SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161z)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161z)

As we were getting into the station wagon the old geezer who owned the place came rushing out. He wanted to know if we had fun. I, surprisingly, did but with Elle’s ‘problem’ I couldn’t speak for her. I told him that we did but that we didn’t really know what we were doing. That brought a smile and also an offer. He said if I bought ten ‘passes’ for $30 he’d throw in a half hour lesson for free. I didn’t have $30 on me so I told him I’d think about it. He immediately came back with a better offer… 10 ‘passes’ for $25. I don’t remember just how much money I did have but pulled out my wallet and gave him what I had, promising he’d get the rest when we showed up the next time. That seemed to make him happy. Elle’s attitude, upon hearing the deal, turned decidedly better and started in badgering me to find out when we’d do it again.

We were back home before Barbara arrived. That pleased Elle because it avoided any chance of embarrassment. We were all on the screened in porch and it was just about dark when we saw headlights making the turn into the driveway. The car never came all the way up to the top. After a short stop it just backed out and headed towards town. I recognized Barbara more from her short stature than from a facial view as she made her way to the porch steps. She joined us and was her usual bubbly self. She wanted to tell us that after she and her father had eaten they had gone to see the current status of their new house. She indicated that her father hadn’t been too happy after realizing that nothing had been done since the previous week. We’d driven past it the day we spent visiting with my parents and the twins and I’d failed to take much notice of it. I asked some questions and Barbara suggested that if we wanted she could show us around one night during the week. Elle was all for it so it was agreed that the next night I got home at a reasonable hour we’d do it.

With the diversion of the golf and Barbara I’d managed to push matters concerning the bank to the background. But, with the peacefulness of the kids in bed I couldn’t let it continue. My concern was what the fall out of the branch committee meeting would be. Being somewhat paranoid by then I was sure that some of the blame on the poor acceptance of the branch would be thrust on me. Just thinking of that possibility got me mad.... and kept me that way until bedtime… and after. I slept fitfully and decided to head in to work a bit early. For a reason that I can’t remember I decided to take the North road which took me past Lorie’s house. Every time I went that way I would tell myself to do it more often in hopes of getting a full wash line of panties. Not only did I get that but I also got to see Lorie, wearing a light housecoat, as she finished hanging some items on the line. If I’d parked across the road I’m sure I would’ve seen her silhouette because the sun was behind her. It was a pleasant diversion to start the day.

I poked around my desk until I saw Hobie come through the back entryway. I met him out in the lobby and he, of course, knew what I wanted. Following him into his work area I waited for him to get settled before sitting down, all the while sort of holding my breath. It was obvious he didn’t know where to begin but he said the branch committee wanted to have the board take a look at finding another advertising agency. I think my butt left the seat when I heard that. I immediately protested noting that the main office, with a lot of direct banking competition, was exceeding the results of the campaign from a year ago. Hobie let me rant for a minute before saying that there was nothing we could do about it… the committee was looking for a scapegoat… and the agency was the most obvious target. Then he hit me with a real ‘bomb’. After the meting was over, Bert had called Gee (the attorney/trustee) and had him come down to the bank. He said they had asked one member of the branch committee to stay and the four of them looked over some of the things that I’d given to Hobie. Before ending their meeting they'd called Morris. I sat there almost not believing what I was hearing. Hobie smiled when he was explaining how hard it was to get Morris to actually talk with them and that brought a smile to my face. The end result of the call was that the four of them were to meet with Morris early the following week. I didn’t know what to say. I was still troubled that the ad agency was going to be ’thrown under the bus’ so did mention that. Hobie reminded me that the full board wouldn’t be meeting for another week and that, hopefully, the meeting with Morris would prove fruitful. Once back at my desk I was tried to put the events of the past two days together, sorting through the ‘high and lows’, but coming to the realization that Hobie had come through on my behalf. I’d been right to go to him the previous day.

Hobie added one thing more and that was the branch committee decided to continue the new account gift campaign for another week and to re-run all the ads in the media that covered the branch area. Word had gotten out to most of the Trustees about the underwhelming acceptance of the new branch so Hobie told Bret and I to “make yourselves scarce” on Wednesday afternoon when some of them would be in for the mortgage committee meeting.

I decided I'd go to the branch that afternoon and take most of the extra gifts the main office had and add them to their inventory. It was also a way for me to be able to get home a little early. Bret wasn’t too happy about that since Wednesday was the last day for the program at the main office and past history had shown there was a last minute ‘push’ to make deposits and get to get interest credit from the first.

The decision to eliminate the temporary help for opening new accounts at the branch had been a good one. Betsy said they had never been overwhelmed and everything was going smoothly. I asked about Jerry and was told he'd been "helpful". I got sort of a wry smile when I asked about his office door and she said the only times she’d seen it closed was when a customer had made a bit of a scene in the lobby and Jerry had escorted her into his office. I asked about what had caused it and she laughed. It was a woman who claimed the electric drill she’d chosen didn’t work. Jerry tried to see if it was defective but couldn’t figure it out. Mae happened by and through the window saw Jerry struggling. She went in only to find out the problem was that they weren’t using the key to lock the drill into the chuck. I remember looking over to where Jerry was and shaking my head and thinking "What a looser!"

I went over the gift inventory and projected what would be needed for another week and with what I'd added found they had plenty. I stayed until they did the general proof and when it balanced I headed for home. Twice in one week and during the busy period, to boot! This time I called Elle to warn her I’d be early. She seemed a little upset saying she’d called the office but no one knew where I was. I sort of winced because I’d only mentioned it to Bret and, obviously, he’d not passed it on. I wanted to know why she was trying to reach me and all she said was to call Cliffy.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161y)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161y)

… and she was! It was just a little past 5pm when I pulled up the driveway. She’d only been home for a short while and was taking clothes off the wash line. I walked out to see her and I could tell she had something she wanted to tell me. I watched as she took a look at where the girls were playing and seeing that they were occupied motioned for me to follow her to the other end of the line. I had no idea what she was up to but followed along. At the far end were clothes that I recognized as Barbara’s. There were a bunch of panties and I thought it really strange that she’d take me to see them. But it wasn’t just the panties but a pair of shorts that she was after. I didn’t say anything and let her be the one to speak. When she turned around to face me I could see what I would call a smirk on her face. She grabbed a pair of panties and then pointed to a pair of khaki shorts. I still had no idea what was going on in her mind.

Slowly, she explained that when she went down to the basement to start the wash she found a pair of shorts and a pair of panties right on top inside the washing machine. When she went to sort the clothes into like piles (whites with whites… colors with colors) she noticed there was a stain in the crotch of the shorts. She said she didn’t make anything of it because it wasn’t all that large but when she touched the panties they were a bit damp. When she held them up to look at them she said she was shocked to find that they’d been wet and more than once. As soon as I heard that I knew where she was going with it… but I didn’t interrupt, wanting to hear her thoughts. She was now holding the pair of the Lollipop panties she’d taken from the line and pointed to a place half way up the back and said that was a far as the stain went. By now I was trying to keep from smiling. I knew if I did she’d want to know why and I surely didn’t want to tell her of my discovery from the previous Sunday. Then she looked at me and asked if I remembered her telling me about a comment that Phyllis had made to her in which she indicated that she thought Barbara might be wetting on purpose. Biting my tongue to keep from making it too obvious that I, indeed, did remember, I nodded affirmatively. I truly wasn’t expecting what came next.

She wanted to know what we should do about it. With that, I did laugh and Elle didn’t take it all that well. She wanted to know what was funny about Barbara’s wetting. I think I took a deep breath before I started talking. I definitely remember being somewhat stern when I reminded her that we were not Barbara’s parents and, as such, had no right to get involved. There were two more points I wanted to make and I don’t remember which came first. One was to point out that she (we) didn’t know if the situation she’d just described was a case of deliberate wetting or a true ‘accident’. The second was that even if it was a case of wetting on purpose, what harm was there in it. I asked Elle if she’d seen any stains or evidence of wetting other than the sheets on her bed. I don’t think she answered but I made an emphatic point of saying that she wasn’t to broach the subject with Barbara and asked her to acknowledge that she wouldn’t. It took a few seconds before she mumbled an “OK”.

I was in the process of changing my clothes when the phone rang. It was right next to the bed so I grabbed it surprised to hear Barbara’s voice. She was calling to say she wouldn’t be joining us for supper as she was going out with her father. He’d spent the long weekend with Phyllis and his other kids near Philadelphia and just gotten back. Barbara said she wanted to hear how her sister and brothers were doing so he suggested going to dinner. I’d barely gotten the phone back in the cradle when it came to me that we (Elle and I) were free for a while. Now, what to do with the time?

It didn’t take Elle long to come up with a suggestion. I’d mentioned that Elle had been exposed to golf and was anxious to pursue it. We’d gone looking for the par three course only a short time ago and when we found it also met the owner, a wizened old man, who’d given us free passes to try it out. Elle knew exactly where she’d put them and as soon as the supper table was cleared we were off. I still couldn’t believe the location… just off a small creek with marshes all around. Naturally, the kids weren’t thrilled because the only thing they could do was walk around with us. It wasn’t quite the blind leading the blind but it was close to it. I’d taken a few lessons and knew something about the numbers on the bottom of the clubs. I knew the larger the number the shorter distance the ball would go (if you hit it). I stepped up to the first tee and have no idea how far it was to the flag (or hole, if you want to be specific). I swung away and hit the ball… solid… but it didn’t go up in the air. I subsequently found out that what I’d done was to ’skull’ the ball. I had no idea where it went. I think it was the third ball that finally went into the air. Elle stepped up and promptly hit one to right in front of the green. She was holding true to form as the best female athlete from her high school class.

After many lost balls (thankfully, all were used balls given to Elle by one of her friends) we reached the seventh fairway. We’d only seen a few people ahead of us but we were so slow they soon disappeared from view. The seventh hole was one I’ll never forget… for a number of reasons. First off, the guy who built the course did something that you couldn’t even think of today… he’d trucked in dirt and laid it out over the marshland. We both hit off and, for a change, weren’t looking for the balls we’d just hit. Walking down the fairway it was like we were sort of walking on a big pillow because you could feel yourself going up and down, ever so slightly, as you walked. When we got near the green I could see a ball up near the flag. The other one was just on the edge of the green. I figured with the way I’d been hitting balls that the one by the hole was Elle’s. It wasn’t. I had about a three foot putt. The only part of golf that I had any experience was in putting, having had my grandfather teach me when I was about ten or eleven years old. I sank it and had my first ‘birdie’. I was excited and when I looked back at Elle she was sort of doubled over. The kids were picking weed flowers that lined the fairway so they were basically unaware of Elle’s predicament. As I walked towards her I looked at my watch and we’d been there for a while but I didn’t think it had been long enough for Elle to push her ‘limit’ as far as time between bathroom visits.

I’d almost reached her when she just squatted down and as she did I felt the bulge building in my pants. She wouldn’t look up at me but I never took my eyes off the stream of pale yellow that was exiting the back of her shorts. They were also a pale yellow, a new pair for her, and I knew the results would probably not be very noticeable. She stayed in the squatting position for quite a while . It was Kaye yelling that she wanted to go home that finally prodded her to get up. She knew I was waiting to ‘inspect’ and inspect I did. I’d been right… the wetness blended in nicely to the color of the shorts. Elle started to walk off but I told her she had to at least finish the hole because, like me, it had been her best shot. She gave me a ‘look’ but went and got her putter even though from where the ball was it wasn’t the right club. I stood there and watched her stroke the ball and then followed it’s path right into the hole. Unbelievable! (153)

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161x)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161x)

While trying to figure out how I was going to get to my safe deposit box, Morris finally called. I thought I was in trouble when he gruffly asked who I was and what I wanted. I knew from when I met him that the bank was going to be one of his smallest customers but it hadn’t been all that long ago that I was in the city and eating a Reuben sandwich, on the run, with him. I gave him the details of what premiums I’d ordered and he claimed he remembered but I wasn’t convinced. I decided to go ahead anyway and ask why he’d asked why the bank had chosen the location for the branch. He asked for the location and that was the ‘key’. I remember him shouting into the phone “Now I know who you are!” The whole tone of the conversation changed at that point. In a much calmer voice he asked how the opening went and if I needed more gift/premiums (always selling!). I told him the promotion at the main office was doing quite well but we were disappointed with results at the branch.

For the next five or so minutes he proceeded to tell me that he had been positive that we wouldn’t do well in that location, and why, but felt he would have been “out of line” to mention it. When I was there I was only buying gift/premiums and not looking for advice. Then, I got an education on branch location. The key word he kept using was “demographics”. I didn’t have a clear idea of just what demographics were but I remembered it being used in one of my courses in Economics at college. I certainly didn’t know how he was applying it… and he knew it. He asked a bunch of questions about the make-up of the Board ‘fishing’ for what kind of business backgrounds the members had. I remember giving him about four or five when he, again, bellowed, “There’s’ the answer!” I didn’t know what to say so didn’t say anything.

It was like he changed direction in mid conversation when he reminded me that he had a consulting business as well as the gift/premium business. I did know that as it was by using the consulting business that the bank could cover the excess costs (over the $10 limit) of the gifts we’d chosen. He went into what I call the “sell mode” by telling me he could’ve saved the bank a lot of headaches if we’d come to him right after the decision was made to open a branch. He said he maintained a list of locations all over the metropolitan area. It was interesting to hear but it was now after the fact plus I’d no part in anything to do with the branch other than gift selection. It took a bit of time for me to get that point across to him and finally he decided to end the call by telling me he’d send some materials about the consulting business in case the bank wanted to open another branch. He finished up by giving me the names of some of the large city banks who’d used his services. To be honest, I was somewhat overwhelmed. I do remember sitting at my desk just staring out into the work area trying to put something together that could, or would, be useful when I met with Bert. I finally decided I needed a cup of coffee.

I’ve never been a coffee lover but did partake in occasional coffee breaks more for the social aspect than the caffeine. Because of the ‘busy period’ we’d asked the tellers to cut their time short and almost all of them had cooperated. By the time I arrived there were only two in the room. It was obvious as soon as I walked in that they weren’t expecting anybody else to appear. One of them was Alice, one of the newer (and youngest) tellers, along with one of the temporary girls. I have no idea what they were discussing but the girl had one foot up on the sofa with her leg cocked to the side and was pointing to her inner thigh. All I saw was a patch of white… for about five seconds, if that. Talk about embarrassment! I apologized but before I could blink the girl was up off the sofa and out the door. I could see Alice was embarrassed as well so didn’t say anything to her. For me, it was a well needed diversion.

With no one in the room I went back over what Morris had told me but I really didn’t know what to do with the information. With the peace and quiet I realized that what Morris had told me was that the Board had screwed up, royally… and I knew I couldn’t tell, or even insinuate, that to Bert. My philosophy, right from the time I started at the bank, was to go to Hobie when I was in doubt. However, I wasn’t sure that he would want to hear it either.

I was excited… way too excited… because for the first time my negative feelings towards most of the Board were being corroborated. Going back upstairs I was almost too afraid to head for Hobie’s area. I’m still not sure what he was expecting me to have come up with for Bert but I can tell you it wasn’t what I had to say. Basically, I went over what Morris had told me about the first thing to do in planning for a branch. It was to find an area with good demographics. I was way out of my element on that subject and I knew it but pressed ahead. The one thing I did take from Morris’s ‘sell job’ was that we needed professional help and I pushed that point to Hobie. I wasn’t sure he was ‘buying’ what I had to say but did tell me that he’d be with me when I met with Bert. That was comforting.

What I didn’t know was that he took what I’d told him to Bert right after I left his desk. I knew I’d been ‘hyper’ when talking to him as I’d sat on the edge of the seat and had been using my hands as I spoke. When the time came to go upstairs to meet with Bert I was a nervous wreck. Almost as soon as I walked into his office he told me to calm down. He asked some questions about Morris and his background and then some specific questions about how Morris gathered his “demographics”. I had no idea about that but in the short time I’d spent and talked with the man he seemed to know the business. I hadn’t realized it but when Bert was asking those questions I’d gotten defensive and Hobie called me out on it. They decided it best to excuse me and I left. Walking down the stairs I realized I was wet with perspiration.

When Hobie finally made it back downstairs he told me that he thought it would be a good idea for me to go to the branch. I asked him why and he sort of smiled and said that he and Bert thought it would be a good idea for me not to be seen when the branch committee members showed up. I didn’t understand and when I tried to get an answer Hobie put his finger up to his lips indicating for me too shut up and just go. Bret had gotten the gift inventory up to date and we were getting close to the last of the electric hand mixers. I knew we had plenty at the branch so I made that as my excuse. In leaving, Hobie told me not to come back to the office because he had no idea how long the committee meeting would last. By then I was getting the ‘hint’. I didn’t call the branch to let them know I was coming so when I walked in it was a bit of a shock. Jerry’s door was open and  he did have two people in there with him. My first stop was to Betsy’s window and I asked if Jerry had been adhering to the mandate. She smiled and nodded affirmatively. I told her why I was there and then proceeded to the storage trailer and loaded up some mixers. Then I was on my way home and I knew Elle would be surprised.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161w)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161w)

To me, it didn’t matter what had or hadn’t happened to the motor. The team didn’t have any more money so we were about finished. To help get over the disappointment I turned my focus to sailing because the next day was the first day of races that counted towards the championship at the sailing center. I didn’t even watch the finish of the race. As we loaded the car on the hauler I finally saw my friend, Jay. He said he couldn’t hang around as his wife Jo and their daughter were with him and waiting out in the parking lot. In a way I was glad but he promised to get in touch at the end of the next week so we could get caught up.

When I got up Sunday morning I'd forced myself to put the race car completely out of my mind. It was a normal Summer Sunday morning for me… church… breakfast… gathering the things up to take to the sailing club. Elle made an attempt to get Barbara to join us but she declined… again. It wasn’t until we were leaving that I thought about my theory of what Barbara had been doing while we were not home the previous Sunday. But there was too much going on around me what with getting the kids and all their paraphernalia loaded into the station wagon to dwell on it.

Friday had been the first day of lessons for the two older girls and also their introduction to Bobbi. I’d not partaken in any discussion of their day so was ‘out of the loop’ when, at the sailing center, they spied her in the parking lot and were excited to see her. Once out of the station wagon they ran right over to her. I’ve previously mentioned that Bobbi liked to crew on racing sailboats and not be a skipper. She was there to crew for one of the guys who raced a boat similar to the one I used to own and race. Her skipper was about to leave the beach when the girls ‘attacked’ her but was courteous and bent down to give them a hug. Even though there was an almost 100% chance of getting at least partially wet when sailing, especially racing, it was a ‘given’ that participants didn’t do it in a bathing suit. Too much flesh was exposed to the sun drenched decks and it was possible to get burned. So, when Bobbi bent over to give the girls a hug I got a VPL. It would also be reasonable to think that it would be a bathing suit that might be under the shorts but sometimes (like with Elle) it wasn’t. This was one of those times. From past experiences with Bobbi, and the fact that her aunt ran a clothing store that sold Lollipop panties, I was positive that what I was viewing was a Lollipop VPL, in all likelihood from a pair of bikinis. It was a nice diversion.

Truthfully, I have no idea how I did in the races that day. I do remember that my mind kept wandering back to what I had to be prepared for at the bank the next morning and not concentrating on the business at hand… racing. I do remember that Elle did well in her race and was really excited when she landed back on shore. Being the first day of races that counted almost all the true racers were there and some for the first time since the previous Summer. Even though it was good to see them I had no desire to hang around and talk.

At home, after all the ‘gear’ was stored away, I was told there really wasn’t anything for supper. I wanted to ask why but knew I’d only get a smart-assed answer. Barbara was there when we got back and during that brief conversation said she’d help make one of her mother’s noodle salads. Elle accepted the offer and I headed for the shower. I can’t deny that for the few minutes I was preparing for it I was hoping to find one of Barbara’s wet items. The reality was that there was nothing to be found. Everybody got showered and dressed pretty quickly while Barbara was working on her creation. As usual, when it was hot, we would to eat out on the screened in porch. We’d done it enough so that setting up was pretty routine. While that was being done I stepped back into the den and took a look at the notes I’d made about the branch the previous day. I don’t know why but the first thing I saw was the name, Morris.

It was the name of the somewhat unctuous character that had been referred to me when things were getting serious about the branch back in the Spring. He owned and ran a gift/premium business in the city that focused on bank give away programs. I’d been tasked with finding some more acceptable gift/premiums than had been used in the first new account program the previous year. He had thoroughly impressed me with his knowledge of the field and I’d taken his suggestions back to the branch committee and they accepted all of them (the blankets were a separate item and came later). It wasn’t the smoothest of negotiations but, in the end, both parties were satisfied. When focusing on his name while sitting there in the den I remembered an off-hand question he asked of me. I’d not thought about it at the time but now it was very relevant. He’d asked why we (the bank) had chosen that particular location for the branch.

During the early stages of considering a branch and where to put it I’d been completely left out of the process so I really couldn’t give him an answer… and didn’t… and that had ended the discussion. He was a strange man in any number of ways going from animated to almost somber in a matter of seconds. I sat there trying to remember his reaction to my answer. Not being able to started driving me crazy. My focus shifted when Kaye came in to tell me that it was time to eat. I was definitely not a good supper partner as my thoughts were now on Morris and wondering why he’d asked about the choice of location and what, if any, his reaction to my answer had been. I’m not sure when it came to me to actually call Morris… but by the time I was up and dressed the next morning I knew what I was going to do first when I got to work.

As I previously mentioned, Morris was a bit strange. Since he owned and pretty much ran the company single handedly he did what he pleased and when he pleased. On this Monday he decided to come in late… after 10am. By then I was almost pacing the floor behind my desk. I’d convinced myself that Morris had a very good reason for asking the choice of location question of me but what was it?. The first call I got was from the lady (?) who had started the disruption in the lobby on Friday to find out if we had her blanket. The next was from Betsy with the final numbers for Friday (a bit better) and then was the call from Stan over at the stock broker’s office. That one turned out to be important. With the crazy week I’d just experienced I’d not paid much attention to my mail at home. I knew I’d have time for any bills coming in so pretty much ignored it. Stan wanted to know what I was going to do with my $5,000. I didn’t know what he was talking about. When he realized it he told me that one of the corporate bonds I owned had been “called”. I knew next to nothing about bonds at that time so asked him to explain. He did and then told me I should’ve received some correspondence telling me to turn the bond in to a brokerage office to get my money. He then told me to get the bond over to him and he’d put some suggestions together for me on what to invest in. That put a smile on my face until I remembered that all my important papers were still in the safe deposit box at the first bank I’d worked at.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161v)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161v)

No matter what I did on Saturday, the poor branch performance was right there like a weight on my shoulders. I got my usual chores done and then went into the den and sat in my recliner with a pad in hand. My intention was to think of all the things that concerned me about the branch right from the time I knew the Board decided to move ahead on it. I’ll not burden you with all that but suffice it to say I was able to put enough down on paper to show where some critical decisions that had been made were possibly flawed. All I wanted was to show Bert that it wasn’t just one thing like the advertising or any other obvious scapegoat subject that could or would be tossed out as reasons. It wasn’t my intention to be the one to present this hypothesis to the branch committee but I hoped that Bert seeing all these things condensed on one piece of paper might be enough to buy me some time to do more research where I’d have resources to back me up.

I had a monstrous headache by the time the truck hauling the race car stopped at the house to pick me up. Even though I very much wanted to know if the repairs to the cylinder heads worked I would’ve preferred to stay home and sleep. Being the fourth of July show, with fireworks and extra laps to the main event as added treats, the stands were almost filled when we got there. Jay, my former co-worker from back when I worked at the County Center, had promised to be there. With all I had going on at work during the week I’d failed to contact him for confirmation so was on the lookout for him. My wanderings took me up to the fence that separated the pit area from the grandstands. It was also where C J, who had won two main events since switching over from Ford to Chevrolet power, was pitted. Any time I was in that area I was looking to see CJ’s girlfriend, Karen… she of the white pants with a very obvious VPL. Upon seeing her I had the feeling it was going to be a very good night.

The warm up session went fairly well. Cliffy, trying to preserve the tires, didn’t take many laps. The water temp gauge was reasonable, especially for a hot Summer night, so we were fairly confident. When the starting lineups for the qualifying heats were posted we were listed to start at the very back. Normally those in the back were cars that hadn’t raced in a while (more than three weeks) or were racing at the track for the first time. It was Alan who noticed it and told Cliffy and then the rest of us. The races were controlled by the Chief Steward who had almost dictatorial control over every aspect of the pits and races. The most important was the ‘handicapping’ which is what determined the starting positions. The man’s nickname was “Bruiser” because he owned a bar and served as his own bouncer. Like my friend “Big B”, he was well over 300 pounds. Because of his size he could/would try to intimidate people. Cliffy was one driver he couldn’t intimidate.

When Cliffy went up to complain he was told we hadn’t raced for three consecutive weeks and had to start at the back. I remember Cliffy’s head going from side to side in total disagreement. Cliffy’s position was that we had been at the track, paid our entry fees and actual been out on the track when, on the first lap of that practice, C J’s motor exploded and we ended up crashing into the retaining barrier. The car was rendered undriveable after the crash so we didn’t actually “race” but it wasn’t like we hadn’t tried. “Bruiser” was unmoved. "Go to the back or go home". We (the crew) were quite animated in supporting Cliffy and that drew added attention to the situation. Long story short, some of the drivers who were considered to be fan favorites at the track decide to support Cliffy and told “Bruiser” that Cliffy be given a regular staring place or they would not race themselves. It still didn’t change “Bruiser’s position. Cliffy then called the crew together and told us what he was then going to do.

The entryway onto the race track was very narrow. Cars could only go one direction… either in or out. He got in the car, started it up and then drove it into the entryway managing, with difficulty, to get it almost sideways thus blocking passage. When “Bruiser" heard about it he came down from his office and ordered Cliffy to move the car. Cliffy was out of it by then and was removing the coil wire which would prevent anyone from starting the engine. “Bruiser" then threatened to have a tow truck remove it but when he called for one he found that both were in the infield. The way the car was wedged in, and with the tow trucks only having access to it from the infield, if one did connect to it it would only wedge the car in more. By then “Bruiser’ was yelling for somebody to call the police.

We, the crew, were standing about ten feet away. There were probably 100 or so people gathered around by then. A chant started… “ Bruiser must go! Bruiser must go! Bruiser must go!” All of a sudden it stopped. I thought it might have been the police but it was Larry who appeared. Larry was the promoter (and owner) of the track. He was seldom seen in public so it was shock for many who were there to see him. I saw the reigning track champion get to him before he got to “Bruiser” and watched as they talked for a few minutes. Then they walked over to “Bruiser” and another conversation took place before the three of them walked to “Bruiser’s” office. Almost all those that had gathered to see what was going on stayed to see what would happen. The starting line-ups were posted in chalk on a blackboard outside “Bruisers” office. When “Bruiser” reappeared he had a rag in his hand and he proceeded to wipe off the car numbers for the first qualifying heat. Then he started writing again and the second number listed was #21, our number.

I heard a number of different stories about what happened after Larry appeared so I don’t know for sure what really went down. All I do know was that Cliffy was an immediate ‘hero’ in the pits for standing up to “Bruiser”. By the time we got the car out of the way the show was about 15 minutes late in starting but it was certainly worth the wait. We finished where we were finally placed to start… second. We were feeling pretty cocky after that. When Cliffy pulled into our pit area Alan checked the temperature gauge and it was a bit high but sloughed it off reasoning it was still quite warm out even though it was almost 8pm. The feature event was to be 50 laps and the wear on the tires were more of concern than the motor. They turned out not to be a problem.

We started on the ‘pole’, or in first place. Cliffy was comfortably out front when there was a wreck behind him. When that happens the cars continue to slowly circle the track while the mess  is cleaned up. Just before they were to throw the green flag to continue the race Cliffy pulled into the infield with the now too familiar sight of steam pulsing out of the expansion tank. We were pretty much stunned and tremendously disappointed. I remember sitting in the pit grandstand and remembering Cliffy’s father’s comment as he left the shop the night before… “fifteen laps… “. I did a quick tally and the qualifying race was for 10 laps and we’d completed five laps of the main event… it was fifteen laps.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161u)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161u)

Mad isn’t the word to use to describe how I felt on the return trip to the main office. I’d never had high blood pressure but if it had been taken at that time it probably would have been a record (for me). I’d called Bret before I left and he told me that Bert (the president) wanted an updated report on how many new accounts had been opened including dollar amounts of new money. I told him where my folder was located and told him to have a draft of it ready by the time I got back. I’d gotten the Wednesday figures from Betsy but hadn’t added them to the others. In hearing them I was concerned but had had no time to analyze the six days the program had been in existence. Being a Friday, the bank was open until 6pm and all banking floor employees had been told they would be needed. Road traffic, as expected on a Friday afternoon, was heavy so the usual 35 minutes took just under an hour. Pulling into the parking lot I was greeted by a police patrol car with flashing lights at the back door.

Long story short… as I had previously written, blankets were, by far, the most popular gift item. That afternoon they had run out of them. I’m going to have to lay the blame on Bret as he was to keep up on the gift inventory. One woman, incensed that she wasn’t going to get one, attacked (verbally) a customer who was walking out with three of them. That customer took offense to the attack and, dropped her blankets and started swinging at the other woman. With a busy lobby, it didn’t take long for others to get involved. I arrived as things were calming down. A policeman and Hobie had the woman who started it seated on a lobby bench when I walked in. Hobie called me over to ask why we were out of blankets. The obvious answer was that they were the most popular item but that wasn’t the answer he wanted. If I’d known before leaving for the branch I could’ve brought some back with me. With the main office opening approximately two accounts to one for the branch and the supply of blankets distributed equally the branch certainly had extras. The situation was resolved by getting the woman’s information and a promise to get her a blanket. This wasn’t what I wanted to face to close out the week.

Bret apologized but the damage had been done (to both of us) so I didn’t harp on it but focused on the report I’d asked him to work on. After but a few minutes of study it told a startling story. I already knew the response to the branch opening was tepid, at best, but looking at the numbers as compared to the main office it was a bit of a shock. I was about to give the final draft to Trish to type when the phone rang. It was Bert’s (the president) secretary and she said he wanted to see me right away. I thought it was about the report he requested so I took it with me. It was… sort of…

He’d heard about the scuffle in the lobby and wanted to know why we’d run out of blankets. There were a number of reasons… some good, some bad. I could tell he was serious as soon as I walked into his office. Like my grandfather had told me on many occasions, “tell the truth and and you have nothing to forget”, so I told him that I’d not kept a close enough count on the inventory. In reality there were a number of reasons for that happening but I knew eh wasn’t interested in excuses. His next question was to ask what I was going to do about it. I know I hemmed and hawed a bit before saying I’d go to the branch and get some of their inventory. He wanted to know if that wasn’t going to “short” them. Under pressure I told him I didn’t think so… which led him to ask about the report I had in my hand.

He quickly perused it and then asked if the figure for the branch office were correct. I knew they were because I’d been the one keeping them so I nodded affirmatively. That led to the main office figures being questioned as to being accurate. I told him I was fairly sure they were and when I did he wanted to know why the great disparity in the total number of accounts being opened between the offices… approximately 400 for the branch and 1500 for the main office. I wasn’t ready for a question that specific so looked somewhat the fool when I couldn’t give him an answer. I tried to offset the poor performance at the branch by noting that the main office had opened somewhere around 300 more accounts  this campaign that the one run exactly a year ago. I was never sure he heard that as he immediately proceeded to have his secretary start calling the branch committee members for a meeting on Monday afternoon. When he put the phone back in the cradle he ordered me to get some answers by noon on Monday. I’d never seen him like this in the three years I’d been at the bank and it told me I was being somewhat ‘at risk’ for the lack of performance. I was certainly upset as I left his office. In spite of that I did remember I had to arrange to get some blankets transferred from the branch to the main office by Monday.

I started with Mike, the messenger custodian, asking if he would be willing to make a trip to the branch over the weekend. For money, he’d do just about anything. The next step was in having someone at the branch to give him access to the storage trailer. Naturally, one would think the branch manager would make himself available. He came up with a mealy mouth excuse as to why he couldn’t so I tasked him with finding someone who would. Ever the opportunist, it was Mae. I had the two of them coordinate the time before I left for home so at least one of my immediate problems was solved. Driving home, I had no idea where to even start to find the answers Bert had demanded I have by noon on Monday.

Breaking my rule about not talking about work while at home, Elle again suggested that working on the race car might be a good thing for me. When I arrived at the garage the engine was running and had already been tuned. Cliffy had checked the compression on all the cylinders and found them to be somewhat even. That had been the overriding concern about the copper ring process that been applied to the cylinder heads. After loading the car on the hauler we had a meeting about finances… or lack of. Fairlane John had bailed us out with the cost of the new rear end but hadn’t been seen since. We all agreed we needed him to pop in again. The race the next night was for twice the normal laps and none of the racers had put that many laps on the new tires we were all running by then. Ours had been on the track three different times for what, in the business, are called heat cycles. That was another unknown factor. While we were discussing that topic Cliffy’s father walked in to see what we were doing. He was a quiet man, very, very smart, who seldom interjected himself into other people’s business, even that of his son. On occasion we’d seen him around the shop but never around the race car. But, on this night he kind of sidled his way into the group to listen. He did ask about the heads and the work that had been done on them. After Cliffy explained he got up, took a few steps, turned and said but two words… “fifteen laps” and then walked away.

To be continued...

SUMMER HEAT... so much to do (Part 161t)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161t)

We all played Yard Darts until Kaye got bored and then we sat on the front stoop watching the sun go down, or at least I did. Poor Barbara was besieged by the kids to play cheerleader. Elle, to take the pressure of her, volunteered to stand on her head and to teach the kids how to do it.

But for me it had been a long, long day. I’d watched Barbara as closely as I could the whole time we were playing darts but couldn’t see any obvious staining on her shorts. Just sitting there it was the first chance I had to try to analyze what my observations on and about Barbara really meant. I’d be lying if I said I had it figured out by the time we picked everything up and went inside. It wasn’t until I was in bed that I was able to put together a bit of a hypothesis. Even when I did there were questions that I knew would never be answered. The one thing I did know was that I wasn’t going to say anything to Elle about any of it.

Another item occupying my thoughts that night was what had actually taken place that afternoon when the boat got towed to the gas dock. When helping the twins exit the boat I had a chance look at the panties of one of them and thought I saw evidence of wetness in the crotch. On the other, when boosting her out of the boat I had to push on her backside and felt dampness. I’d wanted to quiz Elle on that but she had shut me down when I tried. It would have to wait until Barbara wasn’t around.

Concerning Barbara, the one thing I felt confident about was that she’d been playing with herself sometime before I walked in on her. After that I was guessing. Not taking the time to closely observe her panties at that time created a bit of a ‘hole’ in my hypothesis. The sheet being merely damp rather than obviously wet was a big part of the puzzle. Then, finding her panties in the bathroom and them not showing signs of being ‘flooded’ as would be expected if she did wet while asleep only added to it. While going over those things in my mind, adding the finding of another pair of her panties and a pair of shorts in the washing machine that were more indicative of an accidental wetting, added more to the puzzle. Elle had been asleep for a while when something she’d mentioned to me in passing some weeks earlier sprung to the fore of my consciousness… Phyllis (Barbara’s mother) had commented that she thought Barbara might be wetting on purpose.

At that time I just let it pass and I don’t know why. From Elle it was but a one sentence thing with no further observation on her part. But now it seemed to make sense… at least a little bit. I wrestled with that idea right up until Elle’s alarm went off at 1am warning her to get up and use the toilet (and to wake Barbara as well). I was lying there, wide awake, conjuring up all kinds of possibilities. However, my main thought was that Barbara had figured out that by wetting the bed at night she had an excuse to masturbate… with lubrication, and not get in trouble. She could do it and not have her mother know what she was doing. There were also some other minor possibilities that were part of my thought process but I settled on that one. Then I moved on to what was going on with Barbara when I found her in bed and the bed wasn’t really wet.

I know I fell asleep without a conclusion and the reality of what lay ahead for me during the upcoming day took precedence of my thoughts when I awoke. I definitely remember trying to come up with a sequence of the things I needed to accomplish for the day at work and hoping there weren’t too many surprises. One of the things I hadn’t accomplished on Wednesday was to talk with Betsy before she left for the day. Of course I wanted to know the numbers of new accounts but it was her observation on how Jerry handled the termination of the temporary help that was my primary thought. After asking there was a definite pause before Betsy answered. I quickly figured out that she was trying, desperately, not to throw Jerry ‘under the bus’. I challenged her on it and she admitted that it could’ve gone better. Because all three of the temporaries were related to Mae she’d been told beforehand. Surprisingly, it didn’t upset her. But, she’d taken it upon herself to warn the three of them. When Jerry called them into his office it wasn’t a shock. But, Jerry didn’t want to come across as the ‘bad guy’ and offered each of them the choice of a gift premium to ease his conscience. I asked Betsy if Mae’s sister said anything to her about the meeting before leaving and I could hear her try to stifle a laugh… and then said “No”. I knew there was more to it than that but with waiting customers I had to start opening accounts. I closed by asking if Jerry had been involved in opening new accounts and her answer was another stifled laugh. I was about to hang up when she told me he never came out of his office and that the door was always shut. I’d hoped to avoid a trip to the branch until the following week but that bit of information told me I couldn’t wait.

One of my concerns for the day had been the chance that one (or more) of the tellers or temporaries might decide to make it a four day weekend. I won’t say I held my breath but I will tell you I was taking attendance as the employees filed in. Everybody showed up and it was a good thing. Even with the three temporaries, Bret, Hobie and I opening accounts people were still waiting. It slowed down around mid morning and, after clearing it with Hobie, called Jerry to tell him I wanted meet with him over lunch. I can’t remember if he said much, if anything, but I told him I’d be at the office by 1pm.

The women had set up a couple of the card tables that had been used when opening the new accounts to fashion a temporary desk for Barb so the lobby had a different look to it as I walked in. There was still one table  left over by the gift display and there was one customer being handled at the time. Jerry’s door was closed but with the window in the wall I could see there was no one in there. I knocked but didn’t wait for an invitation. I asked if he was ready to go and he, rather blithely, told me that he’d eaten. After hearing that I can remember looking at him in disbelief (and wanting to say “What the f__k!”… but didn’t). Before I could say a word he told me his wife didn’t want him to eat “common food”. That was a new one on me. I really didn’t know what to say… or do… so I sat down next to his desk. He promptly got up and closed the door. I had to ask why he did that and, almost as surprising as his reason for not going out to eat was this one… “I keep my door closed all the time”. With that statement I was speechless.

As you can imagine this ‘episode’ was fodder for the little book Bret and I were keeping on Jerry. Long story short I told him the door should, and would, remain open from that point on. I even went so far as to tell him that if I got a report that he did close it I’d have someone come in and remove it. I expected all kinds of resistance but he just sat there with this blank (dumb) look on his face. Finally getting down to the reason for coming I told him that from here on in he was to be the primary one to open accounts. If needed, any of the tellers could and would help out but he was to get up and to meet the customers. To drive the point home I had Betsy come in and told her of my decision. As I was leaving I went out in the lobby and took the last card table down.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part161s)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161s)

We were all glad to be headed home. The girls were looking forward to, hopefully, playing with Barbara; Elle to a shower and clean clothes and for me, just some time to relax. As I exited the station wagon I noticed the kitchen door was closed. Being Summer, the door was always open when anybody was home. I saw Barbara’s bike leaning against the corner post of the porch which told me she was there so I was a bit puzzled. Elle wanted to get the girl’s sandy clothes off before they entered the house and to brush the sand off them. She hated to have sand in the house and wanted it off before they showered. We were now allowing the older two to shower by themselves which was a real thrill for them. As she was doing it she dispatched me to get clean clothes for all of them.

Once inside the kitchen I called out to Barbara but got no response. Not overly concerned because I knew she would sometimes walk across the road to sit by the pond. Upstairs, I grabbed Kaye’s things first because her room was right there. The next stop was down the hall to Jean’s room and then, crossing over the hallway, it was into Anne’s room. We’d decided to have Barbara sleep in Anne’s room for the length of her stay with us so as to cut down on the added work that having her move from room to room as had been done during her previous stay. I took but a few steps into it when, to my right, I saw Barbara lying on her back, in the bed, in just her panties and her top. What really got my attention was that one of her hands was inside the waist elastic of the panties. Knowing that if I woke her I’d embarrass her to no end I quickly retreated into the hall. I think I took a deep breath and then headed towards the stairs. Once there I realized she must’ve been playing with herself, masturbating. That thought brought on the start of a bulge… but only for a few seconds. I still had to get to Anne’s clothes and I knew Elle would be waiting so I called Barbara’s name again. It was when I called the second time that I remembered that she was a deep sleeper. For the third call out I really bellowed it. Then I heard a sort of muffled response followed by the closing of the bedroom door.

Barbara was out in the hall and fully dressed within a few minutes. She, without looking directly at me, said “Hi” and then brushed on past as she headed for the stairs. It was about then that I heard Elle call me wanting to know where I was and what was taking so long. I rushed into Anne’s room and went right to her dresser. I grabbed the first things I saw and then turned to head out. But, seeing the unmade bed and knowing that Barbara was a bedwetter I decided to check the sheets where she’d been laying. I couldn’t see obvious wetness but when I ran my hand over the spot where her backside had been I found it to be just a bit damp. Knowing I didn’t have time to really think about it I headed for the stairs.

When the older girls were finished with their showers it was Elle’s turn. She was going to let Kaye shower with her so she didn’t feel left out. Again, she sent me upstairs to pick out some things for her to wear. As she did she reminded me that we had a guest and for me to be thinking about that in my choices for her. I was well aware of that fact but was planning on taking my ‘cue’ from what she usually wore. Probably half her shorts and pants were white and I loved that because they would show off a very nice VPL (visible panty line). I knew I’d get grief if I brought down two pair of panties so decided to go for a pair of fancy ones and chose another pair of Van Raalte which sported a large crotch area. As I was about to head down the stairs I decided to take one last look at Barbara’s bed and the area around it. One recurring thought I had was in trying to remember what she’d been wearing when we left in the morning. When she passed me in the hall I really didn’t have time to focus on what she had on for shorts. Finding nothing more than the slightly damp spot on the bed I then took a quick peek around the door into the bathroom. The door opened inwards and was stopped by the bathtub. I glanced into the tub but it was empty. Running out of time before Elle would be ready for her clothes I backed away. But, as I did, I thought I saw something on the doorknob but on the side facing the tub. I looked and… jackpot!

There was nothing new about the panties… band leg, double back, white cotton Lollipops. When I held them up I was sure they’d show that they’d been wet. Seeing her asleep in bed my initial thought was that she’d wet while asleep. But when I held them to the light I saw something totally unexpected… multiple stains that indicated that they’d been wet more than once. Turning them to view the back I found the same thing. From years of living with Elle and her night time wetting I knew the panties should be wet all the way up to the waist elastic. These weren’t. The staining went about half way and when I compared the back to the front it was just about the same. I was staring at the ‘tide lines’ (what I called the stain markings when wet panties were left to dry without being washed out) when I heard Elle calling… loudly. Putting the panties carefully back on the doorknob I headed downstairs with some questions to contemplate.

With everybody dressed we all gathered on the screened in porch to decide what to do for supper. Before starting the discussion Elle said she had no plans to cook and looked right at me. I pretty much knew she was thinking of me doing the hibachi thing again. But, just as adamant as she was about not cooking inside I took a similar position about cooking outside. Then the light went on… “PIZZA!” How to be an instant hero… A call to Traveller’s Rest and about 45 minutes later we were chowing down. It was while eating that I took a close look at Barbara. I was trying to remember if the outfit she was wearing was the same as she’d had on in the morning. It just wasn’t coming to me and it made me a bit mad. I took pride in being attentive to little things and I just wasn’t sure. When we’d finished the girls wanted to play the new game we’d given Jean for her birthday called Yard Darts. It was sort of like ring toss only you would try to throw these slightly weighted finned pieces with a rounded tip into a circle. The circles that came with the game had proven to be too small for the kids so I’d started making larger ones out of rope. To give them stiffness I was coating them with epoxy and they were down in the basement. So, that meant a trip there to retrieve them.

While getting the new circles I saw the washing machine under the stairs. It reminded me that Elle had told Barbara to take her wet things down to the basement and put them in the washing machine whenever she woke up wet. Even though Phyllis had told Elle that Barbara would do her own wash Elle had overridden that. Because we were on an old septic system we had to be judicious about waste water and Elle was a pretty good judge on just how much water was needed to get loads of various sizes clean. Remembering that I’d seen Barbara in a wet ‘package’ that morning I went over to take a look. I expected to see two wet panties and probably her sheet but there, right on top, was but one pair and a pair of shorts. When I pulled them out I could see, even in the poor light, that they looked similar to the panties I’d seen hanging on the bathroom door… staining only half way up both the front and back. I found it very interesting!

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161r)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161r)

The destination for the tow was a gas dock located in a small, narrow sheltered creek. The fishermen towed us in only to find there were three large boats waiting for service. I was somewhat familiar with the creek because it lay adjacent to one of the sailboat racing clubs in the area. My problem, once in the creek, was how to propel the boat with no power. The two guys got us over to an unoccupied, but rickety, finger pier. My first order of business was to call my father before he notified the Coast Guard (as he’d done once when I was a teen) to report us as missing. The office (and I use the description loosely) was a decrepit shack that only sold gas and bait for fishing… no food or drinks. There was a pay phone (remember them?) attached to the exterior and I headed there. Naturally, my father was relieved to hear from me and apologized for not remembering about the gas situation. He didn’t wait for me to ask but told me straight away that he would be there in 20 minutes to pick everybody up. I knew the twins and probably Elle had had enough boating for the day.

Before returning to the boat I went in the office and the owner found a one gallon can and filled it with gas. I didn’t need much to get the boat to the gas pump. Back at the boat I announced what would be happening. Standing on the pier and looking down at them I could see one twin holding the boy across her lap and the other entertaining the girls while sitting on the cover over the engine. Elle hadn’t moved from her seat at the rear of the boat since we’d arrived at the creek. I knew that she sometimes showed signs of being seasick and figured that was the case. I got back aboard and set the plan in motion to get everybody back on land. The big difference from the dock at my parent’s place was that this one didn’t have a ladder of any kind. I warned them it was going to be awkward no matter what we did.

My real concern was in getting the kids safely onto land. I suggested that one of the twins be the first off so she could monitor each of the kids while the others followed. At 6’1” I had legs at least six inches longer than any of them did so I was going to have to assist them getting up onto the pier. I distinctly remember them looking at each other and then sort of rolling their eyes. I explained to the kids what would be happening and then assisted one of the twins up onto the side of the boat. The cap around the side was maybe three inches wide so there was not a lot to stand on. I told her I’d have to boost her up and onto the pier as best I could but as I did she’d have to try and crawl far enough so that she could swing her legs up and onto the decking of the pier. I had her place both hands up onto the dock and then, grabbing the calf of one leg I lifted. I was looking up to see how far she’d gotten when I saw the pink I’d seen earlier. She was almost there when I told her I’d lift the leg and put it on the deck. But, she said she thought she could do it on her own.

Why she didn’t fall back into the boat I’ll never know. I ended up pushing/rolling her over onto her side and as I did she ended up on her back with one leg splayed out in my direction. As I asked if she was OK I was looking at the crotch of her panties. For sure there were two shades of pink. I didn’t have time to dwell on it as the other twin was there telling her to put her legs together. Right after that we all decided that the twin on the dock would pull the other one up while I give a boost from below. I surely could’ve used some help from Elle but she remained seated. Then the other twin stepped up and onto the side of the boat and reached up for her sister to grab hold of her hands. I wasn’t sure just where I was going to put my hands to give the boost that was needed when I heard the sister on the dock say “Now!”. The only place for my hands was right on her butt cheeks so that’s where they went. My fear was that if she didn’t make it she was going to end up back in the boat and on top of me so I pushed as hard as I could and after a few seconds could feel the load lighten… she’d made it. I took a deep breath and gave thanks. My guess is that she probably only weighed 130 pounds but in that situation it seemed like 130 tons. It was only a few seconds later that it came to me that while I was pushing on her rear end that it was damp. I took a quick look as she was walking down the dock but the flowered print of her dress muted whatever dampness there was. I looked over my shoulder at Elle hoping that I could cajole her into telling me about what happened while I was making the phone call.

It took but a few minutes to get the kids up and onto shore. My father was there before the last one made it to the end of the pier. While still in the boat I turned and asked Elle if she was going with my father. Not answering, she then stood up and turned around. The whole backside of her purple shorts had turned almost black from the wetness. Her answer ended up being  a terse “No!” I  struggled, once again, to get up on the pier and apologized to the twins for “the boat trip to hell” knowing full well that it was actually my father’s fault. Before leaving he did give me money for gas. By then the line for the gas dock was down to but one. On the way back it was slow going because of the limited speed of the boat but also the waves we had to plow through. We were both famished and I knew that by the time we got back most of the afternoon would be gone.

Once out of the creek and in open water I convinced Elle to take off her shorts so they would have a chance to dry. The high sides of the boat made my argument plausible and, somewhat reluctantly, she complied. I took note of the fact that even though she was wearing but one pair of panties they were a pair of fancy Van Raalte, my favorite brand. They had the largest crotch area and put out an incredible VPL. It was a nice diversion. By the time we got back, with the aid of the sun and wind, the shorts had dried to a point that the difference in color from front to back was hardly noticeable. Elle made me promise that we’d leave soon after we got to my parents house. That was fine by me. Granted, I’d been treated to any number of peeks and, probably wet panties to boot, the day had been stressful.

With the boat back at the dock Elle and I headed for the front of the house with both of us hoping to make a quick get-away. We should’ve known better. My mother was ready for us with “an offer we couldn’t refuse”… my father would grill a couple of his prize steaks for us. The twins had been persuaded to stay overnight and she thought it would be a good way to end the day. I think I shocked her with my “Thanks, but no thanks…” answer. Elle helped by bringing up the fact that we had Barbara staying with us. As we made our way to the driveway, with my mother still pleading for us to change our minds, I got an unexpected reward. We passed by the clothes line and it gave me confirmation of the panties the twins had been wearing… Lollipop cotton bikinis. Their dresses as well as the clothing their kids had been wearing were blowing briskly in the breeze. I couldn’t wait to talk with Elle, alone.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161q)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161q)

The boat was almost 20 years old but in fairly good condition. It was an 18 foot open boat with no cabin and plenty of seats. I’d suggested that my father get rid of it since he only used a few times each Summer but he’d bought it for his father who dearly loved it. I remember my grandfather taking it out by himself at the age of 90. Now that should be a hint that it wasn’t abused. In fact, the first time my father and I went out in it after he died we tried to go full throttle with the engine but the controls were frozen so it would only go at half speed. My father was a procrastinator and he kept putting off fixing it and just putted around at half speed whenever he used it. As the boat was being secured to the dock so we could board it I was thinking that was a good thing what with five kids on board (and we didn’t have life vests for passengers back in those days.).

The hard part was getting on board from the dock. The area we were in had about a three foot tide and, because of shifting bottom sand, you could only bring the boat to the dock at half to flood tide. I was the first to board and the only reason the boat wasn’t bouncing off the bottom was the wind was calm with no appreciable wave action. There was a ladder (of sorts) attached to the dock but it was difficult to use. I, because I’d used it since I was a boy, had no trouble with it. The others had to be helped to prevent them from falling. Once in the boat I reached up and took each of my girls but when I attempted to do the same with the other kids they resisted. So, one of the twins made the first attempt to board.

The only way it could be done was to back down the steps which were spaced further apart than steps on a normal ladder. It would be my job to guide each of the legs/feet of the person to each step. When I first looked up I remember taking a deep breath. When the woman (I couldn’t tell the twins apart) started down my concentration was on her pink pantied backside and not on where to place her foot. There were three separate steps which gave me a prolonged view of what I finally decided were most likely Lollipop cotton bikinis because of the large crotch. When she was safely in the boat I could feel my heart beating in my chest and the pressure of the now rather large bulge in my shorts. Thankfully, she concentrated on talking the two kids still on the dock into to letting me take them into the boat so I didn’t have to look right at her. The kids were still a bit reluctant even with one of the twins on the dock and the other in the boat. They finally were able to persuade the kids to let me lift them in. The reason I said “Thankfully” was it did give me a chance to somewhat recover from the shock of my upskirt discovery. Now, there was another one yet to come. This time I was more prepared.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the twin who was now in the boat calling out to her sister who was starting down the ladder to cover her backside. It was obvious that she could see how exposed her sister was as she started to descend. Hearing that I had to smile. I knew there was no way she could come down that ladder without holding on with both hands. And… there was no way I could assist in the boarding process without looking up to be able to guide each foot to the steps. There was one difference in the panties though… they were a very light blue but with the same enlarged crotch indicating to me that they were made by Lollipop. My ‘reaction’ was more muted this time but I did avoid turning towards either of the women as I still had to help Elle get aboard. When I looked up at her I was surprised at just how much of her panties I could see up the leg openings of her shorts. I liked the shorts even more when I saw it.

There was no real destination for our trip. It was just going to be a short ride out on the water. The kids filled the whole back seat and the women sat on the cover over the engine. One of the twins asked about the island off to the East and Elle proceeded to tell of a few of our teen aged adventures. So, with that as a topic I headed in that direction. We had gotten about 2/3 of the way when the engine sputtered and stopped. To get to it I had to have the women get up from their seat so I could remove the cover. They stood around watching me ’tweak’ this and that but with no appreciable results. When the thought came to me that we might be out of gas I didn’t want to believe it. But, after rearranging the kids to get to the tank I was able to confirm that lack of gas was the culprit.

There was no panic and just mild concern expressed by the women. The best case scenario was to hope another boater would pass near to us. Worst case was that, in time, we’d drift to shore.    The wind, now picking up as it usually did in the early afternoon, was pushing us in the right direction. That was good. But, what was not good was that now there were waves… and waves made the boat rock back and forth… and that created a problem for the little boy. The mother got him to the side and he upchucked into the water. I have no idea why that triggered my Kaye to say she had to go tinkle… and that brings me back to my grandfather.

He had a prostrate problem and kept a one gallon galvanized pail under the front deck. There were no portable toilets available in those days so that was his toilet. I got it out and handed it to Elle. The idea was for Elle to pull down Kaye’s shorts and panties and then steady her while she straddled the pail. That was the idea and, like the saying goes, “many a slip ’tween the cup and the lips” only in this case it was a slip between the body and pail. Kaye was pretty much OK with it until she started to pee and then, with the boat rocking, she started to fall and the pee was going just about everywhere but in the pail. When Elle suggested that our other two do the same I can remember them shaking their head from side to side indicating they wanted no part of it. That left the other girl and she was following Jean and Anne’s lead by indicating that she wouldn’t try it either.

After a while I spied a boat headed our way. The wind had continued to build making higher waves but it was pushing us closer to shore. It was definitely the right direction as I knew I could get gas there. I took my shirt off and was waving it wildly trying to get the attention of the other boat and wasn’t paying attention to Elle, the twins and the kids. For a while I thought we were going to be passed by but the boat finally turned towards us. It was powered by an outboard motor which meant I couldn’t use their gas. Outboards had oil mixed in with the gas and my fathers boat used plain regular gas. But, the two guys threw us a line and offered to tow us to the gas dock on shore. By then it was close to 1pm. We’d been on the water for over two hours. It was on the tow in that I started thinking about Elle and just how long it had been since she’d last used a toilet. With the two guys in the tow boat ahead of us and, knowing Elle as I did, the chance for her to use the pail as a toilet was now severely diminished. Along those lines I also remember wondering how the twins were doing. 

To be continued…

An "Extra" post...

An "Extra" post...

Living within a retirement community there are a number of people with disabilities. I'm part of a group who volunteers to drive these people to meet their various needs and desires. Our next door neighbor had a severe case of emphasema and seldom leaves her apartment. When she called the other day it was quite a surprise when she asked if I could take her to see her granddaughter who would be in town to play field hockey for her college. I hesitated before saying "Yes..." for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that she is a large woman and needs a wheel chair. But, after listening to her pleas I agreed.

The girl is a freshman at a 2 year college in another state and the woman seldom gets to see her. One of the other people who lives in the complex is a retired college athletic director who knows just about everybody that has anything to do with local college sports. I asked him how I could expedite her visit to the field being that she would be unable to get into the grandstands. He told me he'd take care of it... and he did.

Arriving at the field they were waiting for us. There were two burly guys who took over wheeling the chair for me and, following them, we ended up along the sideline just a few feet from the bench that her granddaughters team would occupy. Talk about up close and personal!

I'm a sports nut and have seen a great variety of sports but this was my first time at a field hockey game. I know ice hockey well but there were a number of things that it took me time to figure out. But, I digress... I got to meet the girl who was thrilled to see her grandmother. I wasn't a lot of help in explaining to the lady just what was happening on the field but made an attempt. Being used to ice hockey where the players go out of their way to hit each other, it took some getting used to watching the girls try to avoid collisions. However, with a stick involved in playing the game there are tripping incidents with players falling and tumbling to the ground. One such collision took place right in front of us and as I watched the girls disentangle themselves I got a quick sighting of pink. Neither team wore pink as part of their uniforms (white & blue for both) so it really caught my attention. It was fairly early in the game and I figured that if I was right and they really were her panties it wouldn't be long before someone told the girl about the missing part of her uniform. Needless to say I kept my eyes on the girl whenever she was on the field.

For sure, I thought she'd add the missing shorts (that's what it appears they wear under their uniform skirts) during the half time break. But, not more than a few minutes back into the game She was run into by an opposing player right near us and ended up in a heap on the ground. There was no penalty called and play continued but she was slow to get up... and I got confirmation that the pink I saw was really panties... crotch line and all. I was less than ten feet away. Right after that it was obvious the lady was getting tired and we left shortly after that.

Back home, and tired myself from pushing her in her wheelchair, (as I said she is a large lady) I sat down and thought about what I'd seen. It certainly took me back to my high school days when I'd seen a number of similar situations. I gave some thought about writing it up as an extra post but I haven't done that very often so I didn't. But, yesterday, on the front page of the local sports page, was this picture. Take a close look at the girl in the middle (#5) and right between her legs... PINK... so here it is...

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161p)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161p)

Feeling somewhat guilty I retreated back to our bedroom. The alarm for Elle’s trip to the bathroom had just gone off and she wasn’t there. I was in the process of trying to formulate some sort of reason/excuse as to why Barbara and I’d been downstairs together when Elle walked back in. She had a big smile on her face and announced that she’d made it through the night dry. I think it was like the third or fourth night in a row. I picked up on that and the topic of my absence didn’t come up. She was anxious to tell me that Barbara had asked to be left out of our plans for the day as she was looking forward to having a day all to herself. Between school, all the activities there, a job and a very demanding mother she said she didn’t want to have to do anything. Elle was smiling the whole time as she explained it to me. She closed by saying that she wished she could have a whole day all to herself.

As far as choices for the family we pretty much decided that it wouldn’t entail sailing. Jean and Anne had been registered for the junior sailing program at the club with lessons to start the next day. Now that we had two Sunfish each of the girls would be getting more instruction time actually on the water. Elle had volunteered to fill in as a chaperone during lessons when needed on top of her bi-weekly assignment so even going to the beach at the club was not appealing to her. There weren’t a lot of options but Elle remembered the fresh water lake that she’d gone to as a young teen. Our girls had never been swimming in a lake so that was the decision… until the phone rang.

In various past posts that mentioned my parents I know I’ve described their house, at least during the Summer, as being like a ‘hotel’. That was due to the fact that both of them were very social… and maintained long lasting friendships and that meant having them visit in the Summer. I loved my mother but she would drive me (us) crazy when one of their friends would show up and she would want to parade her grandchildren on front of them. Elle and I had discussed it with each other, and with my mother, asking that we be given some reasonable amount of time to respond. It was obvious that that had been a waste of time. My mother had two dear friends that went back to her childhood. The daughters of one of them were there at the house. I didn’t bother to ask how long they’d been there or how long she’d known of the visit as I knew our day was now planned for us.

My mother’s friend, known to me as “Sparkie”, had twin girls almost the same age as me. Back when I was a preteen and in my very early teen years I had to suffer through two visits a year… one at each home. By the time I’d discovered that girls weren’t yucky the visits had stopped. However, I do remember the last one with some panty peeks involved. But once I was sent off to boarding school I lost complete contact with the family. On occasion, my mother would mention something about them… weddings, children, etc… but it didn’t really register with me. On this day they had taken the ferry from Connecticut on their way home to New Jersey. They had spent a few days in New Hampshire visiting relatives and, just for the ‘kicks’ of it, decided to take the ferry  boat on their way. One of them remembered where my parents lived and took a chance they’d be home. They were and now Elle and I (and our girls) were trapped.

The only real memory I had of the twins was that their mother was still dressing them the same right up to their teens. I didn’t have any idea what they looked like and Elle and I talked about it on the way to my parents. I wasn’t a very happy man as we pulled into the driveway. We were half way up the walk when I saw two very pretty women headed in our direction. There was about an inch difference in their height at about 5’6” to 5’7”. Each of them had on what would best be described as a Summer dress, more formal than a sun dress. I appreciated the high hem line, certainly in vogue at the time. They were not dressed the same and each had their hair done differently. It took about a minute to see the common features that confirmed they were, indeed, twins. Lois and Linda were their names. My mother followed right on their heels and handled the introductions. I don’t know why but I (nor Elle) realized that they had brought children with them. There was a boy Kaye’s age and a girl Anne’s age… one child for each of them. After a few awkward moments we all headed for the front of the house. (Note: on houses that are located on the water the ‘front’ faces it.)

Hoping we wouldn’t be there all that long Elle hadn’t brought bathing suits for the kids dressing them in shorts and cotton tops. She, herself, was wearing a pair of purple short shorts that I really liked (when she bent over I could see her panties from the leg openings) but my mother didn’t. To her they were too short for a mother of three. The other kids were dressed nicely but certainly not for the beach. There was no way to keep them off of it and, for the boy, the attraction of the water was irresistible. In spite of warnings from his mother he was in it and partially wet in a matter of seconds. I remember my mother asking if the twins had bathing suits for their kids and was told they didn’t. Not bothering to ask, my mother blithely suggested that they could play in their underwear. The boy, now under his mother’s control, thought it was a great idea but the girl was hesitant, especially with strangers around. My mother, always suggesting and prodding, suggested that to ease embarrassment Elle do the same for our kids. A discussion about it then ensued with nothing resolved. Not willing to give up control my mother got the twins to commit to staying for lunch. That was the one thing I was hoping wouldn’t happen. The twins made ‘sounds’ like they had to be going but my father jumped in to warn them that with it being the 4th of July traffic would be horrendous. His dire warning turned the tide and they agreed to stay.

It was about 11am but my mother didn’t have near enough food to feed all of us so my father was dispatched to the one delicatessen that was open on the 4th. To kill time and to avoid returning to the discussion about the kids and going in the water he suggested that I take everybody for a ride in the boat he’d inherited form his father. It was moored right out in front of the house and was relatively easy to get it to the dock for boarding. Even though I’d not used it all that much I did remember how to operate it so thought it was a reasonable idea. My kids had only been on it once so they were highly excited to go on Pop Pop’s boat. I remember the twins reaction to the idea being lukewarm, at best. For Elle and I it was a roll of the eyes.

To be continued…

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161o)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161o)

On my way back to the office I decided I'd wait to have my talk with Hobie until the morning. As I said, I did feel guilty and figured one more day of pay for the temporary help wouldn’t hurt the bank. I could see things were still busy but under control. New account activity had fallen off a bit but lobby traffic was still brisk. It was mostly customers coming to get the interest their deposits had earned the previous three months. Some of them still believed that if the amount wasn’t posted to their passbook they wouldn’t get it.  Bret had been keeping close tabs on the gift count and it was still blankets in the lead. He gave me a warning that there was a chance we’d run out of them before the program was over. Having seen how much the new account business had fallen off at the branch, I wasn’t really concerned.

Jerry was what was really concerned me. A few ‘asides’ from Betsy, added to what I’d observed, put me in an untenable situation. Under reasonably ’normal’ circumstances Jerry would be gone… in a nanosecond… but these were not normal circumstances. Bret and I’d been keeping a sort of log concerning our observations about Jerry almost the whole 5 months he’d been at the main office. However, making Hobie aware of them brought nothing but frustration. I remember spending most of the rest of the afternoon debating with myself about my most recent observations. In the end I decided there was to much good (pay…location) with my job to risk it by antagonizing Hobie (again) with more of “Jerry’s Follies” as we had dubbed the log.

Hobie’s reaction to my suggestion on downsizing the staff at the branch didn’t meet with much opposition. He was mostly disappointed with the overall acceptance of the branch in the area. I gave him all the numbers so he could do the math on it. Approximately 300 accounts in four days did not warrant a staff of eight people. He weighed his decision and finally agreed going along with my suggestion that we allow the temporaries to work through Wednesday. I could see he felt a bit guilty as well. I called Betsy first. I told her I’d be calling Jerry with the decision and I’d be instructing him to tell them of the decision. I remember asking if she was OK with that and getting a delayed response. I’m sitting here with a smile on my face recalling what she had to say… “I don’t know if he’ll be able to…”.

By the time the doors closed to the public on Wednesday everybody was ready for a day off, even if it meant for a rough day on Friday. I know I was. I had a chance to call Cliffy about the motor. He said Joe was picking the cylinder heads up on his way home that night and we’d get started putting the motor back together. I was somewhat ‘torn’ about going to the shop that night but knew I was pretty much obligated to do it as a ‘partner’. Elle and I’d had some discussion as to what we wanted to actually do on the 4th. The one thing we both agreed on was that we wouldn’t go to any fireworks displays after our experience the previous year. Elle felt we should do something that included Barbara. That was one of the things that had me hesitate when Elle had volunteered to take Barbara in for the two week period. I just knew she'd get in the way. Her father had decided to go and visit his wife, kids and relatives for a few days so she wouldn’t be spending any time with him and would be alone. I told Elle not to ask the kids what they wanted to do and to leave the decision up to us. With the sails and gear for Big B’s sailboat just inside the garage door they served as a reminder that it was an option. However, Barbara had an aversion to doing anything that might put her in harm’s way in and around the water so that pretty much precluded doing that. So, it was my idea to ask Barbara what she might like to do. Elle wasn’t all that keen on that idea but agreed to talk with her while I was off working on the race car.

All of the crew was there at the shop by the time I arrived. The cylinder heads were on the work bench and the discussion about them that was underway was quite animated. The machine shop who did the repair had cut circular grooves into them for each cylinder and then had inserted copper wire into the grooves with the idea being that when the heads were torqued back onto the engine block the soft copper would compress and make a tight seal. Most of us were in disbelief that it was going to work but Cliffy was convinced it would. We had no choice because they were the only heads we had so we started to install them. Because Cliffy’s father had a rule we couldn’t start a motor after 10pm we all left not knowing what would happen when we started it up. Because everybody but Joe was married with kids and with plans for the 4th there was no move to come to the shop the next day.. It would have to wait until Friday night. Driving home I had a distinct feeling we’d been ’taken’.

It turned out that one of the best parts of my 4th of July was in the morning right after getting up. I’d not slept well, rolling and tossing while mulling over a myriad of things. I knew I was bothering Elle so threw on a pair of pants and headed downstairs. It was just starting to get light and I didn’t feel like doing anything productive so just headed for my recliner in the den. I have no idea how long I was there before I heard a ‘thump’. I called out and almost immediately Barbara appeared in the doorway. I think she was as surprised to see me as I was to see her. She was wearing one of her father's t-shirts which hung off one shoulder enough for me to almost see her breast. But the best part was the length of it. As she stood there leaning on the door frame I could almost see her panties under the bottom of it. If she’d stood up straight I know I would’ve seen something. But she didn’t, continuing to lean into the den area. We might’ve both said the same thing at the same time…”What are you doing up?”

Some version of “I couldn’t sleep…” came from both our lips but Barbara said she wanted to take a shower before everybody else was up. I’d been leaning back in the recliner and when I pushed myself to a sitting position Barbara straightened herself up and turned to go. I’m going to say I had at least an inch and a half view of her “package”, obviously used, as she walked away. The bathroom with the shower was right there and she grabbed the door as she started in. The door was part way closed when she pushed it back open. I think I asked if she was OK and she, now blushing, said she’d forgotten her bath towel. I was about to tell her to take one from the linen closet right there in the bathroom but she darted out and headed down the hall. It was a ’stirring’ few seconds. When she reappeared she was holding the front of the t-shirt down so there was nothing to see… until she rushed past me. I knew I should’ve moved while she was gone but I hadn’t. I could see almost her whole backside encased in the plastic panties, up to the waist elastic, and I’ll admit that even though I’d seen it hundreds of time with Elle, seeing it on Barbara was a special thrill.

To be continued...

SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161n)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161n)

When Elle and the kids finally returned it was decided that I'd cook hot dogs and hamburgers on the hibachi since it was so late. Elle recruited Barbara to help her make salads in the kitchen. It wasn’t until Barbara got up that I remembered the stain I’d noticed earlier in her crotch area. As she disappeared into the house I could see that it had faded appreciably. However, I was still puzzling over the fact that she’d made no attempt to hide it or to change her shorts. By the time I had the hibachi fired up and ready to cook the salads had been made and the picnic table was set. With everybody hungry I couldn’t cook fast enough to keep up with the demand. When we finished Elle suggested that Barbara and the kids could play with the kids in the yard while I helped Elle pick up. I would’ve preferred to join them but it wasn’t going to happen that way.

By the time Elle and I joined finished up Barbara was trying to work on getting the kids to stand on their hands. The exercise provided some laughs but then Barbara, remembering that Elle could not only stand on her hands but could also walk on them, called upon her to perform. It having been a while since Elle did it on a regular basis she needed some help which Barbara provided. Then Barbara asked Elle to work with her to see if she could master it. After a few attempts ending up with Barbara in a heap on the ground, laughing, the girls all piled on top of her attempting to tickle her. With three of them poking and holding her down she was laughing uncontrollably and pleading for them to stop… and I (and Elle) saw why… she was wetting herself. Elle, upon seeing it called for the girls to stop immediately. Barbara sat up, still with a big smile on her face, but made no attempt to get up and leave. She did, however, put her legs together and put her hands in her lap. Elle, sensing the situation as being an embarrassing one for Barbara, suggested the kids go inside and pick out some board games to play. Unaware of the conversation I’d had earlier with Barbara, Elle assigned me a task that took me away from the chance of seeing the end result of her ‘accident’. As I got up to leave I was fighting a fairly significant bulge. Later, lying in bed, I reviewed the day and was chalking it up as one of those never to be forgotten ones.

For me, the absolute worst situation at work was when there was a mid week holiday during a “busy period” and, for this one, it was exacerbated by the combination of the branch opening and new account give away promotion. Even though the 4th wasn’t until Thursday it still figured into the planning for the week. Hobie had, thankfully, removed the decision of where to start my work day on Monday and indicated it would be best to start at the main office. A few minutes after the doors opened it was evident that it had been a wise one. There were a minimum of six customers at each teller station and at least ten waiting to open new accounts. I was surprised to see Hobie jump in to help but welcomed the aid. By 11am things had slowed down enough for me to plan my getaway to the branch. I had managed a call to Betsy who assured me they were doing OK. I didn’t ask for any ‘numbers’ but hoped that traffic had picked up for them.

Pulling into the branch parking lot I was disappointed. As I remember it there were only a few cars other than those of Jerry and the staff. Walking in through the front door I could see all four of the tellers standing behind the counter just talking to each other. I looked over at the tables where the temporaries were located to open new accounts and I saw only two of the three actually processing paperwork. It was like a morgue. Then, looking to my left I saw Jerry through the window to his office with his wife sitting in a chair beside his desk. The door was closed. I didn’t know what to think or do. I quickly ruled out my first thought (which was to burst in on Jerry) and went over to where Betsy was located. I called her over to the ‘break room’ and asked if things had just slowed down or had they been that slow all morning. She, sensing my concern, said they’d opened about a dozen accounts but that one had been for $5,000. I liked hearing that but then she added that Jerry had OK’d giving the customer multiple gifts. It was hard to keep any semblance of composure! Next, I asked how long Jerry’s wife had been there. When she told me “all morning” I really almost lost it. I know I swore, pretty much under my breath, before asking if she’d go to lunch with me.

I knew nothing of the area and when I asked where we could go she responded “McDonalds”. As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, the area was just begining to be developed and it was taking a while for it to happen. I don’t know if you remember that the early McDonalds were basically all white buildings. It was one of those and other than seeing ads on TV there was not much known about them at the time. So, that’s where we went… and then sat in the car to eat and talk because there were no tables or booths.

As I’d seen when I interviewed her, she was a very bright woman. When I hit her with the statement that the branch was way overstaffed she agreed, 100%. In just the short time I’d been in the branch earlier I’d formulated a preliminary plan in my mind. But, I wanted to hear what her ideas were. She started with something that had escaped all of us who’d been involved with planning and that was we had no one with a secretarial background to handle correspondence and/or, to act as a receptionist. I was actually embarrassed. Trish handled all of that at the main office and done it so well that she’d become ‘part of the woodwork’. So, after acknowledging that we (I) had failed in that respect Betsy went on to say that Barb had taken secretarial courses in high school and had typed some of the letters that Jerry had sent out. She added that she had a nice way with customers and that if the bank was so inclined to move in that direction she would endorse her. Still ’smarting’ from my oversight I changed the subject and went on to the what appeared to be a bit of overkill when it came to the temporary help. Without wasting a breath Betsy said that she, Mae and Rita should be able to handle the new accounts. She mentioned that she and Rita had talked about it and pointed out that with the branch being so new and with the money that had been deposited there was little likelihood that customers would be in to withdraw it all that soon. It was another point that had been overlooked by the ‘planners’. I think I said but one word… “Suggestions?”

That was a hard one since all of the temporaries were related to Mae. But, Betsy then showed just how much effort had been put into her thoughts. She’d spoken to Mae before the weekend and had made a comment that unless business picked up substantially on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest, there was a chance that they’d all be let go. I waited to hear of Mae’s reaction and, according to Betsy’s description of it, there was none. She told me Mae just shrugged her shoulders and wasn’t upset at all. At that point I was feeling somewhat guilty. I knew that no one likes to be told they’re being fired, especially when they hadn’t done  anything wrong. It wasn’t in my realm of responsibility to make that decision right then and there so I told Betsy that nothing would change until after I could meet with Hobie. On our way back to the branch I was hoping that the parking lot would be full but it looked almost the same as when we’d left.

To be continued…