A LOT OF WORK... & play too (Part 158l)

A LOT OF WORK… & play too (Part 158l)

There was a lot on my mind on my way to work the next morning not the least of which was to stop in to see Gertrude about Bermuda. Neither Elle or I got a good night’s sleep with both of us thinking about the trip even though it would be at least four months until we would be on our way. Also on my agenda for the day was to go to the restaurant supply store to see what they had in the way of more sturdy work stools for the tellers. Driving past the travel agency I was trying to figure out if I’d be able to stop there on my way back to save time. I sure hoped so thinking that with answers to my questions I’d be able to get back concentrating on work.

Seeing Eileen back to work was a pleasant surprise. I made a point of stopping by her window to not only make sure she was OK but also to check out her face. She’d said she hadn’t wanted to come in to work because she was concerned about the way she looked. There was a bandage above her eye but it wasn’t obtrusive. I remember thinking about how vain women could be as I welcomed her back and shook my head as I walked away.

With Jerry there it was possible to take Bret along with me to check out the stools. It was one of the few times I could think of as a positive in having him there. On our way I told Bret about my plans for Bermuda and that if we had time I wanted to stop to see Gertrude. It was obvious he was a bit jealous. I felt I needed to explain that we’d never had a honeymoon and this was our 10th anniversary but it didn’t ease the tension. I went a bit further and told him that right from the time we’d been told we’d be getting our paid in retirement money back I’d targeted it for that purpose. That caused him to sort of complain that he was struggling to pay his bills and he was living in his parent’s house. All I could do was to tell him of Elle’s and my ‘want/need’ list and how, for the most part, we’d held to it. I looked over at him and could see him shrug his shoulders.

The location of the restaurant supply company was on the very West end of the village and I’d driven past it almost every day for the five years or so that it was open. I had no idea who owned it or, really, anything about it. Walking in I thought I had walked into an actual restaurant. I won’t waste a lot of time explaining but it was an effective way to display a lot of the products they handled from furniture to kitchen appliances. Cutting to the quick, I asked about stools and all they could show us was the type you would most likely find in a bar… chrome with heavy duty vinyl seats. The bases were wider than what we had and just what we were looking for but they were not appropriate for a bank. The salesman was very much interested in helping us find what we were looking for and offered to do some research for us. Bret suggested that a stool with a back might be appropriate and I agreed. The guy gave me his card and when I glanced at the last name it brought back some memories.

Back when I worked in the data processing department for the County there was a girl who worked in the purchasing department right across the hall. Over time I’d been the beneficiary of any number of panty ‘peeks’ (and better) from her but had completely lost track of her. I mentioned her name and was told she was his cousin but that he’d never been really close to her. He did tell me she’d moved to New Jersey and worked for the State. I had to ask when was the last time he’d seen her. He had to think about it for a bit and then shrugged his shoulders. But, he did say that she was supposed to come back for a family reunion during the Summer. Among the other things stored up in my brain I slotted that in not having any idea what I’d do with it.

Riding back to the bank I saw there was an empty parking spot right across the street from Gertrude’s place. I had the booklet with me so parked and dashed in. Gertrude, upon seeing me, stated that she was surprised to see me so soon and asked if it was a good sign. I’m sure the smile I had on my face was the answer. I showed her our choices and she immediately eliminated Elle’s choice saying that we, definitely, would not like it there. She promised she’d get the most up to date material from the other choice, The Elbow Beach Resort Hotel. As I was walking out the door she called out “Good choice!” and I hoped it was.

By that afternoon I’d calmed down enough from the shock of the telephone proposal to actually read the material and study the plan for the placement of the phones. When I finished I remembered the sales rep saying it would be the most sophisticated system in the County. I changed the word ‘sophisticated’ to expensive and tossed the material in the trash. I was about to do the same with the floor plan but, in spite of it being marked as property of the telephone company I decided to keep it… thinking that the company coming in the next day might find it interesting.

That night I headed for the shop where we worked on the racecar. There was to be another practice session on Saturday but Cliffy was concerned that we really wouldn’t accomplish anything. He’d decided not to use the new tires in practice and the old ones we had were worn out. He told us that all we’d be doing was putting more laps on the motor and spending money for gas to get to the track and back. So, it was decided to have a party at Cliffy's Saturday night in place of practice. No one complained, especially me as it meant I'd have the whole day to get my Spring yard work started.

To be continued…