MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138l)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138l)

After a contentious day that followed the contentious evening from the previous day (the vestry meeting), I was looking for a peaceful evening at home and hoping to find Elle in a ‘receptive’ mood. However, what I found when I arrived was a couple of very upset kids as well as Elle. I sort of mentioned in a previous post that the two older girls had been ‘at each other’ over meaningless things more and more. They'd both been warned to stop or there would be consequences. The ‘hammer’ had fallen when Elle decided to separate them by giving each their own room. They'd shared the same room right from the time that Anne was out of her crib. When we bought the house they’d been offered the chance for each to have their own room but both had turned it down. Now it was no longer their choice as Elle had moved Anne into what we’d called the ‘guest’ room. All that was in it was a bed and upright dresser that had been left by the previous owner and Anne was mad about that. Jean was complaining, loudly, to Elle that the move wasn’t fair and that she’d behave. Elle wasn’t listening. So... needless to say it was obvious to say that I wasn’t going to have the evening that I’d hoped for.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Elle had come back from running some errands in the morning only to find the clothes line completely filled with the neighbors clothes. Hearing that was what made me mad. The woman (Phyllis) was just unbelievable. I told Elle I was going next door and have it out with her but she grabbed me and pleaded with me not to go. Again, she was concerned that if anything was said it would make it difficult for her to get substitute teaching jobs at the school. I tried to argue that she had a whole lot of other schools that had hired her in the past and would hire her in the future. She continued to plead and I finally backed off. We didn’t talk much after that.

At work on Friday morning Hobie asked me to join him up in the Board room. That really caught me by surprise. I knew Hobie would be on vacation for the Board meeting but I had taken his place any number of times in the past and any prep for it had taken place right at our desks. Being up in the Board room made me a bit nervous. When we walked into the room both Bert, the president, and Gee, the local attorney/Board member were there. I knew Gee was chairman of the salary committee but all raises and promotions for the current quarter had been approved back in June so I began to really get worried.

It was all good. When some of the Board members had attended the annual bank convention in May they had heard about a new concept in retirement contributions. The traditional way had been that the banks would pay in anywhere from 50% to 75% of the contribution with the employees paying the difference. At the convention they’d heard about banks paying 100% of it. To take that a bit further, some banks were returning the amounts that had been paid in by the employees directly to them with the bank covering that amount. The idea behind it was that it was a way to give employees a raise without increasing their salaries. I sat there trying to do a quick calculation on just what it would mean to me. I couldn’t remember what amount was taken from my pay plus, it had changed with my last pay increase. So, I just sat there and listened as Gee went over the proposal that he would bring to the Board the following Wednesday. They wanted me to hear about it in advance so that I’d be in position to take notes for the Board minutes that I’d be responsible for. In thinking about it now as I write this, I don’t think I fully grasped the overall meaning as we sat there. I knew it was important as all three of the men made a point of the importance of not mentioning it to anybody. I was told that should the Board pass it there would be an employee meeting to explain it. When they got up to leave I just sat there for a few seconds trying to grasp what it would mean to me. It truly was a very big surprise.

It’s very hard to keep a secret,,, especially when you know that it involves all the people you work with. I ended up with a headache trying to keep my excitement under control. I managed to work up an estimate of what I’d be getting back and it was over $1,000. All I could think was ‘WOW!’. The rest of the day just dragged. Trish spent all day working with Joanie and even volunteered to stay until 6pm to give her an idea what Friday nights were like. There was one thing that happened each and every Friday night. At around 5:15pm, or close to it, Mala’s mother would come in to cash her paycheck. Among other things, one of her quirks was that she would only go to a teller who could understand Polish. When Mala had been a teller it was natural for her to go to her daughter. But after Mala left, Cara had been her teller of choice. Cara’s window was right next to Trish’s desk. I happened to see the woman walk up to the window and noticed that she seemed to be quite agitated. She was always quite loud but she seemed louder on this evening. I only knew a few Polish words and I certainly didn’t know all the words she kept repeating. One sounded like "cretin" and another sounded like "gluepee". The third one was pretty obvious when she said "idiota" time and time again. As she was doing this I saw Trish, seated, trying to stifle a laugh. As she did she bent over at the waist and buried her head in her lap. After a few seconds she sort of burst out of her chair and ran into the work area towards the ladies room. I got up to see if Joanie knew what had happened. She shrugged her shoulders and as I looked past her I saw a dark stain on the upholstery of her chair. Seeing that and coupled with the direction she was headed I had a very good idea what had transpired.

When Mala’s mother walked away I asked Cara what was going on with her and all the ‘noise’ that she’d been making. That got Cara to laughing. Long story short... Mala’s mother was upset with Mala’s husband. The words she’d been speaking very loudly meant idiot, stupid and jerk. She was upset because he’d bought a new car and didn’t have the money for it. If there was one thing that was fairly common among the local Polish population was that they didn’t buy things unless they had the money and, based on her comments, it was obvious that he didn't.

While Cara was explaining that to us, Lillian, the drive up teller, came up to ask me if I’d do Trish a favor and to go back by the bookkeeping (computer) machine for a few minutes. At first I was puzzled but not for long. It came to me that she was embarrassed and didn’t want me to see her. I watched as she came out of the ladies room, went back to her desk, picked up her things and headed out the front door. Returning to where Joanie was seated I asked if Trish said anything before leaving. Joanie just smiled saying that the only thing she’d said was she (Joanie) would do just fine without her. That wasn’t what I was looking to hear.

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138k)

MORE... surprises ad changes (Part 138k)

Since Joanie was under J J’s control there wasn’t anything I could do for her immediately. I told her I’d try and work on him to see if I couldn’t make something happen. Then I asked if she’d like to fill in downstairs for Trish for two weeks. I can’t swear to it but it seemed like she jumped in the air a bit. I loved her even more!

I didn’t get a chance to speak to J J until that afternoon. It didn’t go well. In fact, he was mad at me for even asking. I didn’t want to make a scene so left without arguing. But, I knew I had an ”ace in the hole“ in Hobie. As we were leaving for the night I brought the subject up to him he smiled and said it was a great idea. Then I told him about J J. and his reaction when I approached him on the subject. He shook his head and said ”It’ll be taken care of.“ and then headed for his car. I can tell you that I was really looking forward to that!

I wasn’t really happy about attending the Vestry meeting at church that Wednesday evening. Elle had had a problem with the two older girls so supper had been contentious. My thoughts weren’t really on the church as I pulled ino the parking lot. Exiting my car I saw a short, round woman getting out of the car in front of me. As I stared at her I recognized her as the new neighbor, Phyllis (or was it Alyssa?) but didn’t say anything. I stayed by the car waiting to see which direction she was headed in. It was with some disbelief that I saw her headed up the path to the church office. I waited about a minute before following her.

Once inside I saw her in the hallway talking animatedly with the minister. I, without acknowledging her, walked on past to the meeting room and joined the other vestrymen (and woman) at the table. I asked if they knew why the woman was there and they were all uniform in their answer that they had no idea. A few minutes later the minister led the woman into the room and introduced her as the new school principal’s wife. He went on that she had a proposal to make to the vestry. This was a complete shock to me.

Short version: She had run a children’s day care out of her home where she previously lived. Because the move to this area had been so quick that there hadn’t been adequate time to find large enough living quarters to house both her family and with space for the day care facility. She said that she had ”scoped out“ the facilities in the village and that we had just what she needed. Without so much as taking a breath she continued by saying she’d pay the church $2.50 per student per week and, again, without so much as a breath, asked when could she move in.

I sat there with my mouth open. My mind was spinning thinking back to the other instances where I’d witnessed her brazenness but this topped them. I’d never seen anyone quite like her. However, the others were busy calculating the money that could be made by allowing her to do it. Finances had always been a problem but they were exacerbated by the change of ministers earlier in the year. Plate collections were down by over 20% and, although we had enough to cover expenses during the Summer, Winter would soon be upon us and we’d have to cover the cost of heating fuel. Before any discussion could be started one member shouted out ”Make a motion!“ which was followed by “I second it!”  and the rest of the members mumbled some sort of acknowledgement. I tried to make the point that no questions had been raised as to hours of use, maintenance, insurance, cost of lights (and heat) but was ignored. The Senior Warden said that he’d get it all worked out and that the motion had passed. The look on the woman’s face was one of victory.

She shook the Senior Warden’s hand and then left. I, again, tried to be the voice of reason and noted that the meeting had not even been called to order so, in my mind, the action was invalid. Talk about an attack! All the members were shouting at me with the bulk of it having to do with the fact that unless I was willing to cover the dollars that would be lost if they didn’t give her the space that I should shut up. I won’t bore you with the rest of the crap that went on.

By the time I got home my blood pressure was out of sight. Of course Elle wanted to know what it was that had me upset. Basically I told her that we should have as little to do with the new neighbors as possible. That set her off, her point being that the man was the new school principal and that if she was going to be able to teach there he would be the one hiring her. Let’s just say that, at that point, it was a standoff.

I’d calmed down by morning. What was pressing was that it was now Thursday and Hobie hadn’t said anything about speaking to J J about ‘borrowing’ Joanie. If she was going to learn anything about just what Trish did there was only that day and the next. Arriving at work I was somewhat surprised to see Hobie’s car in the parking lot. He normally didn’t arrive until right at 9am and here it was 8:45am. But he wasn’t at his desk. Right at 9am one of the bank’s best customers walked in. He’d taken a liking to me so always headed for my desk for all his transactions. He was a ‘talker’ so, after taking care of his business, he’d want to chat and that’s what we were doing when Hobie appeared. I made eye contact with him and he flashed a ‘thumbs up“ to me. At that point I could relax a bit.

I was escorting the customer through the platform gate when I saw Joanie approaching. She had the broadest, brightest smile that one could imagine as she passed by us. As she did I turned to take a close look at what she was wearing. It was a fitted khaki skirt that came to about an inch above her knees. It certainly wasn’t something that would allow for getting a ‘peek’ but I thought, under the right circumstances, it certainly might produce a nice VPL. Only time would tell.

Joanie, even though she had worked upstairs in the mortgage department, had made a good impression with a lot of the employees, especially Trish. When I returned from saying good bye to the customer the two of them were getting right to the core of Trish’s  job. I felt really comfortable that the next two weeks would go well. But what didn’t go well was when J J met up with me when he came back from his lunch. I listened to him spout off for a minute or so and then just shrugged my shoulders and headed out the door. As I walked away I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him having to put up with his shrewish wife. Here at work he was trying to create an area that only he controlled and it had just been compromised.

To be continued...
          

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138j)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138j)

At church I was reminded that I’d been derelict in my duties as a Vestryman and had missed the last two meetings. I promised that I’d be there for the next one  on the upcoming Wednesday night. It meant I wouldn’t be at the sailing club to help with teaching some of the new members about the rules of racing and tactics. It had turned out to be well accepted and there were usually four to six people attending. We’d usually end up with an informal race where we (the experienced racers) would observe and make suggestions from a couple of outboard motor boats. The results of our efforts had been a much improved quality of racing on Sundays. In fact, that might’ve been the Sunday that my friend, Fritz, surprised everyone (including himself) by finishing second in one race.

As I was putting the Sunfish away I noticed that it was getting dark to the East. The heat wave hadn’t broken but but it hadn’t been as hot and we actually had enough wind to have two races. My plan had been to get home and cook hot dogs and hamburgers for supper but  I was beginning to have my doubts when I pulled out of the parking lot. The darkness was definitely moving to the West. By the time I got to my driveway it was almost dark enough to turn on my headlights and it wasn’t even 6pm. The wind had picked up considerably in just the few minutes it took to drive home. I walked out to the edge of the farm and as I did I saw lightning. The thunder was a bit behind it which meant the storm had a ways to go until it reached us.

In the house the kids were already preparing for the storm. Having a thunderstorm in daylight was rare and I thought it would be a good lesson for them. We gathered in the den where we could get a good view of the open farm field. I felt confident that this storm wouldn’t be anything like the last one that had exploded the tree next door. We got to see quite a few lightning bolts and I showed them how to time the thunder that followed. This storm didn’t track right over the house like the other one did as there was always a delay between the lightning and the thunder. When the sky started to lighten up the wind abated and the rain, which hadn’t been all that bad, stopped. The one bad result of it was that the electric power had gone out.

By then it was almost 7pm and we still hadn’t eaten. The kids still wanted hot dogs so I  went outside to light up the hibachi. I was in the process when I heard a voice from over by the hedge. It was Phyllis, the new principal’s wife. There had been some confusion on my part as to her name but, after listening to her call out to me I realized that she talked with a German accent, somewhat like Elle’s mother. She announced herself by calling out her name. I heard it as Alissa and yet her husband had told me it was Phyliss. In any case, she was asking what she was supposed to do about cooking as the stove didn’t work. I knew from having been over there when Sabrina lived there that it was an electric stove. I turned to her and told her that the storm had knocked out the power. She stood there for a few seconds and the headed my way. ”What I do about it?“ she demanded like I was supposed to fix it. I don’t remember what words were used in the following dialog but it was clear that she didn’t understand the phenomenon of a thunder storm disrupting electric power. I clearly remember being annoyed with her and finally said there was nothing I could do to help her and went inside. Power came back about the time we were putting the girls to bed. Elle and I wondered aloud what had transpired next door for supper without the stove. I remember smiling. The good thing was that the temperature was now in the low 70’s and sleeping would definitely be easier

August, the middle of Summer, was always the slowest time at the bank. On Mondays, the first thing I did was to check to see who of the tellers was on vacation. I’d instituted a rule where only one teller at a time could take vacation. In my first year at the bank I was faced with one week where there were only three tellers. Even with slow lobby traffic it still created problems. When I looked I saw that Gina was off. That was good and it was also bad. The ‘good’ was that I didn’t have to see her giving me 'looks'. The ‘bad’ was that she was the best teller on the line. It also reminded me that Trish was going to be off for two weeks starting the following Monday and I had to find someone to at least fill the desk to handle walk up customers. With nothing on my calendar I decided to take a walk around up in the mortgage department. The bank had hired the daughter of one of Hobie’s personal friends and I, reluctantly, had  placed her in J J’s area. As I climbed the stairs I was trying to formulate a way to have Joanie sit in for Trish. I’d followed up on what she’d been assigned to do within the department and had found that J J was only using her to fill in for whoever was on vacation or was out sick. That meant she didn’t have set responsibilities and if I requested her services J J couldn’t protest too loudly... at least in theory.

J J was in a meeting when I got upstairs so it gave me free reign to go speak to Joanie. It wasn’t that I hadn’t in the few months that she’d been there but it was just ‘small’ talk. She was just finishing up filing some papers so I wasn’t interrupting anything important. As I approached her she seemed glad to talk with me after I asked how she liked her job. The file cabinets weren’t in a traffic area so we were pretty much undisturbed.

I asked her to give me an honest answer when I asked how she liked  working at the bank. As I explained when I first interviewed her, she was one of the most honest people that I’d interviewed. I don’t think she had the capability to lie. her answer wasn’t to the point as it was obvious she didn’t want to hurt anyone. She said she liked working at the bank but that she didn’t actually have a ‘job’. I knew what she meant but chose to ‘play dumb’ to get her to expand her answer. She was uncomfortable as she explained so i cut it short and asked her, point blank, if she’d like to have just one thing to do that she could call her own and she flashed this big smile. I loved this girl!

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138i)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138i)

John had always had a mean streak about him when we had played together. He once pushed me off his boat for no reason at all. When they had been out for a short while I called out to them that we were leaving. He called back for us to wait. When they were just about to touch the shore he took one arm and just pushed her backwards off the boat and laughed as he did it. She had nothing to grab onto so just went straight back into the water. Her head went under water and when she came up she was spitting water our of her mouth and John just continued to laugh. She wasn’t. Elle and I didn’t know what to say or do. The woman, mad, headed for the stairs. Elle and I followed leaving John behind with the boat. We were about halfway to the top when I looked up. Talk about a vivid VPL!. The wet shorts had turned almost translucent and her panties stood out like they were all she had on. Unfortunately, Elle saw it too and turned around and told me not to look. She then made it very difficult for me to see around her the rest of the way up. We exchanged telephone numbers before we left and made a promise to get together before they left at the end of the month. (BTW: we didn’t)

As we drove up our driveway I saw someone out at our clothes line. I’d forgotten about Elle giving permission for the new neighbor to use it and when I got to the top of the hill I recognized the person as being the oldest daughter. I had to focus on parking the station wagon so didn’t really get a chance to see just what she was taking off the line. I probably got out of the drivers seat faster than usual so I could look over the roof to see. Where the girl (Mo) was positioned I could see some panties and bras beyond her. Standing there I wished that we’d left to return home a bit earlier. Elle, when she got out, waived to the girl who acknowledged it by walking towards her. Getting closer she asked Elle if she could leave some items on the line as they hadn’t yet dried. Hearing that I looked back towards it and saw some panties still there. That made me happy but to inspect them I'd have to come up with an excuse to go out there. At that moment I couldn’t come up with one.

It was approaching bedtime for the girls and Elle decided that it would be a bath for each of them and then off to bed. She shuffled them towards the house leaving me to unload the beach equipment. I’d stopped the wagon just outside the door so I could access the doors on both sides. With each trip in and out of the garage my eyes focused on the wash line. I could see a few panties but I couldn’t see behind a sheet that was on the line closest to me. It was so tempting to make a quick dash to the lines and back but decided it was too great a risk. The girl could appear at any second and I wouldn’t have any excuse to be there.  It was so frustrating!

It was still fairly light out when I came into the house. I went to the refrigerator for something to drink and Elle heard me. She called down from upstairs and asked if I’d do her a favor. My first reaction was to say that it’d cost her but didn’t. When I answered her she asked me to go back out and hang all the bathing suits (including hers) on the clothes line. I didn’t believe it. I really hadn’t said a prayer so I can’t say my prayer was answered... but it was close. Elle was wrapped in a towel as I made it up to the second floor as her next stop was to take a shower downstairs. She handed me the mass of damp suits with the two pair of panties she’d worn under her suit just to please me right there on top.

I remember almost tripping on my way back downstairs. I was anxious to get out to the clothes lines before it got any darker and almost lost my balance. Leaving the kitchen door I looked towards the opening in the hedge just to make sure no one was headed my way. At the clothes line I quickly went behind the sheet to see was ‘treasures’ were awaiting me. To be truthful... I was disappointed. There were about a dozen panties there and all were of the cotton band leg style... and all but three were obviously for the younger kids. But, beggars can't be choosy. I hung the suits and Elle’s panties on the line right behind the cotton panties which gave me a somewhat legitimate reason to be there. As soon as i could I grabbed one of the larger panties and looked for the label. It was a pair of Lollipop panties and when I checked the size it read 14. But, holding the still somewhat damp panties in my hand they seemed heavier than they should. I held them up to the now fast fading sun and could see there was a second back panel. I’d never seen any like this before. I remember just standing there for a few seconds before reality returned to me and told me to put them back and go into the house.

In bed that night I was thinking back to the peek I’d had up the legs of the shorts that Barbara was wearing when playing with Kaye earlier. I was almost positive they were band leg and the visit to the clothes line pretty much confirmed it. Lying there I was trying to figure out what the double panel was for. The double panel crotch was also there and separate, which made sense. But, why the extra panel covering the whole back. It was strange and I was fixated on getting another chance at seeing them, up close, again.

Leaving for church the next morning I gave a cursory thought to looking at them again... but just got in my car and headed down the driveway. By the time I returned the only things on the line were bathing suits and Elle’s two pair of panties. I sat behind the wheel of my car and thought back to what I’d thought when Mrs L (Phyllis) boldly told Elle she wanted to use our wash line. I still wasn’t sure about her but Elle’s decision turned out to be a positive one, at least up to that point.

To be continued...                

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138h)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138h)

I could see it was a struggle for her to be civil not only to us but to her kids by the way she bossed them around. However, once the pre-teens and youngest saw the plate of cookies they ignored their mother. I stood there with the pitcher of lemonade and thought back to the night we’d met her at Pat’s house and my questioning thought’s about her demeanor and personality. They were back. She’d gone into the kitchen and when she returned saw the three kids picking off the cookies. ”STOP!“ was all she said and that got their attention. It also brought Bill out of the house along with the two older girls. As I’d previously written, the kids were all short but the two older girls had cute faces and weren’t stocky like their parents. Bill walked up and thanked Elle and I for the refreshments and, sort of, apologized for his wife. He was sweating profusely but proceeded to introduce us to the two girls who were standing there. The older girl had short brown hair and what I’d call a semi-serious smile. She was called Mo for Maureen. The other was Barbara and she had blonde hair and high cheekbones. Her smile was natural and she seemed to exude ‘peppiness’ even standing there munching on a cookie. I liked her right from that first moment. As usual, Kaye was clinging to Elle’s leg. Barbara broke away from us and ran around behind where we were standing and snuck up on Kaye. In a matter of seconds she had Kaye laughing and in a matter of minutes they were conversing. Barbara was wearing a two piece seersucker shorts set and ended up sitting down on the lawn. She convinced Kaye to walk over to her and indicated that she wanted her to sit down as well. With her legs spread apart, Indian style, I got a very unexpected peek, but for only a second or two. But, I was pretty sure I saw an indication that they were band leg panties. Barbara was going to be a  sophomore when school opened which made her to be fifteen or sixteen. I knew I’d keep an eye out for more in the future.

Mrs L, actually Phyllis as her husband told us, seemed to go out of her way to avoid us following after her husband as he went back inside. She was short and stocky, almost round, and walked with a bit of a waddle. Elle was getting to know the younger kids and learning their names. The cookies were gone as was most of the lemonade when Phyllis returned. She strode down the kitchen porch steps and towards us. Without making any effort to introduce herself she walked up to Elle and asked if she could use our wash line since they didn't have one. I stood there thinking 'What nerve!' but Elle, ever amenable, said she could. Then, without saying "Thanks" she turned and went back into the kitchen. As Elle and I walked back to our yard I asked why she'd let the woman 'just walk all over her'. As usual, Elle just shrugged her shoulders. I was mad but knew it wasn't worth the effort to protest any further.

By then it was almost 4:30pm and I was still interested in going to the sailing club for at least a swim to try and cool off. This time the kids were all for it and while Elle made up a tuna salad I made more lemonade. Once there it was pointless to think about going sailing as the water looked like a mirror. I’d expected the beach to be crowded but because it was getting close to supper time many of those that were there were packing up. As I set of things up I caught a glimpse of a family that I didn’t recognize. The man was about our age but the woman looked older. The kids appeared to match the age of ours and I was sorry that we hadn’t come earlier. As I was getting the last of our gear out of the station wagon I looked over to their car and saw an out of state license plate. The man saw me staring in his direction and started walking towards me. It was as he got about ten feet away when I recognized him. He was one of the kids that spent the Summer in our beach colony when we were in our early teens. He’d been a bully back then but he seemed very genial as he stuck out his hand. After a few pleasantries he called his wife over. Not particularly pretty she had quite a figure and it became more apparent the closer she got. I wouldn’t be far off if I described her breasts as ‘spilling out’ of her bathing suit. Not particularly a ‘breast man’ I had a hard time not staring in that direction. I got Elle’s attention and she came back to the parking lot and we had a nice chat. They were renting a cottage not far from the sailing club. We ended up agreeing to stop by their place after we’d gone swimming and eaten.

John had been a favorite of Elle’s mother. In her eyes he could do no wrong and at one time she’d confided in one of her neighbors that she hoped Elle would marry him. We were probably all of 13 or 14 at the time. In any case it was easy to find where they were as his car, a fire red Ford convertible, was right out by the road. We pulled in behind it and as I headed for the house I couldn’t help but notice the clothes on the wash line... all bathing suits and... a pair of panties. My first thought was that she, like Elle, wore panties under her suit. Like with all panties, I really wanted to know who made them. They looked like they were nylon as I could almost see through them.

We convened on the front lawn. (As with all houses located on the water, the front of the house faces the water and not the road) There still wasn’t any wind. To get to the beach from their place you had to go down about 30 steps as they were on a small bluff. They had the use of a Sunfish sailboat but John had never sailed one so he asked if I could show him how to rig it. What could I say... so we all went down to the beach. Rigging a Sunfish is really easy once you’ve done it. I had the sails up in no time. The rudder (to this day) is the tricky part. By the time we got it all done there was the first vestiges of a breeze so I suggested that John and his wife go for a quick sail. She didn’t want any part of it saying that she was all showered and had on clean clothes. The ”old“ John that Elle and I had known came forth about then. He told her to get on board and wasn’t going to take any back talk. She (I don’t remember her name), dutifully, obeyed. She was wearing a pair of pale yellow shorts and a striped tank top similar to one that Elle owned. As she stepped on board I almost choked as I watched those two mounds. I hate to admit it but I definitely wasn’t thinking panties at that moment. Thinking about that moment as I write this I can’t help but think it was cumbersome for her to carry all that around.

To be continued...              

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138g)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138g)

Mala had returned to work at the bank right prior to when Moira started. Mala was in a totally new position for her and then Moira started. She’d come with accounting (bookkeeping) experience which had unnerved Mala a bit. We’d never really ‘hit it off’ but I felt that we’d reached a point where we were no longer adversaries by the time she left to have her baby. After she’d returned I’d made some attempts to talk with her not about work but life outside work. One thing I knew, for sure, was that her husband was a jerk... confirmed by her best friend, Trish and also by Bret who had played football with him in high school. He was the personification of a ‘dumb polak”. His pride and joy was not Mala and not his daughter but it was his 1962 Chevy coupe. He’d ordered it with special additions like a four speed Muncie transmission and a big four barrel carburetor. Bret had told me that he polished it once a month, religiously,  and had a fit if anyone touched it. But, I’d seen Mala drive past after work with a for sale sign in the window. I was still driving my 1955 Chevy that I’d bought from my cousin over five years ago. The 55’s were a ‘cool car’ but they were rust buckets and it was showing on mine. So, I’d dropped a hint to Mala that I might be interested and asked if she’d have her husband give me a call. When he did it was a ’doozy’!

Before I ever had a chance to say anything more than “Hello...” he told me he’d never sell the car to me or anyone else who worked at the bank. This was not in normal conversational tones but almost a full out bellow. I remember standing there and holding the receiver almost an arm length away and hearing him saying that he didn’t want some "big shot officer of the bank trying to put his wife in a bad position“. I don’t know how long I stood there without saying anything. Finally, I could hear his tone modify a bit with the words ”Hello... anyone there?“ By then I was mad and, knowing that I was protected by the fact he was in one town and I was in another I said ”I guess the answer about the car is a no?“ and hung up. It was less than 15 seconds later when the phone rang. I had an idea it was him so let it ring quite a few times before picking it up. I didn’t say a word. Then I heard a voice say, emphatically, ”Don’t ever hang up on me again!“ I still didn’t speak. Then, I heard the phone click. Elle wanted to know what was going on and all I told her was that it was biggest idiot I’d ever tried to deal with and headed out to the garage.

There was always something to do. It goes with owning a house. When it started to get dark I figured I’d go in and say good night to the kids. Walking down the path I looked over at the house next door and saw lights on in multiple rooms. It looked good to see some life there and with the prospect of having some kids for ours to play with made it even better. I heard some banging and went over to the opening in the hedge to take a look. It was the new principal who was trying to open a wooden crate. It appeared as if all he had was a hammer so I went on over to where he was swinging away. I startled him and when he looked at me it was obvious that he didn’t recognize me from the meet and greet at Pat’s house. I identified myself as his neighbor and stuck out my hand. The heat wave hadn’t yet broken so all I got was a warm, wet mass of flesh. If you can remember the Mary Tyler Moore show with Ed Asner as her boss then you can get a picture of the man and what he sounded like. Gruff and firm would be two apt words for the description. He told me to just call him Bill. The last name was too hard for most people to grasp and at school he wanted to be called Mr. L.

The crate held a water pump. It only took a second to see that what was needed was a pry bar so told him I’d be right back. As I headed back to my garage I wondered how he’d hook the thing up but, that wasn’t my problem. I fetched the pry tool and was back quickly. It only took a few minutes to uncrate it. While doing it I asked where his wife and kids were. Elle had already told me but for some unknown reason I wanted to hear it from him. As it turned out his answer was a little different. Yes, the wife and kids were visiting family but it was because he wanted peace and quiet as he worked through all the applications for the vacant teaching positions that he’d inherited. As he put it, an active wife and five active kids didn’t equate to getting much done at home. But, he said ten hours in the office was enough so he’d been working at home in the evenings. That answer led me to ask if he’d bought the place and he laughed. He said if he was going to spend the money the owner wanted he’d rather build new. By the time I left I knew that he’d already selected two new teachers but had no idea what he was going to do with the pump. That's when I told him the school board president was a plumber. He laughed again. As gruff as he looked and sounded it showed he had a sense of humor.

I also found out his wife and kids would be back on Saturday and passed that information on to Elle. She thought it’d be nice to make some cookies for the kids, even with the heat. I wasn’t going to complain because I could eat fresh baked cookies at any temperature. So, on Saturday we were on ‘high alert’ for activity in the yard next door. I’d finished mowing the lawn by lunch time and had suggested that we all go to the sailing club but was voted down. The girls, (and Elle) really wanted to meet the new neighbor kids. It was about 3pm when we could hear many voices. Elle was the first through the opening and almost immediately was sighted. Jean was dispatched to go get the cookies and I to bring along fresh squeezed lemonade. Hindsight is 20/20 and we should’ve waited until they had unloaded their van, a GMC suburban that could hold up to eight people. Mrs L looked a little ragged as she walked towards the kitchen porch and the kids were scurrying around unloading suitcases from the back of the van. I didn’t see Bill as I ducked through the opening but I did see the look on Mrs L’s face when she saw us coming. It was not a welcoming look, at all.

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138f)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138f)

I will admit that I’d been avoiding Gina since our meeting at the bowling alley. Bret noted that she seemed quite subdued and not as ‘bouncy“ as usual. I knew that by meeting with her at the bowling alley as I had was a bit risky so I hadn’t said anything to him about it. I really didn’t have a plan for her and was hoping that something would happen that would end up being a solution. As also mentioned a time or two before, Bret, although married, definitely had a ’thing’ about Gina and I’d catch him staring at her from time to time. When I did I’d follow his gaze to see if there might just be something really interesting. It had been a while since I’d been fortunate enough to catch a peek at her panties so there was always that hope. As mentioned, with the excessive heat many of the women had chosen shorter dresses and skirts as well as more revealing blouses and tops. Gina, although not overly endowed, was wearing a sleeveless blouse which buttoned just to her bra. When she’d bend over to retrieve a signature card it was an eye catching sight and I could appreciate Bret’s interest. So, it turned out to be a complete surprise when I happened to look down the teller line and watched her slide off her seat and see her skirt hem get caught on it. It should’ve released right away but, a rough edge of the vinyl binding had caught and wouldn’t let go. Bret also witnessed it and made straight for her window. Letitia was somewhat blocking my view but when I stood up I watched Bret lift the skirt off the seat and as he did, it exposed about half her backside.

I’d witnessed a few panty peeks from Gina and most showed her wearing bikini panties. There was one time though, where she definitely had on a pair of full briefs and from my purview it sure looked like it on this day. It didn’t make sense what with most everyone wearing as little as possible. When Bret returned to his desk he was all hot and bothered and I let him have it, teasing him about getting ‘up close and personal' with her. He took it well and after a minute said the view wasn’t all that good... she had her period... and that pretty much explained the full brief panties.

By mid afternoon the air conditioning was back but it didn’t help all that much. Everything in the bank had gotten very warm over the few days when it wasn’t working. If you walked in front of a vent you could feel the air was cooler but anything you touched was at least 80+ degrees so there was still some complaining. Hobie had left early for some reason which basically put me in charge. Lobby traffic had been slow and the tellers were in proof by 3:45pm so I told them they were free to go. How to be an instant hero! I was at the entrance to the work area when I called out the news and as soon as I did they all, almost in unison, squatted down to get their personal things from the bottom draw of their teller station. You do know that squatting and short hems do add up to some potential peeks... right? Unfortunately for me it was Letitia that blocked my view of Janet who was down for a fairly long time. I finally got a clear shot just as she made the effort to stand up... and I was too late.

Laura hadn’t come in to work and the word from Trish was that she’d been dehydrated. She said she’d stopped to see her before coming to work and had gone over during her lunch break. She reported that the color had returned to her face and she was definitely feeling better. She really wasn’t missing much at work as all the departmental audits were up to date. However, just talking about her reminded me of what I’d witnessed the prior afternoon and I still felt a bit guilty. Being a casual voyeur has benefits but sometimes you don’t want to ‘cross over the line’. I’d done as she’d asked and it benefited her but had also benefited me, but in a different way. I wondered what it would be like when our paths crossed the next day she came to work.

Netta, the switchboard operator had volunteered to stay and answer the phones and I volunteered to stay to answer any inquiries concerning the banking floor. As it approached 5pm I decided to go chat with her for a bit. I always used the stairs because, in my mind, the elevator we had was the slowest one in the world. I’d proven a number of times  that I could walk, at my normal pace, and beat it. But, another benefit of walking was that, on occasion, I'd get an upskirt from Netta. One late afternoon I watched her undo her stockings from her garter belt. It was a nice show!. But on this afternoon, with no one around on the second floor, she was in her own little world. The stairs made a 180 degree turn right at the top so it was possible to see Netta before she could see me. Slowing down just at the turn I saw her hand up her skirt and she had her eyes closed. I have to admit that it was the first time I’d ever seen a female masturbating. I’d also have to admit that I was ‘hard’ in a nano second. I watched as she kind of ooched around in her chair. In today’s world I would’ve had my iPhone out and made a video, for sure. I was discrete though, and retreated after about a minute. Halfway down the stairs I called back up to her and, jokingly, asked if she was still awake. I didn’t get an immediate response so called again and got a weak reply. I was smiling when I did.

We walked out together and as she crossed the street I wondered just how wet her panties were. I’d heard one of Elle’s sorority sisters telling another girl that she’d get so wet when she did ”it“ that it was almost like she’d wet her pants. I remembered that but it was something I’d never discussed with Elle. To my knowledge, she never masturbated. When I did it was usually into her wet panties when she wasn’t in the mood for all out sex. Here I was, 30 years old, and there was still a LOT I didn’t know about sex and women.

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138e)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138e)

Bert, the president, decided that most of the second floor employees could leave around 2pm. I talked Hobie into allowing the tellers to go as soon as they were in proof. That picked up their spirits a bit. I was on the phone when I saw Laura, the assistant to the auditor with her head on her desk. I went over to ask if she was OK and she said she was “woozy”. Normally she walked to and from work except when it was bad weather. There was no way she would be able to do that the way she looked. Bret was also a ‘walker’ and didn’t have a car and Laura’s boss, the auditor, didn’t drive. Trish, her cousin, had taken the day off (smart girl!) so that option was out. Hobie was at the mortgage committee meeting which pretty much left it up me to drive her home.

I got the car and drove it up to the back door. She was waiting but seeded assistance to get down the steps. I was almost positive it had to do with the heat but still asked if she wanted to go to her doctor. She said she didn’t but just wanted to lay down. It was only a few minutes to where she was living, renting from Bette’s sister, the woman who was retiring at the end of the week. Her place had actually been a garage but had been converted to a place for Bette’s mother until she died. I pulled right up to the door and then helped Laura out. I didn’t like the way she looked but did as she asked and helped her to her bedroom. As soon as she could she just flopped onto the bed but was having trouble lifting her legs onto it. I reached down to assist her and just as I did she rolled over. When she did her skirt got caught up under her and she didn’t know what was wrong. I tried to explain but as I did I saw her unbuttoning it at the waist. She looked up at me and asked if I could help her. I remember standing there and thinking this isn’t right but she managed to get a “Please” out of her mouth. I still stood there wondering if I should or shouldn’t. By then she was really struggling with the skirt so I grabbed the hem and pulled. She didn’t have a slip on and I got to see a very familiar sight... a pair of the Sans Soucie panties that I’d provided for her. I have to admit I would sometimes look at her and wonder if she was wearing them or not. I knew I should cover her but she was on top of the bedspread and not capable at that time of doing much of anything. When I tried to drape her skirt over her she just pulled it off saying it was too hot.

I don’t know where the thought came from but I asked if she’d been drinking water during the day. She nodded that she hadn’t. I remember once feeling the way she’d described and my mother had given me water. So, I went to the sink and got her some. I knew I shouldn’t have been looking at her panties but I was... and she looked good in them. I left right after that. Back at the bank I called Trish who, luckily, was home. She said she'd go right over and look in on Laura. It was kind of bittersweet... seeing Laura struggling but it did give me the opportunity to get a really good look at her in panties. I can close my eyes and still see her lying there.

As I said, the heat wave was in place and that usually meant little or no wind. The prevailing Southerly would usually pick up in the early afternoon and be enough to provide at least some comfort. Our favorite place was on the screened in porch and that night was no different. Elle had made salad for dinner and we ate out there as well. The girls were used to seeing Elle in her panties so it was not out of order for Elle to be dressed that way, without shorts. I was surprised that she was so daring now that we had neighbors but Elle said that the mother, Aylyssa, had seen Elle at the store and told her that she and her kids wouldn't be around for the rest of the week as they were visiting family. Thinking ahead, I took a chance and brought the camera with me after changing my clothes, hoping for an opportunity, even if it cost me something.
                                

The price was a night out at the movies. We hadn't done that in a long time and she wanted to see The Odd Couple. Ginger told her she had to see it and once she had an idea in her head she wouldn't let go. I didn't have any idea what it was  about. But, when she told me Jack Lemmon was in it I was interested. I'd seen him in Mr Roberts and also in Days of Wine and Roses (although my interest in that movie was Lee Remick!). She wanted to go that Friday night and I had no problem with that.

There was good news at work when I arrived the next morning. The heating and cooling  people were there and had located the part that had failed. If there was one good thing about the situation it was that some of the ladies broke out some shorter skirts. However, Lillian's skirts couldn't get much shorter than they already were. Bret had started keeping a count of just how many times he got a peek at her panties. The one person that surprised me was Lynn, J J's secretary. She almost always wore a skirt that was just above her knees but on this day it was a mini dress. It was a dark blue sleeveless one with little white polka dots. On this day, for some unknown reason, she decided to go up the back stairs. I'd gone to the area where the bookkeeping (computer?) machine was located to talk with Jaz to get a read on her thoughts about becoming a teller. I was standing at the machine waiting for her when Lynn walked past. I didn't pay much attention to her at first but out of the corner of my eye I saw a lot more leg than usual. Jaz was still busy so I turned and looked up the stairs. With every step she took the hem of her dress sort of bounced and there was a peek of white. Very nice

I had to tell Bret. There was little lobby traffic so he headed to the second floor. He was gone about ten minutes and when he returned he had this big s__t eating grin on his face. I knew right away that he'd gotten at least a glimpse. As he took his seat he turned to me and said "I owe you one!".

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138d)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138d)

In my mind August 1st was the halfway point of the Summer. I couldn’t believe it because the time had gone by so fast. With five months to go until we were to switch over to the service bureau it seemed a little early to be purchasing the equipment we’d need but the people at the service bureau insisted that it wasn’t. It had been over a year since I’d been to the city. The meeting was scheduled for 10am which didn’t give me a lot of time after arriving by train. The equipment manufacturer was Burroughs and they had a beautiful show room and office with all types of equipment for all kinds of applications. The managers of the service bureau were there along with their programmers to get started on the programming that would be necessary on the teller machines that the bank would be buying. We were getting a break on the price as the service bureau was to be the actual purchaser of the equipment. We’d end up getting the quantity price break the service bureau was entitled to. I didn’t know how that worked but it was certainly a good deal.

After lunch with the service bureau people I had most of the afternoon free and I knew exactly where I was headed... Macy’s and Gimbel’s department stores. I still remember my first time at Macy’s. Eight stories of ‘stuff’ and the biggest lingerie department I’d ever seen. The store took up almost one whole city block and the lingerie part was easily one half of one floor. However, I’d been there a few more times since that first visit but it was still pretty overwhelming to see whole tables just filled with panties. It was about the time that flowered panties were coming in vogue. I stopped at one table and took a close look at them and the ones I’d picked up had a funny feel to them. The material was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was for just that reason that I decided to buy a pair.

Since Gimbel’s was right next door I had to make the trip across the street. Gimbel’s was six stories high and wasn’t quite as big as Macy’s. But, the lingerie department was equal to it. What I liked was that they had panty makers that Macy’s didn’t have (or, at least that I could discern) which made an impression on me. The name Gimbel’s was also in my mind because I’d seen Bebe’s new panties (after she’d gotten new clothes after the fire that burned down her parents house and restaurant) which were purchased at a Gimbel’s store. They were nylon satin bikinis made by Modern Globe and, even though Elle had never worn bikinis, I wanted to get some just in case she did. I was in the right place. There was one whole table with nothing but Modern Globe nylon satin bikinis in all sizes from 4 to 10. I remember standing there holding a pair of the size 10’s and wondering just what the woman who would wear them would look like. I was laughing to myself as I put them back on the table. I ended up buying six pair (NOT the size 10!). Of course I had no idea if Elle would ever wear them but I didn’t care.

The train trip home was brutal. There was no air conditioning and the trains were crowded. When I finally got home it was around 6:30pm, over twelve hours since I’d left that morning. Thankfully, the kids had eaten and were occupied outside because I was really tired. Elle was all bubbly and excited with the news that it was the new principal who was moving in next door. The family had arrived in the morning and our girls had already been next door to meet their kids... five girls. Elle was smiling when she told me about her meeting the mother and that my observation from the ‘meet and greet’ at Pat’s house the other night had been “right on the money”... she definitely “wore the pants” in that household. She described how she ordered the moving men about and later, when the principal showed up, he didn’t have much to say as she did most of the talking. I asked how the kids were and she said they were really nice. Two of them were in high school and two were in junior high which calculated out to mean they were teenagers. The youngest was ten and a year ahead of Jean. The last thing she said about them was that all were short. I didn’t know why she said that and didn’t ask.

Later, I showed Elle the flowered print panties. She had the answer as to why they felt funny to the touch... they were made of a crepe material. When we went to bed I had her try them on but she said they felt “scratchy” to her. They were made by a company called SeamPrufe. Somewhere before, I’d seen that name but couldn’t recall where. They were nicely made and I asked Elle if she’d wear them with another pair under them. She smiled and said she’d “think about it”. That was better than a “No!”
                                

SeamPrufe
As strange as it may seem, I sort of hated taking a day off for pleasure or business. It always seemed like something bad happened when I wasn’t there and then I’d have to sort it all out upon returning. The minute I walked through the door I knew there was a problem... no air conditioning. A heat wave was in the process of engulfing the whole area. It wasn’t the first time it had happened but even with the experience of the past to go on it seemed like no one knew exactly what to do about it. I remembered that we rented large fans to put in the front and rear vestibules which helped on the first floor. However, when the bank had last been remodeled, all the windows were sealed so the second floor had no respite. It was only 9am and the temperature up there was over 80 degrees.

The fans were delivered and in place by 10am. If you’ve been reading this for any length of time then I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to guess who didn’t waste any time before coming downstairs to complain... J J. He was such a PITA (pain in the ass)!  I didn’t waste any time with him which only made him complain even more. However, when he gave up and started back upstairs he did tell me that the new hire (Moira) was “a keeper”. I remember giving him one of those looks that was meant to say “I don’t believe you just said that.”

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 128c)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138c)

When Gina walked up to my desk at around 4:30pm I still didn’t know what I was going to say to her. I did know that we weren’t going to talk there at the bank. Gina lived about a half hour to the West and to get home she had to drive past a bowling alley just outside of town. (Back when I lived in the mobile home I bowled there and also used the property to launch the Sailfish boat I owned at the time.) I told her I'd meet her there in about 15 minutes.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you know I liked Gina... for a lot of reasons. She was a good worker, getting along well with her fellow tellers. The customers liked her because she was always pleasant to them even if they weren’t back to her. She was dependable in spite of the fact that she was a single mother, only missing a few days work in the time she’d been there. And, she was bright and made numerous suggestions that had been incorporated into the daily work flow. I didn’t have one single reason to feel negatively about her and was puzzled by Hobie (and Bert, the president) not liking her. I didn’t feel I had enough ‘standing’ within the corporate hierarchy that I could press them for their reasons. As I pulled into the alley parking lot I wished that I had at least one.

Gina was waiting inside for me and I asked if she wanted something to drink. She shook her head in a negative way and, being about as blunt as she could be, demanded to know what was going on. When I told her that I didn’t know she shot back “Bull shit!”. At that point I really didn’t know what to say. I gave her some mealy mouthed words that certainly didn’t appease her as she made ready to get up. I actually thought she was going to say she was quitting, right then and there. With her standing and me sitting she looked much bigger than I  remembered. But, she didn’t say anything... at all... which made it all the more uncomfortabal for me.

So, I stood up and was now looking down a bit on her. (The games we all play!) I have no idea where the words came from but I finally said that I would do the best I could to rectify the situation. I had no idea what that would entail but the sincerity of my words seemed to buy some time. She broke her silence then and said she was unbelievably disappointed but that she couldn’t afford not to work.  With at least that to go on I then asked for her patience. I tried encouraging her as best I could but I knew they were empty words. I don’t think anything was said after that and we headed for our cars.

Just like in a small town where everybody knows your business, the bank was the same. Gina leaving early and me soon after caught Bret’s attention. As I’ve mentioned, he had an ‘eye’ for her. On a few occasions I’d mentioned to him about the high quality of her work and he’d responded that she was capable of far more responsibility. On Tuesday morning he was there waiting to find out what was going on. He’d only spoken a few words when I had the answer as to who it was that had ‘spilled the beans’, only he didn’t know he had.

In some ways Bret was like a little old lady always wanting to be in on the ‘news’, whatever it might be. He’d figured out that Lorrie and Jaz would be displaced when we had our accounts serviced outside the bank and had noticed that they had been talking, together, with Hobie ever since the decision was made. Lorrie’s attitude had made a decided change for the better and Bret put the two things together. Unfortunately, to him it was just speculation when he’d made a general statement to some of the tellers that Lorrie and Jaz should fit right in with them. It was unfortunate but now I had to live with the consequences.

While still sorting that mess out I saw Moira, the new hire, approaching. She had a question concerning one of the forms she’d had to fill out and Trish wasn't at her desk. I asked if I could help and she brought it over. It was a simple fix but before she stepped away I asked about J J and if he’d introduced himself. She flashed a ‘knowing smile’ and then said “Thanks for the warning... but it didn’t help.” I didn’t know what to make of her answer but as she got to the gate she turned back and stated “ It’s all Irish blarney!” and laughed.

It was sometime that week when, upon arriving home, Elle came running out to greet me. With my one track mind I though she’d had an ‘accident’ and was coming out to share it with me. No such luck. She’d heard some sounds from the yard next door and peeked through the opening in the hedge. There had been a truck in the driveway and they were moving furniture into the house. I asked if she’d gone over to find out if it was the new principal and she shook her head that she hadn’t. I couldn’t understand why and proceeded to go over and look in the yard. Nothing. Back in the house I called Fritz, whose wife Nanci had been the secretary for the old principal, to see if he (or she) had any news on housing the new principal. He didn’t have anything definite other than the principal and his wife had decided to rent rather than buy. Hearing that I remembered the realtor for the house telling me that Sabrina’s father was willing to rent and assumed that this was the house. When I told Elle and the girls they were ecstatic since there were four girls in that family.

At work, the rest of the month was shaping up pretty much as standard fare. Business  always slacked off in the Summer. Gina seemed aloof after our meeting and I'd heard Janet, the teller next to her, comment that she’d seemed preoccupied. As far as the service bureau was concerned it was in the hands of the attorneys working out the details of the contract. The branch approval had moved along to the point that all that was necessary was for an approval from the zoning board to go to the next phase. From overhearing Hobie talking with Gee (the Trustee) it seemed pretty much routine. I was scheduled to go into the city to meet with representatives of the equipment manufacturer and to work on the phasing out of the old equipment and the phasing in of the new. There were a ‘lot of balls in the air’ but nothing seemed insurmountable. The managers of the service bureau had promised to make some of their employees available when the time came to make it all go seamlessly. I was certainly busy, but happy, with the exception of the matter concerning Gina.

To be continued... 

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138b)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138b)

Arriving home from church I could hear voices from Sabrina’s yard. Peeking through the opening in the hedge I saw the new principal and another man talking in the yard. I didn’t see the wife but the two men were in very serious conversation. They had their backs to me so I couldn’t hear them but I got the definite impression that there was some negotiation going on. Back in the house I told Elle and she got all excited at the prospect of having neighbors with children. For my part I was still a bit concerned about the wife and how controlling she’d been at the get together at Pat’s.

As I was getting my gear ready to go to the sailing club Elle called out to me that J J was on the phone. He’d tried to get us to socialize with he and his wife but I just couldn’t stand her. Pat (the PTA lady) was a far more preferable choice. (Did I really say that?) So, I couldn’t figure out why he was calling me on a Sunday morning. I’d introduced him to sailing right after he’d joined the bank and before he moved his wife and family to the area and sailing was the reason he gave. But it didn’t take long for the real reason to come out. He wanted to know who the red headed woman he’d seen with me at the picnic on Saturday was. Before I could even attempt to answer he asked if she’d been at the bank on Friday. Since she was to start on Monday I couldn’t not answer. I could hear the tone of his voice change when I said that she’d be there first thing on Monday. After I hung up I made a mental note to try and catch her before she went upstairs and warn her about him. I figured that he’d be all over her as soon as he saw her. Once he found out she was Irish and was sort of single... well I knew she wouldn’t be ready for a guy like him. 

The day turned out to be significant in that I finally won a Sunfish sailboat race. The satisfaction was that I’d beaten three ‘hotshot’ skippers. Because it was a cloudy day and threatening to rain Elle decided to keep the kids home. The benefit was my eyes could wander without having to worry about Elle seeing what I was doing. A normal, red blooded male would normally like to ogle females in bathing suits. If you’ve been reading this tome for any length of time you know my passion is for panty peeks... of any kind. The dismal day pretty much precluded most of the girls and women from wearing suits which turned out to be a positive for me. One of the new skippers was a bit older than most of the group. I’d seen his wife a few times but had never been introduced to her. Nothing special to look at she seemed almost aloof when I’d observed her spending her time alone. The way the wind was blowing that day made sitting on the steps the best place to be. She was wearing a pair of loose legged shorts and sitting on the very top step as I approached. She was reading something out of a folio. She clearly wasn’t paying attention to me and I took advantage of it.

For reasons only known to her she had elected to sit with her legs slightly apart. Being that she was on the top step and leaning against the building her feet were on the next step down. From the sand I could see part way up to her crotch. That in itself was exciting but as I started up the stairs a puff of wind blew some papers out of the folio. I saw her reach back to try and grab at them and as she did she dropped her right leg down so it was lying on the same step she was sitting. Her other leg was still in the same place but with the style of shorts she had on I had a perfect view all the way to her panties. Because it was a dull day I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. They were black. I’m not sure if I’d ever seen black panties actually on a woman. In any case, I stopped and just observed as she gathered in the papers she could reach. I stood there for maybe 15 seconds before moving. About three steps up (and much closer) I could see the panties were full briefs. As I helped her get the last of the papers I was a bit puzzled because her shorts were white. I’d seen panties show through in the past but they were usually white on white. But black just stood right out and this was a new one for me... and why it remains memorable.

Monday morning I waited outside the back door for Moira, the new hire. I was praying that J J wouldn’t be early (he seldom was). When I saw her crossing the street I cut her off and once inside I steered her to my desk. Without being too specific I warned her that we had an officer of the bank who was very charming and would try to spend some time getting to know her. I told her that she only had a week to draw from the experience of the employee who was leaving and that she’d have plenty of time to get to know all the nice people who worked there. I wasn’t sure she grasped what I was telling her and as she got up to go I saw J J walking across the lobby. I pointed him out to her and saw a sly smile appear and then she said ”Thanks“.

I wasn’t prepared for what was awaiting me after she walked away. When Hobie and I had spoken to Lorrie and Jaz about what would happen to them after we switched over to the service bureau they both promised not to say anything about it. We (I) should’ve realized that the Polish mafia would rear it’s ugly head. I had to face Gina who was now headed for my desk and obviously upset. It was not the place or time to discuss the matter. I pleaded with her to hold off until after she’d proved up at the end of the day. As she walked away I was trying to figure out who it was that ‘spilled the beans'. I looked at Trish but just couldn’t believe she’d been the one. We’d told Lorrie and Jaz that if the ‘word’ got out it could jeopardize the plan so I pretty much dismissed them as the culprits. But just who it was was the question. I went down the roster of banking floor employees and just couldn’t imagine who it could be. It made for an uncomfortable day especially when I’d catch Gina looking my direction.

To be continued...

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138a)

MORE... surprises and changes (Part 138a)

The lawn was waiting. As I headed for the garage to get the mower I could hear Kaye and Anne arguing over by the playhouse. Kaye, at 3 years old, wasn’t old enough to understand ‘rules’ especially when they were being administered by her almost seven year old sister. She’d follow along for a while but when she found she wasn’t getting her way... at all... she protested. I’d seen it before and pretty much knew how to defuse the situation. It took a few minutes and when I turned back towards the garage I saw a strange car pulled up to it. I also saw Elle leaning in through the passenger side window and an obvious wet spot between her legs. I walked up and peered in only to see one of my least favorite people... Pat, the PTA lady. Since the school board election she’d pretty much been unseen, at least by Elle and I. When Elle saw me she told me that we were invited to an informal welcoming get together for the new principal and his wife at Pat’s place. She was inviting all the members of the ‘group’ and was hoping to get at least ten people to show up. As you know, I’d had my fill of Pat but... I quickly realized that this was an opportunity to meet the man (and his wife) in an informal setting. There had been a rumor that there was to be a “meet and greet” at the school a week after he started for the general public. I surprised Elle when I told her that I’d go. The last thing I heard her say to Pat was that if she could get her mother to take the kids on short notice we’d be there.

As Pat drove down the hill I was smiling when I commented to Elle that she’d been “pretty brave” going out to meet Pat in wet pants. She laughed and said she’d gone out to the garage to get clippers to cut some flowers and when she heard the car it was too late to get to the house. But, she said she figured that if she talked with Pat through the passenger side that she’d not see that she was wet. In a way I was proud of her.

It was a pretty safe bet that Elle’s parents would take the kids on a Saturday night. They never went out and Elle’s father would often complain that he didn’t get to see the kids all that much. Pat had said the principal had reluctantly agreed but that they weren’t sure what time they’d arrive since they were going out to eat. Pat had suggested that we arrive around 7:30pm and when we did I was glad to see Bob and his wife, Phyl along with Fritz and his wife, Nanci. To see Nanci there was a bit of a surprise because she was the former principal’s secretary and I’d wondered if she’d be retained. It just seemed awkward. Jon (the milkman) and his wife, Ginger weren’t there and neither was Johnnie and Sandy. Aurelia and her husband said they’d be a little late. So, the final tally would be ten people.

There had been ‘sightings’ of the man and resultant descriptions. When he stepped out of his car I felt as if I’d seen him before. One description was that he looked like a fireplug. Short, maybe 5’5“, and stocky, his look was formidable. His chin was a prominent part of his facial features but when he spoke, the strength of it really got your attention. Then, his wife got out and, as funny as it may sound, except for the amount of hair on her head and the fact she was wearing a skirt, she looked like the principal’s twin. When she spoke though, you knew who was the ‘boss’ in this family.

Pat was her usual controlling self. I’m sure that both of the guests felt like they were being ‘grilled’ based upon the questions she asked them. The fact that interested me the most was that the reason for their visit (He didn’t officially start until August 1st) was to line up living quarters. With five children, he’d found few options. Because our geographic area was a Summer destination most of the homes were unheated bungalows and those that had heat were small. The all year round houses that they’d been shown were in poor shape and unacceptable to the woman. After listening to their woes I spoke up and asked if they’d been shown Sabrina’s house. Of course they didn’t know who Sabrina was so I described the house. It did have a distinctive exterior and when I told them what it looked like they said they hadn’t seen it.

One unique thing about that area, when it came to real estate, was that there was no multiple listing service. You would go to a realty company and look at their inventory and if you didn’t see anything you liked you moved on to another. The thing I remembered about the night I’d almost been run into by the guy who’d listed Sabrina’s house was that he’d told me he’d just opened up his office. That, more or less, explained why they hadn’t seen it. Since I’d been in the house a few times I was able to give them some detail and they seemed somewhat interested. At least the woman was.

They were tired and left around 9pm. I gave then the directions so they could drive by the place and at least get the name of the realtor and his telephone number. We stayed for a while and aired our opinions of both of them. We all agreed that he would be a definite improvement over the old principal. To a person, we all had questions about his wife, a very unique personality. On the whole we agreed that it had been an interesting evening.

If I were to guess I’d say we stayed about 20 minutes after the principal and his wife had left. For us to get home we had to drive past Sabrina’s house and when we did we saw headlights coming down the driveway. I couldn’t tell the make of the car but had to smile because, in my mind, who would be looking at the house around 9:30pm if it wasn’t them. Elle agreed. Now she wanted to know more about their kids.

To be continued...