HOME AGAIN... to some surprises (Part 157d)

HOME AGAIN… to some surprises (Part 157d)

There was no work done on the car that day. The sole purpose of the meeting was to address the money situation. “Big B”  and I were out of the shop by 3pm which gave us time to look at the boat he was interested in buying. He’d come up with a way to make some good money in the fall by going scalloping. I’ll spare you the ‘education’ of just what’s involved in scalloping and limit it to say that for his plan to work he needed fairly big, flat bottomed boat powered by an outboard motor. We pulled into this yard and saw just that with a ‘FOR SALE’ sign on it. He talked with the owner and they quickly agreed on a price. “B” had hoped the boat would fit in the back of the pick-up but it was longer than he thought which meant he’d have to come back with a trailer. Aside from that he was really excited. On our way back to my house he started in ‘selling’ me upon becoming his partner in the venture. It sounded good but with all that I had going I told him I’d have to hold off on making a decision.

“B” let me off in front of my house and I walked up the driveway wondering what kind of mood Elle would be in. I smelled dinner cooking as I opened the kitchen door. Elle had a big smile on her face and it gave me a sense of a relief. I just hoped it remained. What was a surprise was that she never asked how our boat viewing venture went. That was a bit of luck in that if I’d told her what “B” had planned for the Fall I’d be back in ‘hot water’ as she was already complaining that I didn’t spend enough time with the kids. So, it turned out to be a good day as far as Elle was concerned. However, as far as the race car… not so good... knowing I’d have to come up with more money.

The rest of the evening went quietly and once in bed I resumed my thoughts of retrieving the bikini panties from the carry bag in the closet. With Elle having to leave really early because she’d been called to teach at one of the schools near where we used to live would give me the extra time to get the panties and to put them in my ‘stash’. In my mind, once that was accomplished I could relax. In the morning, as soon as Elle headed downstairs to shower, I headed for the closet. In writing this, I’m reliving one of the biggest shocks I’d ever experienced… the bag was not on the shelf where I’d put it the night before. I remember standing there and not believing my eyes. I knew it just didn’t up and walk away. I also didn’t know just what to do about it.

Panic was the mode. My first job on mornings where Elle was to off to teach was to make sure the older girls were washed and dressed and downstairs for breakfast. That prevented me from searching for the bag. I know my heart rate was elevated as I hustled the girls on their way. When Elle returned to get dressed I had a brief thought of asking about the bag. But, I didn’t, quickly realizing that it would probably seem suspicious since it was a hardly used item since I’d stopped playing basketball. Elle told me she was skipping breakfast which meant I was responsible for getting breakfast for the kids… not what I wanted. I got them downstairs just in time to see Elle going out the door… with the carry bag in one hand. That didn’t leave me anything to do but spend the day worrying about it… and I knew I had a ‘bear’ of a day facing me.

Just being gone from work for a day would mean  playing ‘catch-up’ on the first day back. Being gone a week… who knew? There were a couple of open items when I left… the new branch and choosing gifts for the new account campaign that would coincide with the grand opening. Because of my ankle, I’d missed the last inspection of the branch construction. I’d also not been able to go to the city to visit a number of ‘premium’ (gift) distributors and was running out of time to make the choice of premiums to offer. And… the first thing I had to do was to call Gee, the Trustee/attorney and to ask him to call Gertrude to assure her that her accounts were legal and safe. However, I wasn’t prepared for what I was greeted with upon my arrival.

I was a little late and I knew it not from looking at my watch but by the fact that Trish was at her desk. She was never there before 9am sharp. She actually greeted me by handing me the job applications folder. “Netta quit” were the only words spoken. Bret was right by his desk when she told me and he proceeded to fill me in with the details. J J was on an important phone call and was cut off. He came out of his office and went over to the switchboard and proceeded to “ream her out”, calling her incompetent. Netta got up, picked up her things and while walking away told J J “go f__k yourself!” I stood there almost not believing what I was hearing. After digesting that news I asked if anything was said to J J. Neither of them knew. I also asked if anyone had reached out to Netta. She'd been a good employee and there had never been a problem with her. I was having a hard time accepting that either of them would have done what I’d just heard explained to me.

And, that was just the beginning of my day…

To be continued...