FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Peggy (Part 146a)
The last
mention of Peggy was when I’d asked Gina to work with her before
leaving the bank for her new job. It had become painfully obvious that
Peggy was struggling during her training. I’d come to realize that I’d
made a number of mistakes when it came to hiring her. I’d based my
decision more on ‘heart’ than on experience. I’d gotten to know her when
she was baby sitting for Elle and I back when we lived in the mobile
home park. She had a way with kids and was comfortable around adults.
But... and it was a big ‘but’, she was still in high school at the time
with no problems or responsibilities. Since graduation she’d gotten
married, had a baby, lost her husband in an auto accident and had to
return to living with her parents. I’d had very little contact with
since her return and when her father, a friend of mine, had asked about
finding a position for her I told him that as soon as a vacancy occurred
I’d consider it. With the pending loss of Gina, to me, she'd been the
obvious answer. However, as I came to find out, Peggy came with
‘baggage’.
When it came time to pick someone to train
her I didn’t have a lot of choices. Gina was the obvious one but I’d
tapped her for the name and address project. I knew that Cara didn’t
like doing it but she had the most experience so she became ‘it’. One of
the things I knew about Cara was that she didn’t have a lot of patience
and what little she had was exhausted by Peggy. I had a couple of
meetings with Cara about Peggy and her curt observation was that she
lacked concentration. Then I met with Peggy. She didn’t have much to say
but promised to try harder. That’s when I turned her over to Gina
hoping she'd get through to her.
The next step was in
where to place Peggy on the teller line. I had two openings... one next
to Cara in Jacqui’s old spot or down the line in Gina’s place. After
conferring with Bret we decided that it was probably best to get her
away from Cara and put her next to Janet. Even though Janet didn’t even
have a whole year of experience at least she had a calm demeanor about
her. It only took a few weeks to see what Cara had been talking about
when she'd brought up Peggy’s lack of concentration. As I’ve described
in previous posts, the last thing a teller had to do each day was to
make sure she was “in proof” or, that all the debits matched all the
credits. I don’t remember the number of days that she didn’t “strike” a
proof during that period of time but it was noticeable. The bank had a
rule that the tellers could not leave until the “general proof” was
struck. That's when all the proof sheets were added together to make
sure they were all in balance. With Peggy’s problems there had been a
number of days that it was after 5pm before the proof was struck. That
did not set well with the others and some had started to get vocal about
it and Peggy in particular.
The afternoon/night I
remember was particularly hard on Peggy. Normally, the tellers, after
proving individually, would turn in their proof sheets to Letitia for a
consolidated proof. As you know, I had some serious concerns about
Letitia, primarily about her speed... or lack thereof. As I remember it
the clock was approaching 5:30pm or so and the tellers were hovering in
and around Letitia’s area making ‘asides’ about Peggy. That wasn’t
helping the situation. Peggy was standing away from the group and it was
obvious that she was very upset. When Letitia pushed the “total” key on
the adding machine and the numbers didn’t match the reaction was a
collective moan. Liz, the auditor, stepped up and took all the sheets. I
watched her flip though them and pull one out and walk back to her
desk. In a matter of minutes she was calling for Peggy to come over to
her. As soon as Liz made the call some of the other tellers started
making nasty comments. I watched Peggy stand there for a few seconds and
then make a dash for the ladies room.
The most common
error that would be found on a proof sheet was a transposition. For
example, the teller would write down 45 when meaning to write a 54, If a
difference could be divided by 9 there was a good chance that was the
problem. In this case it was... but there were three of them. That made
finding them difficult. Liz wanted to ask Peggy about some of her
entries but she remained in the ladies room. Laura was sent to fetch her
and it was obvious she’d been crying when she appeared. Once the errors
were corrected the other tellers were allowed to leave but the looks
that were sent her way were not complimentary. Even as late as it was I
asked Peggy to stay.
It was difficult for both of us. I
asked her to have a seat but she said she preferred to stand. I didn’t
think that much of it and got right to the point... and it was to ask
what was wrong. I suggested that she was worried about the baby and she
stood there shaking her head in a negative manner. At that point I
reached way back into our history. I told her to forget that I was her
“boss” and go back to when she was spending a fair amount of time with
Elle, I and our kids. I reminded her that she had shared some personal
things with me and that I hoped she would again. That brought a bit of a
smile to her face and seemed to relax her a bit. I, again, suggested
sitting and she just stood there holding on to the back of the side
chair.
Having reminded her about just a few years ago I
looked at her and had a hard time realizing she wasn’t yet 20 years
old. She’d gained weight with the baby but, with the traumatic
experience of losing her husband right after her birth, she’d retained
some of it. She’d not only been pretty but also ’fun’. Looking at her
standing there it was hard to picture it. She was shifting from foot to
foot but not saying anything. I was about to tell her that it just
wasn’t working out for either of us when she finally moved around to the
front of the chair and sat down. She was wearing a tweed a-line skirt
that came to just above her knees. When she sat she was right on the
edge of the seat with probably only a part of one cheek on it. I was
anxious to hear what she had to say.
To be continued...
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145h)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145h)
When it came time for the girls to go to bed Elle ‘suggested’ that I stay downstairs since I wasn’t needed to move the mattress for Barbara to sleep on. I wasn’t expecting that and wondered if Barbara had said something to Elle. As with the previous night, Barbara stayed upstairs with Kaye until she fell asleep. Elle had come down and and it gave me a chance to ask if Barbara had said anything about Elle’s ‘accident’ when they’d been at the school or afterwards. She said that she hadn’t but wanted to know why I wanted to know. I knew at that point that I’d gone too far and was struggling to give her an answer. The timing for Barbara to come down the stairs was perfect and we talked about her plans for college even though she was only a sophomore. I’ve mentioned that I’d noticed her maturity and it appeared she had her ’plan’ pretty much in place. If she could earn enough scholarship money she wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania and to study psychology. I asked why and she smiled. She looked right at me and answered that she was curious as to why people do what they do. I remember thinking that she was, in some way, referring to the conversation we’d had a few days before.
I was disappointed in that she’d come down wearing pants and not in the robe she’d worn the night earlier. As we climbed the stairs on our way to bed I started to think that hopes for a reprise of the morning ‘peeks’ were fading. Lying in bed i could only hope I was wrong. I wasn’t. When Elle’s 7am alarm went off I sat up in bed and looked into Kaye’s room and saw the mattress was empty. After pulling my pants on I got up and took a look into the room. Kaye was still asleep but barbara was gone. A look down the hall towards the bathroom found it empty. I looked into both Jean and Anne’s rooms and still no Barbara. That left no where to look but downstairs. By then Elle was on her way into the bathroom so I headed downstairs. Halfway there I could hear sounds from the shower. That confirmed that I wasn’t going to get the peeks I’d hoped for and made me a bit sad.
Barbara had to work that day but the store didn’t open until 10am. Elle and I asked her to watch the kids while we voted. I drove her to work and on the way I asked how she came to get the job. She laughed and said her mother got it for her. The people who owned the store were originally from Germany (as was her mother) and once the ‘connection’ was made they were fast friends. I told her I didn’t understand her work schedule... Saturdays and holidays. She laughed again. The son of the owner worked for the railroad as the assistant station master but only a few hours a day on weekdays but full days on weekends and holidays. The rest of the time he worked at the store. She added it was perfect for her because she was busy after school with extra curricular activities. As she got out of the car I asked if she liked what she did. Another smile... and the answer... ”No“ (38)
Elle got a phone call from Barbara’s mother during the afternoon saying that they expected to be back before dark. Because they weren’t sure exactly what time she asked if we could pick Barbara up at work. Because the weather had turned cold and nasty I spent my time working on a sign in the basement. I knew Elle had rounded up all of Barbara’s things... sheets, towels and clothes and had placed them on the end of the kitchen counter to make it easy for Barbara to make the transition back home. When I came upstairs to go get her I was surprised to see Elle putting a pile of sanitary napkins into a paper bag and I asked why. Her answer seemed simple... Barbara had told her that after she got used to the ‘package’ it gave her a better night’s sleep even if she did wet in it. So, Elle decided to give her some and a pair of plastic panties to see if her mother would go along with it. That little bit of information prompted me to comment on Barbara’s condition and I remember saying that I hoped it wouldn’t affect her as she got older and headed off to college.
As I left to go get Barbara I noted that there were no lights on next door. In a way I hoped her parents wouldn’t be there when we returned because I wanted to hear what Elle would say about the pads and plastic panties but they were. We could see the lights as we approached my house and Barbara asked if I’d take her right to her house. I mentioned that all her things were ready for her but she said she really wanted to see her parents, brothers and sister. When she exited the car she said she’d be over later to thank us. Returning home I remember thinking that her visit was a good experience for me and my kids. I hoped that she felt the same.
Back home I told Elle and the kids that Barbara would be over later to get her things. The girls were already sad. It was a much more subdued meal without her. Elle commented that she hoped Barbara would be able to find time to visit from time to time. When the clock started creeping up towards 8pm, the time the girls headed for bed, I began to wonder if She’d show up. Almost immediately there was a knock on the door. The light for the patio was on so it was easy to see it was Barbara. When I opened the door there was Phyllis as well. She had a shopping bag in her hand and as soon as she stepped inside reached in and started handing out packages to each of the girls. Of course they were excited and we watched as the opened them. They turned out to be small ceramic headed dolls dressed in traditional German costumes. Barbara explained some of the things they were wearing and as she did Phyllis handed Elle a much bigger box. I was standing there and remembering how difficult it had been to get to know her and here she was handing out presents and with a smile. Elle fought her way through the wrapping and found an authentic German beer tankard but different from any I’d ever seen. It was Santa Clause. The girls all came over to look. I’d never seen one like it before (or since).
Both Phyllis and Barbara proceeded to thank all of us for the hospitality. There were plenty of hugs both individual and group. As they were leaving Elle told Barbara that she expected periodic visits and she promised that she would. The last thing she did was to give Kaye her picture and her reaction was priceless. Unfortunately, it was over before I could get to the camera. It was bed time and when she climbed in Elle had to pry it out of her hand.
To be continued...
When it came time for the girls to go to bed Elle ‘suggested’ that I stay downstairs since I wasn’t needed to move the mattress for Barbara to sleep on. I wasn’t expecting that and wondered if Barbara had said something to Elle. As with the previous night, Barbara stayed upstairs with Kaye until she fell asleep. Elle had come down and and it gave me a chance to ask if Barbara had said anything about Elle’s ‘accident’ when they’d been at the school or afterwards. She said that she hadn’t but wanted to know why I wanted to know. I knew at that point that I’d gone too far and was struggling to give her an answer. The timing for Barbara to come down the stairs was perfect and we talked about her plans for college even though she was only a sophomore. I’ve mentioned that I’d noticed her maturity and it appeared she had her ’plan’ pretty much in place. If she could earn enough scholarship money she wanted to go to the University of Pennsylvania and to study psychology. I asked why and she smiled. She looked right at me and answered that she was curious as to why people do what they do. I remember thinking that she was, in some way, referring to the conversation we’d had a few days before.
I was disappointed in that she’d come down wearing pants and not in the robe she’d worn the night earlier. As we climbed the stairs on our way to bed I started to think that hopes for a reprise of the morning ‘peeks’ were fading. Lying in bed i could only hope I was wrong. I wasn’t. When Elle’s 7am alarm went off I sat up in bed and looked into Kaye’s room and saw the mattress was empty. After pulling my pants on I got up and took a look into the room. Kaye was still asleep but barbara was gone. A look down the hall towards the bathroom found it empty. I looked into both Jean and Anne’s rooms and still no Barbara. That left no where to look but downstairs. By then Elle was on her way into the bathroom so I headed downstairs. Halfway there I could hear sounds from the shower. That confirmed that I wasn’t going to get the peeks I’d hoped for and made me a bit sad.
Barbara had to work that day but the store didn’t open until 10am. Elle and I asked her to watch the kids while we voted. I drove her to work and on the way I asked how she came to get the job. She laughed and said her mother got it for her. The people who owned the store were originally from Germany (as was her mother) and once the ‘connection’ was made they were fast friends. I told her I didn’t understand her work schedule... Saturdays and holidays. She laughed again. The son of the owner worked for the railroad as the assistant station master but only a few hours a day on weekdays but full days on weekends and holidays. The rest of the time he worked at the store. She added it was perfect for her because she was busy after school with extra curricular activities. As she got out of the car I asked if she liked what she did. Another smile... and the answer... ”No“ (38)
Elle got a phone call from Barbara’s mother during the afternoon saying that they expected to be back before dark. Because they weren’t sure exactly what time she asked if we could pick Barbara up at work. Because the weather had turned cold and nasty I spent my time working on a sign in the basement. I knew Elle had rounded up all of Barbara’s things... sheets, towels and clothes and had placed them on the end of the kitchen counter to make it easy for Barbara to make the transition back home. When I came upstairs to go get her I was surprised to see Elle putting a pile of sanitary napkins into a paper bag and I asked why. Her answer seemed simple... Barbara had told her that after she got used to the ‘package’ it gave her a better night’s sleep even if she did wet in it. So, Elle decided to give her some and a pair of plastic panties to see if her mother would go along with it. That little bit of information prompted me to comment on Barbara’s condition and I remember saying that I hoped it wouldn’t affect her as she got older and headed off to college.
As I left to go get Barbara I noted that there were no lights on next door. In a way I hoped her parents wouldn’t be there when we returned because I wanted to hear what Elle would say about the pads and plastic panties but they were. We could see the lights as we approached my house and Barbara asked if I’d take her right to her house. I mentioned that all her things were ready for her but she said she really wanted to see her parents, brothers and sister. When she exited the car she said she’d be over later to thank us. Returning home I remember thinking that her visit was a good experience for me and my kids. I hoped that she felt the same.
Back home I told Elle and the kids that Barbara would be over later to get her things. The girls were already sad. It was a much more subdued meal without her. Elle commented that she hoped Barbara would be able to find time to visit from time to time. When the clock started creeping up towards 8pm, the time the girls headed for bed, I began to wonder if She’d show up. Almost immediately there was a knock on the door. The light for the patio was on so it was easy to see it was Barbara. When I opened the door there was Phyllis as well. She had a shopping bag in her hand and as soon as she stepped inside reached in and started handing out packages to each of the girls. Of course they were excited and we watched as the opened them. They turned out to be small ceramic headed dolls dressed in traditional German costumes. Barbara explained some of the things they were wearing and as she did Phyllis handed Elle a much bigger box. I was standing there and remembering how difficult it had been to get to know her and here she was handing out presents and with a smile. Elle fought her way through the wrapping and found an authentic German beer tankard but different from any I’d ever seen. It was Santa Clause. The girls all came over to look. I’d never seen one like it before (or since).
 |
| Ho, Ho, Ho! |
Both Phyllis and Barbara proceeded to thank all of us for the hospitality. There were plenty of hugs both individual and group. As they were leaving Elle told Barbara that she expected periodic visits and she promised that she would. The last thing she did was to give Kaye her picture and her reaction was priceless. Unfortunately, it was over before I could get to the camera. It was bed time and when she climbed in Elle had to pry it out of her hand.
 |
| Barbara |
To be continued...
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145g)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145g)
Elle made sure I went downstairs at that point and I settled in watching Ed Sullivan on TV. Elle was soon there and I asked how it was going for Barbara. She laughed saying that Kaye was trying to let her climb in bed with her. It wasn’t too long after that I saw Barbara making the turn towards us at the foot of the stairs. She had on Elle’s short robe, the one without the sash. She had one hand clasping the front of it closed but it wasn’t enough to prevent me from seeing her panties. Thankfully, I was reclined in my chair so she couldn’t see just how much ‘attention’ her appearance had generated.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this but I’d noticed on quite a few occasions Barbara would sit in a yoga position... on the floor, a chair or sofa. On this evening she chose the sofa and immediately pulled her legs up and feet into her crotch. I mention this because with Elle’s short robe there wasn’t enough material to cover it completely. Elle was on one end and Barbara was on the other so Elle didn’t have the view that I did... thankfully. I had to be careful though so Elle didn’t pick up where my gaze was focused. I’d shift my eyes from the TV to Barbara and back. Finally, Elle asked Barbara if she was interested in Ed Sullivan and when she said she wasn’t, suggested that they move to the living room. I had about 3 or 4 minutes of enjoyment before they left.
The next morning it wasn’t Elle’s alarm that woke us, it was the noise coming from Kaye’s room. Sitting up in bed I got a glimpse of Jean and Kaye on the mattress where Barbara had slept. They were sort of flopping all around on it but I didn’t see Barbara. Elle rolled out her side of the bed and headed in that direction without a robe. I grabbed my pants and followed. Barbara was still there but Anne, Jean and Kaye were all on top of her and trying to tickle her. Elle told our girls to stop and as they did and untangled themselves I saw something I didn’t expect to see. Barbara was lying on her side and the T shirt she used to sleep in was up under her armpit exposing part of her breast... and that wasn't all. The plastic panties that encased the ”package“ that Elle had prepared for her to sleep in was totally exposed... and was wet. As soon as Elle saw it she told me to ”disappear“.
I don’t know if Barbara ever knew that I’d seen her that way. She was on her side and facing away from the door. When the girls got up and off her they were standing next to her so, as I made my way down the stairs I hoped that they’d blocked her view. As strange as it probably will seem to you, I really didn’t get any excitement from it. I was actually disappointed that she hadn’t made it through another night, dry.
I’d been putting off replacing the screens from the first floor windows with the storm windows. I hated doing it because it meant having to wash the windows first... a job I hated. The weather continued to be unseasonably warn so I had no excuse. Elle got the idea of going up to the school and playing a little tennis with Barbara. She and her sister had played with Elle and I right after they moved in but hadn’t done it since. I was out in the front yard when she came by to tell me they were all leaving for the school. I wondered what she’d chosen to wear under her slacks but she was too far away for me to know.
I remember the noon siren going off and being hungry and they hadn’t yet returned. I’d gotten all the screens off and was about to put them up in the rafters of the garage but needed help. When I saw the station wagon headed down the road next to John the farmer’s house I decided to stop and wait for them. As soon as the wagon pulled up everybody piled out but Elle. I went over to see why. She gave me a disgusted look for a brief second and I knew what that meant. The question I had, but knew better than to ask, was ”How bad?“ So, I took a different approach and asked if Barbara knew about it. She nodded affirmatively.
She’d worn ‘dribble panties’ but the ‘damage’ was more than the smiles of the day before. Barbara was with the girls as I walked with Elle up the path to the house. In most cases like this I’d have to pry the information as to just what happened from her but she surprised me by volunteering it. She knew the school would be open because the voting machines were being installed so had figured she’d have use of the rest room in the girls locker room. It turned out that was where they were ”staging“ the machines and it was off limits to everybody but people from the elections board. By then we were at the back door and Barbara and the kids were following us. I let Elle go in first so I could get a look at her backside and it was bad. Elle went right upstairs to get washed up and changed. I wondered what reaction Barbara might’ve had seeing Elle actually have her problem but there was no way I was going to bring it up.
Since this was going to be Barbara’s last night with us, the discussion at the supper table concentrated on who’s room she was going to sleep in. There was some animated discussion among the girls but Barbara came up with the solution... a game night. Each of the kids was to pick out their favorite game. Since Kaye wasn’t old enough to understand rules it was agreed that Barbara would help her. The idea was to play each game once and to keep a record of who came in first, second and third... then add the points to see who had the least. Elle made sure to tell them that after it was decided who was the winner there would be no more discussion on the matter.
I thought, for sure, that Anne would be the winner. Her favorite game was called Mirror Mania. She had figured it out early on after we got it and neither Jean, Elle nor I could beat her. This would be the first time Barbara (oops, Kaye) saw the game but she picked up the concept right away and beat Anne. The game Kaye had picked out was Candy Land which she pretty much knew how to play. But, it’s a game of luck, not skill, and Barbara (Kaye) won meaning she’d be sleeping with Kaye once again. I liked that... for two reasons. One, it meant I didn’t have to move the mattress and two, there was a the distinct possibility of having a reprise of the morning activity and some more peeks.
To be continued...
Elle made sure I went downstairs at that point and I settled in watching Ed Sullivan on TV. Elle was soon there and I asked how it was going for Barbara. She laughed saying that Kaye was trying to let her climb in bed with her. It wasn’t too long after that I saw Barbara making the turn towards us at the foot of the stairs. She had on Elle’s short robe, the one without the sash. She had one hand clasping the front of it closed but it wasn’t enough to prevent me from seeing her panties. Thankfully, I was reclined in my chair so she couldn’t see just how much ‘attention’ her appearance had generated.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this but I’d noticed on quite a few occasions Barbara would sit in a yoga position... on the floor, a chair or sofa. On this evening she chose the sofa and immediately pulled her legs up and feet into her crotch. I mention this because with Elle’s short robe there wasn’t enough material to cover it completely. Elle was on one end and Barbara was on the other so Elle didn’t have the view that I did... thankfully. I had to be careful though so Elle didn’t pick up where my gaze was focused. I’d shift my eyes from the TV to Barbara and back. Finally, Elle asked Barbara if she was interested in Ed Sullivan and when she said she wasn’t, suggested that they move to the living room. I had about 3 or 4 minutes of enjoyment before they left.
The next morning it wasn’t Elle’s alarm that woke us, it was the noise coming from Kaye’s room. Sitting up in bed I got a glimpse of Jean and Kaye on the mattress where Barbara had slept. They were sort of flopping all around on it but I didn’t see Barbara. Elle rolled out her side of the bed and headed in that direction without a robe. I grabbed my pants and followed. Barbara was still there but Anne, Jean and Kaye were all on top of her and trying to tickle her. Elle told our girls to stop and as they did and untangled themselves I saw something I didn’t expect to see. Barbara was lying on her side and the T shirt she used to sleep in was up under her armpit exposing part of her breast... and that wasn't all. The plastic panties that encased the ”package“ that Elle had prepared for her to sleep in was totally exposed... and was wet. As soon as Elle saw it she told me to ”disappear“.
I don’t know if Barbara ever knew that I’d seen her that way. She was on her side and facing away from the door. When the girls got up and off her they were standing next to her so, as I made my way down the stairs I hoped that they’d blocked her view. As strange as it probably will seem to you, I really didn’t get any excitement from it. I was actually disappointed that she hadn’t made it through another night, dry.
I’d been putting off replacing the screens from the first floor windows with the storm windows. I hated doing it because it meant having to wash the windows first... a job I hated. The weather continued to be unseasonably warn so I had no excuse. Elle got the idea of going up to the school and playing a little tennis with Barbara. She and her sister had played with Elle and I right after they moved in but hadn’t done it since. I was out in the front yard when she came by to tell me they were all leaving for the school. I wondered what she’d chosen to wear under her slacks but she was too far away for me to know.
I remember the noon siren going off and being hungry and they hadn’t yet returned. I’d gotten all the screens off and was about to put them up in the rafters of the garage but needed help. When I saw the station wagon headed down the road next to John the farmer’s house I decided to stop and wait for them. As soon as the wagon pulled up everybody piled out but Elle. I went over to see why. She gave me a disgusted look for a brief second and I knew what that meant. The question I had, but knew better than to ask, was ”How bad?“ So, I took a different approach and asked if Barbara knew about it. She nodded affirmatively.
She’d worn ‘dribble panties’ but the ‘damage’ was more than the smiles of the day before. Barbara was with the girls as I walked with Elle up the path to the house. In most cases like this I’d have to pry the information as to just what happened from her but she surprised me by volunteering it. She knew the school would be open because the voting machines were being installed so had figured she’d have use of the rest room in the girls locker room. It turned out that was where they were ”staging“ the machines and it was off limits to everybody but people from the elections board. By then we were at the back door and Barbara and the kids were following us. I let Elle go in first so I could get a look at her backside and it was bad. Elle went right upstairs to get washed up and changed. I wondered what reaction Barbara might’ve had seeing Elle actually have her problem but there was no way I was going to bring it up.
Since this was going to be Barbara’s last night with us, the discussion at the supper table concentrated on who’s room she was going to sleep in. There was some animated discussion among the girls but Barbara came up with the solution... a game night. Each of the kids was to pick out their favorite game. Since Kaye wasn’t old enough to understand rules it was agreed that Barbara would help her. The idea was to play each game once and to keep a record of who came in first, second and third... then add the points to see who had the least. Elle made sure to tell them that after it was decided who was the winner there would be no more discussion on the matter.
I thought, for sure, that Anne would be the winner. Her favorite game was called Mirror Mania. She had figured it out early on after we got it and neither Jean, Elle nor I could beat her. This would be the first time Barbara (oops, Kaye) saw the game but she picked up the concept right away and beat Anne. The game Kaye had picked out was Candy Land which she pretty much knew how to play. But, it’s a game of luck, not skill, and Barbara (Kaye) won meaning she’d be sleeping with Kaye once again. I liked that... for two reasons. One, it meant I didn’t have to move the mattress and two, there was a the distinct possibility of having a reprise of the morning activity and some more peeks.
To be continued...
Sunday, July 24, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145f)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145f)
Without wasting much time on the surprise ‘guests’, I’ll explain that they were in the area to report to the County court house the next morning for a trial concerning Mike’s failed attempt at creating a charter sailing service. They showed up at our place looking for free lodging for the night. Thank goodness we had Barbara there although, if we’d really wanted to, we could’ve squeezed them in. Nancy was really apologetic when talking with Elle saying it was Mike’s idea and he’d ignored her pleas not to. In the short time they were there she managed to convey that as soon as the court matter was resolved she was filing for divorce.
While we were involved with Nancy and Mike, Barbara took the girls over to the swing set and climbing dome to occupy them. They were there for about a half hour and I had to hand it to Elle for not inviting them in. As they drove down the driveway I went up to her with a big smile and she reciprocated. (Today, it would’ve been a ‘high 5’) Walking towards the house I mentioned the ‘smiles’ and she said she knew, that she'd felt them. I added that I was sure that Barbara had noticed and as I told her she looked over my shoulder and there she was with the girls right behind us. To give herself a little time to get cleaned up she asked Barbara to make sure the girls got all the sand out of their shoes. It also gave me time to suggest that she find some time to explain her situation to Barbara. She didn’t disagree but clearly wasn’t happy.
She also wasn’t happy about starting dinner late. Snacks for the kids made them happy, at least for a while. When the chicken was in the oven she told me to make myself scarce. That told me she was going to talk with Barbara. I’d started painting a new sign down in the basement so at least I’d be ‘productive’. I hoped that by leaving the cellar door open a bit that I’d get to hear how Elle presented her story but the two of them were no where near the door. I wasn’t sure that Elle would be willing to share with me how it went and that bothered me a bit. I wanted Elle to make sure she got across to Barbara that she shouldn’t let herself be defined by her bedwetting like I’d done. I wished that I’d had the opportunity to find out what Elle was planning to say but there wasn't the opportunity. Another thing on my mind was in hoping that Barbara wouldn’t ‘slip’ and let Elle know that I’d told her about her incontinence.
Curiosity got the best of me and after a while I climbed the stairs to see where they were. I could smell the chicken in the oven but there was no sign of either of them so I went back to the basement. A little while later I was surprised when Barbara came down the stairs to see what I was doing. Ever since I’d had my ‘talk’ with her she’d been back to being the girl I’d first met... cheerful, bubbly and just plain nice. I’d been impressed with how she’d handled our earlier sightseeing ‘tour’. Some of it had to be just plain boring for her but she kept a smile on her face and willingly entertained our girls. And now, here she was, acting like she really cared about what I was doing. Because of her demeanor I asked, as innocently as I could, what she and Elle had been talking about.
She made a cute face and told me that Elle had told her not to tell me. Before I could respond to that she went on and said Elle had, basically, said the same thing that I’d told her in that her bedwetting was only a minor part of what made her unique. Hearing that I was immediately proud of Elle. But, she didn’t stop there going on to add that she had no idea how Elle could deal with it on a daily basis. She was especially in awe of the fact that she was able to teach and not have any fear. I interrupted to say that wasn’t entirely true... it was that, in most cases, she didn’t let it show. It was then that Barbara showed her youthfulness and, smiling, said that she didn’t think she could handle the thought of embarrassing herself in public at any time. It was my turn to smile but I wanted to make an important point. I told her that Elle had learned when one of those situations came up if she acted like nothing was wrong the chances were good that no one paid any attention to it. Then, as I was prone to do, asked a question that, as soon as I mouthed it, knew it was wrong.
I asked if she ever had an ‘accident’ with people around. I watched her face get red even with her lowering it to look down at the floor. I immediately apologized and to my amazement she looked up and said it was OK. I thought that was the end of it but she went on to admit that she had. I apologized again, emphasizing that I was out of line and hoped she’d forgive me. Here’s where she really surprised me with her maturity. She wanted to know why I’d asked. Before I could begin to answer I heard Elle calling from the kitchen so that ended it. In a way I was glad for the interruption. On the other hand I really wanted to make a point with her. I hoped I’d have another chance.
The big thing we had to work out that night was to figure out how Barbara could sleep in with Kaye. She hadn’t let us forget it. We all went upstairs after eating and Barbara showed she was a real ‘trooper’ and volunteered to sleep on the floor if we could move a mattress for her. It made sense to move the one she’d been sleeping on in Jean’s room as the sheets, beach towel and ‘protection’ was already in place. We struggled getting it down the hall and to make less work, placed it just inside the door and next to Kaye’s bed. She was so excited!
With no school the next day we allowed our girls to stay up a little later than usual. But, when it came time for bed Kaye insisted that Barbara go to bed at the same time. Elle told her that she’d be there in the morning but that didn’t work. Kaye started to make a fuss and Barbara cut it short and said she would. However, when she didn’t take off her clothes Kaye picked up on it and Barbara, now laughing, agreed to change.
To be continued...
Without wasting much time on the surprise ‘guests’, I’ll explain that they were in the area to report to the County court house the next morning for a trial concerning Mike’s failed attempt at creating a charter sailing service. They showed up at our place looking for free lodging for the night. Thank goodness we had Barbara there although, if we’d really wanted to, we could’ve squeezed them in. Nancy was really apologetic when talking with Elle saying it was Mike’s idea and he’d ignored her pleas not to. In the short time they were there she managed to convey that as soon as the court matter was resolved she was filing for divorce.
While we were involved with Nancy and Mike, Barbara took the girls over to the swing set and climbing dome to occupy them. They were there for about a half hour and I had to hand it to Elle for not inviting them in. As they drove down the driveway I went up to her with a big smile and she reciprocated. (Today, it would’ve been a ‘high 5’) Walking towards the house I mentioned the ‘smiles’ and she said she knew, that she'd felt them. I added that I was sure that Barbara had noticed and as I told her she looked over my shoulder and there she was with the girls right behind us. To give herself a little time to get cleaned up she asked Barbara to make sure the girls got all the sand out of their shoes. It also gave me time to suggest that she find some time to explain her situation to Barbara. She didn’t disagree but clearly wasn’t happy.
She also wasn’t happy about starting dinner late. Snacks for the kids made them happy, at least for a while. When the chicken was in the oven she told me to make myself scarce. That told me she was going to talk with Barbara. I’d started painting a new sign down in the basement so at least I’d be ‘productive’. I hoped that by leaving the cellar door open a bit that I’d get to hear how Elle presented her story but the two of them were no where near the door. I wasn’t sure that Elle would be willing to share with me how it went and that bothered me a bit. I wanted Elle to make sure she got across to Barbara that she shouldn’t let herself be defined by her bedwetting like I’d done. I wished that I’d had the opportunity to find out what Elle was planning to say but there wasn't the opportunity. Another thing on my mind was in hoping that Barbara wouldn’t ‘slip’ and let Elle know that I’d told her about her incontinence.
Curiosity got the best of me and after a while I climbed the stairs to see where they were. I could smell the chicken in the oven but there was no sign of either of them so I went back to the basement. A little while later I was surprised when Barbara came down the stairs to see what I was doing. Ever since I’d had my ‘talk’ with her she’d been back to being the girl I’d first met... cheerful, bubbly and just plain nice. I’d been impressed with how she’d handled our earlier sightseeing ‘tour’. Some of it had to be just plain boring for her but she kept a smile on her face and willingly entertained our girls. And now, here she was, acting like she really cared about what I was doing. Because of her demeanor I asked, as innocently as I could, what she and Elle had been talking about.
She made a cute face and told me that Elle had told her not to tell me. Before I could respond to that she went on and said Elle had, basically, said the same thing that I’d told her in that her bedwetting was only a minor part of what made her unique. Hearing that I was immediately proud of Elle. But, she didn’t stop there going on to add that she had no idea how Elle could deal with it on a daily basis. She was especially in awe of the fact that she was able to teach and not have any fear. I interrupted to say that wasn’t entirely true... it was that, in most cases, she didn’t let it show. It was then that Barbara showed her youthfulness and, smiling, said that she didn’t think she could handle the thought of embarrassing herself in public at any time. It was my turn to smile but I wanted to make an important point. I told her that Elle had learned when one of those situations came up if she acted like nothing was wrong the chances were good that no one paid any attention to it. Then, as I was prone to do, asked a question that, as soon as I mouthed it, knew it was wrong.
I asked if she ever had an ‘accident’ with people around. I watched her face get red even with her lowering it to look down at the floor. I immediately apologized and to my amazement she looked up and said it was OK. I thought that was the end of it but she went on to admit that she had. I apologized again, emphasizing that I was out of line and hoped she’d forgive me. Here’s where she really surprised me with her maturity. She wanted to know why I’d asked. Before I could begin to answer I heard Elle calling from the kitchen so that ended it. In a way I was glad for the interruption. On the other hand I really wanted to make a point with her. I hoped I’d have another chance.
The big thing we had to work out that night was to figure out how Barbara could sleep in with Kaye. She hadn’t let us forget it. We all went upstairs after eating and Barbara showed she was a real ‘trooper’ and volunteered to sleep on the floor if we could move a mattress for her. It made sense to move the one she’d been sleeping on in Jean’s room as the sheets, beach towel and ‘protection’ was already in place. We struggled getting it down the hall and to make less work, placed it just inside the door and next to Kaye’s bed. She was so excited!
With no school the next day we allowed our girls to stay up a little later than usual. But, when it came time for bed Kaye insisted that Barbara go to bed at the same time. Elle told her that she’d be there in the morning but that didn’t work. Kaye started to make a fuss and Barbara cut it short and said she would. However, when she didn’t take off her clothes Kaye picked up on it and Barbara, now laughing, agreed to change.
To be continued...
Friday, July 22, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145e)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145e)
While we ate Elle proposed an itinerary that included visiting the most popular public beach (in Summer), two lighthouses, hopefully see the big ferry boat and then her father’s fishing boat. As soon as my girls heard the boat mentioned they let out a little scream of joy. Their grandfather’s boat was docked in the same town as the ice cream store owned and run by one of Elle’s high school classmates and every time they went to see the boat they got ice cream. It was a bit before 1pm before we were on our way. Arriving at the public beach I was sure Barbara was underwhelmed as there was almost no activity. We all got out and the girls ran Barbara down to the water’s edge. Upon their return I explained to Barbara that if this were an August Sunday we probably wouldn’t find a parking place. The next stop was what we ‘local’s’ called, the ”little“ lighthouse. It sat on a bluff and looked quite quaint up there. There was no public access and all it really was was a descriptive location. It hadn’t been manned since the end of WWII and now only a flashing beacon shown from it’s tower. The next stop was to be the lighthouse the locals referred to as ”the Point“.
When Elle and I were dating this was one of our favorite locations. You had to walk about a half mile to get to the place through soft sand. That, for many, was a deterrent and, for us meant ome privacy. In any case. The parking lot was the embarkation point for the ferry that went over to Connecticut. The fact that there were only two tractor trailers in line and no cars, even in the parking lot, told me we’d just missed the most recent ferry. The second point of concern was that the Snack Shack was closed. Elle, in her planning had counted on using it as a ‘rest stop’. I parked and walked over to the ticket office and the sign told the story. The ferry was now operating on it’s Winter schedule... three ferries a day. The time for the next arrival wasn’t until much later in the afternoon. The girls (Barbara included) were all for a walk on the beach and Elle, reluctantly agreed. I knew why she was hesitant but did a quick calculation and felt we could still go look at the lighthouse and make it back to the ice cream place without her having a problem.
Even though the water was cold the girls all insisted on taking their shoes off and walking/running along the water’s edge. It was actually easier walking down there where the sand, still wet from the ebbing tide, was somewhat firm. We got to the lighthouse and explained why it was there. It, like the ”little“ lighthouse was no longer manned and was just an electric light beacon. The house that the lighthouse keeper and his family lived in was still there but behind a chain link fence with barbed wire. As I remember it the round trip took almost an hour and on our way back to the station wagon our girls started chanting for ice cream. They could’ve cared less about their grandfather’s boat.
Approaching the parking lot I saw something I didn’t like... a flat tire. If it had been my car I wouldn’t have had a problem because I still had the tools, including a bottle jack, from my race car days in the trunk. I had no idea what kind of jack came with the wagon and wasn’t happy when I went to find out. It was a scissor jack. The instructions (yes, I did read them!) identified the points under the car for it to be placed. By then Elle was getting really concerned. I won’t go through the whole ‘process’ but it didn’t go smoothly. After the spare was in place I tried to get an idea of how Elle was doing and she refused to give me an indication. I knew she had on the dribble panties and a pair of sanitary ones over them but also knew if she had a ‘flood’ they’d be like Kleenex acting as a dam.
To get to the parking lot for the ice cream parlor we had to drive though another that was adjacent to where Elle’s father docked his boat. The girls had been there before and recognized it immediately, excitedly pointing the boat out to Barbara. After seeing it they wanted to stop but Elle said ”No“ and I knew why. They didn’t so they made a bit of a fuss even with ice cream only minutes away. After vacating the car we had to go down a small alley to get to Main Street (that’s really what it was called). Unfortunately, there was a string of cars coming and we were in the middle of the block so had to wait. One glance at Elle told me she wasn’t going to make it. When the last car passed I led the girls, rapidly, to the other side. Elle was taking her time. Stacy, the owner who’d been in Elle’s graduating class, recognized me and promptly attended to the wishes of the girls. Once up the steps and inside Elle slowly made her way to the ladies room and I watched her the whole way. I really couldn’t tell if she was going to make it or not.
After an extended period of time she finally exited and, to be truthful, I saw no wetness. As the girls devoured their ice cream I sidled over to Elle, who had chosen not to sit, and asked if she’d ”made it?“ Her answer was a short ”Sorta“. The tone of it told me not to go any further. Elle wanted to be home by 4pm to be able to be able to roast a chicken for supper so we didn’t stay all that long.
Pulling up the driveway I saw an unfamiliar car parked in front of the garage blocking my way in. As soon as I stopped two people got out and the one I could see didn’t make me happy. It was Mike, the blowhard phony who was married to Elle’s college roommate Nancy. Of course, the other party was Nancy. Elle bolted out of the wagon and ran to her. As she did I saw these two ”smiles“, one on each cheek on her pants. They ran from her crotch out and up towards her hips. Barbara had gotten out right behind her and there was no way she could miss seeing them as Elle and Nancy hugged. I looked at Barbara and wondered what she was thinking.
To be continued...
While we ate Elle proposed an itinerary that included visiting the most popular public beach (in Summer), two lighthouses, hopefully see the big ferry boat and then her father’s fishing boat. As soon as my girls heard the boat mentioned they let out a little scream of joy. Their grandfather’s boat was docked in the same town as the ice cream store owned and run by one of Elle’s high school classmates and every time they went to see the boat they got ice cream. It was a bit before 1pm before we were on our way. Arriving at the public beach I was sure Barbara was underwhelmed as there was almost no activity. We all got out and the girls ran Barbara down to the water’s edge. Upon their return I explained to Barbara that if this were an August Sunday we probably wouldn’t find a parking place. The next stop was what we ‘local’s’ called, the ”little“ lighthouse. It sat on a bluff and looked quite quaint up there. There was no public access and all it really was was a descriptive location. It hadn’t been manned since the end of WWII and now only a flashing beacon shown from it’s tower. The next stop was to be the lighthouse the locals referred to as ”the Point“.
When Elle and I were dating this was one of our favorite locations. You had to walk about a half mile to get to the place through soft sand. That, for many, was a deterrent and, for us meant ome privacy. In any case. The parking lot was the embarkation point for the ferry that went over to Connecticut. The fact that there were only two tractor trailers in line and no cars, even in the parking lot, told me we’d just missed the most recent ferry. The second point of concern was that the Snack Shack was closed. Elle, in her planning had counted on using it as a ‘rest stop’. I parked and walked over to the ticket office and the sign told the story. The ferry was now operating on it’s Winter schedule... three ferries a day. The time for the next arrival wasn’t until much later in the afternoon. The girls (Barbara included) were all for a walk on the beach and Elle, reluctantly agreed. I knew why she was hesitant but did a quick calculation and felt we could still go look at the lighthouse and make it back to the ice cream place without her having a problem.
Even though the water was cold the girls all insisted on taking their shoes off and walking/running along the water’s edge. It was actually easier walking down there where the sand, still wet from the ebbing tide, was somewhat firm. We got to the lighthouse and explained why it was there. It, like the ”little“ lighthouse was no longer manned and was just an electric light beacon. The house that the lighthouse keeper and his family lived in was still there but behind a chain link fence with barbed wire. As I remember it the round trip took almost an hour and on our way back to the station wagon our girls started chanting for ice cream. They could’ve cared less about their grandfather’s boat.
Approaching the parking lot I saw something I didn’t like... a flat tire. If it had been my car I wouldn’t have had a problem because I still had the tools, including a bottle jack, from my race car days in the trunk. I had no idea what kind of jack came with the wagon and wasn’t happy when I went to find out. It was a scissor jack. The instructions (yes, I did read them!) identified the points under the car for it to be placed. By then Elle was getting really concerned. I won’t go through the whole ‘process’ but it didn’t go smoothly. After the spare was in place I tried to get an idea of how Elle was doing and she refused to give me an indication. I knew she had on the dribble panties and a pair of sanitary ones over them but also knew if she had a ‘flood’ they’d be like Kleenex acting as a dam.
To get to the parking lot for the ice cream parlor we had to drive though another that was adjacent to where Elle’s father docked his boat. The girls had been there before and recognized it immediately, excitedly pointing the boat out to Barbara. After seeing it they wanted to stop but Elle said ”No“ and I knew why. They didn’t so they made a bit of a fuss even with ice cream only minutes away. After vacating the car we had to go down a small alley to get to Main Street (that’s really what it was called). Unfortunately, there was a string of cars coming and we were in the middle of the block so had to wait. One glance at Elle told me she wasn’t going to make it. When the last car passed I led the girls, rapidly, to the other side. Elle was taking her time. Stacy, the owner who’d been in Elle’s graduating class, recognized me and promptly attended to the wishes of the girls. Once up the steps and inside Elle slowly made her way to the ladies room and I watched her the whole way. I really couldn’t tell if she was going to make it or not.
After an extended period of time she finally exited and, to be truthful, I saw no wetness. As the girls devoured their ice cream I sidled over to Elle, who had chosen not to sit, and asked if she’d ”made it?“ Her answer was a short ”Sorta“. The tone of it told me not to go any further. Elle wanted to be home by 4pm to be able to be able to roast a chicken for supper so we didn’t stay all that long.
Pulling up the driveway I saw an unfamiliar car parked in front of the garage blocking my way in. As soon as I stopped two people got out and the one I could see didn’t make me happy. It was Mike, the blowhard phony who was married to Elle’s college roommate Nancy. Of course, the other party was Nancy. Elle bolted out of the wagon and ran to her. As she did I saw these two ”smiles“, one on each cheek on her pants. They ran from her crotch out and up towards her hips. Barbara had gotten out right behind her and there was no way she could miss seeing them as Elle and Nancy hugged. I looked at Barbara and wondered what she was thinking.
 |
| An example of "smiles" |
To be continued...
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145d)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145d)
Walking in to the den there was Barbara all curled up in my reclining chair. Seeing her asleep my immediate thought was that she’d be wet. I got a first hand example of just how soundly she slept as it took Elle a while to rouse her. Once awake she was quite jovial asking how the visit went. I was tired so headed upstairs while I could have the bathroom to myself while the two of them chatted. Walking down the hall I realized that Barbara was sleeping in Jean’s room on this night. I’d forgotten about it but evidently Jean and Elle hadn’t as the spare bed was prepared and ready for Barbara.
My Sunday routine was pretty standard by then. Being up early for the 8am service was easy and getting home with most of the day still before me was the reward. Elle would go to the late (10am) service so the kids could go to Sunday school. She’d usually get home anywhere from 11:30am to noon. Barbara attended the Presbyterian church located almost directly across the street so the logistics of getting her there and back were made easier. I got up when Elle’s bathroom alarm went off at 7am but waited a few minutes for her to wake Barbara and for both of them to use the toilet. When Elle walked back into our bedroom I headed down the hall. As I approached the bathroom I could see Barbara getting settled back into bed... and got a peek of her wearing one of Elle’s ”packages“ with the noticeable plastic panties. I made the assumption that she’d made it through the night dry as she, obviously, hadn’t changed. I felt good about that hoping that Elle’s suggestion(s) might prove beneficial.
It was right around 9am when I got back home. Things were, as usual on a Sunday morning, a little chaotic. Elle was still bustling around the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast mess and Kaye was dawdling over her cereal. All the others were, supposedly, getting dressed. Elle asked me to take Kaye upstairs and to get her started. She wasn’t too keen on that so I had to carry her. I made the turn to go up the stairs and saw someone up near the top. It was Barbara. As soon as she saw me carrying Kaye she turned around and headed back up. I’d stopped and was watching her as she did... and got an eyeful. Looking up I could see the lace hem of her dress... and a peek of her panties. I knew exactly what they were because I could see the band’s around the leg openings... Lollipop cotton. I got to the top and then could take a look at her and what she was wearing. It was a very pretty off white dress embellished with lace... and... incredibly short. As soon as I reached the top she headed down... and what I really wanted to do was to follow her.
Having just gotten a peek of her panties it reminded me that I'd had in mind to look over the panties she’d brought for her stay. With Elle and the rest of them leaving for church it gave me a clear shot. As I’ve said previously, it didn’t matter that I’d seen them before, it was still exciting. After getting Kaye dressed and my clothes changed we went back downstairs. Elle still had to get dressed and asked me to dry the breakfast dishes she’d just washed. Barbara heard her and we both started towards the sink. It gave me a chance to get a better look at her dress and it hadn’t gotten any longer. I also noticed that it was fairly tight across the bodice. Knowing her mother I couldn’t help but wonder if she would’ve approved. We each grabbed a towel and started drying. I decided to compliment her on the dress and asked if it had been bought for a special occasion. She smiled and said it was for her cousin’s wedding and it was her favorite dress. I have no idea what made me ask just when the wedding had been held. She answered right back that it was two years ago. Thinking about it for a few seconds I had an idea why the dress was so short... and tight. She’d grown. I watched all of them walk to the station wagon and there couldn’t have been more than an inch of material covering Barbara’s panties. I felt sure there would be somebody at her church who’d get a good peek.
A quick trip upstairs and into Anne’s room where the dresser she’d put her clothes in provided me with what I was looking for. There was a nice, neat pile of panties, five in all, and, as expected, Lollipop band leg with the double panel in the back. Taking note of how they were folded I inspected each one. A couple of them were stained much like Elle’s Carter’s Spanky Pants but the others looked much newer. As I write this I’m still shaking my head as to just what the double panel was for. (I still don’t know.) After returning them to the drawer I saw a small pile of clothes stacked next to the bed she’d slept in the first night so went over to check them out. I found two panties but other than some innocent discharge found nothing of real interest.
Upon Elle's return I was ‘attacked’ by my two oldest girls who boldly stated that we were going to take Barbara ”sightseeing“. I’m not sure they knew exactly what sightseeing actually was but they were excited. When Elle and Barbara made it to where I was standing on the patio an explanation was forthcoming. Elle, to make conversation with Barbara, asked if she visited any of the local ”sights“. She told Elle that she hadn’t and it was Elle that proposed that we all go for a ride and to show her around the area. When lunch was mentioned and were asked if they wanted to take sandwiches or to stay and have grilled cheese sandwiches, the latter was the overwhelming choice. While Elle prepared them all the girls changed. The day had turned out to be nicer (warmer) than expected and Elle felt that sweaters would be enough for her and the others. As we prepared to leave I asked what ‘protection’ she was wearing. Thinking that Barbara could hear us she made the ‘shush’ motion to her lips and never answered.
To be continued...
Walking in to the den there was Barbara all curled up in my reclining chair. Seeing her asleep my immediate thought was that she’d be wet. I got a first hand example of just how soundly she slept as it took Elle a while to rouse her. Once awake she was quite jovial asking how the visit went. I was tired so headed upstairs while I could have the bathroom to myself while the two of them chatted. Walking down the hall I realized that Barbara was sleeping in Jean’s room on this night. I’d forgotten about it but evidently Jean and Elle hadn’t as the spare bed was prepared and ready for Barbara.
My Sunday routine was pretty standard by then. Being up early for the 8am service was easy and getting home with most of the day still before me was the reward. Elle would go to the late (10am) service so the kids could go to Sunday school. She’d usually get home anywhere from 11:30am to noon. Barbara attended the Presbyterian church located almost directly across the street so the logistics of getting her there and back were made easier. I got up when Elle’s bathroom alarm went off at 7am but waited a few minutes for her to wake Barbara and for both of them to use the toilet. When Elle walked back into our bedroom I headed down the hall. As I approached the bathroom I could see Barbara getting settled back into bed... and got a peek of her wearing one of Elle’s ”packages“ with the noticeable plastic panties. I made the assumption that she’d made it through the night dry as she, obviously, hadn’t changed. I felt good about that hoping that Elle’s suggestion(s) might prove beneficial.
It was right around 9am when I got back home. Things were, as usual on a Sunday morning, a little chaotic. Elle was still bustling around the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast mess and Kaye was dawdling over her cereal. All the others were, supposedly, getting dressed. Elle asked me to take Kaye upstairs and to get her started. She wasn’t too keen on that so I had to carry her. I made the turn to go up the stairs and saw someone up near the top. It was Barbara. As soon as she saw me carrying Kaye she turned around and headed back up. I’d stopped and was watching her as she did... and got an eyeful. Looking up I could see the lace hem of her dress... and a peek of her panties. I knew exactly what they were because I could see the band’s around the leg openings... Lollipop cotton. I got to the top and then could take a look at her and what she was wearing. It was a very pretty off white dress embellished with lace... and... incredibly short. As soon as I reached the top she headed down... and what I really wanted to do was to follow her.
Having just gotten a peek of her panties it reminded me that I'd had in mind to look over the panties she’d brought for her stay. With Elle and the rest of them leaving for church it gave me a clear shot. As I’ve said previously, it didn’t matter that I’d seen them before, it was still exciting. After getting Kaye dressed and my clothes changed we went back downstairs. Elle still had to get dressed and asked me to dry the breakfast dishes she’d just washed. Barbara heard her and we both started towards the sink. It gave me a chance to get a better look at her dress and it hadn’t gotten any longer. I also noticed that it was fairly tight across the bodice. Knowing her mother I couldn’t help but wonder if she would’ve approved. We each grabbed a towel and started drying. I decided to compliment her on the dress and asked if it had been bought for a special occasion. She smiled and said it was for her cousin’s wedding and it was her favorite dress. I have no idea what made me ask just when the wedding had been held. She answered right back that it was two years ago. Thinking about it for a few seconds I had an idea why the dress was so short... and tight. She’d grown. I watched all of them walk to the station wagon and there couldn’t have been more than an inch of material covering Barbara’s panties. I felt sure there would be somebody at her church who’d get a good peek.
A quick trip upstairs and into Anne’s room where the dresser she’d put her clothes in provided me with what I was looking for. There was a nice, neat pile of panties, five in all, and, as expected, Lollipop band leg with the double panel in the back. Taking note of how they were folded I inspected each one. A couple of them were stained much like Elle’s Carter’s Spanky Pants but the others looked much newer. As I write this I’m still shaking my head as to just what the double panel was for. (I still don’t know.) After returning them to the drawer I saw a small pile of clothes stacked next to the bed she’d slept in the first night so went over to check them out. I found two panties but other than some innocent discharge found nothing of real interest.
Upon Elle's return I was ‘attacked’ by my two oldest girls who boldly stated that we were going to take Barbara ”sightseeing“. I’m not sure they knew exactly what sightseeing actually was but they were excited. When Elle and Barbara made it to where I was standing on the patio an explanation was forthcoming. Elle, to make conversation with Barbara, asked if she visited any of the local ”sights“. She told Elle that she hadn’t and it was Elle that proposed that we all go for a ride and to show her around the area. When lunch was mentioned and were asked if they wanted to take sandwiches or to stay and have grilled cheese sandwiches, the latter was the overwhelming choice. While Elle prepared them all the girls changed. The day had turned out to be nicer (warmer) than expected and Elle felt that sweaters would be enough for her and the others. As we prepared to leave I asked what ‘protection’ she was wearing. Thinking that Barbara could hear us she made the ‘shush’ motion to her lips and never answered.
To be continued...
Monday, July 18, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145c)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145c)
Solemn is the only word that fits Barbara’s description on the way in to town. I tried to make ‘small talk’ by asking just what it was that she did at work. I’m not sure I got anything for an answer. As we pulled up in front of the store I told her I’d be back to pick her up at 5pm when the store closed. She shot me a ‘look’ that told me that that news didn’t make her any happier.
Being a small town there weren’t many stores to begin with and since it was primarily a Summer destination, things got really slow after Labor Day. The store where Barbara was working was one of only three that stayed open after 1pm on Saturdays. There was only one car parked in the street when I arrived which told a story in itself. Barbara was waiting outside the door and still had that ‘I’m not happy” look about her. The ‘small talk’ hadn’t worked in the morning so I wasn’t going to waste my breath on that again. After she was settled in I didn’t put the car in gear but just sat there. She was looking straight ahead and so was I. I waited until I saw her turn her head towards me and then I started in on her.
I turned towards her and, sternly, told her to keep looking at me. I wasn’t sure she would but she surprised me. I told her I didn’t know what was bothering her but whatever it was was bothering me. I asked her what had happened to the always smiling, fun girl that she’d been when I first met her. I don’t know how long I kept that up... maybe a minute, before I stopped. I waited for some sort of response. Finally she, now looking down at the space on the seat between us, mumbled something I couldn’t understand. I told her she had to look at me again and repeat what she’d just said. It took more than a few seconds before she, in almost a whisper, stated that she was uncomfortable having me see her. I heard it that time but didn’t understand it.
It took some patience to draw the reason out of her... and it was that she was embarrassed. I asked her “About what?”. By then, I, of course, pretty much knew because Elle and I’d discussed it over lunch. However, I wanted her to give me the reason. Cruel? Yes it was but I had a purpose. What I finally got out of her was to say she didn’t want to be known as a bedwetter. At that point I took a different tack. I asked her, point blank, how many people outside of her family knew about it. She mentioned Elle, I and the kids but I told her not to count us. She thought for a while and came up with a number of four at which time I asked who they were. Then I asked how she was treated by them after they found out. Again, she thought about it and her answer was that it was pretty much the same as before they knew. Then I really surprised her and asked what she thought any one of them would say if I walked up to them and asked for their description of her. She didn’t grasp the idea so I made it pretty clear when I asked if she thought anyone would say “Oh, she’s a bedwetter!” or would they say “She’s a really good friend”. That got a bit of a smile. That loosened her up a bit and even though I knew the answer I asked what Elle had told her about herself. It caught her by surprise and I had to tell her that it was OK because there wasn’t anything that I didn’t know about her. I emphasized the “anything”.
It was obvious she was uncomfortable in describing what Elle had shared with her. After she did I told her that Elle, in spite of her incontinence, never allowed herself to dwell on it and that she considered herself to be a wife, mother, teacher, friend, tennis player and 4 H leader. As soon as I mentioned the word “incontinence” it brought a surprised look to her face and she blurted out ”Don’t you mean enuresis? That’s when I realized I’d screwed up and that Elle had only told her about her bedwetting and nothing more. Now it was me who was embarrassed.
I took a few minutes to explain what had happened to Elle to cause it but quickly went on to emphasize that, for as long as I’d known her, she’d always treated it as an annoyance and never let it define her or stop her from attempting to do things she wanted to do. Thinking back on it now, the best way to describe the look on Barbara’s face was shock. Recognizing that I needed to keep it from becoming a problem for me I took a calculated risk. I explained that I’d made a mistake and that if Elle had wanted her to know about it she would’ve told her. So, I told her that we each held a secret... I in that I knew about her ‘condition’ and she in that she knew about Elle’s incontinence. If we kept it between just the two of us there wouldn’t be a problem. I asked if she agreed with that and she nodded affirmatively. I breathed a little easier.
Back at home and in the driveway I asked if she was OK with everything we’d talked about and she, again, nodded affirmatively. As we walked up to the door I made sure she wasn’t upset in any way and that she’d go back to being a ‘happy girl“. She smiled and that was good enough for me.
Naturally, Elle wasn’t happy because supper was ready and she was waiting for us to put it on the table to go on the table. However, I recognized she was ‘treading lightly’ in that I wasn’t taking much heat for being somewhat late. I had a feeling there was something to that... and I was right. One of the mothers that helped with the 4 H program that morning invited Elle and I to her house that night. It wasn’t that I was anti social but random invites from people I don’t know never went well with me. I didn’t commit right away but it was Barbara who was the one to make it happen when she said she was a ”built in baby sitter“. It was easier to say "yes" than resist so that’s what we did. Nice people but boring... a long evening. I ‘fudged’ our leaving a bit saying we had to get home because of the baby sitter. Elle hit me in the arm once we were outside but had a smile on her face.
To be continued...
Solemn is the only word that fits Barbara’s description on the way in to town. I tried to make ‘small talk’ by asking just what it was that she did at work. I’m not sure I got anything for an answer. As we pulled up in front of the store I told her I’d be back to pick her up at 5pm when the store closed. She shot me a ‘look’ that told me that that news didn’t make her any happier.
Being a small town there weren’t many stores to begin with and since it was primarily a Summer destination, things got really slow after Labor Day. The store where Barbara was working was one of only three that stayed open after 1pm on Saturdays. There was only one car parked in the street when I arrived which told a story in itself. Barbara was waiting outside the door and still had that ‘I’m not happy” look about her. The ‘small talk’ hadn’t worked in the morning so I wasn’t going to waste my breath on that again. After she was settled in I didn’t put the car in gear but just sat there. She was looking straight ahead and so was I. I waited until I saw her turn her head towards me and then I started in on her.
I turned towards her and, sternly, told her to keep looking at me. I wasn’t sure she would but she surprised me. I told her I didn’t know what was bothering her but whatever it was was bothering me. I asked her what had happened to the always smiling, fun girl that she’d been when I first met her. I don’t know how long I kept that up... maybe a minute, before I stopped. I waited for some sort of response. Finally she, now looking down at the space on the seat between us, mumbled something I couldn’t understand. I told her she had to look at me again and repeat what she’d just said. It took more than a few seconds before she, in almost a whisper, stated that she was uncomfortable having me see her. I heard it that time but didn’t understand it.
It took some patience to draw the reason out of her... and it was that she was embarrassed. I asked her “About what?”. By then, I, of course, pretty much knew because Elle and I’d discussed it over lunch. However, I wanted her to give me the reason. Cruel? Yes it was but I had a purpose. What I finally got out of her was to say she didn’t want to be known as a bedwetter. At that point I took a different tack. I asked her, point blank, how many people outside of her family knew about it. She mentioned Elle, I and the kids but I told her not to count us. She thought for a while and came up with a number of four at which time I asked who they were. Then I asked how she was treated by them after they found out. Again, she thought about it and her answer was that it was pretty much the same as before they knew. Then I really surprised her and asked what she thought any one of them would say if I walked up to them and asked for their description of her. She didn’t grasp the idea so I made it pretty clear when I asked if she thought anyone would say “Oh, she’s a bedwetter!” or would they say “She’s a really good friend”. That got a bit of a smile. That loosened her up a bit and even though I knew the answer I asked what Elle had told her about herself. It caught her by surprise and I had to tell her that it was OK because there wasn’t anything that I didn’t know about her. I emphasized the “anything”.
It was obvious she was uncomfortable in describing what Elle had shared with her. After she did I told her that Elle, in spite of her incontinence, never allowed herself to dwell on it and that she considered herself to be a wife, mother, teacher, friend, tennis player and 4 H leader. As soon as I mentioned the word “incontinence” it brought a surprised look to her face and she blurted out ”Don’t you mean enuresis? That’s when I realized I’d screwed up and that Elle had only told her about her bedwetting and nothing more. Now it was me who was embarrassed.
I took a few minutes to explain what had happened to Elle to cause it but quickly went on to emphasize that, for as long as I’d known her, she’d always treated it as an annoyance and never let it define her or stop her from attempting to do things she wanted to do. Thinking back on it now, the best way to describe the look on Barbara’s face was shock. Recognizing that I needed to keep it from becoming a problem for me I took a calculated risk. I explained that I’d made a mistake and that if Elle had wanted her to know about it she would’ve told her. So, I told her that we each held a secret... I in that I knew about her ‘condition’ and she in that she knew about Elle’s incontinence. If we kept it between just the two of us there wouldn’t be a problem. I asked if she agreed with that and she nodded affirmatively. I breathed a little easier.
Back at home and in the driveway I asked if she was OK with everything we’d talked about and she, again, nodded affirmatively. As we walked up to the door I made sure she wasn’t upset in any way and that she’d go back to being a ‘happy girl“. She smiled and that was good enough for me.
Naturally, Elle wasn’t happy because supper was ready and she was waiting for us to put it on the table to go on the table. However, I recognized she was ‘treading lightly’ in that I wasn’t taking much heat for being somewhat late. I had a feeling there was something to that... and I was right. One of the mothers that helped with the 4 H program that morning invited Elle and I to her house that night. It wasn’t that I was anti social but random invites from people I don’t know never went well with me. I didn’t commit right away but it was Barbara who was the one to make it happen when she said she was a ”built in baby sitter“. It was easier to say "yes" than resist so that’s what we did. Nice people but boring... a long evening. I ‘fudged’ our leaving a bit saying we had to get home because of the baby sitter. Elle hit me in the arm once we were outside but had a smile on her face.
To be continued...
Saturday, July 16, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145b)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145b)
Elle seldom stayed up as late as the end of the news so I didn’t expect her to stay very long when we sat down. The first time I looked at my watch it was past midnight... and she was still going strong. The reason she’d been shaking her head earlier was that she couldn’t believe what she’d found out about Barbara. The most shocking thing to me was that Barbara didn’t wear any kind of protection to bed. Elle told me all she wore was a T-shirt and panties. What her mother had her do was to take a beach towel, fold it in thirds and then lay it over a flanelized rubber mat with the bottom sheet over them. It made no sense to Elle (nor to me) and it prompted her to tell Barbara about her bed wetting and how she handled it. I knew she had no intention of sharing that with her so it told me how shocked she was upon hearing that. Elle said she showed Barbara what she wore to bed (her “package” made up with sanitary pads, multiple ribbed cotton panties and a pair of plastic panties) and to suggest that she try it. She told me Barbara was a bit reluctant but was finally persuaded. Elle also told her about her alarm clock system and told her she’d come in and wake her up when she got up. Elle said that prompted Barbara to give Elle some of her bedwetting history. At one time her mother had bought an alarm system to wake her when it detected signs of moisture. She told Elle that it was a failure as she was a deep sleeper and by the time she heard the alarm it was already too late.
Elle said she asked Barbara if she'd ever been to a doctor to find out a reason for it and that it brought forth a laugh from her. She told Elle that her sister, Mo, wasn’t toilet trained until she was almost ready to start school and that had prompted their mother, Phyllis, to take them both to a specialist to see if there was something wrong with them. According to Barbara the doctor accused Phyllis of not trying hard enough with them. That turned their mother against doctors for anything other than when they were obviously sick and with a fever. Mo finally overcame her troubles but Barbara didn’t. Elle said that Barbara told her it wasn’t from not trying. One of the things her mother tried was to not let her drink anything after supper but that she became dehydrated a few times and that created other problems so they stopped with that idea. There was more but I’m surprised that I remembered as much as I did.
By the time we made our way upstairs it was almost the time for Elle’s first alarm to go off so she woke Barbara up for the first time. When Elle came back she told me that Barbara wasn’t kidding when she said she was deep sleeper. I’d become so accustomed to Elle’s night time alarms that when one would go off all I’d do was just roll over and go back to sleep so I never heard the 4am one. At the seven o’clock one Elle made sure I got up because there was a lot going on that day. Because she’d spent so much time with Barbara and then explaining her situation to me she hadn’t finished preparing for her 4-H group meeting later that morning so she had a lot to do and not much time to do it. She told me that I’d be the one to drive Barbara to work. My plans for the day were somewhat flexible so that wasn’t a problem... at least at that moment.
Barbara was actually awake when Elle went in at 7am. She’d made it through the night, dry, and was happy about it. Elle suggested that Barbara go downstairs to take her shower while she got the girls up and going. I was still lying in bed waiting for Elle to tell me her plan of attack. She decided to go make breakfast for everyone and then be the last to shower. All the tree leaves were down by then so my main focus for the day was to finish raking them out of the shrubbery. Because it was a dusty and dirty job I opted to shower after I’d finished. So, I went downstairs to eat and sat at the table with the newspaper. Barbara was next to appear and as soon as I saw her I said “Good morning!“ She turned her eyes from me and kept on walking over to the stove where Elle was making scrambled eggs. I thought that a bit strange but didn’t dwell on it. When all my girls were downstairs and seated at the table Elle brought the bowl of eggs over but Barbara lagged behind. Elle got her to join us but she was very subdued. I started to say something about it but Elle put her finger to her mouth to tell me to be quiet. I just shrugged and ate my eggs.
Barbara had to be to work by 9am. It was only a little over five minutes to get to the village so I told Barbara we’d be leaving at around 8:45am. The look she shot me told me she didn’t expect that and she corroborated my thought by turning to Elle and asking why she wasn’t taking her. Elle explained but it was clear that Barbara wasn’t happy with the answer. The girls had finished eating by then so Elle suggested that they take Barbara into the living room to play games until it was time for her to go to work. They were happy about that but Barbara was still upset about the change in plans. I was hoping to speak to Elle about Barbara’s attitude but she’d already ducked into the bathroom to shower. I was really puzzled because right from the time I’d first met her I’d been impressed by her cheerful and bubbly demeanor. Everything had been going well until Barbara had gotten up. Something had happened and I wanted to know what it was.
Barbara was wearing a pair of chino pants and a white blouse and as I went into the living room to fetch her I could see she was close to giving me a DP (down pants). The hem of her blouse was right there at her belt. I hesitated for a few seconds before getting her attention and my patience was rewarded. She leaned across the board game they were playing to move her marker and there was a nice, bright white panty elastic. I’d not had a chance to ‘inspect’ the clothes that she’d brought over but was almost positive they were Lollipop cotton panties. As I’ve said before... it didn’t matter how many times I’d seen the same thing it was still interesting to me.
To be continued...
Elle seldom stayed up as late as the end of the news so I didn’t expect her to stay very long when we sat down. The first time I looked at my watch it was past midnight... and she was still going strong. The reason she’d been shaking her head earlier was that she couldn’t believe what she’d found out about Barbara. The most shocking thing to me was that Barbara didn’t wear any kind of protection to bed. Elle told me all she wore was a T-shirt and panties. What her mother had her do was to take a beach towel, fold it in thirds and then lay it over a flanelized rubber mat with the bottom sheet over them. It made no sense to Elle (nor to me) and it prompted her to tell Barbara about her bed wetting and how she handled it. I knew she had no intention of sharing that with her so it told me how shocked she was upon hearing that. Elle said she showed Barbara what she wore to bed (her “package” made up with sanitary pads, multiple ribbed cotton panties and a pair of plastic panties) and to suggest that she try it. She told me Barbara was a bit reluctant but was finally persuaded. Elle also told her about her alarm clock system and told her she’d come in and wake her up when she got up. Elle said that prompted Barbara to give Elle some of her bedwetting history. At one time her mother had bought an alarm system to wake her when it detected signs of moisture. She told Elle that it was a failure as she was a deep sleeper and by the time she heard the alarm it was already too late.
Elle said she asked Barbara if she'd ever been to a doctor to find out a reason for it and that it brought forth a laugh from her. She told Elle that her sister, Mo, wasn’t toilet trained until she was almost ready to start school and that had prompted their mother, Phyllis, to take them both to a specialist to see if there was something wrong with them. According to Barbara the doctor accused Phyllis of not trying hard enough with them. That turned their mother against doctors for anything other than when they were obviously sick and with a fever. Mo finally overcame her troubles but Barbara didn’t. Elle said that Barbara told her it wasn’t from not trying. One of the things her mother tried was to not let her drink anything after supper but that she became dehydrated a few times and that created other problems so they stopped with that idea. There was more but I’m surprised that I remembered as much as I did.
By the time we made our way upstairs it was almost the time for Elle’s first alarm to go off so she woke Barbara up for the first time. When Elle came back she told me that Barbara wasn’t kidding when she said she was deep sleeper. I’d become so accustomed to Elle’s night time alarms that when one would go off all I’d do was just roll over and go back to sleep so I never heard the 4am one. At the seven o’clock one Elle made sure I got up because there was a lot going on that day. Because she’d spent so much time with Barbara and then explaining her situation to me she hadn’t finished preparing for her 4-H group meeting later that morning so she had a lot to do and not much time to do it. She told me that I’d be the one to drive Barbara to work. My plans for the day were somewhat flexible so that wasn’t a problem... at least at that moment.
Barbara was actually awake when Elle went in at 7am. She’d made it through the night, dry, and was happy about it. Elle suggested that Barbara go downstairs to take her shower while she got the girls up and going. I was still lying in bed waiting for Elle to tell me her plan of attack. She decided to go make breakfast for everyone and then be the last to shower. All the tree leaves were down by then so my main focus for the day was to finish raking them out of the shrubbery. Because it was a dusty and dirty job I opted to shower after I’d finished. So, I went downstairs to eat and sat at the table with the newspaper. Barbara was next to appear and as soon as I saw her I said “Good morning!“ She turned her eyes from me and kept on walking over to the stove where Elle was making scrambled eggs. I thought that a bit strange but didn’t dwell on it. When all my girls were downstairs and seated at the table Elle brought the bowl of eggs over but Barbara lagged behind. Elle got her to join us but she was very subdued. I started to say something about it but Elle put her finger to her mouth to tell me to be quiet. I just shrugged and ate my eggs.
Barbara had to be to work by 9am. It was only a little over five minutes to get to the village so I told Barbara we’d be leaving at around 8:45am. The look she shot me told me she didn’t expect that and she corroborated my thought by turning to Elle and asking why she wasn’t taking her. Elle explained but it was clear that Barbara wasn’t happy with the answer. The girls had finished eating by then so Elle suggested that they take Barbara into the living room to play games until it was time for her to go to work. They were happy about that but Barbara was still upset about the change in plans. I was hoping to speak to Elle about Barbara’s attitude but she’d already ducked into the bathroom to shower. I was really puzzled because right from the time I’d first met her I’d been impressed by her cheerful and bubbly demeanor. Everything had been going well until Barbara had gotten up. Something had happened and I wanted to know what it was.
Barbara was wearing a pair of chino pants and a white blouse and as I went into the living room to fetch her I could see she was close to giving me a DP (down pants). The hem of her blouse was right there at her belt. I hesitated for a few seconds before getting her attention and my patience was rewarded. She leaned across the board game they were playing to move her marker and there was a nice, bright white panty elastic. I’d not had a chance to ‘inspect’ the clothes that she’d brought over but was almost positive they were Lollipop cotton panties. As I’ve said before... it didn’t matter how many times I’d seen the same thing it was still interesting to me.
To be continued...
Thursday, July 14, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145a)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Barbara (Part 145a)
A quick re-cap on Barbara (and her family)...
Barbra’s father, Bill, was hired to be the new school principal in the early Summer. He and his family, wife Phyllis, two girls, Mo (17) and Barbara (16) and two younger boys rented the house right next door. The parents were of German extraction with the mother actually being born in Germany. Elle and I were anxious to have neighbors but had a hard time getting to know them. Phyllis was not the easiest person to get to know and Bill was up to his eyeballs getting settled into his job at the school. Phyllis had run a day care where they used to live (not far from Philadelphia) and was determined to do the same in this community. I got off on the wrong foot with her when she was negotiating with my church to use our facilities. She made it clear that she was THE BOSS and we didn’t see eye to eye. However, my difficulties with her were somewhat lessened after her two girls came over to introduce themselves to our girls. Neither of them emulated their mother and, of the two, Barbara was especially good with my girls. Because they got along so well, Phyllis, eventually, took down her ‘wall’ and made a couple of attempts to be neighborly. Around mid October she made an unexpected visit to ask us a favor. (This is all written up in Part 143, p, q and r).
She, her husband and kids were planning on visiting family in Pennsylvania over the first weekend in November through election day. Another reason for the trip was to take daughter Mo for some college visits. Barbara had gotten her first job (right after turning 16) but was told if she took off to go with the family she’d lose her job. So... the favor was for us to let Barbara stay with us while they were away. Since Elle and I really liked Barbara it was easy to say “Yes”. Then came the ‘catch’. Barbara was a bedwetter. Phyllis made me leave the room when she told Elle about it. With Elle being incontinent it wasn’t a problem for her to understand and accept. However, she was concerned about how Barbara would take having her ‘secret’ known by relative strangers so wanted to ask her how she felt about it. Phyllis brought her over and when Elle asked Barbara the question it had been Phyllis who answered for her. That bothered Elle and she told me she wanted to have the opportunity to talk with Barbara, alone. I agreed but arranging for that proved difficult. And that’s where I’ll start this part...
There’s a long drawn out story about the place she was working and the people who ran it... but I’ll spare you the details. The old couple who owned the store were in bad physical shape. The man was legally blind and the woman was confined to a wheelchair. Barbara was hired to help customers find the items they wanted since neither of the owners were in much of a position to do so. Their son worked with them during the week but had another job on the weekends and any holidays. That’s where Barbara fit in.
Elle hadn’t seen as much of Mo and Barbara once school started. Both were involved in extra curricular activities after school (mostly cheering) so when and if they were seen it had been on the weekends. Elle decided to take a chance on finding a slow time at the store the Saturday before she was to stay with us to have her talk with Barbara. Elle told me it wasn’t perfect but she was able to get affirmation that Barbara, even though not completely comfortable with the arrangement, was a willing participant and that it wasn’t just an order from Phyllis, her mother. Elle had to limit the conversation because customers were coming and going as they talked. In parting, Elle told Barbara she’d like to talk with her again if there was any way for her to get over to our house before her parents left on their trip and she said she’d try to find a way.
Elle had been hoping it would be the next day, Sunday, but it didn’t work out. Old family friends of my parents had stopped by to visit, unexpectedly, and my mother wanted to show off her grandchildren. So, we spent most of the day visiting with them. After getting home Elle didn’t hear from Barbara and decided that she’d have her ‘personal’ talk with her right after she showed up on Friday afternoon. Elle wouldn’t share with me what she meant by her ‘personal’ talk so I was more than a little curious... and anxious for Friday to arrive.
By the time I arrived home that Friday night, Barbara and the kids had eaten and she was happily playing games with them. Elle had waited to eat with me and told me Barbara’s mother had brought over a couple of sets of sheets, flannelized rubber pads, towels and soap for Barbara to wash them with. That triggered me to ask if she’d gotten her ‘personal’ talk with her. She said that with our kids around the best she could do was to tell her she wanted some time alone with her after our girls were in bed and asleep. After that she wouldn’t talk about it which didn’t make me very happy.
What she did tell me was that Barbara was going to sleep in with Anne that night. She added that she’d brought some of her clothes over but since I still hadn’t taken the dresser I’d bought from Moira upstairs she had nowhere to put them. It was a nice way to tell me to get it done. She helped me carry the chest itself up the stairs but left it to me to bring the four drawers. I couldn’t help but notice the neat piles of clothes laid out on the end of the bed she’d be occupying. One pile was obviously underwear and as I looked over at it I wondered how many panties she’d brought with her. Not knowing when Elle might appear I decided to wait to do my checking.
I think it was after 9pm when Elle suggested that she and Barbara go upstairs. I didn’t know how long she’d be but when it became 11pm and time for the news on TV I really began wondering just what they were talking about. Elle finally showed up just before the news was over. She knew I was going to ‘grill’ her so started talking as she approached telling me to follow her into the kitchen. As we sat down at the table she was shaking her head. I couldn’t imaging just what it was that would trigger her to do that but I soon found out.
To be continued...
A quick re-cap on Barbara (and her family)...
Barbra’s father, Bill, was hired to be the new school principal in the early Summer. He and his family, wife Phyllis, two girls, Mo (17) and Barbara (16) and two younger boys rented the house right next door. The parents were of German extraction with the mother actually being born in Germany. Elle and I were anxious to have neighbors but had a hard time getting to know them. Phyllis was not the easiest person to get to know and Bill was up to his eyeballs getting settled into his job at the school. Phyllis had run a day care where they used to live (not far from Philadelphia) and was determined to do the same in this community. I got off on the wrong foot with her when she was negotiating with my church to use our facilities. She made it clear that she was THE BOSS and we didn’t see eye to eye. However, my difficulties with her were somewhat lessened after her two girls came over to introduce themselves to our girls. Neither of them emulated their mother and, of the two, Barbara was especially good with my girls. Because they got along so well, Phyllis, eventually, took down her ‘wall’ and made a couple of attempts to be neighborly. Around mid October she made an unexpected visit to ask us a favor. (This is all written up in Part 143, p, q and r).
She, her husband and kids were planning on visiting family in Pennsylvania over the first weekend in November through election day. Another reason for the trip was to take daughter Mo for some college visits. Barbara had gotten her first job (right after turning 16) but was told if she took off to go with the family she’d lose her job. So... the favor was for us to let Barbara stay with us while they were away. Since Elle and I really liked Barbara it was easy to say “Yes”. Then came the ‘catch’. Barbara was a bedwetter. Phyllis made me leave the room when she told Elle about it. With Elle being incontinent it wasn’t a problem for her to understand and accept. However, she was concerned about how Barbara would take having her ‘secret’ known by relative strangers so wanted to ask her how she felt about it. Phyllis brought her over and when Elle asked Barbara the question it had been Phyllis who answered for her. That bothered Elle and she told me she wanted to have the opportunity to talk with Barbara, alone. I agreed but arranging for that proved difficult. And that’s where I’ll start this part...
There’s a long drawn out story about the place she was working and the people who ran it... but I’ll spare you the details. The old couple who owned the store were in bad physical shape. The man was legally blind and the woman was confined to a wheelchair. Barbara was hired to help customers find the items they wanted since neither of the owners were in much of a position to do so. Their son worked with them during the week but had another job on the weekends and any holidays. That’s where Barbara fit in.
Elle hadn’t seen as much of Mo and Barbara once school started. Both were involved in extra curricular activities after school (mostly cheering) so when and if they were seen it had been on the weekends. Elle decided to take a chance on finding a slow time at the store the Saturday before she was to stay with us to have her talk with Barbara. Elle told me it wasn’t perfect but she was able to get affirmation that Barbara, even though not completely comfortable with the arrangement, was a willing participant and that it wasn’t just an order from Phyllis, her mother. Elle had to limit the conversation because customers were coming and going as they talked. In parting, Elle told Barbara she’d like to talk with her again if there was any way for her to get over to our house before her parents left on their trip and she said she’d try to find a way.
Elle had been hoping it would be the next day, Sunday, but it didn’t work out. Old family friends of my parents had stopped by to visit, unexpectedly, and my mother wanted to show off her grandchildren. So, we spent most of the day visiting with them. After getting home Elle didn’t hear from Barbara and decided that she’d have her ‘personal’ talk with her right after she showed up on Friday afternoon. Elle wouldn’t share with me what she meant by her ‘personal’ talk so I was more than a little curious... and anxious for Friday to arrive.
By the time I arrived home that Friday night, Barbara and the kids had eaten and she was happily playing games with them. Elle had waited to eat with me and told me Barbara’s mother had brought over a couple of sets of sheets, flannelized rubber pads, towels and soap for Barbara to wash them with. That triggered me to ask if she’d gotten her ‘personal’ talk with her. She said that with our kids around the best she could do was to tell her she wanted some time alone with her after our girls were in bed and asleep. After that she wouldn’t talk about it which didn’t make me very happy.
What she did tell me was that Barbara was going to sleep in with Anne that night. She added that she’d brought some of her clothes over but since I still hadn’t taken the dresser I’d bought from Moira upstairs she had nowhere to put them. It was a nice way to tell me to get it done. She helped me carry the chest itself up the stairs but left it to me to bring the four drawers. I couldn’t help but notice the neat piles of clothes laid out on the end of the bed she’d be occupying. One pile was obviously underwear and as I looked over at it I wondered how many panties she’d brought with her. Not knowing when Elle might appear I decided to wait to do my checking.
I think it was after 9pm when Elle suggested that she and Barbara go upstairs. I didn’t know how long she’d be but when it became 11pm and time for the news on TV I really began wondering just what they were talking about. Elle finally showed up just before the news was over. She knew I was going to ‘grill’ her so started talking as she approached telling me to follow her into the kitchen. As we sat down at the table she was shaking her head. I couldn’t imaging just what it was that would trigger her to do that but I soon found out.
To be continued...
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Part 144f)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) (Part 144f)
If it had been me to ask for the meeting I knew what I was going to say/ask. But, with Gina being the one to suggest it I didn’t know what to expect so that was another problem. I wrestled with how to meet with Gina that wouldn’t raise any questions. I knew the place... the bowling alley located on Gina's way home. The next part was harder. In bed one night I came up with the idea of taking half a day off on her last day to get me out of the bank. Since the it was open to 6pm on Fridays we’d usually let the tellers not on duty leave a little before the normal 5pm. Since Gina was leaving for good I knew her cash would be counted by either Liz, the auditor, or by her assistant, Laura. Once that was done she’d be free to go. Once I explained my plan to Gina she was all for it.
I killed the time from 1pm to 4pm by touching base with some of the people in town that I knew but hadn’t kept up with after Elle and I bought our house. One of the people I stopped in to see was Johnny, the appliance store owner who I’d come to know when I was doing light maintenance at the mobile home park when we lived there. In chatting he asked if I knew anyone who had old Lionel model trains. I did... it was me. I spent an hour with him and left with a promise that he’d look mine over and offer me a fair price for them. After we bought our house and had a place to set them up I'd asked my girls if they were interested and the answer was, as expected. “No”. So... my afternoon was off to a good start with the possibility of getting some unexpected money. I spent some time at the stock brokers office as well. I hadn’t been there all that much over the last few months so renewed friendships and got some investment materials to read. I started getting a bit nervous as 4pm approached and headed for the alleys. At 4pm, business there was almost non existent. I knew the owner, Henry, fairly well so chatted with him only to find out he’d sold the place and was moving to Florida after the first of the year. I’d known the guy from back when I was still training and racing horses as he owned a few himself. He asked if I was interested in his collection of racing year books. I don’t know why I said yes but I did. We set a day for me to stop by his house to pick them up and almost right after that in walked Gina. I remember making up some story as to why I was meeting her there and got sort of a ‘knowing’ smile from him in return.
Gina seemed serious right from the moment she walked in. I didn’t know what to make of that so tried to be as calm and natural as I could. It was obvious she was very nervous so I didn’t ‘push’ her and let the conversation build. It meandered at the beginning but finally picked up some direction. She, still serious, wanted to know, honestly, why I’d hired her since she was carrying so much “baggage” at the time. The only answer I could give her was the truth and it was that I felt, in my heart, that she was a nice person. I added that she had relevant money handling experience and that helped but it was my ‘gut feeing’ that was the decision maker. I’ve written any number of times that I don’t handle tears from a female well and I didn’t this time either. But once she started she couldn’t stop. What made it more difficult was that she was trying to talk at the same time. I was able to get the gist of what she was trying to say and that was that I was a very unique individual and that she was a better person having worked with me. In spite of the awkwardness of the location and situation I picked up on one specific thing that she uttered... “worked WITH me”. I won’t deny that it ‘moved’ me.
I thought it was about over when she got herself together and dried the tears. I was going to give my somewhat prepared speech but before I could she leaned forward and put her hand on my arm. She had a big smile by then and said she just had to ask me about being a “panty man“. I immediately remembered back to Election Day when she’d come in to work to enter name and addresses and how she caught me peeking at her panties when her Farmer John pants buttons had come undone. She’d made reference to talking about my being a ”panty man“ back then and wanted to discuss it. It didn’t happen but here the subject was again. I know I was embarrassed, especially after she’d just heaped praise on me. I think I just shrugged my shoulders and waited for the question(s).
I truly wish I had my Day Timer to refer to now. We probably spent a half hour talking with me answering questions and throwing a couple her way now and then. One of hers included wanting to know if I’d been caught peeking by others in the past and what had happened. Another was if my wife knew of my ‘interest’. I told her about how Elle indulged me (but without the wetting). I don’t remember how the subject of bikini panties came up but I do remember making a point of my preference for the full brief panties. I also remember her making the comment that she used to wear them but she felt so much ”sexier“ wearing the bikini type. By then it was obvious that we’d become comfortable with the discussion and all vestiges of embarrassment were gone. I also remember asking when did she change over to them and she hesitated a bit before giving me her answer of it being five or six years. She quickly added that there were ”days“ where she still would wear the briefs. When she mentioned that her face displayed that ‘knowing’ smile that would appear every so often.
It was after 5pm by then and time for her to be getting on home. As we got up she made a statement that came out of nowhere... ”I had a boyfriend who liked brief panties too“. I didn’t know what to do with it so kept my mouth shut. Outside and standing by our cars she put her bag down and wrapped her arms around me. I wasn’t prepared for it and stumbled a bit. She, actually, kept me from falling. I, gingerly, put my arms around her to give a hug back. It didn’t last for long though and as she stepped back she said one last thing... ”I owe you so much and I don’t know how to repay you." I think I made a half-hearted attempt at a smile and told her “Good luck!”.
EPILOG:
Part 1) In the early part of the new year I got a letter addressed to me at the bank with no return address and the stamp was hand franked so I had no idea where it came from. Opening it I wasn’t sure what was inside because there was a piece of heavy formal writing paper all folded up. I opened a couple of folds and saw there was a photo inside. The image took my breath away.
I recognized that it was Gina but it was obvious that she was much younger when it was taken. I turned the picture over and saw a pencil notation that I couldn’t read. But, there was also date... June 1957. I knew she was 28 years old so that meant she was 18 if the date on the picture was correct. Holding it in my hand I wondered what had prompted her to send it to me. With Bret at his desk I had to hide it away. As I pushed the envelope and paper that it came in into the waste basket I thought I saw some markings on it. I’d not opened the paper up after seeing there was a picture so pulled it back out. There was a short note... “For the panty man. Thanks for everything!” with the word “everything” underlined and signed “Gina”. That’s when I ‘got it’ and understood the meaning of the picture with her wearing full brief panties.
Part 2) After that I only saw Gina once more. I talked with some of the officers at her new bank and was told she fit right in. After about a year she became engaged and eventually got married again and had another child. I could only hope that she was truly happy.
Be looking for "Barbara", coming soon...
If it had been me to ask for the meeting I knew what I was going to say/ask. But, with Gina being the one to suggest it I didn’t know what to expect so that was another problem. I wrestled with how to meet with Gina that wouldn’t raise any questions. I knew the place... the bowling alley located on Gina's way home. The next part was harder. In bed one night I came up with the idea of taking half a day off on her last day to get me out of the bank. Since the it was open to 6pm on Fridays we’d usually let the tellers not on duty leave a little before the normal 5pm. Since Gina was leaving for good I knew her cash would be counted by either Liz, the auditor, or by her assistant, Laura. Once that was done she’d be free to go. Once I explained my plan to Gina she was all for it.
I killed the time from 1pm to 4pm by touching base with some of the people in town that I knew but hadn’t kept up with after Elle and I bought our house. One of the people I stopped in to see was Johnny, the appliance store owner who I’d come to know when I was doing light maintenance at the mobile home park when we lived there. In chatting he asked if I knew anyone who had old Lionel model trains. I did... it was me. I spent an hour with him and left with a promise that he’d look mine over and offer me a fair price for them. After we bought our house and had a place to set them up I'd asked my girls if they were interested and the answer was, as expected. “No”. So... my afternoon was off to a good start with the possibility of getting some unexpected money. I spent some time at the stock brokers office as well. I hadn’t been there all that much over the last few months so renewed friendships and got some investment materials to read. I started getting a bit nervous as 4pm approached and headed for the alleys. At 4pm, business there was almost non existent. I knew the owner, Henry, fairly well so chatted with him only to find out he’d sold the place and was moving to Florida after the first of the year. I’d known the guy from back when I was still training and racing horses as he owned a few himself. He asked if I was interested in his collection of racing year books. I don’t know why I said yes but I did. We set a day for me to stop by his house to pick them up and almost right after that in walked Gina. I remember making up some story as to why I was meeting her there and got sort of a ‘knowing’ smile from him in return.
Gina seemed serious right from the moment she walked in. I didn’t know what to make of that so tried to be as calm and natural as I could. It was obvious she was very nervous so I didn’t ‘push’ her and let the conversation build. It meandered at the beginning but finally picked up some direction. She, still serious, wanted to know, honestly, why I’d hired her since she was carrying so much “baggage” at the time. The only answer I could give her was the truth and it was that I felt, in my heart, that she was a nice person. I added that she had relevant money handling experience and that helped but it was my ‘gut feeing’ that was the decision maker. I’ve written any number of times that I don’t handle tears from a female well and I didn’t this time either. But once she started she couldn’t stop. What made it more difficult was that she was trying to talk at the same time. I was able to get the gist of what she was trying to say and that was that I was a very unique individual and that she was a better person having worked with me. In spite of the awkwardness of the location and situation I picked up on one specific thing that she uttered... “worked WITH me”. I won’t deny that it ‘moved’ me.
I thought it was about over when she got herself together and dried the tears. I was going to give my somewhat prepared speech but before I could she leaned forward and put her hand on my arm. She had a big smile by then and said she just had to ask me about being a “panty man“. I immediately remembered back to Election Day when she’d come in to work to enter name and addresses and how she caught me peeking at her panties when her Farmer John pants buttons had come undone. She’d made reference to talking about my being a ”panty man“ back then and wanted to discuss it. It didn’t happen but here the subject was again. I know I was embarrassed, especially after she’d just heaped praise on me. I think I just shrugged my shoulders and waited for the question(s).
I truly wish I had my Day Timer to refer to now. We probably spent a half hour talking with me answering questions and throwing a couple her way now and then. One of hers included wanting to know if I’d been caught peeking by others in the past and what had happened. Another was if my wife knew of my ‘interest’. I told her about how Elle indulged me (but without the wetting). I don’t remember how the subject of bikini panties came up but I do remember making a point of my preference for the full brief panties. I also remember her making the comment that she used to wear them but she felt so much ”sexier“ wearing the bikini type. By then it was obvious that we’d become comfortable with the discussion and all vestiges of embarrassment were gone. I also remember asking when did she change over to them and she hesitated a bit before giving me her answer of it being five or six years. She quickly added that there were ”days“ where she still would wear the briefs. When she mentioned that her face displayed that ‘knowing’ smile that would appear every so often.
It was after 5pm by then and time for her to be getting on home. As we got up she made a statement that came out of nowhere... ”I had a boyfriend who liked brief panties too“. I didn’t know what to do with it so kept my mouth shut. Outside and standing by our cars she put her bag down and wrapped her arms around me. I wasn’t prepared for it and stumbled a bit. She, actually, kept me from falling. I, gingerly, put my arms around her to give a hug back. It didn’t last for long though and as she stepped back she said one last thing... ”I owe you so much and I don’t know how to repay you." I think I made a half-hearted attempt at a smile and told her “Good luck!”.
EPILOG:
Part 1) In the early part of the new year I got a letter addressed to me at the bank with no return address and the stamp was hand franked so I had no idea where it came from. Opening it I wasn’t sure what was inside because there was a piece of heavy formal writing paper all folded up. I opened a couple of folds and saw there was a photo inside. The image took my breath away.
 |
| Gina at about age 18 |
I recognized that it was Gina but it was obvious that she was much younger when it was taken. I turned the picture over and saw a pencil notation that I couldn’t read. But, there was also date... June 1957. I knew she was 28 years old so that meant she was 18 if the date on the picture was correct. Holding it in my hand I wondered what had prompted her to send it to me. With Bret at his desk I had to hide it away. As I pushed the envelope and paper that it came in into the waste basket I thought I saw some markings on it. I’d not opened the paper up after seeing there was a picture so pulled it back out. There was a short note... “For the panty man. Thanks for everything!” with the word “everything” underlined and signed “Gina”. That’s when I ‘got it’ and understood the meaning of the picture with her wearing full brief panties.
Part 2) After that I only saw Gina once more. I talked with some of the officers at her new bank and was told she fit right in. After about a year she became engaged and eventually got married again and had another child. I could only hope that she was truly happy.
Be looking for "Barbara", coming soon...
Sunday, July 10, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Part 144e)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) (Part 144e)
Before I made the announcement to the employees I took Gina aside to make sure we were both on the same page as far as her reason(s) for leaving was concerned. She had it all rehearsed and it fit nicely with what I was preparing to tell Hobie. Basically, it was, for her, a promotion, more money and closer to her home. In the back of my mind I made a note to call the guy at her new bank that I had steered her to to make sure that should any of their officers get together with any of ours that my involvement wasn’t mentioned. He assured me that only he knew and it would remain that way.
The bigger problem facing me was that I had to hire another teller. When the plan for Gina’s leaving was hatched I had Peggy waiting as her replacement. But Peggy was now there and in training as a replacement for Jacqui. The year end was shaping up to be a real problem what with the specter of two inexperienced tellers and the conversion of all the deposit data to be entered. When I told Trish about Gina she, without waiting to be told, pulled out the applications and immediately went to perusing it. I was a bit surprised but not totally so. Quietly, she’d been assuming more and more of what I called the “nuisance things” having to do with personnel. One of them was in doing a cursory interview when someone would just walk in to fill out an application.
The reaction from the other tellers was mixed. Janet, the teller who worked next to Gina and who was being trained by her, was the most upset. As I’d written before, Gina was not ‘social’ because of having to care for her daughter so never really got ‘close’ to many of her co-workers. A few made note that because she was good with customers they’d miss her. When it came time to inform Hobie I had mixed feelings. Originally, before he made the comment to me about Lorie possibly not being right for the Chief Clerk job, I’d planed on letting him know that she was leaving because of him and how he’d treated her. But now... I didn’t know. I didn’t want to wait too long where he’d hear the news from someone else so when he got up from his desk to go get coffee I sort of mumbled to him that she was leaving as he passed by. He stopped and turned to look at me with a puzzled look. I remember him saying but one word... Gina? I nodded affirmatively and then looked over at the phone as if I had to make an important call. The next thing I knew he was sitting in the side chair.
I gave him my prepared spiel. He didn’t stay for long and went straight to Gina’s window. This was sort of surprising because it had been my observation that since Gina was hired he’d gone out of his way to avoid going there. I made a point of watching their exchange of words and he stayed for almost five minutes. I couldn’t imagine what he’d have to say after avoiding her all this time. When he continued on to the coffee break room I went to ask Gina what he’d said. I swear she was doing everything in her power to keep from laughing when she said that he wanted to know if her decision to leave was final or was there any chance to change her mind. Gina was well aware of his resistance to her right from when she was hired right through to when I’d proposed her for the new position. I didn’t want to make a scene and told her I’d catch up with her later. She nodded with a smile. I had a decision to make before then and that was should I tell her of his somewhat change of heart or not. By lunchtime I decided that I wouldn’t mention it even though it guaranteed that I’d be going into the conversion without one of the most qualified employees I had. Once I made the decision I was confident that it was the best one. I waited until she was about to leave for the day because I didn’t want it to take too long. All I asked was if she had any doubts about the move and when she gave me her very short and emphatic answer of “No” I knew the matter was over and it was time to move on.
The next morning there was an application for teller waiting on my desk. Trish had gone through the folder and found one she thought was worth interviewing. There was a note attached telling me she’d be in around 11am. The girl’s name was Alice and she was from a well established local family. I was impressed with her right from the time she opened her mouth. She wasn’t especially pretty but when she smiled she was definitely cute. My only concern was that she’d started college in September but had returned home. When queried about it she explained that she’d been homesick so I let it pass. I told her she was hired and would start the following Monday. As she walked through the gate to leave I began to worry about who would be the one to train her.
Things slowed down the following week and Gina was able to get back to the name and address project and training the rest of our remaining tellers on the new teller machines. The only one who had a problem was the very one I’d expected it to be... Letitia, the head teller (in name only). True to form, she resisted change. I’ve sung Gina’s praises before but where she really earned kudos was in her handling of Letitia. If she’d told Gina once that she’d never “get it” she told her a dozen times, But Gina never gave up spending twice as much time with her as she did with any of the others. Gina was even able to spend time with Peggy and the other new teller, Alice, before her last day. I didn’t hover over the project but watched from a distance with Bret being the one to work with Gina when she needed direction. That, of course, pleased him.
I’d had thoughts of having one last meeting with Gina before she left but hadn’t done anything to make it a reality. Even now I don’t know why. Her last official day was December 1st and as it approached I was struggling with Peggy and how slow she’d been to absorb the nuances of teller work. Alice, on the other hand, had grasped the basics quite well. Gina hadn’t gotten as far with getting the name and addresses entered as she’d hoped through no fault of her own and had come to ask me if she could just do data entry on her last two days. I admired her resolve but made a decision to have her spend that time with Peggy and on helping her on being comfortable as a teller. When I was telling her this she interrupted me to ask if there was a possibility for us to talk one last time before she was gone. I wasn’t prepared for her to be the one to bring it up but I didn’t take long to answer affirmatively. The question, at least for me, was when and where.
To be continued...
Before I made the announcement to the employees I took Gina aside to make sure we were both on the same page as far as her reason(s) for leaving was concerned. She had it all rehearsed and it fit nicely with what I was preparing to tell Hobie. Basically, it was, for her, a promotion, more money and closer to her home. In the back of my mind I made a note to call the guy at her new bank that I had steered her to to make sure that should any of their officers get together with any of ours that my involvement wasn’t mentioned. He assured me that only he knew and it would remain that way.
The bigger problem facing me was that I had to hire another teller. When the plan for Gina’s leaving was hatched I had Peggy waiting as her replacement. But Peggy was now there and in training as a replacement for Jacqui. The year end was shaping up to be a real problem what with the specter of two inexperienced tellers and the conversion of all the deposit data to be entered. When I told Trish about Gina she, without waiting to be told, pulled out the applications and immediately went to perusing it. I was a bit surprised but not totally so. Quietly, she’d been assuming more and more of what I called the “nuisance things” having to do with personnel. One of them was in doing a cursory interview when someone would just walk in to fill out an application.
The reaction from the other tellers was mixed. Janet, the teller who worked next to Gina and who was being trained by her, was the most upset. As I’d written before, Gina was not ‘social’ because of having to care for her daughter so never really got ‘close’ to many of her co-workers. A few made note that because she was good with customers they’d miss her. When it came time to inform Hobie I had mixed feelings. Originally, before he made the comment to me about Lorie possibly not being right for the Chief Clerk job, I’d planed on letting him know that she was leaving because of him and how he’d treated her. But now... I didn’t know. I didn’t want to wait too long where he’d hear the news from someone else so when he got up from his desk to go get coffee I sort of mumbled to him that she was leaving as he passed by. He stopped and turned to look at me with a puzzled look. I remember him saying but one word... Gina? I nodded affirmatively and then looked over at the phone as if I had to make an important call. The next thing I knew he was sitting in the side chair.
I gave him my prepared spiel. He didn’t stay for long and went straight to Gina’s window. This was sort of surprising because it had been my observation that since Gina was hired he’d gone out of his way to avoid going there. I made a point of watching their exchange of words and he stayed for almost five minutes. I couldn’t imagine what he’d have to say after avoiding her all this time. When he continued on to the coffee break room I went to ask Gina what he’d said. I swear she was doing everything in her power to keep from laughing when she said that he wanted to know if her decision to leave was final or was there any chance to change her mind. Gina was well aware of his resistance to her right from when she was hired right through to when I’d proposed her for the new position. I didn’t want to make a scene and told her I’d catch up with her later. She nodded with a smile. I had a decision to make before then and that was should I tell her of his somewhat change of heart or not. By lunchtime I decided that I wouldn’t mention it even though it guaranteed that I’d be going into the conversion without one of the most qualified employees I had. Once I made the decision I was confident that it was the best one. I waited until she was about to leave for the day because I didn’t want it to take too long. All I asked was if she had any doubts about the move and when she gave me her very short and emphatic answer of “No” I knew the matter was over and it was time to move on.
The next morning there was an application for teller waiting on my desk. Trish had gone through the folder and found one she thought was worth interviewing. There was a note attached telling me she’d be in around 11am. The girl’s name was Alice and she was from a well established local family. I was impressed with her right from the time she opened her mouth. She wasn’t especially pretty but when she smiled she was definitely cute. My only concern was that she’d started college in September but had returned home. When queried about it she explained that she’d been homesick so I let it pass. I told her she was hired and would start the following Monday. As she walked through the gate to leave I began to worry about who would be the one to train her.
Things slowed down the following week and Gina was able to get back to the name and address project and training the rest of our remaining tellers on the new teller machines. The only one who had a problem was the very one I’d expected it to be... Letitia, the head teller (in name only). True to form, she resisted change. I’ve sung Gina’s praises before but where she really earned kudos was in her handling of Letitia. If she’d told Gina once that she’d never “get it” she told her a dozen times, But Gina never gave up spending twice as much time with her as she did with any of the others. Gina was even able to spend time with Peggy and the other new teller, Alice, before her last day. I didn’t hover over the project but watched from a distance with Bret being the one to work with Gina when she needed direction. That, of course, pleased him.
I’d had thoughts of having one last meeting with Gina before she left but hadn’t done anything to make it a reality. Even now I don’t know why. Her last official day was December 1st and as it approached I was struggling with Peggy and how slow she’d been to absorb the nuances of teller work. Alice, on the other hand, had grasped the basics quite well. Gina hadn’t gotten as far with getting the name and addresses entered as she’d hoped through no fault of her own and had come to ask me if she could just do data entry on her last two days. I admired her resolve but made a decision to have her spend that time with Peggy and on helping her on being comfortable as a teller. When I was telling her this she interrupted me to ask if there was a possibility for us to talk one last time before she was gone. I wasn’t prepared for her to be the one to bring it up but I didn’t take long to answer affirmatively. The question, at least for me, was when and where.
To be continued...
Friday, July 08, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Cont.) (Part 144d
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) (Part 144d)
I’d glanced up at the clock when Gina had let out her little cry and it wasn’t yet 4pm. I’d noticed that there was a dress laying over the back of the work chairs and, to ease my latest embarrassment, I asked about it. She said she was meeting some friends for dinner and wouldn’t have time to go home to change. In looking at the dress I’d also noticed that it wasn’t like anything I’d seen her wear at work. Most of her clothes were skirts in shades of grays and blues with a few khakis thrown in. This dress was kind of an ivory color with a flower print. I made a comment noting that this dress seemed ‘out of character’ for her. She laughed her easy laugh and told me that I didn’t really know the ‘inner’ Gina. She was right.
At that point I thought I was home free from her teasing and when she asked if I could do her a favor I jumped at it. I remember her hesitating a bit before going on. She said she’d forgotten a slip and was a little concerned about how sheer the material of the dress was. She wanted me to be honest and to tell her if I could “see too much” after she put it on. And, she was serious. I nodded that I would and watched her start to head for the ladies bathroom. I told her to save time and use the one by Hobie’s and my desks. She didn’t hesitate for a second and walked right past me. As she did I was hoping that it would be too sheer just to see what she’d do then.
It took her less that a minute to drop the Farmer Johns, strip off her top and reappear with the dress on. It was a bit of a revelation to see her wearing something light in color... and she looked good in it. With her facing me I couldn’t tell that she wasn’t wearing a slip. However, when she turned and the sun, still streaming through the windows behind her, it was almost like she didn’t have a dress on at all. I was honest and I told her she needed a slip. She made a bit of a face but before she could say anything I suggested getting one next door at W.T.Grant’s. She didn’t respond immediately so I said it was the simplest solution. Grant’s was cheap and was right there. I asked what time she was to met her friends and when she said 5pm I told her it was her only option other than the clothes she’d worn to work. She laughed... and said she’d do it.
I honestly didn’t have an ulterior motive when I offered to go buy the slip for her. I remember the look on her face when I did. Without any embarrassment at all I told her I bought almost all my wife’s lingerie. Again, her exact words are long gone but it was definitely in the vein of “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I told her I wasn’t but I needed her to tell me what size and what length the slip was to be. She gave the details to me and wanted to give me money but I told her time was fleeting and headed for the back door. I was back in less than 10 minutes. When I handed it to her she made another comment but this one I do remember... “You are one of a kind!”. I was embarrassed once again.
I fully expected her to go back into the bathroom to put the slip on. To get a full slip on the woman has to be, basically, undressed. I watched her reach for the door and then stop. She took a couple of steps and then turned around to look at me and reached down and grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled it up over her head. I don’t think I took a breath for over a minute. As she was doing this she paid no attention to me at all. It was as if she were in her bedroom and getting dressed by herself. She took very little time and when she smoothed the hem of the dress out she walked over to the place she’d been where the sun was behind her. The first and only word she spoke was “Well?”(120)
I won’t say I was entirely honest when I told her she’d be fine. I could still see her silhouette but felt that by the time she was due to meet her friends the sun would be almost down. She thanked me and told me she’d pay me the next day. She grabbed her work clothes and we headed for the door. I could’ve gone out with her but decided to stay for a few minutes to recap what I’d just witnessed. Walking back to my desk I realized that I’d missed the opportunity to chat with Gina about me being “a panty man” that she’d suggested. The bit with the dress and slip had taken ‘front and center’ and I wondered if I’d ever get another chance.
The week was a strange one in that there were two days the bank would be closed... Election day and Veterans Day. I had thought about approaching Gina to see if she might be willing to work on that day as well. Thankfully, she declined. Because of the two holidays the lobby traffic remained busy which cut into the one on one training I wanted Gina to get done. By the time we left to go home on Thursday only Cara and Janet were proficient. I’d put off asking Gina just when she would be leaving for her new job as I was getting concerned that she wouldn’t have all the tellers trained by the time she left. I hated the thought of asking her but over that weekend I knew I had to and had to do it soon.
The next Monday, as expected, was very, very busy and Gina was forced to work her teller window the whole day. There was no opportunity to take her aside to ask the dreaded question. The only chance I got to speak to her at all was to tell her who would be her next ‘trainee’ and that was as she was leaving for the day. The next morning I found an envelope, hand addressed, on my chair. It was a formal letter of resignation from Gina, nicely worded with thanks for all the bank had done to help her and her daughter. There were no words that even hinted of negativism on her part and I was truly impressed. Her last day was to be December 1st which was just over two weeks away. Now I had the job to let everyone know she’d be leaving and I wasn’t looking forward to that, especially Hobie who’s attitude towards her seemed to have changed.
To be continued...
I’d glanced up at the clock when Gina had let out her little cry and it wasn’t yet 4pm. I’d noticed that there was a dress laying over the back of the work chairs and, to ease my latest embarrassment, I asked about it. She said she was meeting some friends for dinner and wouldn’t have time to go home to change. In looking at the dress I’d also noticed that it wasn’t like anything I’d seen her wear at work. Most of her clothes were skirts in shades of grays and blues with a few khakis thrown in. This dress was kind of an ivory color with a flower print. I made a comment noting that this dress seemed ‘out of character’ for her. She laughed her easy laugh and told me that I didn’t really know the ‘inner’ Gina. She was right.
At that point I thought I was home free from her teasing and when she asked if I could do her a favor I jumped at it. I remember her hesitating a bit before going on. She said she’d forgotten a slip and was a little concerned about how sheer the material of the dress was. She wanted me to be honest and to tell her if I could “see too much” after she put it on. And, she was serious. I nodded that I would and watched her start to head for the ladies bathroom. I told her to save time and use the one by Hobie’s and my desks. She didn’t hesitate for a second and walked right past me. As she did I was hoping that it would be too sheer just to see what she’d do then.
It took her less that a minute to drop the Farmer Johns, strip off her top and reappear with the dress on. It was a bit of a revelation to see her wearing something light in color... and she looked good in it. With her facing me I couldn’t tell that she wasn’t wearing a slip. However, when she turned and the sun, still streaming through the windows behind her, it was almost like she didn’t have a dress on at all. I was honest and I told her she needed a slip. She made a bit of a face but before she could say anything I suggested getting one next door at W.T.Grant’s. She didn’t respond immediately so I said it was the simplest solution. Grant’s was cheap and was right there. I asked what time she was to met her friends and when she said 5pm I told her it was her only option other than the clothes she’d worn to work. She laughed... and said she’d do it.
I honestly didn’t have an ulterior motive when I offered to go buy the slip for her. I remember the look on her face when I did. Without any embarrassment at all I told her I bought almost all my wife’s lingerie. Again, her exact words are long gone but it was definitely in the vein of “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I told her I wasn’t but I needed her to tell me what size and what length the slip was to be. She gave the details to me and wanted to give me money but I told her time was fleeting and headed for the back door. I was back in less than 10 minutes. When I handed it to her she made another comment but this one I do remember... “You are one of a kind!”. I was embarrassed once again.
I fully expected her to go back into the bathroom to put the slip on. To get a full slip on the woman has to be, basically, undressed. I watched her reach for the door and then stop. She took a couple of steps and then turned around to look at me and reached down and grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled it up over her head. I don’t think I took a breath for over a minute. As she was doing this she paid no attention to me at all. It was as if she were in her bedroom and getting dressed by herself. She took very little time and when she smoothed the hem of the dress out she walked over to the place she’d been where the sun was behind her. The first and only word she spoke was “Well?”(120)
I won’t say I was entirely honest when I told her she’d be fine. I could still see her silhouette but felt that by the time she was due to meet her friends the sun would be almost down. She thanked me and told me she’d pay me the next day. She grabbed her work clothes and we headed for the door. I could’ve gone out with her but decided to stay for a few minutes to recap what I’d just witnessed. Walking back to my desk I realized that I’d missed the opportunity to chat with Gina about me being “a panty man” that she’d suggested. The bit with the dress and slip had taken ‘front and center’ and I wondered if I’d ever get another chance.
The week was a strange one in that there were two days the bank would be closed... Election day and Veterans Day. I had thought about approaching Gina to see if she might be willing to work on that day as well. Thankfully, she declined. Because of the two holidays the lobby traffic remained busy which cut into the one on one training I wanted Gina to get done. By the time we left to go home on Thursday only Cara and Janet were proficient. I’d put off asking Gina just when she would be leaving for her new job as I was getting concerned that she wouldn’t have all the tellers trained by the time she left. I hated the thought of asking her but over that weekend I knew I had to and had to do it soon.
The next Monday, as expected, was very, very busy and Gina was forced to work her teller window the whole day. There was no opportunity to take her aside to ask the dreaded question. The only chance I got to speak to her at all was to tell her who would be her next ‘trainee’ and that was as she was leaving for the day. The next morning I found an envelope, hand addressed, on my chair. It was a formal letter of resignation from Gina, nicely worded with thanks for all the bank had done to help her and her daughter. There were no words that even hinted of negativism on her part and I was truly impressed. Her last day was to be December 1st which was just over two weeks away. Now I had the job to let everyone know she’d be leaving and I wasn’t looking forward to that, especially Hobie who’s attitude towards her seemed to have changed.
To be continued...
Wednesday, July 06, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) Part 144c)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (cont.) (Part 144c)
I remember Monday as being especially hectic with a lot of lobby traffic. Mondays usually were busy, what with the bank being closed for two days, but on this Monday it was the added pressure of the bank being closed the next day for election day and people wanting to have enough cash to hold them over. Reluctantly, I had to have Gina open her teller station and forego any training or inputting. Cara was open but starting at around 10am she had the burden of exposing Peggy to the work of a teller and that cut back on her productivity. As I remember it the first time Gina was able to get back to the project was after lunch. By the end of the day very little progress had been made with the name and addresses. Before leaving, Bret and I went over our plan of attack for the next day with Gina. Bret agreed to be there at 8am and I’d arrive around noon. Bret was to order sandwiches from the luncheonette across the street and I’d pick them up on the way in. Gina was ‘primed’ and looking forward to showing us just how much she could do without interruptions.
Elle was less than supportive to my working that day. I’m not sure if it was at this juncture that she voiced a complaint that I liked my work more than her and the kids but I do know she was displeased. It did bother me a bit that she didn’t have any plans for me and the family and yet felt that I was depriving her of something she wanted.
Bret had decided not to partake of lunch as he wanted to get home so his wife could get to work. She was a nurse but was no longer working at the hospital deciding that doing private care nursing gave her more flexibility now that she had kids. As I walked up to Gina and the machine she was wanting to show me how many addressograph plates she’d processed. It was easily as many as she’d processed during the previous week. As far as I was concerned she had proven her point. I’d hoped for a little ‘small talk’ with her while we ate but she was more interested in sharing another idea that would boost productivity. The regular teller windows all had pull out seats for the tellers if they desired to use them. There was nothing for Gina or whoever was working at the other machine to sit on. She suggested that having something would boost productivity and asked if I could purchase a couple. A while back I’d been working in the basement trying to and create more storage space and had unearthed a whole bunch of dated furniture. I’d been told it was from the building the bank had occupied prior to building the present one. That meant it was at least 40 or more years old but, other than being out of style, it was functional. I’d seen some old high stools with wicker seats that had probably been what the tellers used back in the 20’s and immediately thought about them. I left Gina and headed for the basement.
There were six in all and I found that two of them still had their wicker seats intact. I took one upstairs and showed it to Gina and, other than a quick laugh of derision, she said it would suffice. It was a little on the short side but a phone book and a cushion I 'borrowed' from Liz, the auditor, had her in good shape. As she ooched her way up onto it I finally made notice of what she was wearing. I guess the name for her style of pants was “Farmer Johns” with a bib in the front and straps up over her shoulders. After just a day of working with the metal plates it was obvious that they were dirty and I’d gone next door to the W.T. Grant store and bought some aprons. But, for working that day I’d told Gina to dress comfortably... and she sure looked it. They weren’t fitted at the waist but Gina was wearing a knit top that barely made it down into the body of the garment. When she was standing I couldn’t see anything but, now ,sitting... it was a whole different view. At first I could see some flesh and wondered if, over time, she might move around enough to expose a little more. I knew I’d make her uncomfortable just standing there and I did have month end personnel reports to work on. However, at my desk my eyes kept looking up to her sitting on the stool. When she took a bathroom break I chose to get up myself to go over and see her progress. I’m sure I made a positive comment to her and then stepped back as she made her way back onto the stool. My patience was rewarded!.
Even though the pants weren’t gathered or tight at the waist there were two buttons on each side and, one of them had become unbuttoned. As she settled back in to her work the opening that was created was like an egg in shape and I could see the side of what I was sure were bikini panties all the way from the leg elastic almost to the waist elastic. Stupidly, I just stood there gawking. When I didn’t move for a few seconds she turned in my direction and caught where my eyes were directed. I know I went beet red immediately. But Gina started laughing. I don’t remember the words she used but it was some sort of smart-assed remark about my being a “panty man”... again. Not knowing just how to take it, I apologized and I remember her laughing some more. She put an end to it by saying she wanted to get back to work and that maybe we could talk a bit about it, later. I didn’t have any idea what she meant about “it” and hoped it wasn’t going to be more embarrassment for me.
After her success in the morning she’d set a goal for herself of being able to finish off the tray she’d been working on. I heard a bit of a happy cry and looked up to see her standing by the machine with her hands in the air. I took it to mean she’d made her goal so I went over to congratulate her. Approaching, I could see that not only hadn’t she re-buttoned the side opening of the pants but the one above that one was unbuttoned as well. The opening was now in the shape of a “V” and I could clearly see from the waist elastic of her panties to just below the leg elastic. I knew she was following my eyes and when I looked up at her she had that wicked smile that she’d given me before on a few occasions.
To be continued...
I remember Monday as being especially hectic with a lot of lobby traffic. Mondays usually were busy, what with the bank being closed for two days, but on this Monday it was the added pressure of the bank being closed the next day for election day and people wanting to have enough cash to hold them over. Reluctantly, I had to have Gina open her teller station and forego any training or inputting. Cara was open but starting at around 10am she had the burden of exposing Peggy to the work of a teller and that cut back on her productivity. As I remember it the first time Gina was able to get back to the project was after lunch. By the end of the day very little progress had been made with the name and addresses. Before leaving, Bret and I went over our plan of attack for the next day with Gina. Bret agreed to be there at 8am and I’d arrive around noon. Bret was to order sandwiches from the luncheonette across the street and I’d pick them up on the way in. Gina was ‘primed’ and looking forward to showing us just how much she could do without interruptions.
Elle was less than supportive to my working that day. I’m not sure if it was at this juncture that she voiced a complaint that I liked my work more than her and the kids but I do know she was displeased. It did bother me a bit that she didn’t have any plans for me and the family and yet felt that I was depriving her of something she wanted.
Bret had decided not to partake of lunch as he wanted to get home so his wife could get to work. She was a nurse but was no longer working at the hospital deciding that doing private care nursing gave her more flexibility now that she had kids. As I walked up to Gina and the machine she was wanting to show me how many addressograph plates she’d processed. It was easily as many as she’d processed during the previous week. As far as I was concerned she had proven her point. I’d hoped for a little ‘small talk’ with her while we ate but she was more interested in sharing another idea that would boost productivity. The regular teller windows all had pull out seats for the tellers if they desired to use them. There was nothing for Gina or whoever was working at the other machine to sit on. She suggested that having something would boost productivity and asked if I could purchase a couple. A while back I’d been working in the basement trying to and create more storage space and had unearthed a whole bunch of dated furniture. I’d been told it was from the building the bank had occupied prior to building the present one. That meant it was at least 40 or more years old but, other than being out of style, it was functional. I’d seen some old high stools with wicker seats that had probably been what the tellers used back in the 20’s and immediately thought about them. I left Gina and headed for the basement.
There were six in all and I found that two of them still had their wicker seats intact. I took one upstairs and showed it to Gina and, other than a quick laugh of derision, she said it would suffice. It was a little on the short side but a phone book and a cushion I 'borrowed' from Liz, the auditor, had her in good shape. As she ooched her way up onto it I finally made notice of what she was wearing. I guess the name for her style of pants was “Farmer Johns” with a bib in the front and straps up over her shoulders. After just a day of working with the metal plates it was obvious that they were dirty and I’d gone next door to the W.T. Grant store and bought some aprons. But, for working that day I’d told Gina to dress comfortably... and she sure looked it. They weren’t fitted at the waist but Gina was wearing a knit top that barely made it down into the body of the garment. When she was standing I couldn’t see anything but, now ,sitting... it was a whole different view. At first I could see some flesh and wondered if, over time, she might move around enough to expose a little more. I knew I’d make her uncomfortable just standing there and I did have month end personnel reports to work on. However, at my desk my eyes kept looking up to her sitting on the stool. When she took a bathroom break I chose to get up myself to go over and see her progress. I’m sure I made a positive comment to her and then stepped back as she made her way back onto the stool. My patience was rewarded!.
Even though the pants weren’t gathered or tight at the waist there were two buttons on each side and, one of them had become unbuttoned. As she settled back in to her work the opening that was created was like an egg in shape and I could see the side of what I was sure were bikini panties all the way from the leg elastic almost to the waist elastic. Stupidly, I just stood there gawking. When I didn’t move for a few seconds she turned in my direction and caught where my eyes were directed. I know I went beet red immediately. But Gina started laughing. I don’t remember the words she used but it was some sort of smart-assed remark about my being a “panty man”... again. Not knowing just how to take it, I apologized and I remember her laughing some more. She put an end to it by saying she wanted to get back to work and that maybe we could talk a bit about it, later. I didn’t have any idea what she meant about “it” and hoped it wasn’t going to be more embarrassment for me.
 |
| Farmer John's... certainly NOT Gina but you should get the general idea of what I saw |
After her success in the morning she’d set a goal for herself of being able to finish off the tray she’d been working on. I heard a bit of a happy cry and looked up to see her standing by the machine with her hands in the air. I took it to mean she’d made her goal so I went over to congratulate her. Approaching, I could see that not only hadn’t she re-buttoned the side opening of the pants but the one above that one was unbuttoned as well. The opening was now in the shape of a “V” and I could clearly see from the waist elastic of her panties to just below the leg elastic. I knew she was following my eyes and when I looked up at her she had that wicked smile that she’d given me before on a few occasions.
To be continued...
Monday, July 04, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Cont.) (Part 144b)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Cont.) (Part 144b)
While all of this was playing out Gina was continuing to post the names and addresses to the service bureau’s computer center. Cara, who’d been working with her, was only able to help on a part time basis because lobby traffic had increased and Jacqui, for the second day, hadn’t come in to work. It made the teller line especially short handed. I’d had the opportunity to look at Gina’s idea for a holding rack for the name and address plates and thought I could make a couple with scraps of wood I had at home. Gina had demonstrated just how much time could be saved by not having to hold a plate in her hand while typing the information into the system. It was about 20 to 25 seconds per plate and I figured that over the course of the project the gadget could save hours of time.
When Jacqui didn’t show up again the next day I asked Trish to call to see if she was OK. I was busy with a customer and when I was done she walked up to the front of my desk and said that Jacqui wasn’t coming in again... ever. Trish had talked with her mother and was told that Jacqui didn’t want to speak with anybody at the bank. I remember looking at Trish with a puzzled look. Jacqui was a fairly good teller and well liked by the customers. A quiet girl, she didn’t seem to have any close friends among the other employees. She’d gotten a slightly higher than average review and had never expressed any dissatisfaction with the bank. I was at a loss for any idea what had gone wrong.
Realizing that I now had a serious staffing problem facing me at a most critical time forced me to finally reach out to Peggy and to ask her to come in for the promised interview. I actually called her father, James, to find out where she was at the time. When I told why I was looking for her I could hear relief in his voice. I wasn’t sure why but he did say he’d have her get in touch with me. While waiting I brought Bret up to date on what was happening and watched Gina continue to plug away at doing the data entry.
I never got a call from Peggy. She just appeared at Trish’s desk. I was a bit taken aback by her appearance as she’d obviously lost more weight since I’d last seen her. By my estimation though, she still could stand to lose another 10 or so pounds. Only 19, she looked closer to 30. However, she looked more like the Peggy that had babysat for Elle and I a few years earlier. (Since I’ll be writing about her in the future I’ll make this part short.) I offered her a teller position which seemed to make her happy. She said she could start on Monday which was OK as it gave me some time to sort out just who would be going where after ‘the dust settled’ following Gina’s upcoming resignation.
Bret and I decided that Cara would be the one to train Peggy because she had the most experience. Actually, Gina was the best one to do training but I needed her on the name and address project full time. Bret pointed out that if we decided to put Peggy on the main teller line she’d be located right next to Cara who could ‘bail her out’ if need be. We were both aware that Lillian, the drive up teller, wanted to be out in the main teller line and that she might present a problem if she didn't get it. However, we didn’t have to decide on that for a few weeks.
It was Gina who came up to me and asked if there was any way possible to come in and work on election day, a bank holiday. I was shocked at the idea because a paid holiday was considered a treat by everyone from Bert (the president) on down. She had made some projections as to just how long it would take to get all the information into the system and, at the current rate, it would be into December (and after she'd gone). She explained that trying to do meaningful data entry while trying to teach made for slow progress. She said that if she could have seven to eight hours without interruption she’d get as much, or more, done than in a regular work week while doing training. I was impressed with her thinking but didn’t have an answer for her.
The only way it would be possible was for an officer of the bank to be there with her. Since she was in my section that would definitely mean me... if permission was given to even attempt it. I didn’t have any meaningful activity planned at home so decided to put the idea up to Hobie. I was surprised that he was accepting of it and more so when he suggested that Gina be credited with two additional days of vacation. It seemed obvious that his opinion of her had changed drastically, further confusing me. On my part, I wasn’t really enamored with the idea of giving up a day off and decided to pitch the idea of Bret splitting the time with me to him. He wasn’t receptive to it at all but, luckily, Hobie overheard our conversation and stepped in to say that if he did, we’d both get an extra day of vacation. I immediately liked that idea... work half a day to gain a whole day but It took Bret a few minutes to agree. When I told Gina she was all smiles.
With Cara having to train Peggy starting on Monday I felt that Gina should spend time on Friday training a different teller so that if we got lucky with slow lobby traffic the next week there would be two people posting names and addresses. Janet had worked out well as a teller in spite of her haughty attitude. With a college degree and being a few years older than most of the tellers she felt superior to them which had created some stress in the past. Her station was right next to Gina which turned out to be a good thing. Gina was older, had a child and had had to endure some stressful personal experiences so wouldn’t put up with some of the ‘games’ that Janet tried to play with some of the others. Janet was smart and a quick learner so she was my choice. Gina agreed with me which made it even better.
Even though Janet only got to spend about three hours in training on Friday Gina confided in me that she was already faster that Cara was. Even though Cara was smart and knew her job well she had, right from the time I started at the bank, resisted change. Anything new for Janet was good. I was happy to hear Gina’s assessment and when I did, took it to Janet and asked if there was any chance that she’d be willing to come in on Election day, even for part of the day. It wasn’t really a laugh that I got for my effort but it was close... a smile that read like ‘you’ve got to be kidding?’. You have to believe me when I say that I did make an honest effort.
To be continued...
While all of this was playing out Gina was continuing to post the names and addresses to the service bureau’s computer center. Cara, who’d been working with her, was only able to help on a part time basis because lobby traffic had increased and Jacqui, for the second day, hadn’t come in to work. It made the teller line especially short handed. I’d had the opportunity to look at Gina’s idea for a holding rack for the name and address plates and thought I could make a couple with scraps of wood I had at home. Gina had demonstrated just how much time could be saved by not having to hold a plate in her hand while typing the information into the system. It was about 20 to 25 seconds per plate and I figured that over the course of the project the gadget could save hours of time.
When Jacqui didn’t show up again the next day I asked Trish to call to see if she was OK. I was busy with a customer and when I was done she walked up to the front of my desk and said that Jacqui wasn’t coming in again... ever. Trish had talked with her mother and was told that Jacqui didn’t want to speak with anybody at the bank. I remember looking at Trish with a puzzled look. Jacqui was a fairly good teller and well liked by the customers. A quiet girl, she didn’t seem to have any close friends among the other employees. She’d gotten a slightly higher than average review and had never expressed any dissatisfaction with the bank. I was at a loss for any idea what had gone wrong.
Realizing that I now had a serious staffing problem facing me at a most critical time forced me to finally reach out to Peggy and to ask her to come in for the promised interview. I actually called her father, James, to find out where she was at the time. When I told why I was looking for her I could hear relief in his voice. I wasn’t sure why but he did say he’d have her get in touch with me. While waiting I brought Bret up to date on what was happening and watched Gina continue to plug away at doing the data entry.
I never got a call from Peggy. She just appeared at Trish’s desk. I was a bit taken aback by her appearance as she’d obviously lost more weight since I’d last seen her. By my estimation though, she still could stand to lose another 10 or so pounds. Only 19, she looked closer to 30. However, she looked more like the Peggy that had babysat for Elle and I a few years earlier. (Since I’ll be writing about her in the future I’ll make this part short.) I offered her a teller position which seemed to make her happy. She said she could start on Monday which was OK as it gave me some time to sort out just who would be going where after ‘the dust settled’ following Gina’s upcoming resignation.
Bret and I decided that Cara would be the one to train Peggy because she had the most experience. Actually, Gina was the best one to do training but I needed her on the name and address project full time. Bret pointed out that if we decided to put Peggy on the main teller line she’d be located right next to Cara who could ‘bail her out’ if need be. We were both aware that Lillian, the drive up teller, wanted to be out in the main teller line and that she might present a problem if she didn't get it. However, we didn’t have to decide on that for a few weeks.
It was Gina who came up to me and asked if there was any way possible to come in and work on election day, a bank holiday. I was shocked at the idea because a paid holiday was considered a treat by everyone from Bert (the president) on down. She had made some projections as to just how long it would take to get all the information into the system and, at the current rate, it would be into December (and after she'd gone). She explained that trying to do meaningful data entry while trying to teach made for slow progress. She said that if she could have seven to eight hours without interruption she’d get as much, or more, done than in a regular work week while doing training. I was impressed with her thinking but didn’t have an answer for her.
The only way it would be possible was for an officer of the bank to be there with her. Since she was in my section that would definitely mean me... if permission was given to even attempt it. I didn’t have any meaningful activity planned at home so decided to put the idea up to Hobie. I was surprised that he was accepting of it and more so when he suggested that Gina be credited with two additional days of vacation. It seemed obvious that his opinion of her had changed drastically, further confusing me. On my part, I wasn’t really enamored with the idea of giving up a day off and decided to pitch the idea of Bret splitting the time with me to him. He wasn’t receptive to it at all but, luckily, Hobie overheard our conversation and stepped in to say that if he did, we’d both get an extra day of vacation. I immediately liked that idea... work half a day to gain a whole day but It took Bret a few minutes to agree. When I told Gina she was all smiles.
With Cara having to train Peggy starting on Monday I felt that Gina should spend time on Friday training a different teller so that if we got lucky with slow lobby traffic the next week there would be two people posting names and addresses. Janet had worked out well as a teller in spite of her haughty attitude. With a college degree and being a few years older than most of the tellers she felt superior to them which had created some stress in the past. Her station was right next to Gina which turned out to be a good thing. Gina was older, had a child and had had to endure some stressful personal experiences so wouldn’t put up with some of the ‘games’ that Janet tried to play with some of the others. Janet was smart and a quick learner so she was my choice. Gina agreed with me which made it even better.
Even though Janet only got to spend about three hours in training on Friday Gina confided in me that she was already faster that Cara was. Even though Cara was smart and knew her job well she had, right from the time I started at the bank, resisted change. Anything new for Janet was good. I was happy to hear Gina’s assessment and when I did, took it to Janet and asked if there was any chance that she’d be willing to come in on Election day, even for part of the day. It wasn’t really a laugh that I got for my effort but it was close... a smile that read like ‘you’ve got to be kidding?’. You have to believe me when I say that I did make an honest effort.
To be continued...
Sunday, July 03, 2016
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina 144a)
FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... Gina (Part 144a)
Hobie’s comment stopped me cold. I was literally speechless. He’d been the one who’d told me flat “NO!” when it came to promoting Gina to the new position of (Chief Clerk) I’d proposed. He ended up naming Lorie, the bookkeeping (computer?) machine operator, to fill the position even though she had no supervisory, teller, or monetary experience. When that happened it was one of those classic ‘the boss may not always be right but he’s always the boss’ situations for me. I’d been so frustrated with his decision that I did something that may not have been ethical as far as my employer, the bank, was concerned, but as far as Gina was concerned, was deserved when I helped find her a better position at another bank. With that all but done I stood there not believing what I’d just heard him say. Hearing his words I remember my first thought being that I wished I’d not done it as I felt Gina was one of the best employees the bank had and knew we’d miss her. However, I was too shocked to do anything but stand there and look stupid. Hobie, thankfully, didn’t ‘push’ me on it as he was anxious to get home.
As he walked across the lobby to leave I was truly relieved. On the other hand now I had to figure out just what to do. I don’t remember how many deep breaths I took as he disappeared from my view. I do remember sitting down at my desk and just sitting there. Bret came up to me as he was leaving and asked if I was OK. I honestly don’t remember if I even responded. After everyone had gone I finally made an effort to think through my options... and there were only two.
One, of course, was to tell Gina and to ask if she might reconsider. That was the ‘reaction’ my brain came up with. However, reality took control and I realized Hobie hadn’t come out and told me that Gina could (or should) have the position. I needed to talk with him before opening my mouth. The second was to do nothing and live with the way it was planned. After a while I realized that the whole thing needed more time and headed for home.
I was almost there when another thought came to mind... If Gina stayed and took the Chief Clerk position what would happen to Lorie. She and I didn’t see ‘eye to eye’ when I started at the bank but, as time passed we began working better together. She was good at what she did but that job was the only one she’d ever done. I had no idea what to do with her. Pulling in the driveway I was more confused than ever.
I’m sure Elle accused me of being “distant” as I ate and, knowing me as I do, I probably was. Once in bed my mind was free to add the last problem (Lorie) into the mix. I remember being awake when Elle’s alarm went off for her first bathroom visit. By the time the second alarm (around 4am) I’d formulated the beginnings of a plan.
Lorie was attractive, of that there was no doubt, but she was also an independent thinker. If there had been one constant thing about J J, the mortgage officer, since his hiring it was that he liked ALL good looking females. As I lay in bed going over all the positions in the bank I couldn’t come up with a vacancy in any area. But... J J was always pushing Bert for more help. J J was a salesman at heart and I, personally resisted just about anything he wanted. However, Bert was susceptible to his ‘pitch’ so, my idea was to suggest Lorie as a smart, mature, hard working loyal employee to him. If he went for the idea and Lorie didn’t want the job I’d done my best to place her. Satisfied, I tried to get a few hours sleep... without success.
It was Gina who was on my mind for this last ‘go ‘round’ before dawn. I remembered how excited she’d been when the new job was offered to her. She’d be getting the recognition she deserved with the title of Head Teller along with a nice raise (more than what the Chief Clerk would pay). But there was more. Gina would be working only a few miles from where she lived. That meant at least an hour more time to be with her daughter. There would also be savings on gas and car maintenance. The more I thought about it the more I was inclined to keep my mouth shut. Lorie transitioning into the position would be a problem but letting Gina go was probably best for all. Showering, I had to rethink what I was going to say when Hobie brought her up at work as I was sure he would. I contemplated telling him about Gina leaving but knew that if I did I was taking the easy way out.
Walking in the back door at work I still didn’t know what I was going to say. In fact, right up to the moment I saw Hobie coming across the lobby I didn’t know. Somehow I’d let his parting words the night before about Gina totally dominate my thoughts (and cost me a night’s sleep). I sat there at my desk not really doing anything but waiting to be called to his desk. Other than a “Good morning”, nothing was said between us. Right before lunch I saw him in conversation with Lorie and wondered what that was all about. I had to wait until he returned to find out. My heart was pounding when he called me to his desk. It turned out that his second thoughts about Lorie had been resolved after talking with her. I was like a stick of melted butter by the time he stopped talking. I don’t know if I let out a sigh of relief when he finished or not. I can tell you that I felt relieved that I hadn’t reacted to his observation about her the night before. At that point all I could do was wait for Gina to tell me when she was actually leaving... and felt somewhat good about it for the first time.
To be continued...
Hobie’s comment stopped me cold. I was literally speechless. He’d been the one who’d told me flat “NO!” when it came to promoting Gina to the new position of (Chief Clerk) I’d proposed. He ended up naming Lorie, the bookkeeping (computer?) machine operator, to fill the position even though she had no supervisory, teller, or monetary experience. When that happened it was one of those classic ‘the boss may not always be right but he’s always the boss’ situations for me. I’d been so frustrated with his decision that I did something that may not have been ethical as far as my employer, the bank, was concerned, but as far as Gina was concerned, was deserved when I helped find her a better position at another bank. With that all but done I stood there not believing what I’d just heard him say. Hearing his words I remember my first thought being that I wished I’d not done it as I felt Gina was one of the best employees the bank had and knew we’d miss her. However, I was too shocked to do anything but stand there and look stupid. Hobie, thankfully, didn’t ‘push’ me on it as he was anxious to get home.
As he walked across the lobby to leave I was truly relieved. On the other hand now I had to figure out just what to do. I don’t remember how many deep breaths I took as he disappeared from my view. I do remember sitting down at my desk and just sitting there. Bret came up to me as he was leaving and asked if I was OK. I honestly don’t remember if I even responded. After everyone had gone I finally made an effort to think through my options... and there were only two.
One, of course, was to tell Gina and to ask if she might reconsider. That was the ‘reaction’ my brain came up with. However, reality took control and I realized Hobie hadn’t come out and told me that Gina could (or should) have the position. I needed to talk with him before opening my mouth. The second was to do nothing and live with the way it was planned. After a while I realized that the whole thing needed more time and headed for home.
I was almost there when another thought came to mind... If Gina stayed and took the Chief Clerk position what would happen to Lorie. She and I didn’t see ‘eye to eye’ when I started at the bank but, as time passed we began working better together. She was good at what she did but that job was the only one she’d ever done. I had no idea what to do with her. Pulling in the driveway I was more confused than ever.
I’m sure Elle accused me of being “distant” as I ate and, knowing me as I do, I probably was. Once in bed my mind was free to add the last problem (Lorie) into the mix. I remember being awake when Elle’s alarm went off for her first bathroom visit. By the time the second alarm (around 4am) I’d formulated the beginnings of a plan.
Lorie was attractive, of that there was no doubt, but she was also an independent thinker. If there had been one constant thing about J J, the mortgage officer, since his hiring it was that he liked ALL good looking females. As I lay in bed going over all the positions in the bank I couldn’t come up with a vacancy in any area. But... J J was always pushing Bert for more help. J J was a salesman at heart and I, personally resisted just about anything he wanted. However, Bert was susceptible to his ‘pitch’ so, my idea was to suggest Lorie as a smart, mature, hard working loyal employee to him. If he went for the idea and Lorie didn’t want the job I’d done my best to place her. Satisfied, I tried to get a few hours sleep... without success.
It was Gina who was on my mind for this last ‘go ‘round’ before dawn. I remembered how excited she’d been when the new job was offered to her. She’d be getting the recognition she deserved with the title of Head Teller along with a nice raise (more than what the Chief Clerk would pay). But there was more. Gina would be working only a few miles from where she lived. That meant at least an hour more time to be with her daughter. There would also be savings on gas and car maintenance. The more I thought about it the more I was inclined to keep my mouth shut. Lorie transitioning into the position would be a problem but letting Gina go was probably best for all. Showering, I had to rethink what I was going to say when Hobie brought her up at work as I was sure he would. I contemplated telling him about Gina leaving but knew that if I did I was taking the easy way out.
Walking in the back door at work I still didn’t know what I was going to say. In fact, right up to the moment I saw Hobie coming across the lobby I didn’t know. Somehow I’d let his parting words the night before about Gina totally dominate my thoughts (and cost me a night’s sleep). I sat there at my desk not really doing anything but waiting to be called to his desk. Other than a “Good morning”, nothing was said between us. Right before lunch I saw him in conversation with Lorie and wondered what that was all about. I had to wait until he returned to find out. My heart was pounding when he called me to his desk. It turned out that his second thoughts about Lorie had been resolved after talking with her. I was like a stick of melted butter by the time he stopped talking. I don’t know if I let out a sigh of relief when he finished or not. I can tell you that I felt relieved that I hadn’t reacted to his observation about her the night before. At that point all I could do was wait for Gina to tell me when she was actually leaving... and felt somewhat good about it for the first time.
To be continued...
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