when she stopped just before reaching the door. If there was one thing that Elle was not good at it was acting. She did a bit on a ‘dip’ while stopped and then I heard an “Oops!” It only took a few seconds for me to figure what she was doing and it was no 'accident'.

Once inside the door I could see the now obvious wet spot between her legs, She walked over to me an sat on my lap. Like Pavlov’s dogs, my hand automatically buried itself in her crotch. It took a little doing to get inside the leg openings and then we both got to enjoy the moment. After about 20 minutes my one leg went to sleep and I had to make her get up. Once I got the feeling back I told her that I thought I deserved a picture. I was afraid I might’ve gone too far but after a quick look over her shoulder, where she checked on the kids, she turned back to me with a sly smile and said “Hurry up... and only one".
                               

  To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (part 137i)

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (part 137i)

Apprehension concerning how the joint interview would go notwithstanding, I was looking forward to seeing Moira again. When she relaxed she had a delightful personality. I felt she‘d fit in well with the others in the accounting department. She wouldn’t be the youngest as Mala had that distinction and certainly wouldn't be the oldest. Moira was at the back door when I pulled into the parking lot. Easy to spot because of her height and red hair, I walked up to her and asked how she felt. She had a quick, but not flip, answer that showed she had a sense of humor. I escorted her inside and right to my desk. She was dressed modestly as she had been in prior visits so there were no voyeuristic thoughts as she settled into the side chair. I was curious to know if anything had changed as far as her husband was concerned but there was no opening to pursue that thought. Bette appeared right on the dot of 9am. I have to admit that she was civil toward me but I could see that she was still upset. Because Bette had very little turnover in her department and hadn’t done any real interviewing she was ill prepared to ask probing questions. She didn’t ask much about what Moira’s responsibilities were when she’d worked in the bookkeeping area in previous employment. I jumped in and had her describe just what it was that she did as well as the equipment she used. There was a little more back and forth before I asked Bette if she had any more questions. I caught her by surprise and she just nodded her head back and forth. Then I told Moira that she’d hear from us by the end of the day. She smiled and shook both our hands and started towards the back door. As soon as she went through the area gate Bette blurted out something along the lines of why didn’t I hire her right then and there. I had to stifle a smile as I told her that it was her decision and not mine plus that her job description and salary would have to be worked out. I won’t bore you with all that but it drove home the point to her that interviewing wasn’t all as easy as seeing a person that you liked and saying ”You’re hired!“

By the end of the day we’d come to an agreement as to just how she would be utilized and what the pay would be. I told Bette she could call to offer the position. That made her day. She was dialing Moira’s number as I walked away. I hadn’t made it back to my desk when Trish, holding onto the phone receiver, motioned to me that the call was for me. It was Bette wanting to know if Moira could start on Monday. When I said ”yes’ she immediately asked if she could come back and fill out all the paperwork that afternoon. I had no problem if the woman wanted to waste gas to come in and do it so told her “sure”. The last thing I expected then was to hear Bette say “Thanks” for helping her out. I remember just shaking my head. I told Trish to put together the package of forms necessary when we had a new hire. She couldn’t believe Moira was coming back just to do it. We stood there and both of us had smiles on our faces.

I was leaving early to go out to the picnic grounds for my parking lot duty and as I got out of the back door I saw her rushing towards me. I stopped and the next thing I knew I was being hugged. When she let me go I asked what that was for. Her answer, “Because you believe in me.” surprised me. Then she stepped back and very sincerely said “Thank you. You just saved me and my kids.”  I know I’ll never forget those words. But, as I tried to excuse myself I remembered the two tickets to the picnic stuck in my desk calendar. On an impulse I grabbed her hand had tugged her towards the door. Once inside I let it go but had her follow me over to Trish’s desk. She wasn’t there, which was good in a way, and I went and got the tickets and gave them to her. Being relatively new to the area she was totally unaware of it. I apologized for not having a third ticket because I knew she had two children. That’s when I saw her relaxed smile appear again. She explained that two tickets were perfect as her son worked as a pool-boy on Saturdays but that she and her daughter would be there. Now it was my turn to smile.

The “Parking Lot Boys”, as we called ourselves, had remained the same for the three years I’d been involved. All of us had kids and we all had the same idea of getting our volunteer work out of the way so we could be with our families to enjoy the picnic itself. The guys who set up the fire pits had a small fire going and were planning on cooking up hamburgers for us to eat. The guy who donated the beer for the picnic was there setting his area up. I remember him coming out to the parking lot and asking if we’d be the “official beer testers”. No one declined. It was past 9pm by the time we finished up and actually had car headlights guiding us for the last few posts. It was the most fun I’d had since “Big B” was attempting to be a race car driver. I missed hanging around with a bunch of guys.

Before leaving the picnic grounds I staked out a place for Elle and the kids to park themselves just as I’d done in previous years. As a volunteer I could use the back entrance to the grounds which saved a LOT of time as it avoided the long lines of cars at the main entrance. It seemed strange not to have some friends with us though. Even going back to the days when we lived in the mobile home park and had to pay to go to the picnic we always had somebody with us. As we spread our blankets I wondered about Sabrina. As I said, I’d had the thought to invite her along with her boyfriend, Martin, in spite of the fact that she, more or less, annoyed me.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137h)

BACK AT WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137h)

The only thing that came to me while driving was that I needed to talk to Bret before he got to work. As excited as he was the night before I knew he’d be talking to some of the tellers about it as soon as he got there. I decided the safest way to do it was to go right to his house. It was almost 8am when I pulled into his driveway. Unfortunately, all the panties were gone from both the clothes lines I’d observed the night before.

There was a half curtain that blocked the lower part of the window in the back door. I could see Bret moving around in the kitchen so knocked. It was obvious that I’d startled him because the first thing he did was to put both his hands over his groin area. He looked up at me and then headed for the door. He was wearing boxer shorts and nothing else as he opened it. Looking more puzzled than embarrassed he asked what was wrong. I started to explain when I saw something moving behind him. It was Jan, his wife and she took a few steps into the kitchen before realizing I was there. I could see she was wearing the top of a baby doll pajama set but Bret blocked the rest of my view. When she realized that Bret was talking to someone she let out a bit of  a cry and then retreated.

By then I’d gotten across to him that I didn’t want him saying anything to anybody at the bank about the changes that were coming. Then I heard Jan tell him to let me in and I saw that she had something that covered her better as she walked back towards us. Once inside I could see it was like a beach cover-up but still somewhat transparent. She went about making coffee while I continued on with Bret. When I told him what the real problem was (Lorrie and Jaz would be out of a job and that neither Hobie nor I had factored that in) he agreed. Lorrie as well as Trish had been high school classmates with him and they were all friends. I asked if he had any ideas as to what they could do after the switch and all I saw was a blank stare.

I wanted to be at the bank when Hobie arrived so I left Bret’s house before he did. On my way there I did a little reminiscing about my panty history with Jan. I felt sure she’d never tell Bret and remember smiling about it. Walking across the lobby floor I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Bette sitting in Hobie’s side chair. The incident with the interview was so minor in comparison to not having factored Lorrie and Jaz into our future plans that I just shook my head. Bette saw me but gave no sign of recognition. I could’ve gotten up and gone to the back door to intercept Hobie but I wasn’t going to be that petty. When Hobie walked up to his desk I heard Bette tell him that it was important that she speak to him immediately. If he answered I didn’t hear him but I watched as the two of them headed for the back stairs and the Board room, the only place for privacy in the whole building.

I figured, for sure, that Hobie would want to speak to me upon his return... but he didn’t. It was me who spoke first and it was about the Lorrie/Jaz situation. It was somewhat amusing to watch his expression as the enormity of the problem hit him. It had been obvious to me (and some others) that he had special feelings towards Lorrie.  In thinking of that I knew she was ‘safe’ but didn’t have even a hint of an idea what position she would fill. I’d gotten the idea that Jaz could, if she was willing, become a teller. The pay was similar but Jaz was pretty much a private person and I wondered how she’d relate to the banking public. I waited for some sort of response from Hobie but he just sat there looking down the teller line. Finally he spoke and I don’t know how to describe the feeling I had when he did. It was to suggest that she could be the one to fill the chief clerk position that I’d proposed to him. It might’ve been shock or even disbelief. With so much other stuff going on I really hadn’t thought about the position since Hobie had put down the idea of Gina being the one to fill it. But, with him bringing it up and by suggesting Lorrie to fill it there wasn’t much I could say. It solved one problem and created another. When I’d approached Gina about the possibility of it I hadn’t given her a date since I had to get permission to create the position. But if we announced that Lorrie was going to fill the non existent position I knew she’d be really upset.

As all of those thoughts were whirling about in my mind I knew I had to say something. I remember taking a deep breath before agreeing to Hobie’s suggestion. Because it wouldn’t be fair to give Lorrie a new position without offering something to Jaz I put forth the only thought I had about her... and he didn’t disagree. I also told him that it would be a good idea to tell them about the switch over before making the announcement to the others. I will tell you I had some serious doubts about Lorrie getting involved in overseeing all the tellers since the only person she'd managed was Jaz. By then it was out of my hands.

Both women pretty much knew a change was in the offing since they were in contact with Robbie, the service technician, at least weekly. They both were aware that the bookkeeping machine (computer?) was at the end of it’s serviceable life. However, when Hobie and I told them what was planned for them they didn’t respond all that favorably. I reminded them that it was at least five months until the switch which seemed to ease their concerns. Hobie threw in that they could start their training on slow days.

The announcement to the rest of the banking floor crew elicited more questions than anything else with most of them unanswerable. Basically, it was a positive reaction and I was encouraged by it. It also served as a reminder that the bank would have to do a lot of training before we could go live. More work for me.

I waited all day for ‘the other shoe to drop’ on the interview matter with Bette. It never happened and I wasn’t going to bring it up. Going home I wondered just how the real interview would go and if Bette would be civil to me. As I approached my driveway I saw something new along side the road at the house next door. It was a ‘For Sale’ sign. Rather than pull up my drive I kept on going just to see who the realtor was. I didn’t recognize the name on the sign and as I pulled in that driveway to turn around I almost hit a car coming down the hill. Before I knew it the driver was at my window thinking I was a prospective buyer. I laughed and chatted with him a for a few minutes. Of course my interest was in just how much was being asked for the house. The guy sort of laughed and said ”Too much!“ and quoted a price of almost $35,000. That took my breath away. The guy went on that the owner (Sabrina’s father) was willing to rent the house with an option to buy. The fact that it was officially on the market was ‘food for thought’ as to just what our next door neighbor would be like and if they had kids. It also meant there would be the opportunity to see more clothes line panties.

To be continued...  

BACK TO WORK... suprises & changes (Part 137g)

BACK AT WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137g)

When the call came I was more than ready. Hobie had told me to walk right in without knocking and when I did I saw him at the other end of the room by the flip chart. Only a few of the Trustees turned to look at me as I entered but one was my least favorite, ‘Polak Joe’. I stood in the back of the room listening to Hobie go over the reasons why it was time to make a change, noting the attention (or lack thereof) of the older members. When Hobie asked if there were any questions the first one to speak was ‘Polak Joe’. However, it was only a for few words before Gee, who had assumed the chair for this discussion, broke in , reminding Joe that he was only a ‘guest’ and, as he had been censured, had no voice at the meeting. I can vividly remember having to put my top teeth over my bottom lip and biting down to keep from smiling. Hobie got to the part about cost and potential savings when one of the curmudgeons sort of shouted out something along the lines of ”I don’t trust all this new fangled stuff and I vote No!“ Gee stated that there was no motion on the floor and that there was still discussion to be held.

There were a few more questions before Hobie brought up the item that we had concluded would be the most difficult one to address... the cost of new teller machines. I’d made up one flip chart showing that the existing machines had been written off years ago. As Hobie pointed to that chart he mentioned that the manufacturer had given us notice that they would no longer offer service contracts on our existing equipment. The clincher was that the bank would need to buy equipment for the proposed branch and it would have to be compatible with that at the main office. I stood there thinking that Hobie had made a good presentation... until another old geezer stated that he thought we (the bank) were being sold ”a bill of goods“. Because he was the senior member in terms of service, he commanded an audience. Hobie, sensing that there might be a problem with getting the necessary resolutions passed, motioned for me to leave. I really didn’t want to because I wanted to witness just who the ones who were against it were and to hear their reasons.

Bret was at his desk and he was dying to know what was happening. I felt really bad that I couldn’t say anything. He pleaded for a hint but I was resolute and wouldn’t give in. I did tell him that if he wanted to wait until the meeting was over that Hobie might share the information. He just made a sour face upon hearing that.

Trish had gone about handing out the tickets to the community picnic and when she gave me mine. I put them on my desk calendar and tried to busy myself with the unopened mail. Bret waited until 5:30pm when he had to leave to babysit his kids. Feeling bad for him I promised that I’d call before I left for home. It was after 6pm when the first of the Trustees started appearing. I told Hank he could go to avoid the caustic comments he was known for when he had to stay past 5:30pm even though I was uncomfortable, one on one, with most of the Trustees. Waiting for the last one was agony but I didn’t want to ask what had happened. When I saw Hobie he was with Gee so I headed that way. About halfway to them I saw Hobie give me a thumbs up signal but also motioned me away. I know I let out an audible sigh. Hobie said he’d catch me up in the morning but I had all the news I needed.

I didn’t want to make the call to Bret while they were there so drove over to his house. Pulling into his driveway I was greeted with a double dose of panties hanging on wash lines. The neighbor to his right had their line right next to the property line so it was a close up view. They were nylon and I was pretty sure they were Vanity Fair from the cut of them. The lady who lived there was middle aged but still had her looks. Then, in Bret’s yard were more but I pretty much knew they were Carter's cotton as I knew what his wife wore. He was waiting at the back door. He’d pretty much figured it out since he’d gotten fairly close to Robby, the man who serviced our equipment. I spent way more time than I’d wanted to and it was almost like he didn’t want me to leave. Of course, the overriding question was ‘When would it all happen?’

Normally, I didn’t talk about work to Elle, However, it was almost 8pm as I pulled up the driveway and I was hungry. Elle had put my dinner in the refrigerator so she warmed it up as I got out of my work clothes. The kids were occupied so I suggested that we go out to the screened porch to eat. My head was splitting with a headache what with all the had happened during the day but, for some unknown reason, I wanted to talk about it. I’d lived it but hearing myself describe the day was almost surreal. Elle stayed quiet, letting me talk for almost an hour. It was past the kids bedtime but they didn’t complain. When I finally shut up Elle said she had some news of her own.

Martin, Sabrina’s boyfriend, showed up after she’d fed the kids. He stopped by to see if we had a key to Sabrina’s garage as he’d left some things in there. Elle said she asked if he’d heard from her and what was happening with the house. The short version was the ”daddy had pulled the plug“ on her writing career (such as it was) and was putting the house on the market. She said she asked, in a roundabout way, if he and Sabrina were still together and didn’t get a yes or no answer. We didn’t have any keys so she said Marin had gone not fifteen minutes before I arrived.

I knew the next day was going to be a rough one as well and, feeling the way I did, went to bed early. It didn’t help as I rolled and tossed all night. During my waking hours I was reviewing all the things that had to be done prior to the changeover to the service bureau. When I realized that both Hobie and I had overlooked the fact that both Laurie and Jaz would be, technically, out of a job, it woke me up, all the way. It was a definite problem and had to be resolved before the announcement was made to the banking floor staff. I was up, showered and shaved by 7am but didn’t have a clue as to what to do about the two women. Finally, I went back upstairs, kissed Elle good bye and headed for the bank hoping that an idea would come to me on the way.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137f)

BACK AT WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137f)

I had the panties in a paper bag. Not exactly the most enticing presentation, for sure. Without too much detail I explained that Elle had a ‘dribble’ problem and that we’d created some panties to handle it. However, when a doctor saw them and asked he suggested that with a plastic shield (the doctor’s word) they might have a market... and that was what I wanted to talk to him about. I’d just pulled them out of the bag when the food arrived. I know the waitress (who, thankfully, I didn’t know) saw them.

Willie was nice about telling me he wasn’t interested. First of all, there were some already being marketed, although not like the ones on the table. Secondly, to be able to do it I’d have to have a patent and lastly, he’d have to buy new equipment to do it. We spent about ten minutes on the panties and then, after looking at his watch, Willie got up, shook my hand and told me that if ever I got to New Orleans to look him up. That was it. I never really got to say much. He’d been ‘all business’. I was disappointed but there was noting I could say or do. A look at my watch showed that we’d been together for less than an hour. At least I wasn’t going to be late getting back.

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I’m going to interrupt the flow of the blog at this point with an interesting irony (at least to me). Right after I posted the last part (137d) I received a catalog in the mail. Looking through it I discovered something that had been near and dear to my interests... an offering of incontinence panties. I’m posting it here along with one of the pictures from that last post. I’ll ask you to compare the illustration with the picture. You should be able to see the sameness of the two. The ones in the color picture were made in 1967 and the other is current. It’s a reminder that I should’ve pursued the idea further.

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Back to 'business'...

Hobie and I did a run through of how he hoped it would go about an hour before the scheduled meeting. I was told to be ready to join the meeting when I got the telephone call. I was to be there to answer any specific questions that members would have but wouldn’t be there for the actual vote. I asked if I could tell Bret and Trish what was going on as I left the room. He shook his head from side to said and uttered but one word... ”Wait“

Back at my desk I could see Bret was clearly upset about not being told. I was sure Trish was as well but she knew she was ‘in the dog house’ for the incident with Moira’s application so she was keeping a low profile. I’d not had time to address that situation but when Hobie left for the meeting I got on the phone to Bette and told her I wanted to see her. She resisted saying she had to finish a report. I was having none of it and told her to be at my desk in five minutes. Technically, I had no ranking above her other than being an officer of the bank so I didn’t know if she’d come. Aside from that, there was the problem of where to go that had some privacy. When J J took over the one small conference room the bank had as his office the only place that could be used was the Board room and that was being used. So, the only thing I could find was to move to Hobie’s desk which was in a corner. I’m sure it was a conscious decision by Bette to be late. In my mind it wasn’t that important. The fact that she’d come was. I called Trish over as well and proceeded to hear their stories on how Moira was called in for an interview.

In summary... Basically, when leaving on Monday night Trish and Bette walked out together. Bette was still upset with me for not responding to her call about her sister’s retiring and her need for a replacement. Trish, in making conversation, said she’d just taken an application for a woman who had some bookkeeping experience and Bette jumped on it and asked to see it. Trish resisted and thought the matter had died. Bette hadn’t picked up on the fact that I wouldn’t be in on Tuesday and had come down to speak to me about it. Then she asked Trish about the application and wanted to ”take a peek“. Trish was busy so just handed her the form. Bette claimed she waited for Trish and when she didn’t come back took the application upstairs with her. At her desk she was so impressed that she, impulsively, called the woman.

In listening to the explanation I think I was more upset with Bette’s attitude than anything else. She stood there with her arms folded across her chest and ‘spit’ out her answers with obvious annoyance. In my two plus years at the bank I’d had limited exposure to Bette with the ‘Janet experiment’ a few months earlier being the first. I was struggling with what to do when Trish sort of bailed me out when she turned to Bette and explained how the hiring procedure was now being handled. Bette then mumbled something about the old way being better. My discomfort with the situation was in knowing that Bette was a close friend of Hobie’s wife and I knew, somehow, Hobie would be brought into it. So, not wanting to escalate the matter told Bette that I’d have Moira come in on Friday and that we’d interview her together. Still with her arms folded she turned and started walking away. She put me in a very difficult position because I had no real authority over her other than I was an officer. She was a department manager but not an officer. Because of where we were we were exposed to the public and to other employees so I didn’t say anything. However, I knew it wasn’t to be the end of it.

Getting back to our desks, Trish found two men waiting at the gate to our area. I sort of recognized one of them but didn’t know from where. It turned out that they were from the Chamber of Commerce with the bank’s tickets to the upcoming community picnic. As a member, the bank not only supported the affair by buying tickets for the employees but also provided volunteer assistance at the event. In my first two years I’d volunteered to help lay out the parking area at the site, a large, local areospace company’s facility. As opposed to working at the actual picnic, this work was done the night prior so it would free me up to enjoy the event with Elle and the kids. As a volunteer, I was also awarded two more tickets. In past years we’d invited friends to go with us and for this year Elle had suggested Sabrina and Martin, her boyfriend. But, with Sabrina gone that wasn’t going to happen. We’d gone over our list of friends and couldn’t come up with any who would be available but I hated to see them go to waste.

Seeing a steady stream of Trustees walking across the lobby told me it wouldn’t be long until I’d be called upstairs to their meeting. I’ll admit to being both nervous and anxious. When I saw Gee, the attorney/Trustee, I remember hoping that he’d done a good job of lining up other Trustees to back the proposal to sign on with a service provider. One of the last things that I’d done in making up the flip charts for Hobie was to show the cost benefits, over time, for making the switch. With the prospect of a new branch it was even more beneficial. The problem was the small group of ‘old timers’ who hadn’t yet accepted the new ways of doing business.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137e)

BACK AT WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137e)

Bebe scared me as I came out of the bathroom Wednesday morning. In the few days she’d stayed with us I hadn’t seen anything of her as she was still in bed when I left for work. She had on a baby doll nightie top which she was pulling down in front as she whispered my name. I could see a bit of her panties on one of her thighs but that was all. She continued to whisper as she told me that she would probably be leaving that day as Pete’s brother had found a Summer cottage where the people only used it on weekends. I had mixed emotions about her leaving. She hadn’t been a problem and from what I’d observed and Elle had told me she got along well with the kids before she went to work. Elle hadn’t complained about having to drive her to work so it was all her decision. I'd been wondering so had to ask what happened to the furniture from Sabrina’s house. She laughed and told me that Pete’s brother managed to borrow a truck. When she mentioned Sabrina’s name I asked if she’d made contact with her and she shook her head in a negative fashion. I told her ”Good luck“ and continued on down the hall, resisting the urge to turn around to see if I could garner a peek.

Each morning there were always people gathered at the back door waiting for the bank to open. It was like if they weren’t the first in line they weren’t going to get their money. In any case, as I approached the gathered group I couldn’t help but notice the tall woman with red hair. Getting closer I recognized her as the one I’d helped on Monday afternoon. Thinking there was more that I could do to help her I approached and made the offer. The look on her face was completely different than the one I’d last seen on Monday. She seemed relaxed and actually had a nice smile. After asking I was almost floored I heard "I'm here for an interview". I can’t tell you about the look on my face but I do know I was flabbergasted with her answer.

Soon after I was hired I was tasked with creating job descriptions for the entire bank. Because of my experience as a personnel technician with the County Civil Service Commission it was agreed that I would handle all initial interviews for positions with the bank. Hearing that this woman was going for an interview that I hadn’t set up raised some serious concerns. I had Hank let us both in and took her to my desk. Since Trish had her fill out the application I’d not seen it and had no idea what kind of experience she had. Once at my desk she reintroduced herself as Moira and I did recall that as she spoke. I had to temper my being upset with the situation with trying to be cordial to her. I excused myself to go over to speak to Trish and asked her for the application form. From the look on her face I could tell that she knew something wasn’t right. She mumbled that Bette had it and I shot back ”Why?“ There was no answer but she was astute enough to know that she better go get it.

I made some mealy mouthed excuse to Moira and tried to make conversation that didn’t give her a clue as to what was going on. Trish was back in just a few minutes and as she handed it to me I heard a very weak ”I’m sorry.“ A quick glance over the experience section gave me the knowledge that she’d had some experience as a bookkeeper. I explored that with her gleaning some more background information about her as I did. There was no doubt that she could fit in somewhere in the accounting department but that would have to be worked out. I told her that I would be back to her by the end of the week for another interview. At that point she asked about her appointment with Bette. Not wanting to put the bank in a bad light I explained that I’d been out of the bank the previous day and there had been some miscommunication. I apologized and as I did I could see the hang-dog look reappear on her face. I assured her that she would be called.

After she left I was furious about what had just happened. But, with the presentation being made at the Board that afternoon I had to move on. Hobie wanted some rough charts made up on a flip pad for him to use and that was my primary focus. I still hadn’t told Bret what was going on and that had him bent all out of shape. The morning was not going well, at all.

I was sequestered in the Board room making up the charts and examples that Hobie had requested when the phone rang. It was Elle telling me that Bebe was moving out and that she was taking her to her new place. I’d told her not to call me at work unless it was some sort of emergency and that news certainly was not an emergency. It was obvious Elle was upset but I didn’t have time to pursue it right then and there. I just reinforced the fact that it had been Bebe’s decision and that I had nothing to do with it. As I’ve written a time or two in prior posts, I’m a believer in ‘omens’ and after the last call I began to wonder if all the distractions were there to send a message that the presentation that afternoon would not go well. The distractions weren’t over yet!

Not ten minutes later the phone rang again. It was Willie and he wanted to meet me for lunch. You may not believe it but even after the frenzied effort to make up a sample pair of ‘dribble panties’ for Willie the night before I’d been so occupied at work I’d forgotten about them and about the prospect of meeting up with Willie. It wasn’t quite noon and I still had a few pages to go but I told him I’d met him at the hotel restaurant because it was easy to find. It was still open even though the rest of the building was closed. Willie said he could be there in about a half hour. Looking at my watch and at Hobie’s notes I figured it would be close but that I could get it done.

I almost didn’t recognize Willie. He’d gained quite a bit of weight. It was somewhat funny as my first thought after seeing him was that he’d never be able to race his old sailboat in that shape. We shook hands and he said he needed a drink. I declined and asked about the sale of his cottage. The closing had been that morning and his wife was already headed back to New Orleans. He told me he was flying to Philadelphia for a meeting with a distributor at 4:30pm so we had to eat quickly and discuss whatever it was that I’d wanted to meet him about. He definitely wasn't the Willie I remembered.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137d)

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137d)

Hobie and I talked about a ‘plan of attack’ for the presentation to the Board on our way home. We had things pretty well mapped out after an hour. Then there was silence for a while. Hobie was in a good mood by then so I decided to make my ‘pitch’ for the creation of the chief clerk position for Gina. Knowing that he’d not endorsed her hiring I planned on presenting all the reasons why the position was needed first. Letitia was a long time employee and saying just about anything negative about her was a ”no-no” so I made the case that with the added business that we were now doing she was ‘“stretched a little thin”. I don’t know if he bought that at all but after a few more informational tid-bits he asked the fateful question... “Who do you suggest fill the position?” I didn’t come right out and mention Gina but I did say that during the new account campaign and all through the busy period there had been one teller that had really stood out. “Cara?” was all that he said. I had to back up a bit and mentioned that she’d waited on the most customers but that I had someone else in mind... Gina.

Talk about a reaction! Hobie had been leaning back with one hand on the steering wheel. As soon as I spoke he sat straight up and put both hands on the wheel and, without looking at me, spit out "Not possible!' He never looked at me as he continued on. "Absolutely not!" The forcefulness of his voice told me not to ask why so I just sat there in silence as we continued on. Finally, Hobie said he'd consider the creation of the position if Cara were to fill it. Since the situation was obviously volatile all I did was to sit there trying to figure out what to say that didn't add fuel to the fire that I'd started.

Finally he leaned back and took a look my way. “Cara would be perfect.” I remember sighing and as I did he again went semi rigid behind the wheel, I knew I had to say something and told him I’d approached her when I first came up with the idea. He turned to look at me again and said but one word... “And...” I hated to make it seem like I was putting Cara down but I told him she'd told me she had no interest in assuming any more responsibility than she had as a teller. Silence followed. After a mile or so he relaxed again and asked if I’d considered anyone else. I hadn’t but was reluctant to tell him that. The only other teller with any experience was Corrine, the colored girl (remember, it was the 60’s), but as good as she was with the customers she was even more timid than Letitia... and, remembering the stories I’d been told by Trish of the ‘flap’ when she was hired, well I just never considered it. After a few more miles he then said it would be best to drop the idea. I decided that discretion was the best virtue so mumbled an “OK”.

It was obvious that we’d be back at his house before 5pm. Pulling into his driveway he told me that he wasn’t going in to the bank and if I wanted to go home it was OK. I knew there was a lot I could accomplish if I did go in but was so discouraged by Hobie’s reaction to the mention of Gina I decided to head home. I’d not given any thought to Bebe, Sabina or her house all day but I did on the last part of my drive home. Pulling up to the garage I fully expected to see furniture inside it but there was none. Elle was shocked to see me before 6pm and thought something was wrong. She’d just started to fix supper and the kids were occupied. It was impossible not to see she was wearing a tennis outfit so I asked why. Aurelia, the newest member of the “group”, had met the new high school English teacher and convinced her to give her a ‘refresher course’ in tennis, not having played since her college days. In conversation, Elle’s name came up and the teacher contacted her for a game.

With the kids occupied outside and Elle alone in the kitchen it was perfect timing for a hug with ‘benefits“. As I was sliding my hand between her legs I could feel that she was wearing her dribble panties. But, before I could settle in she backed away and, with obvious concern, asked who Merry was. Since that came out of nowhere and I wasn’t expecting it I frowned at her and asked what she was talking about. Then she said she’d received a call from some woman who called herself Merry. It took a few seconds but it came to me that it was Willie’s wife. Before answering her I asked what she’d said. Elle couldn’t remember exactly but she did mention Willie’s name. Then it all came back to me that my friend Willy was supposed be in town the next day.

I quickly brought Elle up to speed on both Merry and Willie and how I’d tried to reach out to him with the idea of his lingerie company making ‘dribble panties’ with a built in plastic crotch. That satisfied her but I went on that we’d have to get to work on making a pair so that I could show him while he was there. She finished up making dinner while I went about trying to line up the materials we’d need to make up the panties. In doing so I discovered that we had no more of the super absorbent french terrycloth that we’d used in making the regular ‘dribble panties’. The only fabric store around was over a half hour away and by then there was no chance to get there before they closed. I was mad at myself for having forgot about Willie’s arrival.

After doing the dishes Elle and I set about to come up with at least something to show him. There were enough nylon panties for the body of the pant and Elle had enough plastic panties that cutting a pair up wouldn’t be a hardship. But, what material to line the crotch area was turning out to be somewhat of a problem. Elle made a suggestion that we use flannel cloth since they would only be a prototype. It made sense so that’s what we did. When we were finished I wasn’t all that pleased with them and knew we wouldn’t have time to give them a try. However, I’d have something to show him. All I’d have to do was wait to actually hear from him. Wednesday was lining up to be quite a day!
                                

We used a pair of Evette panties for the body ( Willie's original company made them)

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To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137c)

BACK TO WORK... surprises and changes (Part 137c)

As I peeked into the room I didn’t see any clothes at all. Elle had supper ready so I couldn’t do any searching. As I went down the stairs I rationalized to myself that I’d seen all there was to see of Bebe’s panties when I sneaked into her room over at Sabrina’s. She’d had to buy all new clothes and the panties I’d seen were all by Modern Globe and seemed to be brand new. However, since she was going to be staying another night there was still the very slim possibility of getting a VPL or DP if she had worn Elle’s panties that day.  But Pete, her boyfriend, was picking her up at work and dropping her off and I knew I’d probably be asleep by then. It had been a nice thought.

After eating I went next door to look at the tree that had been hit by lightning. All that was left was a stump about 2 1/2 feet across. The workers had done a nice job of cleaning it all up. I was on my way back to the house when I heard Elle calling me. It was Sabrina’s father. He wasn’t pleased that we’d turned his workers away but why he’d really called was to say that Sabrina wouldn’t be returning and that he would be sending a truck to get all the furniture and her things. I was shocked. Not that I had any great liking for Sabrina but this came right out of nowhere. It took a few seconds for me to grasp it. Before he hung up I managed to mention the furniture that Bebe had borrowed. I didn’t want his people to take that along with Sabrina’s stuff. There was silence for a few more seconds and then I heard him talking to Sabrina, asking her who this Bebe person was. I waited about a minute before he came back on the line. He said he’d have the truck driver come over to get her when he arrived. I was still in shock when I hung the phone up.

Elle was almost as shocked as me. Her thought process was the same as mine... what had happened while Sabrina was at home for this to happen. Then Elle blurted out “What’s gonna happen to Bebe?” It only took a few seconds for Elle to answer her own question. “She can stay here!” It wasn’t a question but a flat out statement. My mind went into overdrive at that point.

I liked Bebe and she did offer a diversion when it came to panties. But, the first (selfish) thought was what was to become of the rather liberal pee play that I'd been enjoying and Elle had come to accept. Visitors, for a few days, had always been acceptable. However, the question was... how long would Bebe be there? Then, on a more immediate level, what would we do with the furniture that she was using? We debated about telling Bebe not wanting her to find out in the morning. I knew Pete’s brother and called him to get the number for Pete. I didn’t tell him why I was calling but asked him to stop by after he picked Bebe up. Of course he wanted to know what was up but all I’d say was it wouldn’t take long and if they were planning on going out it really wouldn’t/shouldn’t interfere.

Monday’s were a slow night at the restaurant and they showed up at the house around 9:30pm. As it turned out my pessimistic slim to none chance for a VPL turned out to be wrong. She was wearing some of Elle’s old clothes and the top barely covered her midrift in front and, in the back when she sat down, I had a beautiful look. As I suspected, the panties were made by Shadowline with a very distinct waist elastic.  Bebe was all on edge and when I told her Sabrina wasn’t coming back she took it to mean that she’d been in an accident and had been killed. It wasn’t funny at the time but in writing it now it kind of reinforces my feelings about how women, in general think. In any case, I told her about getting the furniture out of the house in the morning and Pete said he could be there to help. He didn’t have a truck to return the borrowed things but asked if they could be put in my garage until he could get ‘Big B’s' father’s pick up. I suggested that Bebe call Sabrina but she declined. I could tell she wasn’t pleased with the situation but before she got upset Elle offered to let her stay with us.

I’m not sure just what her actual reaction was because just as Elle made the offer we heard Kaye crying. I was closest so headed upstairs to comfort her. By the time I got back both Bebe and Pete had gone. I asked Elle and she was non committal saying that Bebe had said she appreciated the offer and would ”sleep on it“. And that was the way it was as we headed for bed.

The meeting with the service bureau people had been set for 10am which meant leaving the house at 7:30am. Hobie was driving so I met him at 8am at his house. His teen aged son that had been hit by a car was there and on crutches as I pulled in. As we drove away Hobie confided to me that his being hit was a ”blessing in disguise“ and proceeded to explain that he and the boy had somewhat drifted apart. But, being confined to the house gave them both a chance to get to know each other again. We both talked ‘family’ for the first hour and then focused on what Hobie wanted to accomplish with the meeting. I’d already seen the facilities and had recommended that we use the company. This was to be Hobie’s first look at anything like this and he was a bit apprehensive. I felt confident that he’d like, and approve, the people and the facilities.

We were met as if we were royalty. The president of the bank that owned the company along with the chief operations officer and the vice president who oversaw the day to day operation of the facility met us at the door. I won’t bore you with all the details but everything went better than expected. Knowing that we’d need all new teller machines they had representatives of the equipment manufacturer there to demonstrate and to answer questions. I had questions answered that I didn’t know I even had. We were treated to a great lunch at the same restaurant where the bank association we belonged to held their monthly meetings. It was right down the street and if the Board approved the plan I knew I'd get to eat there more often. We even had copies of contracts to take back with us for the Board to peruse the next day. Leaving, all I was hoping for was that the attorney/Trustee, ‘Gee’, who Hobie and I had visited with the day before, had made enough phone calls to convince a majority of the other Trustees to go along with it before the presentation.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137b)

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137b)

I’d made no progress on attacking the mail on my desk and was about to begin when Trish walked up to tell me that Fran, the girl who had been working on the files in the basement, had called in and told her that she wasn’t coming back. In the order of importance that was down at the bottom. I was disappointed because I liked her and she was just staring to make a noticeable ‘dent’ in the piles of materials stacked in basement. But, she didn’t walk away after giving me that news. She went on to add that Bette, the lady who ran the accounting area, wanted to see me. The only thing she would want to see me about would be if there was someone leaving from her area. At that moment it wasn’t something I wanted or needed so I put it in the back of my mind figuring I could follow up on it after the doors closed at 3pm.

Trish was away from her desk as was Bret when this rather tall redheaded woman came up the gate. Normally, in Trish’s absence Bret would go and ask if he could help. Reluctantly, I got up and went over to her. She had a passbook in her hand and wanted help in changing the names on it. For the most part it was something that an experienced teller could do but, needing a break from what I was doing, invited her in. She seemed a bit agitated so I asked if she was OK. She gave me a weak smile and said she hoped so and then told me she wanted the passbook to reflect only her name. I looked at it and saw both a man’s name along with that of a woman and asked if she was the woman. She nodded and then I could see tears start running down her cheek. As I written before, I just can’t handle female tears. I just never know what to say but, in this case I didn’t have to say anything.

The name of the female in the passbook read “Moira” and I recognized it as an Irish name. My mother’s mother was from Ireland and had a cousin named Moira. I looked at her red hair and it made sense. Add the freckles and I was almost sure so asked her if she was Irish. That was enough to at least stop most of the tears and make her start to smile. Then she started talking... a mile a minute. She talked for at least three minutes and it seemed like she did it without taking a breath. I learned that she was born and raised in the city. Both her parents were born in Ireland and had come to the USA during the depression. Married right after high school, she had two teen aged children; a boy 17 and a girl 16. Her husband had been in the Air Force and had recently gotten out... and then packed up and left her and the kids. Then the tears started again.

She’d stated that she wanted the man’s name off the account and I felt the best way to handle it was to close it out and open a new one in her name only. As a joint owner she had the right to all the money and by doing it this way, the old account was ‘dead’. I went to get the materials for  the new account and by the time I returned she’d composed herself. As she filled out the paperwork I took a close look at her. I really have a hard time describing my opinion of her looks... not pretty... not cute... but ‘interesting’. We made some small talk as Cara opened the account and when Cara brought the passbook over to her the woman sighed. I asked again if she was OK and she looked straight at me and said the money represented in the passbook was basically all she had. Then she stood up and said that she better start looking for a job. Never one to miss an opportunity to have someone fill out an application, I turned her over to Trish but with a few words of warning...  that we really didn’t have any vacancies.

I went back to the mail and was making progress when I saw Bette approaching my desk. Bette was around 50 and had been with the Bank over 25 years. Normally quiet and pleasant, she was anything but as she started speaking, calling me out for not getting back to her. There was nothing for me to say because it was true. I remember taking a deep breath which seemed to anger her even more. There were more less than pleasant words before she stated that Edwina, her assistant (and sister) was going to retire and she needed a replacement... and she wanted Janet back.

If you go back to part 131 you’ll see that was where Janet had been hired to replace a clerk in the accounting department. It didn’t work out and I wasn’t sure as to what to  do with her, But... that was also the same time that Jerene, a teller, had been fired and I needed a replacement. Janet had no teller experience but was a college graduate and was a very sharp woman. I felt that she could grasp the nuances of the position and she did. Now, Bette wanted her back. Janet had survived her first ‘busy period’ without any problems and I was pleased with both her work and attitude. When Bette almost demanded that I give her back I told her, flatly, “NO!” She’d upset me with her ‘attack’ so I told her I’d be able to review the application file on Wednesday... and was very firm about it. I remember her standing in front of my desk with her arms folded just staring at me. Thankfully, Hobie had already gone for the day. She and Hobie had worked closely together for quite a few years and I knew that if he were around she would’ve gone right to him. Knowing that he wouldn’t be in the next day and would be with me made me smile... inwardly.

It had been a long day by the time I got home. I’d actually forgotten that Elle had called about the workmen next door until I got out of my car. I asked if she knew what progress had been made art Sabrina’s house and she said she knew the tree had been cut up and removed but wasn’t sure about the house. I asked about the workmen wanting to use the bathroom and she laughed. She told me that they were so “scruffy” that even I wouldn’t have let them in. I asked about Sabrina and she just shrugged her shoulders. Then I remembered that Bebe’s clothes were in the house and asked if she'd been able to get in to retrieve some of them. Her answer was that she’d gotten some but not all and added that Bebe was sure Sabrina would be back in a few days. As I headed upstairs to get out of my suit I knew I’d be taking a ‘side trip’ into the room where Bebe had been sleeping.

To be continued...

BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137a)

BACK AT WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137a)

I know it’s hard to believe but I was actually looking forward to getting back to work. Walking across the lobby towards the entry gate to the ‘platform’ where Hobie, Bret and I worked, I saw Trish standing by it with the phone in her hand. She thrust it towards me and I certainly wasn’t expecting Elle to be on the line. There was obvious concern in her voice which wasn’t like her. The men who had come to work on Sabrina’s house were there and wanted to be able to use our bathroom. With three kids in the house I told her “no way!”. I then heard a sigh and the words “Thank you” and the phone hanging up. I was trying to collect my thoughts on that when I saw Bret impatiently standing there. Now, Bret was a very ‘laid back’ individual and this was not like him at all. His first words were “Bad news.”

He motioned for me to follow him. Still with my briefcase in hand I followed him to the back work area where the bookkeeping machine (computer?) was located. I saw a pile of ledger cards on the table and the machine cover off with various pieces lying on the floor. The short story was that the print mechanism had become jammed and that Robby, the equipment service man, would be back sometime during the day. It had ‘died’ on Thursday afternoon so there was all of that day’s work plus all of Friday’s yet to be processed. Bret told me that Robby had mentioned to him that the machine was running on “borrowed time” and that we (the bank) had to do something, and soon. I knew that and Hobie knew that but the message hadn’t gotten through to the Trustees.

When the issue with the machine first came up it was decided to explore having a service bureau process all our transactions. I’d visited three of them and had returned with a recommendation that we break from tradition and go with a commercial bank rather than with a thrift institution. There were a few of the ‘old timers’ who thought the idea to be blasphemous and it was put on hold. Then, the idea for a branch office took their interest and it never went anywhere. In my mind, the addition of a branch was all the more reason to use a service bureau but, according to Hobie, they didn’t want to mix "apples and oranges" together.

Walking back to my desk I saw Hobie arriving and went right to his desk. I still was carrying my briefcase. He noticed the concerned look on my face and asked what was wrong. I went over the whole scene again and, with me standing there he picked up the phone and made a call. My desk was right in front of his and when I turned to put my briefcase down he told me to wait. Dutifully, I obeyed and turned back to him. I immediately knew who he was talking to... the Trustee who was a local attorney and had been one of my ‘backers’ in a few instances where things I’d presented to the board had run into opposition. Hobie called him Gee. I knew that the two of them played golf most weekends and were pretty close. I heard Hobie tell him that he was “sitting on a time bomb” and that he needed to talk with him. The call ended at that point and then Hobie stood up and motioned for me to follow him.

The attorney’s office, located in an old house, was just two short blocks away. I’d never been there but in approaching it I remembered my father telling me once that he had dated a girl that lived there back when he was in high school. The building had recently been determined to be a historic landmark and I noticed the designation next to the front door. It was a grand example of Victorian architecture. Climbing the steps I imagined my father coming to call some 40 plus years earlier and being intimidated by the size of it. Once inside the receptionist directed us to the room immediately to our left. I knew enough about old homes to know that this room had been the parlor where guests were greeted and often entertained. I actually wondered if my father had ever been in there.

Gee got up from his desk to greet us. I’d always been in awe of him for the way he handled himself in board meetings. He was the same way on that day. Hobie gave a brief description of the problem and in so doing reminded Gee that the matter had been brought to the Trustees attention but had been pushed aside in favor of the branch office matter. He told him that I’d written a detailed report of my visitations with the three service bureaus. At that point Gee looked at me and asked if I had come to a conclusion as to which one the bank should go with. I was impressed with the way he put it making it sound that going with a service bureau was definite. I told him of the one I preferred and the reasons why. With both Hobie and I in the room he picked up the phone and called the Chairman of the Board. We listened as he painted a picture of the situation at the bank as if he was there and telling him that a decision had to be made at the full board meeting on Wednesday.

As a result of the call, Gee told Hobie to go take a look at the facilities with me and if he liked the operation to be prepared to make a presentation... and to also be prepared to defend it. I couldn’t believe my ears. It was  refreshing to see a board member, Gee, make a bold decision because it hadn’t happened since I’d joined the bank.

I must’ve made a dozen calls by noon but had made arrangements for Hobie and I to meet with all the people at the service facility the next day. It was exciting! I’d talked with some important people at the facility and told them to have contract papers drawn up for us. They had done some preliminary work on them after I’d visited with them in the Spring so, in spite of the short turn-around I was told they’d be ready and waiting. Hobie had told me “Mum’s the word.” as we walked back to the bank. I really wanted to tell Bret but knew I shouldn’t. It was going to be hard to explain why I was going to be out the next day, especially with Hobie not being there as well.

To be continued...

A CHANGE OF PACE... some time off (Part 136k)

A CHANGE OF PACE... some time off (Part 136k)

With the addition of the three Comet class sailors we now had over a dozen racing the in the Sunfish class. That was both good and bad... for me. I was just getting the knack of racing the Sunfish and was getting competitive. Three experienced and competitive racers would make it tougher for me to break through and win a race. I still didn’t win but none of them did either which was a boost to my confidence. However, the wind never picked up so we only got to race once. Back on shore I made a point of going over to talk with the three of them and was amused to hear them talk about their difficulty in figuring out the Sunfish sailboat. It mirrored what I had felt at first. It made me feel good.

Elle, Bebe and the kids were gone when I got to shore. It was as I was securing the boat on the rack that I remembered having seen Merry, my friend Willie’s wife, earlier. I looked up on the porch and only saw a few people with none being Merry. Leaving the parking lot I was about to make my usual right hand turn for home but changed my mind and turned left. Willie’s cottage was about 3or 4 minutes down the road. As I pulled into the driveway I could see their one car garage had a bunch of boxes piled inside. When I knocked on the back door it was obvious that Merry didn’t recognize me. She was a bit embarrassed after I identified myself.

She hadn’t lost any weight since I’d last seen her. To me, that was a shame. With a loss of ten to fifteen pounds she would’ve been a real beauty. We went through the usual pleasantries and then when I asked about the boxes she told me they’d sold the cottage. I don’t know why that was a surprise but it was and then asked where Willie was. She said she’d come up earlier in the week to start cleaning the place out and that Willie would be there on Wednesday. I mentioned that I’d tried to reach him and had left messages but hadn’t heard back. She apologized for him and said the company had opened up two new territories and he was “overwhelmed”. I remember smiling and asking her to give him one more message... please call me.

At home I couldn’t make it up my driveway. There were two cars blocking my way. After getting out of my car I recognized one as belonging to Martin, Sabrina’s boyfriend. As I walked across the lawn I also saw Pete, Bebe’s boyfriend, Bebe, Elle and all three of my girls. They were standing around a metal washtub. As I walked up to it I could see there were fish inside. Elle, still in her bathing suit, had a smile on her face. She’d just told the guys about her father being a fisherman and that she definitely wasn’t interested.

While we were standing there Bebe went on inside the house. Before I could say anything Elle said that she was going to take a quick shower as Pete was taking her out to dinner. Then she asked me to explain to Martin what had happened to the electricity over at Sabrina’s house. I tried but I couldn’t. Elle had shown the guys the tree, or what was left of it. I told them I was sure the cause of the problem had something to do with the lightning strike. Elle had already told Martin that Sabrina had gone home. I added that I’d told her to get her father’s company to come out and fix the damage. Martin just stood there and smiled. I kind of knew what he was thinking.

When Bebe returned I saw she was wearing another pair of Elle’s ‘clamdiggers' pants. It really was funny seeing her in them as they fit her as if they were regular pants, all the way down to her ankles Having seen the panties that were laid out on the bed earlier I was pretty sure she was wearing a pair of Shadowline panties. The crotch on them was no where near as large as most of the rest of Elle’s panties so I hadn’t expected to see much of a VPL... but there was a small one. After she and Pete left, Martin asked if he could use our phone to call Sabrina. As we walked into the house I asked him to see if Sabrina had any idea what was going to happen at the house. I also told him to remind her that since she had taken the key all of Bebe’s clothes were still locked inside.

By then Elle had gotten the girls inside and was supervising their baths. As I mentioned, she was still wearing her bathing suit. Because she was ‘out in public’ she hadn’t worn panties under the suit panties as I preferred. I’d learned by then not to ‘push’ especially when I wasn’t going to be with her the whole time. But, we were home now and, as Martin was tied up on the phone, I made my way to our bedroom and grabbed a couple of pair of the really satiny panties. I went to the bathroom door and pushed it open enough to see her. I remember waving the panties in front of the opening and her giving me one of those ”go away’ looks, but, with a sly smile. She came over by the door and whispered that she’d put them on as soon as Martin left. I had the start of a bulge as I made my way back down the stairs. I could see Martin was a bit upset after hanging the phone up but I didn’t say anything. As we walked back outside (I had to move my car so he could get out) he did say that there would be “some people” out to work on the house the next day but that was all. I did ask about the key and he gave me look that told me he’d forgotten to ask.

I offered to cook hot dogs (for the kids) and hamburgers for us out on the patio using that as a  reason for Elle not to change into clothes... but I failed to explain that to her. As she finished up with the girls I started the hibachi. When she walked out wearing shorts I was disappointed. She told me not to worry about it and since there was nothing I could do about it I kept my mouth shut. The hot dogs were done first and as she got the kids settled at the picnic table I noticed a bit of discoloration in her crotch area. Instant hard on! I had to be careful which way I faced (I still had my bathing suit on which offered NO resistance) to keep the kids from seeing it. When the hamburgers were done I took a seat at the end of the table, right next to Elle. I tried to ask what was going on and she told me to “shut up” but, again, with a sly smile.

Elle didn’t want the kids to get dirty after just having their baths so, rather than letting them go play in the yard, had them get some board games and sent them to the screened in porch. As she cleared the table I kept my eyes on her crotch area. It wasn’t a large spot but it had grown. Finally, she was done and I sidled up to her and slid my hand up her backside. It wasn’t really wet but was just a bit damp. I asked why she’d changed out of her suit. She said she didn’t know I wanted her to leave it on.

She sat on my lap and I immediately went ‘exploring’. Luckily, I’d positioned my penis so my hard-on wasn’t a problem. I don’t remember how long we stayed that way before my one leg started to go to sleep. When she got up I had a great close up of the now expanded wet spot. I’d learned that when she didn’t have all that much to drink the color of her pee would be golden, almost like beer, and this was one of those times. My first thought was ‘picture time’. As I thought about it I wondered what it would cost me.

She wouldn’t admit it but as soon as I asked she had an answer. The vacuum we had originally belonged to her mother and she was convinced that it wasn’t really picking up that much dirt and sand. She’d seen one on the Sears catalog. Usually I’d ask “how much? but that yellow spot I was looking at was in control of my brain. The only thing now was to find out if there was any film in the camera...
                                     

... there was

To be continued...       

A CHANGE OF PACE... some time off (Part 136j)

A CHANGE OF PACE... some time off (Part 136j)

It turned out that Elle and the girls had pretty much brow beat Bebe into joining them. She wouldn’t get into one of Elle’s bathing suits but when Elle told her one of the shorts set was "old" she agreed to wear it. To me, that was a good thing. By the time we’d staked out a space on the beach it was only around 1:30pm. I could see the Comet class sailboats maneuvering for their start and with the light wind I was hoping that we’d be able to get in two races but had my doubts. On the last trip to the station wagon I saw a somewhat familiar face walking towards the clubhouse. I stood and looked at a nice looking woman wearing, for lack of a better description, flouncy shorts. I watched her go up the steps and knew that I should know who she was... but it wouldn’t come to me.

Bebe would have none of the talk about her going sailing which disappointed me. Elle was a bit concerned about the fact that Bebe was so pale and needed to get out of the sun. She suggested that since I now had the time I should go home and get our beach umbrella. She'd given up using it because she could never get the pole to stick in the sand. Going to get it was not something I wanted to do. Elle, who had been itching to sail, said she'd take the kids while I was getting the umbrella. I had the distinct feeling I was being manipulated but I also remember telling her that “she owed me” and getting a sly smile in return.

It was about a ten to twelve minute drive home and during the trip I tried to figure out just who the people were that wanted to go race the Sunfish. I went through all the names I knew and as I did it came to me who the woman in the parking lot was... Merry, my old sailing friend Willie’s wife. That told me he must be around and it also made me a bit mad because he’d never returned my calls when I wanted to run the idea of ‘dribble panties’ with a plastic crotch by him. I couldn’t wait to get back to the club to see him.

Finding the umbrella became a chore because Elle had put it behind the spare refrigerator and it had gotten wedged in. I have no idea what triggered the thought of Bebe’s panties but when I emerged from the garage I dropped the umbrella and ran to the house. I didn’t know where to start my search but decided to go up to the room she'd slept in. On the bed were some neatly piled clothes that I assumed Elle had brought in for her to chose. Next to them were some panties, also neatly piled. I found it somewhat interesting that Elle had let her chose panties as well as clothes. I inspected them and found they were all fancy panties. I pretty much knew why... they were hardly worn and weren’t stained. The two on the bed were both Shadowline with lace appliques and lace around the leg openings. I often chose them for Elle to wear when playing tennis in a dress.

With that out of the way I looked around and didn’t see any other clothes, even checking in the closet. Next stop was the washing machine. Elle often just took the kids and her dirty clothes down and put them in the machine to get them out of the way. It took a few seconds before I spied the pants I remembered Bebe wearing when I’d let them in the house after the storm. They were rolled up and when I unrolled them out popped her blouse, bra and panties. I wasn’t disappointed when I saw the panties were the exact same bikini’s I’d seen in her drawer over at Sabrina’s house... Modern Globe. But these had been worn and I was keen on inspecting them. There were a few tiny dribble stains and a line of discharge right down the middle of the crotch. I just had to give them a whiff. Nothing special though. The rest of my search was easy as I easily found the clothes Elle had loaned her to go to work in. My first interest was to find out which panties Elle had given her (or that she’d chosen). Kayser was what was printed on the label. This pair was really special because they were unlike any I’d ever seen when I bought them for Elle. They were also the sheerest panties Elle had and that was one reason why she seldom, if ever, wore them. The crotch area had about the same amount of discharge and staining as the bikinis. I was a bit disappointed but at least I knew.

On the way back to the sailing club I pondered why Bebe had chosen such sheer panties. On Elle, they were way sexy with her blonde pubic hair showing through. I tried to envision Bebe wearing them but all I could think of was Elle in them. Of course Elle wanted to know what had taken me so long to get back. I ignored her as I drove the umbrella stake deep into the sand. I was somewhat surprised to see Bebe down by the water with the kids, especially with how adverse she’d seemed to be to it when we were eating breakfast. Elle volunteered that she’d taken Jean, our oldest out for a sail and that Anne was waiting for me to give her a turn.

When I got down to where they were Anne boldly announced that she was going sailing with me and that she was “going to steer”. I had no problem with that as she’d done well in previous sailing excursions. Bebe seemed surprised that someone so young would be so bold as to want to steer. I laughed and told her that Anne was a “natural” and had picked up on the whole sailing thing a couple of years ago. As we pushed off from shore I got the indication that Bebe might change her mind and give it a try.

Once Anne had her hands on the tiller (what’s used to steer the boat) it was hard to get her to let go. Since she had control of where the boat was going she was smart enough to steer us away from the beach. I’d been keeping my eyes on the boats that were racing and could see they were heading for the finish line. I guestimated that I had about a half hour until I'd be headed out to race and told Anne her time was up. Normally obedient, she put up a fuss which I didn’t appreciate. To get her attention I told her that if she didn’t head for the shore she wouldn’t be attending lessons all week long.

My guess was right about Bebe and she was there waiting for us when we hit the beach. She said she’d give it a try if I promised that she wouldn’t get wet. There was hardly any wind at all and absolutely no waves. Even though Elle’s father had once called the Sunfish sailboat a “fanny dunker”, I was sure we could get a few minutes of sailing in without any problem. The one disadvantage to knit shorts is that there is absolutely no opportunity to get a peek up the leg openings. VPL’s and maybe a DP (down pants) were the best that could be hoped for and the latter was my goal.

I told Bebe just how to get aboard and it was in such a manner that I knew I’d get a real up close and personal look at her back. I pretty much knew the waist elastics for Elle’s panties with the exception of the Van Raalte, Kayser and Modern Globe full briefs. They were impossible to tell apart because they used a technique where they made a tube using the same material as the panty and then inserted elastic inside the tube. So, when Bebe sat on the deck and flipped her legs up and out of the water I was staring right at the middle of her back. The top for the shorts outfit she was wearing was a tank top and didn’t hardly cover the waist band of the shorts. I watched as she slowly made the turn and, with no doubt in my mind, identified the panties as being the one pair of Sears nylon satin that I'd purchased out of the Sears Spring catalog.
                                         

Even though they are almost 50 years old the elastic is still good.

To be continued...