ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168j)
It was after midnight
when I finally gave up trying to make sense out of the church’s
finances. I could waste a whole post on this topic but I’ll spare you
(and me) from the ordeal and try to limit it to the cause and ‘plan of
attack’. The lady who had been keeping the ‘records’, such as they were,
was a nice person and well respected in the community. She would
volunteer to do just about anything and that’s how she ended up with
handling the church’s money. However, she had absolutely no background
for it and it was obvious to me that she didn’t know a debit from a
credit. The fact that she created her own way of doing things only made
the situation worse. The vestry had been derelict in their duties by not
requiring a financial report at the monthly meetings allowing the lady
to just tell how much money we had. That, and the fact that the ‘books’
had never been audited since the church morphed over from a ‘mission’ to
a ‘parish’. The big difference in that is as a ‘mission’ the diocese (the
governing body of the church) would provide monies to keep the church
going and, once becoming a ‘parish’ we were on our own, financially.
That had been a problem right from the start as we didn’t have enough
members to pay the bills. I’d been asked to join the vestry by one of
the bank Trustee’s and really had no way out of it. I’ll admit as to not
doing enough research on the history since becoming a parish and doing
as little as possible as a vestryman. Left on her own and with no
guidance, the lady did the best that she could. I remember having about
five or six old cigar boxes that held various pieces of paper (and some
cash as well) as I tried to make sense of the mess. Deposits should’ve
been made to the bank each and every Monday representing the monies put
into the collection plate. For the previous year, fifty two weeks, there
were only 40 something deposits made. And, what made that a problem was
the cash from the Thrift Shoppe was supposed to be kept separate and it hadn't. Try
as I did, it was hopeless. By the time I quit it was way too late to
call the minister so decided to make the manse my first stop on the way
to work.
It was around 8am and he wasn’t dressed but I told him
that didn’t matter. Reluctantly, he let me in and led me to the kitchen.
I had put all the cigar boxes into a carton and had it with me. He
insisted he had to have coffee before we started and I remember looking
at my watch knowing that the bank was still in the “busy period”. We
were about to start when in walked his overweight and overbearing
daughter. The first words out of her mouth were like bullets “Don’t you
know it’s only eight o’clock?” I ignored her and tried to get to the
crux of the matter by saying that I couldn’t figure out just what the
woman had done and finished by saying that even with her help I wasn’t
sure it was possible. The minister’s reaction was somewhat predictable
as he asked how much money we actually had. I mentioned that I’d
discovered various sums of cash mixed in with receipts and other slips
of paper and I think it came to around $40 or so. That, and the balance
in the bank, wasn’t enough to pay him and the electric bill. I was
uncomfortable in telling him that, especially with his daughter there. I
then told him I had to go but a suggestion would be to contact the
senior warden (head of the vestry) and come up with a plan for the
special meeting that night. As I got up to leave he expressed concern
about how the lady who’d been doing the accounting was going to take it.
I just shrugged my shoulders and walked out.
There were four
more days in the busy period and then things would slow down. Walking up
to the back door I intercepted Lorie, the chief clerk. She greeted me
by asking just how long she would have Mae before she had to go back to
the branch. I really had no answer to that because it had been ‘sold’ to
her as being open ended. She’d negotiated a ‘deal’ to cover her mileage
and, at least up to that point, seemed happy. I asked why she wanted to
know and she came up with a sort of sheepish grin but didn’t say
anything. I ‘pushed’ her on it and she told me that Mae was way under
utilized at the drive-up window. I’d thought that on my own so now
wanted to know her thoughts on it. Since were were technically still in
the holiday season the school savings program wasn’t in operation but
would return the following week. Lorie asked if I’d consider moving
Alice to the drive-up and putting Mae on a lobby window. I liked Alice
and she was a competent teller. The only negative comments I’d heard were the same
for Lillian… “isn’t she a little young?” I’d ignored them because both
of the girls had performed well. I ended up telling Lorie I’d think
about it and she seemed satisfied. For me, it was just one more thing to
think about.
Before leaving that evening Hobie stopped by my
desk and told me I’d be filling in for him at the Mortgage committee
meeting the next day. Mortgage meetings were usually pretty cut and
dried. J J and his secretary, Lynn, prepared all the materials and my
job as secretary was to record who made and seconded the motions to go
ahead with the loan submission. It was nothing special. My only concern
was with Polack Joe who for this month was on the committee. In my mind
he just liked to get attention and was a royal PITA. That, and I had a
distinct feeling that he didn’t like me. But, I had to do my job
regardless of who attended to meeting.
I was very concerned
about the vestry meeting that night. I didn’t know most of the members
all that well an vowed to myself to keep as low a profile as I could
manage. I ended up being late (not a good idea) and found the group in an unmoderated discussion with people talking over people. When I walked in
everybody stopped and stared at me. I remember kind of shrugging my
shoulders and just looking at them. I don’t remember how it was put but
someone stated some sort of a “congratulations!” at me. “For what? was
my response. “You are now the official treasurer!” After a couple of
deep breaths I, shaking my head from side, responded “No way!”
Again,
I won’t bore you with details but accepted under one condition. That
was that the members of the vestry agree to pay to have an accountant go
over all the financial records, such as they were, before accepting. I
remember a couple of the members saying the church couldn’t afford it
and my response to them being “They can’t afford not to regardless if I
take the position or not” One of the same people asked where the church
was going to come up with the money for that and I, mad by that point,
stated “Out of your own pockets!” But I didn’t stop there going on to say
that when they accepted the position on the vestry they agreed to be
responsible for all and any actions taken by them. I thought that one
lady was going to have an apoplectic fit right there in front of the
group. The reaction was for her to stand up and resign from the vestry.
Thankfully, no one else did. A motion was made and passed to hire an accountant as soon as possible. On the matter of paying the minister,
the lady who’d been doing the accounting stepped up and said she’d
“cover it”. In spite of my negative thoughts about her as I tried to
wend my way though all the materials the night before, I thought that
was very nice.
To be continued…
Monday, July 30, 2018
Saturday, July 28, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168i)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168i)
While eating lunch after returning from church Elle got a phone call from the principal at the school that had just been annexed into the school district. Because it had been done without long term planning the school (K through 6) was allowed to be run semi-autonomously. The principal was allowed to operate pretty much on his own, especially when it came to substitute teachers. Elle had impressed him with her time there in November and he was hoping that she, at short notice, could fill in for at least a week if not more. One of his teachers had gotten hurt while skiing over the holidays. For Elle it was a ’no-brainer’ even though it would mean scrambling to find someone to watch Kaye, our youngest. Elle’s mother, with enough lead time, was willing but here it was, Sunday afternoon, when Elle called her. My ’take’ on the matter was positive, for two reasons. First, it meant added income and second, it would occupy Elle for a period of time thus receiving the potential ‘pressure’ on me. I knew it would take a bunch of phone calls to line up sitters and then she’d have to pretty much plan out the meals for the week. I was a happy man!
Monday, at work, I was just getting started when the phone rang. Joanie wasn’t at her desk so I picked it up not knowing who was on the line. “Can you come right over?” was what I heard Lynda’s voice ask. Timing is everything in life and, for me, that request was going to be difficult. The bank was in the middle of “busy period” and it was a Monday, a traditionally busy day. But… I said I’d be there in just a few minutes. I saw Bret at the teller counter and told him I had a “mini emergency” and would be back in about fifteen minutes. Of course I had no idea how long it would be and headed for the front door without my overcoat. I jogged over to the brokerage office and was there in less than five minutes. Lynda was standing in Stan’s work area when I walked in. As soon as she saw me she indicated that I should follow her to the back of the office where the reference materials were kept. I wondered about Stan but she whispered that he’d join us in a minute or two. I whispered back to her asking if he knew what this was about and she shook her head, negatively. All I could do was stand there, nervously waiting to see what transpired. Stan seemed jovial as he approached and wished me a Happy New Year and said he missed seeing me at the party. Before I could respond Lynda assured him that I’d come, but had arrived later… and then she was ‘off and running’.
I could see Lynda was blushing even before she started in. Her words came tumbling out of her mouth so fast I couldn’t really understand her and it appeared Stan couldn’t either. He told her to “slow down” and get to the point. It was obvious Lynda had prepared what she wanted to say and was going to do it. She set the ‘stage’ by saying that this was the first Christmas holiday season that she’d not been with either her family or her husband and had become a bit depressed. At the party, with the drinks flowing freely, she found herself somewhat “happy” and wanted to keep the feeling going. She then apologized to Stan saying that she’d not only embarrassed herself but also the office by her actions. I looked at Stan as he absorbed that admission but didn’t see a change of expression. He stood there and continued to listen as Lynda went on how Michael, the restaurant owner, had tried to find someone to take her home and when I walked in he showed me the shape Lynda was in and I'd volunteered. I was surprised by what she said next. She told Stan that she insisted that I drive her home in her car… and that I did. But, it had created a big problem for me… how to get back to town or to get home. At this point Stan looked over at me and asked what I did then. Not expecting that all I could do was stand there looking sort of foolish.
I finally started by saying that there was no way I could call home and tell my wife that I’d just driven a female home and was stuck at her house… just no way. I went on to tell how I’d walked to the bar and come up with the idea of telling her that I’d driven him home and hoping she’d ‘buy’ it. I moved on to my concern that should Elle ever meet up with him and the subject come up that he needed to know what I’d told her. It didn’t take long for me to say my piece and during the whole time I was talking I kept my eyes on Stan. I don’t remember if he said anything to me before he looked over at Lynda. That was when I realized that I’d put Lynda in a bad position. What I do remember is him saying that he didn’t believe in lying but he also realized that my action in helping Lynda had put me in a bad position. He went on that he felt the chances of what I feared happening were slim but, knowing the background, he’d try to “handle the situation”. He then turned and headed back to his desk leaving Lynda and I standing there not knowing what to say to each other. I distinctly remember thinking that my idea had been a mistake and feeling badly for Lynda. I started to apologize to her and she put her hand to her mouth to indicate for me to stop. She sort of whispered that it would be OK and that she’d handle it. At that point I thanked her and started walking towards the door. As I passed Stan’s area he made no effort to look at me when I tried to thank him for his time. Outside, I looked at my watch and I’d been there for less than ten minutes. I jogged back to the bank and tried to settle in at work but it was hard to do.
Aside from the normal hustle and bustle of the “busy period” the rest off the day went well until I got a phone call from the minister at the church. It was to tell me that there appeared to be some sort of discrepancy in the financial records of the church. Being a banker he wanted me to stop by the manse and get them to review before the special vestry meeting called for the next night. I sat there shaking my head wondering how it was that I went from one crisis to another. On my way home I stopped and got the ‘books’ for the church to peruse. I was definitely not looking forward to it.
I’d almost forgotten that Elle was back teaching again. It was obvious that she was tired and her ’shortness’ with me had nothing to do with the New Years Eve situation. Even with the task of trying to make sense of the accounting records of the church, I went out of my way to help her out. She’d already fed the kids so it was just the two of us while I ate. I made sure the conversation focused on her day and on the upcoming days. In spite of her tiredness she was upbeat and excited about working with the principal at the school. By the time we got up from the table I was convinced New Years Eve was clearly in the ‘rear view mirror’.(72)
To be continued…
While eating lunch after returning from church Elle got a phone call from the principal at the school that had just been annexed into the school district. Because it had been done without long term planning the school (K through 6) was allowed to be run semi-autonomously. The principal was allowed to operate pretty much on his own, especially when it came to substitute teachers. Elle had impressed him with her time there in November and he was hoping that she, at short notice, could fill in for at least a week if not more. One of his teachers had gotten hurt while skiing over the holidays. For Elle it was a ’no-brainer’ even though it would mean scrambling to find someone to watch Kaye, our youngest. Elle’s mother, with enough lead time, was willing but here it was, Sunday afternoon, when Elle called her. My ’take’ on the matter was positive, for two reasons. First, it meant added income and second, it would occupy Elle for a period of time thus receiving the potential ‘pressure’ on me. I knew it would take a bunch of phone calls to line up sitters and then she’d have to pretty much plan out the meals for the week. I was a happy man!
Monday, at work, I was just getting started when the phone rang. Joanie wasn’t at her desk so I picked it up not knowing who was on the line. “Can you come right over?” was what I heard Lynda’s voice ask. Timing is everything in life and, for me, that request was going to be difficult. The bank was in the middle of “busy period” and it was a Monday, a traditionally busy day. But… I said I’d be there in just a few minutes. I saw Bret at the teller counter and told him I had a “mini emergency” and would be back in about fifteen minutes. Of course I had no idea how long it would be and headed for the front door without my overcoat. I jogged over to the brokerage office and was there in less than five minutes. Lynda was standing in Stan’s work area when I walked in. As soon as she saw me she indicated that I should follow her to the back of the office where the reference materials were kept. I wondered about Stan but she whispered that he’d join us in a minute or two. I whispered back to her asking if he knew what this was about and she shook her head, negatively. All I could do was stand there, nervously waiting to see what transpired. Stan seemed jovial as he approached and wished me a Happy New Year and said he missed seeing me at the party. Before I could respond Lynda assured him that I’d come, but had arrived later… and then she was ‘off and running’.
I could see Lynda was blushing even before she started in. Her words came tumbling out of her mouth so fast I couldn’t really understand her and it appeared Stan couldn’t either. He told her to “slow down” and get to the point. It was obvious Lynda had prepared what she wanted to say and was going to do it. She set the ‘stage’ by saying that this was the first Christmas holiday season that she’d not been with either her family or her husband and had become a bit depressed. At the party, with the drinks flowing freely, she found herself somewhat “happy” and wanted to keep the feeling going. She then apologized to Stan saying that she’d not only embarrassed herself but also the office by her actions. I looked at Stan as he absorbed that admission but didn’t see a change of expression. He stood there and continued to listen as Lynda went on how Michael, the restaurant owner, had tried to find someone to take her home and when I walked in he showed me the shape Lynda was in and I'd volunteered. I was surprised by what she said next. She told Stan that she insisted that I drive her home in her car… and that I did. But, it had created a big problem for me… how to get back to town or to get home. At this point Stan looked over at me and asked what I did then. Not expecting that all I could do was stand there looking sort of foolish.
I finally started by saying that there was no way I could call home and tell my wife that I’d just driven a female home and was stuck at her house… just no way. I went on to tell how I’d walked to the bar and come up with the idea of telling her that I’d driven him home and hoping she’d ‘buy’ it. I moved on to my concern that should Elle ever meet up with him and the subject come up that he needed to know what I’d told her. It didn’t take long for me to say my piece and during the whole time I was talking I kept my eyes on Stan. I don’t remember if he said anything to me before he looked over at Lynda. That was when I realized that I’d put Lynda in a bad position. What I do remember is him saying that he didn’t believe in lying but he also realized that my action in helping Lynda had put me in a bad position. He went on that he felt the chances of what I feared happening were slim but, knowing the background, he’d try to “handle the situation”. He then turned and headed back to his desk leaving Lynda and I standing there not knowing what to say to each other. I distinctly remember thinking that my idea had been a mistake and feeling badly for Lynda. I started to apologize to her and she put her hand to her mouth to indicate for me to stop. She sort of whispered that it would be OK and that she’d handle it. At that point I thanked her and started walking towards the door. As I passed Stan’s area he made no effort to look at me when I tried to thank him for his time. Outside, I looked at my watch and I’d been there for less than ten minutes. I jogged back to the bank and tried to settle in at work but it was hard to do.
Aside from the normal hustle and bustle of the “busy period” the rest off the day went well until I got a phone call from the minister at the church. It was to tell me that there appeared to be some sort of discrepancy in the financial records of the church. Being a banker he wanted me to stop by the manse and get them to review before the special vestry meeting called for the next night. I sat there shaking my head wondering how it was that I went from one crisis to another. On my way home I stopped and got the ‘books’ for the church to peruse. I was definitely not looking forward to it.
I’d almost forgotten that Elle was back teaching again. It was obvious that she was tired and her ’shortness’ with me had nothing to do with the New Years Eve situation. Even with the task of trying to make sense of the accounting records of the church, I went out of my way to help her out. She’d already fed the kids so it was just the two of us while I ate. I made sure the conversation focused on her day and on the upcoming days. In spite of her tiredness she was upbeat and excited about working with the principal at the school. By the time we got up from the table I was convinced New Years Eve was clearly in the ‘rear view mirror’.(72)
To be continued…
Thursday, July 26, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168h)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 186h)
I went on to tell her of my walk to the tavern, my call to Elle and waiting for her to arrive. I explained that it was during that wait when I came up with my story to tell Elle when she arrived. When I told Lynda that I’d inserted Stan’s name in place of hers I remember her head sort of jumping, almost like someone had poked her in the ribs. I don’t remember if she interrupted with “What?” or “Why?” and I didn’t hesitate when I told her that I wasn’t crazy… that if I’d told her it was a woman who I’d done it for I would’ve been facing a divorce… and I was serious. I stopped at that point. I also remember looking at Lynda’s face and trying to read it and saw what I took to be remorse. It took a few seconds before I heard her say “I’m so sorry…” followed by “what can I do to make it up to you?”. I definitely remember taking a deep breath before going on. This was where I asked if she could see her way to tell Stan about what had happened and… and this is where I had a real problem. Asking a person to ask another to lie about something is really presumptuous… and I knew it… so I sort of backed up a bit. To get my request out to even be discussed was really difficult. I told her the chances of Elle (who Lynda had never met) being in a position to bring New Years Eve up to Stan was probably a ‘long shot’ but I wanted to make sure that should it happen that he didn’t “blow my cover”. I then asked if she could ask him to “cover for me” and if the subject did come up he would take the position that I’d driven him home. Lynda was looking at me like I was out of my mind. It didn’t take me long to realize that she wasn’t ‘buying it’.
We discussed the ‘pro’s (me) and cons (her) for a short time before I threw out another idea. I asked if she could see her way to having both of us talk to him, together. She wrinkled up her face indicating her dislike for the idea but when she spoke it was in the form of a question… “This is really important to you, isn’t it?' and I nodded in agreement. I remember her sitting forward in her chair and with her eyes closed for a short time and then saying that she needed time to think about it. (I have to interject here that Stan had not been in to the office since New Years Eve day) To me, that was progress and not wanting to put any more pressure on her got up to leave. She stood up when I did and then said something that almost floored me. “I can’t believe you didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to get a close look at my panties.” I know I blushed and also remember shaking my head from side to side not believing what I’d just heard her say. But, it didn’t stop there because she went on and referenced a number of times she’d let me have a peek and had noticed my “interest”… and asked if she wasn’t right. I couldn’t help myself and smiled, knowing my cheeks were flushed. That pretty much ended the meeting and I headed out the door and for my car. It was quite a meeting!
I sat behind the wheel for a minute or so evaluating what had transpired. I remember thinking that there still was a chance Lynda would go along with the joint meeting with Stan and that was enough to stop worrying a for the weekend. It wasn’t until I was driving that I realized I didn’t have any idea how long she’d take to make up her mind. All I could do was wait. A little further into the ride home I allowed myself to reflect upon Lynda’s comment about me not taking advantage of inspecting her panties when I put her to bed… and she was right… it was a perfect time to do so. But, as interesting as that was, the fact she admitted the panty peeks I’d observed were on purpose had the potential for interesting times in the future. By the time I pulled up the hill I was feeling a bit better.
Once in the house Elle told me she’d gotten a phone call from the minister. For the Christmas season the church had suspended the Thrift Shoppe’s operation so seasonal events could take place. He wanted me to head up a group of volunteers to get the shop back up and running. Without the added income from the operation of the shop the church was in danger of not being able to pay the electric bill. I remember being annoyed with the request and wondering why the church was in this position. The one big debt we’d had, the fuel oil bill, had been paid off with the monies made by the store and we should’ve had a nice plate collection over the Christmas season. It was just another of the never ending things that kept me aggravated. I made a few calls and had the promise from a few people to meet me after the 10am service the next day. Last least it was a positive happening.
If there was one good thing about it was that Elle was almost as upset as I about the situation. It had us both ‘on the same page’ for a good part of the day. Just as it was getting dark I saw lights coming from the house next door. Elle was still uncomfortable about the house being vacant so I decided to investigate. Popping through the hedge into the back yard I immediately recognized the car. It belonged to Andy, the realtor who had the listing for the sale of the house. That was exciting. He’d told me the owner was asking too much money. I knocked on the kitchen door and when it opened I saw an older man and woman standing there. I told Andy I was concerned by seeing the lights and wanted to check on it. He invited me inside and introduced me to the couple. He didn’t come right out and say it but I could tell by Andy’s demeanor that he had a ‘live one’. I excused myself and headed home to tell Elle. It sounds kind of strange to say that Elle took the news as if it were a present to her. Ever since the last incident where it was found that migrants had been squatting in the house Elle had been somewhat paranoid. I was happy about the potential for neighbors but not as much as Elle.
The good news on the house was diminished by the bad news that turned up at the meeting after the church service the next morning. All the clothes had been boxed up and were put into a storage shed owned by one of the parishioners until the shop was to be reopened. When I made calls to get some volunteers, one was to that person. At the meeting he reported that someone had broken into the shed and taken some of the items and left all the clothes in disarray on the floor. No one had thought to write up an inventory when shutting the shop down so now, with the theft, we had no idea of what was missing. I ended up telling the minister that I just didn’t have the time to get as deeply involved as was going to be necessary. He asked the others if any would step up and no one did. I ended up asking how we’d managed to get into this situation of relying on monies from the shop and wanted to see the ‘books’. It was agreed it was a good idea and a special vestry meeting would be called. I didn’t have time for that either but it was imperative that we get answers about the church monies. Another problem added to the list!
To be continued…
I went on to tell her of my walk to the tavern, my call to Elle and waiting for her to arrive. I explained that it was during that wait when I came up with my story to tell Elle when she arrived. When I told Lynda that I’d inserted Stan’s name in place of hers I remember her head sort of jumping, almost like someone had poked her in the ribs. I don’t remember if she interrupted with “What?” or “Why?” and I didn’t hesitate when I told her that I wasn’t crazy… that if I’d told her it was a woman who I’d done it for I would’ve been facing a divorce… and I was serious. I stopped at that point. I also remember looking at Lynda’s face and trying to read it and saw what I took to be remorse. It took a few seconds before I heard her say “I’m so sorry…” followed by “what can I do to make it up to you?”. I definitely remember taking a deep breath before going on. This was where I asked if she could see her way to tell Stan about what had happened and… and this is where I had a real problem. Asking a person to ask another to lie about something is really presumptuous… and I knew it… so I sort of backed up a bit. To get my request out to even be discussed was really difficult. I told her the chances of Elle (who Lynda had never met) being in a position to bring New Years Eve up to Stan was probably a ‘long shot’ but I wanted to make sure that should it happen that he didn’t “blow my cover”. I then asked if she could ask him to “cover for me” and if the subject did come up he would take the position that I’d driven him home. Lynda was looking at me like I was out of my mind. It didn’t take me long to realize that she wasn’t ‘buying it’.
We discussed the ‘pro’s (me) and cons (her) for a short time before I threw out another idea. I asked if she could see her way to having both of us talk to him, together. She wrinkled up her face indicating her dislike for the idea but when she spoke it was in the form of a question… “This is really important to you, isn’t it?' and I nodded in agreement. I remember her sitting forward in her chair and with her eyes closed for a short time and then saying that she needed time to think about it. (I have to interject here that Stan had not been in to the office since New Years Eve day) To me, that was progress and not wanting to put any more pressure on her got up to leave. She stood up when I did and then said something that almost floored me. “I can’t believe you didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to get a close look at my panties.” I know I blushed and also remember shaking my head from side to side not believing what I’d just heard her say. But, it didn’t stop there because she went on and referenced a number of times she’d let me have a peek and had noticed my “interest”… and asked if she wasn’t right. I couldn’t help myself and smiled, knowing my cheeks were flushed. That pretty much ended the meeting and I headed out the door and for my car. It was quite a meeting!
I sat behind the wheel for a minute or so evaluating what had transpired. I remember thinking that there still was a chance Lynda would go along with the joint meeting with Stan and that was enough to stop worrying a for the weekend. It wasn’t until I was driving that I realized I didn’t have any idea how long she’d take to make up her mind. All I could do was wait. A little further into the ride home I allowed myself to reflect upon Lynda’s comment about me not taking advantage of inspecting her panties when I put her to bed… and she was right… it was a perfect time to do so. But, as interesting as that was, the fact she admitted the panty peeks I’d observed were on purpose had the potential for interesting times in the future. By the time I pulled up the hill I was feeling a bit better.
Once in the house Elle told me she’d gotten a phone call from the minister. For the Christmas season the church had suspended the Thrift Shoppe’s operation so seasonal events could take place. He wanted me to head up a group of volunteers to get the shop back up and running. Without the added income from the operation of the shop the church was in danger of not being able to pay the electric bill. I remember being annoyed with the request and wondering why the church was in this position. The one big debt we’d had, the fuel oil bill, had been paid off with the monies made by the store and we should’ve had a nice plate collection over the Christmas season. It was just another of the never ending things that kept me aggravated. I made a few calls and had the promise from a few people to meet me after the 10am service the next day. Last least it was a positive happening.
If there was one good thing about it was that Elle was almost as upset as I about the situation. It had us both ‘on the same page’ for a good part of the day. Just as it was getting dark I saw lights coming from the house next door. Elle was still uncomfortable about the house being vacant so I decided to investigate. Popping through the hedge into the back yard I immediately recognized the car. It belonged to Andy, the realtor who had the listing for the sale of the house. That was exciting. He’d told me the owner was asking too much money. I knocked on the kitchen door and when it opened I saw an older man and woman standing there. I told Andy I was concerned by seeing the lights and wanted to check on it. He invited me inside and introduced me to the couple. He didn’t come right out and say it but I could tell by Andy’s demeanor that he had a ‘live one’. I excused myself and headed home to tell Elle. It sounds kind of strange to say that Elle took the news as if it were a present to her. Ever since the last incident where it was found that migrants had been squatting in the house Elle had been somewhat paranoid. I was happy about the potential for neighbors but not as much as Elle.
The good news on the house was diminished by the bad news that turned up at the meeting after the church service the next morning. All the clothes had been boxed up and were put into a storage shed owned by one of the parishioners until the shop was to be reopened. When I made calls to get some volunteers, one was to that person. At the meeting he reported that someone had broken into the shed and taken some of the items and left all the clothes in disarray on the floor. No one had thought to write up an inventory when shutting the shop down so now, with the theft, we had no idea of what was missing. I ended up telling the minister that I just didn’t have the time to get as deeply involved as was going to be necessary. He asked the others if any would step up and no one did. I ended up asking how we’d managed to get into this situation of relying on monies from the shop and wanted to see the ‘books’. It was agreed it was a good idea and a special vestry meeting would be called. I didn’t have time for that either but it was imperative that we get answers about the church monies. Another problem added to the list!
To be continued…
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
ANOTHER YERA... More adventures (Part 168g)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168g)
Standing across the street from the office I realized that even though I knew this moment was coming I still wasn’t fully prepared for it. There was no door buzzer because when the office was open people would just walk in. I rapped on the window and the door opened immediately. Seeing Lynda I’m sure I blushed. I could see she was and the fact that after she opened the door she looked down to avoid looking at my face confirmed it. Her work area was right inside the door and to the right. She backed in and sat in her usual chair. Without looking at me told me to have a seat in Stan’s chair. His work area was right in front of her's with the two split by a thigh high partition with a data machine that provided stock quotes perched on it. I didn’t remove my coat and I guess I can blame nervousness for not doing it. It was really awkward for at least a minute with neither of us taking the lead to speak. Then, when we did we both spoke at once. That broke the ‘spell’ and we both laughed. I was bound and determined to make my request to Lynda before getting distracted so immediately told her I needed a "big favor". As soon as I said it she leaned forward in her chair and I distinctly remember her saying “Anything!” at least a couple of times. Even with my nervousness I knew I had to go over everything that had happened on New Years Eve night for her to have any understanding of what it was that I was about to ask.
I studied her for a few seconds before beginning my description of what had taken place. This was the first time I’d seen Lynda dressed in any way other than “professionally”. She was wearing denim pants with a plaid long sleeve blouse. She also had her hair sort of pulled back exposing her ears. It definitely was a different look. Lynda, still forward in her chair, stopped me before I got even the first few words out. “Please tell me that I didn’t do anything really wrong.” It may not have been those exact words but it’s close. My first reaction to that was to want to ask just what she meant by "wrong"… but I didn’t. I remember trying to think of a way to couch my answer that wasn’t harsh or cruel. Taking a deep breath I told her that she hadn’t but she’d come dangerously close… and then asked her to let me take her through the evening from the time I got to the restaurant until I got her home.
She tried to interrupt a few times but I wouldn’t let her. What she was trying to do was to rationalize her actions but I cut her short by saying what had happened was in the past and couldn’t be changed by words. I took her step by step from the lounge to her car and then to when, while driving, I realized I had no way to get home. As I said she was sitting forward in her chair and I think she inched forward a bit more as she cried out “Oh, no!” with a pained look on her face as she did so. I put my hand up to quiet her and continued on to the point where I’d made the turn off the by-pass towards the town square. Then I told her it got a bit ‘interesting’ for me. “Why?” was all she said upon hearing it. I, still very serious, told her that was when she started complaining that she had to pee and wanted me to stop the car. That little ’tidbit’ made her sit back a bit and put a hand over her face and ask “Did I really do that?”. I nodded without smiling although I’ll admit it was a bit titillating. I put my hand up again so I could continue. I told her I didn’t stop the car for two reasons… one; I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get her back in and two; the prospect of having the police find her, the daughter-in-law of one of the town’s well known businessmen, peeing on the side of the road. That brought forth an “OH MY GOD!” And a look of panic on her face. Then I got “Thankyouthankyouthankyou”, all run together. Indicating I wanted her to stop talking, I went on to tell her how I really had to ‘work’ to get her to give me the directions to her house and then how I actually drove past it. She commented that it wasn’t hard to do.
At this point she said she had to ask some questions but I told her I really wanted to finish. She ignored me and blurted out “When did I pee myself?” It was obvious that she was now truly uncomfortable. I looked right at her and said it was as soon as she got out of the car. That brought forth a “Thank God I didn’t do it in the car! My husband would kill me!" I went on and told her how I had a hard time finding the key to the house and how I’d opened the door and turned on some lights before coming back to get her. Then, I told of my struggle to keep her from falling on the way inside and how my goal had been to get her to the sofa. She was shaking her head from side to side as I spoke with what I’d call an ashamed look on her face. I was about to go into the ‘excursion’ into the bathroom when she interjected that she obviously never made the couch. It was my turn to shake my head from side to side. I was about to go on and she said I could skip the bathroom part, saying that with a half smile.
“You obviously stayed with me and I’m so sorry I put you through all of that.” I nodded that I had and went on that I made sure she was done with it before getting her into the bedroom. I left out the part where she asked me to stay with her figuring she didn’t remember it and didn’t need to be embarrassed any more than she already was. This was where she insisted that she ask a question but prefaced it by saying that it was pretty obvious that I’d gotten her into bed. I think I smiled when she did. And then she had a really big smile when she asked if I got a good look at her panties. The thing was that I hadn’t but I didn’t answer her. I don’t have any idea what the look on my face was but she took it as me having seen them and just said but one word… “And?”
I was a bit shocked by the first question and wasn’t prepared for it but it only took a few seconds for me to ‘recover’ and to tell her that I had more important things on my mind at that time. I got the impression she was disappointed with my answer and she asked “like what?”. That gave me the opening to get to the point of my wanting to meet with her. I told her I just wanted to get her comfortably into bed so I could try to get home. I remember her sort of lifting her eyes and admitting that she hadn’t even thought about that and she immediately apologized. And then she hit me with the ‘blockbuster’ question… “Why didn’t you use your car?” I’d heard that before… from Elle when I was telling her how I ended up at the bar on our way home that night. I really didn’t have a logical answer and told Lynda the same as I’d told Elle… things were moving so fast that I didn’t have time to think. There was a pause before she brought up the “big favor” that I’d mentioned when I arrived. I remember looking right at her face when I told her I’d understand if she didn’t want to do it. That made her screw up her facial expression and turn her head sort of sideways in a questioning manner. Then I asked to ‘hear me out” before saying anything more and told her about making my call to Elle to come pick me up.
To be continued...
Standing across the street from the office I realized that even though I knew this moment was coming I still wasn’t fully prepared for it. There was no door buzzer because when the office was open people would just walk in. I rapped on the window and the door opened immediately. Seeing Lynda I’m sure I blushed. I could see she was and the fact that after she opened the door she looked down to avoid looking at my face confirmed it. Her work area was right inside the door and to the right. She backed in and sat in her usual chair. Without looking at me told me to have a seat in Stan’s chair. His work area was right in front of her's with the two split by a thigh high partition with a data machine that provided stock quotes perched on it. I didn’t remove my coat and I guess I can blame nervousness for not doing it. It was really awkward for at least a minute with neither of us taking the lead to speak. Then, when we did we both spoke at once. That broke the ‘spell’ and we both laughed. I was bound and determined to make my request to Lynda before getting distracted so immediately told her I needed a "big favor". As soon as I said it she leaned forward in her chair and I distinctly remember her saying “Anything!” at least a couple of times. Even with my nervousness I knew I had to go over everything that had happened on New Years Eve night for her to have any understanding of what it was that I was about to ask.
I studied her for a few seconds before beginning my description of what had taken place. This was the first time I’d seen Lynda dressed in any way other than “professionally”. She was wearing denim pants with a plaid long sleeve blouse. She also had her hair sort of pulled back exposing her ears. It definitely was a different look. Lynda, still forward in her chair, stopped me before I got even the first few words out. “Please tell me that I didn’t do anything really wrong.” It may not have been those exact words but it’s close. My first reaction to that was to want to ask just what she meant by "wrong"… but I didn’t. I remember trying to think of a way to couch my answer that wasn’t harsh or cruel. Taking a deep breath I told her that she hadn’t but she’d come dangerously close… and then asked her to let me take her through the evening from the time I got to the restaurant until I got her home.
She tried to interrupt a few times but I wouldn’t let her. What she was trying to do was to rationalize her actions but I cut her short by saying what had happened was in the past and couldn’t be changed by words. I took her step by step from the lounge to her car and then to when, while driving, I realized I had no way to get home. As I said she was sitting forward in her chair and I think she inched forward a bit more as she cried out “Oh, no!” with a pained look on her face as she did so. I put my hand up to quiet her and continued on to the point where I’d made the turn off the by-pass towards the town square. Then I told her it got a bit ‘interesting’ for me. “Why?” was all she said upon hearing it. I, still very serious, told her that was when she started complaining that she had to pee and wanted me to stop the car. That little ’tidbit’ made her sit back a bit and put a hand over her face and ask “Did I really do that?”. I nodded without smiling although I’ll admit it was a bit titillating. I put my hand up again so I could continue. I told her I didn’t stop the car for two reasons… one; I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get her back in and two; the prospect of having the police find her, the daughter-in-law of one of the town’s well known businessmen, peeing on the side of the road. That brought forth an “OH MY GOD!” And a look of panic on her face. Then I got “Thankyouthankyouthankyou”, all run together. Indicating I wanted her to stop talking, I went on to tell her how I really had to ‘work’ to get her to give me the directions to her house and then how I actually drove past it. She commented that it wasn’t hard to do.
At this point she said she had to ask some questions but I told her I really wanted to finish. She ignored me and blurted out “When did I pee myself?” It was obvious that she was now truly uncomfortable. I looked right at her and said it was as soon as she got out of the car. That brought forth a “Thank God I didn’t do it in the car! My husband would kill me!" I went on and told her how I had a hard time finding the key to the house and how I’d opened the door and turned on some lights before coming back to get her. Then, I told of my struggle to keep her from falling on the way inside and how my goal had been to get her to the sofa. She was shaking her head from side to side as I spoke with what I’d call an ashamed look on her face. I was about to go into the ‘excursion’ into the bathroom when she interjected that she obviously never made the couch. It was my turn to shake my head from side to side. I was about to go on and she said I could skip the bathroom part, saying that with a half smile.
“You obviously stayed with me and I’m so sorry I put you through all of that.” I nodded that I had and went on that I made sure she was done with it before getting her into the bedroom. I left out the part where she asked me to stay with her figuring she didn’t remember it and didn’t need to be embarrassed any more than she already was. This was where she insisted that she ask a question but prefaced it by saying that it was pretty obvious that I’d gotten her into bed. I think I smiled when she did. And then she had a really big smile when she asked if I got a good look at her panties. The thing was that I hadn’t but I didn’t answer her. I don’t have any idea what the look on my face was but she took it as me having seen them and just said but one word… “And?”
I was a bit shocked by the first question and wasn’t prepared for it but it only took a few seconds for me to ‘recover’ and to tell her that I had more important things on my mind at that time. I got the impression she was disappointed with my answer and she asked “like what?”. That gave me the opening to get to the point of my wanting to meet with her. I told her I just wanted to get her comfortably into bed so I could try to get home. I remember her sort of lifting her eyes and admitting that she hadn’t even thought about that and she immediately apologized. And then she hit me with the ‘blockbuster’ question… “Why didn’t you use your car?” I’d heard that before… from Elle when I was telling her how I ended up at the bar on our way home that night. I really didn’t have a logical answer and told Lynda the same as I’d told Elle… things were moving so fast that I didn’t have time to think. There was a pause before she brought up the “big favor” that I’d mentioned when I arrived. I remember looking right at her face when I told her I’d understand if she didn’t want to do it. That made her screw up her facial expression and turn her head sort of sideways in a questioning manner. Then I asked to ‘hear me out” before saying anything more and told her about making my call to Elle to come pick me up.
To be continued...
Sunday, July 22, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168f)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168f)
Not knowing what I’d say I remember sort of holding my breath. I heard Lynda say “Hello…” but I couldn’t get any words to come out of my mouth. I finally squeezed out my “Hello…” and then heard the phone go ‘click’ and go dead. Knowing that Lynda was there I dialed her number right back. It rang and rang and rang. I decided to just stay there to see what, if anything, would happen. Then it stopped ringing but I was sure it was because Lynda had picked up the receiver and put it right back. I went right back to dialing… and hearing the ringing. I think it was maybe the sixth time when I heard her voice. I didn’t expect it so there was a pause before I, not really knowing what to say, asked if she was OK. There was another pause before she answered with a question… “Are you upset with me?” I’m not sure but I might’ve laughed. I think I told her “No…” and again asked if she was OK but added that Ruthe had told me she’d left work early. Now it was her turn to laugh before saying she was still working off the effects of New Year’s Eve. With the ‘ice’ broken she, jokingly, reminded me that it was “my dime”. Because her letter rambled I told her I thought she needed to go over it with me… and there was something she needed to do for me. That last statement brought forth an animated “Anything!” She repeated that a few times but I didn’t want to make my request without explaining exactly what had happened after I got her home. And… it was getting late. I’d made some progress with Elle and didn’t want to jeopardize that. I had no preconceived idea(s) as to when or where to do it and threw it back to her. It didn’t garner a response and just as I was going to think about it she asked if I ever came in to the bank on Saturday’s. I didn’t but, wanting to get the situation resolved, said I thought I could find a reason to do so. That was the way we left it… and I took another deep breath.
Things were still a bit ’stilted’ at home but tolerable. I was still waiting for Elle to bring the subject up and didn’t want to say much of anything for fear of triggering an ‘attack’ so focused on playing with the kids. They were eating it up because they had someone to play their new Christmas games with. I was sure Elle knew why I was spending so much time with them but she was always on me to find more time for the kids. Going to bed I was ready to try to get some snuggling in, even if was to her back. When I wasn’t rebuffed I charged it up to my being patient and letting the whole situation drift away.
The data canter problems that I’d mentioned happening the day before accelerated. We were off-line most of the morning. Occasional ‘drops’ were manageable but extended outages, especially during the ‘busy period’, meant a lot of extra work for the staff. With this being a Friday, the doors were open until 6pm. I didn’t feel it fair to ask the tellers who’d already put in more than a normal day to stay a couple of hours longer. After a chat with Hobie I got his permission to offer overtime to those who were willing to come in on Saturday to re-enter all the transactions that didn’t get into the system. He agreed so I asked for volunteers and had three who stepped up, one being Mae. It didn’t surprise me. With Bret subordinate to me it should’ve been him to come in and oversee the women but I stepped in and said I’d take the duty. It was perfect. I had a legitimate reason to come in and then could also arrange to meet up with Lynda.
A quick call to Lynda got a somewhat favorable response. The broker trainees at her office were preparing to take their exam to become licensed financial planners and were coming in to the office on Saturday mornings to study. Normally, one of the lower level brokers working in the office would come in to “baby sit” them and to answer their questions. Lynda told me she’d try to get permission to be the one to open the office the next day and would give me a call back. Wanting to put the matter behind me I hoped that she’d get the necessary permission. When it got to 5:30pm or so and I hadn’t heard from her I figured it was a dead issue. I don’t know why I waited until just after the bank closed the doors to call but I did and there was no answer. It was after 6:30pm before I finally left the bank for home. I’d really hoped that the meeting would take place because now it meant another few days with the situation hanging over me.
As I slid behind the steering wheel I saw something under the windshield wiper. At the last Chamber of Commerce meeting there had been a warning to the members to cease putting flyers on cars in the public parking lots. Seeing one on my windshield made me mad. I got out and when I pulled it off, even in the dim light, I saw handwriting on the paper. Once inside the car I could see my name written on the folded paper and then, opening it up, saw that it was a note from Lynda. She said she’d tried calling but no one answered which, to me, was hard to believe but that’s what it said. She would be in the office from 9am to noon and for me to call when I got in to let her know if and at what time I could make it over. I’m sure I let out a sigh of relief.
My thoughts for that evening and night were all on just what I was going to say to Lynda when I saw her face to face. Since Elle and I were still not back to having normal conversations, my being a little ‘quiet’ that evening wasn’t a cause for question(s) from her. However, sleep wasn’t easy. I remember being awake for each of Elle’s bathroom visits. In the morning, on my way to the bank my focus shifted to the re-entry work to be done. I was hoping that the problems at the data center had been resolved and we’d be able to get all the work done within three hours so I’d be able to meet with Lynda. The data center would only be open to handle re-entry work until 1pm and I hoped we wouldn’t need that extra time.
An unexpected benefit of the overtime was in seeing how good a worker Mae was. As we started in with the project it only took her a short time to suggest a more efficient way to process the transactions. She had a way to command respect even though she had less experience as a teller than the others. As the clock approached 11am it was obvious we’d be done before noon. Because of the way they worked together I made the decision to pay them for the full three hours. Of course, that brought forth smiles. I let them out and locked the door with plenty of time to spare but waited a few minutes to call Lynda.
As the re-entry work had progressed and the meeting with her became a reality it dawned on me that she possibly had some questions of me and exactly what had transpired. Her letter to me didn’t mention anything about that and I’d managed to avoid that fact. It was just about noon when I finally called. I definitely wasn’t prepared to hear a male voice answer the phone and immediately wondered if Lynda’s plans had changed. It only took a few seconds before she was on the line. She told me to give her about fifteen minutes and then come on over. I took another deep breath and hung up the phone.
To be continued…
Not knowing what I’d say I remember sort of holding my breath. I heard Lynda say “Hello…” but I couldn’t get any words to come out of my mouth. I finally squeezed out my “Hello…” and then heard the phone go ‘click’ and go dead. Knowing that Lynda was there I dialed her number right back. It rang and rang and rang. I decided to just stay there to see what, if anything, would happen. Then it stopped ringing but I was sure it was because Lynda had picked up the receiver and put it right back. I went right back to dialing… and hearing the ringing. I think it was maybe the sixth time when I heard her voice. I didn’t expect it so there was a pause before I, not really knowing what to say, asked if she was OK. There was another pause before she answered with a question… “Are you upset with me?” I’m not sure but I might’ve laughed. I think I told her “No…” and again asked if she was OK but added that Ruthe had told me she’d left work early. Now it was her turn to laugh before saying she was still working off the effects of New Year’s Eve. With the ‘ice’ broken she, jokingly, reminded me that it was “my dime”. Because her letter rambled I told her I thought she needed to go over it with me… and there was something she needed to do for me. That last statement brought forth an animated “Anything!” She repeated that a few times but I didn’t want to make my request without explaining exactly what had happened after I got her home. And… it was getting late. I’d made some progress with Elle and didn’t want to jeopardize that. I had no preconceived idea(s) as to when or where to do it and threw it back to her. It didn’t garner a response and just as I was going to think about it she asked if I ever came in to the bank on Saturday’s. I didn’t but, wanting to get the situation resolved, said I thought I could find a reason to do so. That was the way we left it… and I took another deep breath.
Things were still a bit ’stilted’ at home but tolerable. I was still waiting for Elle to bring the subject up and didn’t want to say much of anything for fear of triggering an ‘attack’ so focused on playing with the kids. They were eating it up because they had someone to play their new Christmas games with. I was sure Elle knew why I was spending so much time with them but she was always on me to find more time for the kids. Going to bed I was ready to try to get some snuggling in, even if was to her back. When I wasn’t rebuffed I charged it up to my being patient and letting the whole situation drift away.
The data canter problems that I’d mentioned happening the day before accelerated. We were off-line most of the morning. Occasional ‘drops’ were manageable but extended outages, especially during the ‘busy period’, meant a lot of extra work for the staff. With this being a Friday, the doors were open until 6pm. I didn’t feel it fair to ask the tellers who’d already put in more than a normal day to stay a couple of hours longer. After a chat with Hobie I got his permission to offer overtime to those who were willing to come in on Saturday to re-enter all the transactions that didn’t get into the system. He agreed so I asked for volunteers and had three who stepped up, one being Mae. It didn’t surprise me. With Bret subordinate to me it should’ve been him to come in and oversee the women but I stepped in and said I’d take the duty. It was perfect. I had a legitimate reason to come in and then could also arrange to meet up with Lynda.
A quick call to Lynda got a somewhat favorable response. The broker trainees at her office were preparing to take their exam to become licensed financial planners and were coming in to the office on Saturday mornings to study. Normally, one of the lower level brokers working in the office would come in to “baby sit” them and to answer their questions. Lynda told me she’d try to get permission to be the one to open the office the next day and would give me a call back. Wanting to put the matter behind me I hoped that she’d get the necessary permission. When it got to 5:30pm or so and I hadn’t heard from her I figured it was a dead issue. I don’t know why I waited until just after the bank closed the doors to call but I did and there was no answer. It was after 6:30pm before I finally left the bank for home. I’d really hoped that the meeting would take place because now it meant another few days with the situation hanging over me.
As I slid behind the steering wheel I saw something under the windshield wiper. At the last Chamber of Commerce meeting there had been a warning to the members to cease putting flyers on cars in the public parking lots. Seeing one on my windshield made me mad. I got out and when I pulled it off, even in the dim light, I saw handwriting on the paper. Once inside the car I could see my name written on the folded paper and then, opening it up, saw that it was a note from Lynda. She said she’d tried calling but no one answered which, to me, was hard to believe but that’s what it said. She would be in the office from 9am to noon and for me to call when I got in to let her know if and at what time I could make it over. I’m sure I let out a sigh of relief.
My thoughts for that evening and night were all on just what I was going to say to Lynda when I saw her face to face. Since Elle and I were still not back to having normal conversations, my being a little ‘quiet’ that evening wasn’t a cause for question(s) from her. However, sleep wasn’t easy. I remember being awake for each of Elle’s bathroom visits. In the morning, on my way to the bank my focus shifted to the re-entry work to be done. I was hoping that the problems at the data center had been resolved and we’d be able to get all the work done within three hours so I’d be able to meet with Lynda. The data center would only be open to handle re-entry work until 1pm and I hoped we wouldn’t need that extra time.
An unexpected benefit of the overtime was in seeing how good a worker Mae was. As we started in with the project it only took her a short time to suggest a more efficient way to process the transactions. She had a way to command respect even though she had less experience as a teller than the others. As the clock approached 11am it was obvious we’d be done before noon. Because of the way they worked together I made the decision to pay them for the full three hours. Of course, that brought forth smiles. I let them out and locked the door with plenty of time to spare but waited a few minutes to call Lynda.
As the re-entry work had progressed and the meeting with her became a reality it dawned on me that she possibly had some questions of me and exactly what had transpired. Her letter to me didn’t mention anything about that and I’d managed to avoid that fact. It was just about noon when I finally called. I definitely wasn’t prepared to hear a male voice answer the phone and immediately wondered if Lynda’s plans had changed. It only took a few seconds before she was on the line. She told me to give her about fifteen minutes and then come on over. I took another deep breath and hung up the phone.
To be continued…
Friday, July 20, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168e)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168e)
When I woke up I found Elle was already up. The kids were at Elle’s parents so I knew she wasn’t tending to them. I knew there was no use and putting it off so I headed downstairs to ‘face the music’. Only there wasn’t any ‘music’ or any talking at all. I’d been through this before, but not for the same reason, and had learned to keep my mouth shut and let her break the silence. I watched her make her own breakfast, without offering to make mine, so I made my own. However, I wasn’t expecting her to leave right after she finished. The only place she had to go was to her parents and the kids. It only took a little while to figure out that it was a form of punishment as on days like this we always arrived together when we were eating with them. My problem was I had no idea what she was going to say was the reason for us to not come together.
I was at a loss as to what to do and I have no memory of where I got the idea to call my parents to find out what time they were planning on arriving. After chatting with my mother I decided to go visit with them. That way we could all walk across the road together to the dinner and the attention wouldn’t be just on me. It worked… and Elle acted normally without making any ‘digs’ or asides that would give any indication that she was upset with me. The dinner went well and we were on our way home before dark. I knew that if I focused on playing games with the kids it was only postponing the inevitable but I did it anyway. After getting the kids to bed she didn’t return down the stairs. I certainly wasn’t going to chase what I had a feeling was not going to be a pleasant experience. I ended up falling asleep in my recliner and when I woke up it was after 3am. I debated on weather to go up to bed or to stay in the chair but, she hadn’t told me to leave the night before so up I went. As was the case the previous evening, she was way over on her side which gave me some ‘wiggle room’. Even though my anxiety was high I did fall asleep. What I hadn’t done was to set my alarm and it was a work day. When I awoke it was after 8am so, for me, it was a mad dash to get ready for work and to be off. I managed to forget the ‘elephant in the room’ as I dashed out the door.
As was expected, there was a crowd of people waiting for the doors to open. I had to work my way to the door to have mike let me in. In spite of pretty much knowing what was coming I was glad to be back at work. We’d managed to get through the first days of the busy period without any data center problems but that wasn’t the case on this day. My job description for the majority of the day was “Fire Chief”, putting out little ‘fires’ up and down the teller line. That kept me away from my desk for the majority of the time the doors were open. I finally got to sit after the last customer was escorted out the door. I’d not looked at my mail and had no real desire to do it at that time of the day. I flipped through the pile of it to see if anything stuck out as being important but the only thing catching my eye was an envelope without a stamp, hand addressed to me with “personal and confidential” across the bottom and on the sealed flap. Being somewhat paranoid about Woody’s sudden resignation my first thought was that here was another. With trepidation, I slit the flap open. Inside were three lined yellow legal pad pages, all hand written. My first thought was that if it was a resignation then whoever wrote it had a guilty conscience. Naturally, I went right to the last page… and there was Lynda’s signature. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten that I’d have to face her but, being home and in the close proximity of Elle for a day, the problem with Lynda had paled for a while but now, once again, it was back.
=====================
NOTE: Just in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a very anal person, keeping just about everything. Everything, that is but that letter. For a day I’ve been trying to remember everything she wrote in it and, even after jotting down some notes, there’s a lot missing. So, please understand that with 60 years of ‘water over the dam’ this is the best I can do.
=====================
I remember that I read through the pages quickly. There was an apology for having been so stupid followed by what I took as an excuse for her actions. Then it became a plea… a plea for me to forgive her. It rambled and this is where I’ve had trouble remembering just how it went. I remember a comment about how she hoped that she hadn’t “screwed everything up for everybody”. That was such a broad statement I couldn’t totally grasp what her intent was in writing it. There was more that I don’t fully remember and maybe that’s because I didn’t understand it and or/ how it pertained to me. In any case, I knew I had to talk with her as soon as possible… so I called her office. Ruthe answered and told me Lynda had only been in for a short time in the morning. I asked if she was sick and if she knew if she intended to be in the next day. Ruthe told me she didn’t know. I thought about asking for Stan, my broker and her boss, but quickly discarded that idea. That left but one choice… to try and call her at home.
I didn’t dare call Lynda’s office back to get her phone number and it took a few minutes to come up with the idea of calling the car dealership. The girl who answered luckily ‘bought’ my reason for asking for it. However, it did take a few minutes before I dialed it up. I was a bit upset when Lynda didn’t answer but then decided it was better that she hadn’t been there. There were still people like Bret, Trish and Joanie around and some of the things I was going to get into were best not heard by any of them. I don’t remember what I did until the three of them were gone but I do know I did call Elle to tell her I’d be late. Her response surprised me in that she did ask when I thought I’d get home. I figured she just take the call and hang up on me. I took it as a good sign. Hanging up I immediately called Lynda again.
To be continued…
When I woke up I found Elle was already up. The kids were at Elle’s parents so I knew she wasn’t tending to them. I knew there was no use and putting it off so I headed downstairs to ‘face the music’. Only there wasn’t any ‘music’ or any talking at all. I’d been through this before, but not for the same reason, and had learned to keep my mouth shut and let her break the silence. I watched her make her own breakfast, without offering to make mine, so I made my own. However, I wasn’t expecting her to leave right after she finished. The only place she had to go was to her parents and the kids. It only took a little while to figure out that it was a form of punishment as on days like this we always arrived together when we were eating with them. My problem was I had no idea what she was going to say was the reason for us to not come together.
I was at a loss as to what to do and I have no memory of where I got the idea to call my parents to find out what time they were planning on arriving. After chatting with my mother I decided to go visit with them. That way we could all walk across the road together to the dinner and the attention wouldn’t be just on me. It worked… and Elle acted normally without making any ‘digs’ or asides that would give any indication that she was upset with me. The dinner went well and we were on our way home before dark. I knew that if I focused on playing games with the kids it was only postponing the inevitable but I did it anyway. After getting the kids to bed she didn’t return down the stairs. I certainly wasn’t going to chase what I had a feeling was not going to be a pleasant experience. I ended up falling asleep in my recliner and when I woke up it was after 3am. I debated on weather to go up to bed or to stay in the chair but, she hadn’t told me to leave the night before so up I went. As was the case the previous evening, she was way over on her side which gave me some ‘wiggle room’. Even though my anxiety was high I did fall asleep. What I hadn’t done was to set my alarm and it was a work day. When I awoke it was after 8am so, for me, it was a mad dash to get ready for work and to be off. I managed to forget the ‘elephant in the room’ as I dashed out the door.
As was expected, there was a crowd of people waiting for the doors to open. I had to work my way to the door to have mike let me in. In spite of pretty much knowing what was coming I was glad to be back at work. We’d managed to get through the first days of the busy period without any data center problems but that wasn’t the case on this day. My job description for the majority of the day was “Fire Chief”, putting out little ‘fires’ up and down the teller line. That kept me away from my desk for the majority of the time the doors were open. I finally got to sit after the last customer was escorted out the door. I’d not looked at my mail and had no real desire to do it at that time of the day. I flipped through the pile of it to see if anything stuck out as being important but the only thing catching my eye was an envelope without a stamp, hand addressed to me with “personal and confidential” across the bottom and on the sealed flap. Being somewhat paranoid about Woody’s sudden resignation my first thought was that here was another. With trepidation, I slit the flap open. Inside were three lined yellow legal pad pages, all hand written. My first thought was that if it was a resignation then whoever wrote it had a guilty conscience. Naturally, I went right to the last page… and there was Lynda’s signature. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten that I’d have to face her but, being home and in the close proximity of Elle for a day, the problem with Lynda had paled for a while but now, once again, it was back.
=====================
NOTE: Just in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a very anal person, keeping just about everything. Everything, that is but that letter. For a day I’ve been trying to remember everything she wrote in it and, even after jotting down some notes, there’s a lot missing. So, please understand that with 60 years of ‘water over the dam’ this is the best I can do.
=====================
I remember that I read through the pages quickly. There was an apology for having been so stupid followed by what I took as an excuse for her actions. Then it became a plea… a plea for me to forgive her. It rambled and this is where I’ve had trouble remembering just how it went. I remember a comment about how she hoped that she hadn’t “screwed everything up for everybody”. That was such a broad statement I couldn’t totally grasp what her intent was in writing it. There was more that I don’t fully remember and maybe that’s because I didn’t understand it and or/ how it pertained to me. In any case, I knew I had to talk with her as soon as possible… so I called her office. Ruthe answered and told me Lynda had only been in for a short time in the morning. I asked if she was sick and if she knew if she intended to be in the next day. Ruthe told me she didn’t know. I thought about asking for Stan, my broker and her boss, but quickly discarded that idea. That left but one choice… to try and call her at home.
I didn’t dare call Lynda’s office back to get her phone number and it took a few minutes to come up with the idea of calling the car dealership. The girl who answered luckily ‘bought’ my reason for asking for it. However, it did take a few minutes before I dialed it up. I was a bit upset when Lynda didn’t answer but then decided it was better that she hadn’t been there. There were still people like Bret, Trish and Joanie around and some of the things I was going to get into were best not heard by any of them. I don’t remember what I did until the three of them were gone but I do know I did call Elle to tell her I’d be late. Her response surprised me in that she did ask when I thought I’d get home. I figured she just take the call and hang up on me. I took it as a good sign. Hanging up I immediately called Lynda again.
To be continued…
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168d)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168d)
When I first walked into the bar I ordered a gin and tonic. It was the first hard liquor I’d had in a long, long time… and I needed it. Next was to ask the barkeep the directions to get there from the town square. I knew Elle could find that but getting her from there to the place was going to be tough. (No GPS back in those days!) I estimated that to get from our house to where I was would take at least an hour and then be an hour back. We were supposed to host the second stop of the progressive dinner and I was sure we couldn't make it. I didn’t answer Elle’s question of “Why?” But, quite sternly, told her I’d explain later but to call the host of the first stop to tell her there was a change in plans and we couldn’t do it. There was silence on the phone. Then I told her to get a pencil and to write down the directions and to get on the way. As soon as I gave them to her I heard the phone go “click”.
I ended up ordering another gin and tonic while waiting for her. Even though I ’nursed’ both of them I could feel the effects. I sat at a table by the door so I could see every car that drove up. It was after 8:30pm when she arrived and I went out and got right in the passenger seat. She never looked at me before putting the station wagon in gear. We made it to the downtown area before I heard “Well?” Followed by “It better be good!” With the time I had from when I made my call until she showed up I’d come up with my story. I guess you could say it was a ‘fabrication’. However, it was somewhat based on fact.
Basically, I just changed Lynda for her boss, Stan. All the stuff that went down with Lynda going back to when I’d walked in at the party right through until I got to her house remained the same. I told her I’d been asked by Michael to see that Stan got home safely and I got no response from her. I had no idea weather she believed any of it at all. When we got to the town where the bank was located I had her leave me off so I could get my car. That was the first time she’d spoken in almost a half hour. “Why didn’t you just drive him in your car?” It took a few seconds for me wonder the same thing as it would’ve made things a lot simpler. I remember telling her that as fast as the way things were happening that I never gave it a thought… and that WAS the truth!
It was almost 10pm by the time we both made it home. The third stop on the progressive party called for us to be at Nanci and Fritz’s house at 10pm for the main course. Elle said she didn’t want to go as she was so embarrassed by not being able to host our part of the party but I decided to call them to see what they suggested. It was an emphatic “Comeonover!” But when I told Elle she wouldn’t join me. I wasn’t sure what exactly she used as an excuse for begging off of our part but, as upset as she was I didn’t dare ask. From our house to their house was but 10 minutes, at the most. I was one of the first to arrive which worked out perfectly because it gave me time to find out from Nanci what Elle had told her. Hearing that the excuse was that I’d had “car trouble” gave me a little room to maneuver, but not a whole lot. Nanci wanted to know why Elle hadn’t come and I said the situation with me and the car had given her a migraine headache. It probably had, but I didn’t know that as fact. I kept to the ‘script’ as the others arrived, apologizing for putting a crimp in the evening schedule. No one, outwardly, seemed to mind and it was obvious that most of the others were well ‘lubricated’ as there was a lot of laughter as we sat down to eat. I only had one difficult question to answer and it was to ask why I hadn’t just called for a wrecker. I ‘dodged’ it saying that on New Years Eve they were geared for ‘“real problems” and not something like mine.
The last stop was at Phyl and Bob’s house and that was for dessert and to watch the ball drop at Times Square. They lived right next door to Sandy and Johnny and Phyl had tried to get them to be a part of the whole affair but they’d turned it down. Bob put some pressure on Johnny to at least come over and be neighborly. It was nice to see both of them again. I really felt sorry about how things had turned out for them over the past half year. Sandy was self conscious because she was dressed pretty casually while the rest of us had, at least earlier, been close to semi formal. But, the women had surrounded her and kept her busy and it looked to me like she was enjoying being around her old friends again. Being the only female there in pants I found myself checking her rear, looking for a VPL but wasn’t successful.
As midnight approached everyone had a cup with champagne to toast in the New Year. We had ended up in the finished basement and I don’t know why but everyone stood up as the ball started the downward path. I’d been on a bar stool over in a corner as I was the only one there without a mate. Standing up I saw Sandy getting up from a foot stool and, wanting to get it out of her way, bent over to move it and I got to see a ‘smile’. I was more than familiar with 'smiles' as I’d seen Elle with them on more than one occasion. It occurred when wearing a pair of plastic panties over whatever else she was wearing… a ‘package’ or multiple ‘dribble panties’ and was wet. The liquid would come out a bit around the leg elastics of the plastic panties. For me, after the night I’d just experienced, it was a pleasant experience to see it. From the way Sandy acted she was totally unaware of the ‘gift’ she was giving to me.
I didn’t hang around for long after the cheers of “Happy New Year!” quieted down. I knew Elle would be asleep and as I entered the kitchen checked to see if she’d left me a ‘cryptic’ note. None was found but I still hesitated about going up the stairs. I remember taking a deep breath before starting and then tip toeing to the top. I undressed and just let my clothes drop to the floor before climbing into bed. As I did I found Elle had squeezed herself to the edge on her side. That was a clear message if there ever was one. I lay there reliving the whole evening, going over each and every part because I knew I’d go through a ‘grilling’ in the morning. I have no recollection of how long I was awake but remember that when Elle got up for a bathroom visit I was still wide awake. It was during this period in time that I started thinking about New Years day and what it would bring. Another one of our ‘traditions’ (there’s that word again!) was that Elle’s parents would serve as hosts for a fresh ham dinner for the whole family. Thanksgiving with my parents: Christmas at our house and New Years day at Elle’s parents. If Elle wasn’t speaking with me it would be very evident to both sets of parents… and that would be another problem to overcome. In one way I didn’t want morning to come but, in another, I wanted to get it over with.
To be continued…
When I first walked into the bar I ordered a gin and tonic. It was the first hard liquor I’d had in a long, long time… and I needed it. Next was to ask the barkeep the directions to get there from the town square. I knew Elle could find that but getting her from there to the place was going to be tough. (No GPS back in those days!) I estimated that to get from our house to where I was would take at least an hour and then be an hour back. We were supposed to host the second stop of the progressive dinner and I was sure we couldn't make it. I didn’t answer Elle’s question of “Why?” But, quite sternly, told her I’d explain later but to call the host of the first stop to tell her there was a change in plans and we couldn’t do it. There was silence on the phone. Then I told her to get a pencil and to write down the directions and to get on the way. As soon as I gave them to her I heard the phone go “click”.
I ended up ordering another gin and tonic while waiting for her. Even though I ’nursed’ both of them I could feel the effects. I sat at a table by the door so I could see every car that drove up. It was after 8:30pm when she arrived and I went out and got right in the passenger seat. She never looked at me before putting the station wagon in gear. We made it to the downtown area before I heard “Well?” Followed by “It better be good!” With the time I had from when I made my call until she showed up I’d come up with my story. I guess you could say it was a ‘fabrication’. However, it was somewhat based on fact.
Basically, I just changed Lynda for her boss, Stan. All the stuff that went down with Lynda going back to when I’d walked in at the party right through until I got to her house remained the same. I told her I’d been asked by Michael to see that Stan got home safely and I got no response from her. I had no idea weather she believed any of it at all. When we got to the town where the bank was located I had her leave me off so I could get my car. That was the first time she’d spoken in almost a half hour. “Why didn’t you just drive him in your car?” It took a few seconds for me wonder the same thing as it would’ve made things a lot simpler. I remember telling her that as fast as the way things were happening that I never gave it a thought… and that WAS the truth!
It was almost 10pm by the time we both made it home. The third stop on the progressive party called for us to be at Nanci and Fritz’s house at 10pm for the main course. Elle said she didn’t want to go as she was so embarrassed by not being able to host our part of the party but I decided to call them to see what they suggested. It was an emphatic “Comeonover!” But when I told Elle she wouldn’t join me. I wasn’t sure what exactly she used as an excuse for begging off of our part but, as upset as she was I didn’t dare ask. From our house to their house was but 10 minutes, at the most. I was one of the first to arrive which worked out perfectly because it gave me time to find out from Nanci what Elle had told her. Hearing that the excuse was that I’d had “car trouble” gave me a little room to maneuver, but not a whole lot. Nanci wanted to know why Elle hadn’t come and I said the situation with me and the car had given her a migraine headache. It probably had, but I didn’t know that as fact. I kept to the ‘script’ as the others arrived, apologizing for putting a crimp in the evening schedule. No one, outwardly, seemed to mind and it was obvious that most of the others were well ‘lubricated’ as there was a lot of laughter as we sat down to eat. I only had one difficult question to answer and it was to ask why I hadn’t just called for a wrecker. I ‘dodged’ it saying that on New Years Eve they were geared for ‘“real problems” and not something like mine.
The last stop was at Phyl and Bob’s house and that was for dessert and to watch the ball drop at Times Square. They lived right next door to Sandy and Johnny and Phyl had tried to get them to be a part of the whole affair but they’d turned it down. Bob put some pressure on Johnny to at least come over and be neighborly. It was nice to see both of them again. I really felt sorry about how things had turned out for them over the past half year. Sandy was self conscious because she was dressed pretty casually while the rest of us had, at least earlier, been close to semi formal. But, the women had surrounded her and kept her busy and it looked to me like she was enjoying being around her old friends again. Being the only female there in pants I found myself checking her rear, looking for a VPL but wasn’t successful.
As midnight approached everyone had a cup with champagne to toast in the New Year. We had ended up in the finished basement and I don’t know why but everyone stood up as the ball started the downward path. I’d been on a bar stool over in a corner as I was the only one there without a mate. Standing up I saw Sandy getting up from a foot stool and, wanting to get it out of her way, bent over to move it and I got to see a ‘smile’. I was more than familiar with 'smiles' as I’d seen Elle with them on more than one occasion. It occurred when wearing a pair of plastic panties over whatever else she was wearing… a ‘package’ or multiple ‘dribble panties’ and was wet. The liquid would come out a bit around the leg elastics of the plastic panties. For me, after the night I’d just experienced, it was a pleasant experience to see it. From the way Sandy acted she was totally unaware of the ‘gift’ she was giving to me.
I didn’t hang around for long after the cheers of “Happy New Year!” quieted down. I knew Elle would be asleep and as I entered the kitchen checked to see if she’d left me a ‘cryptic’ note. None was found but I still hesitated about going up the stairs. I remember taking a deep breath before starting and then tip toeing to the top. I undressed and just let my clothes drop to the floor before climbing into bed. As I did I found Elle had squeezed herself to the edge on her side. That was a clear message if there ever was one. I lay there reliving the whole evening, going over each and every part because I knew I’d go through a ‘grilling’ in the morning. I have no recollection of how long I was awake but remember that when Elle got up for a bathroom visit I was still wide awake. It was during this period in time that I started thinking about New Years day and what it would bring. Another one of our ‘traditions’ (there’s that word again!) was that Elle’s parents would serve as hosts for a fresh ham dinner for the whole family. Thanksgiving with my parents: Christmas at our house and New Years day at Elle’s parents. If Elle wasn’t speaking with me it would be very evident to both sets of parents… and that would be another problem to overcome. In one way I didn’t want morning to come but, in another, I wanted to get it over with.
To be continued…
Monday, July 16, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168c)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168c)
I didn’t have a plan for what to do once we were in the house but with this surprise I was thrown for a loss. I got her moving and even though it was only about 15 to 20 feet to the still open door it was slow going. She almost fell twice and somehow I managed to keep her somewhat vertical. I got to the door and propped her up for a minute to get my breath. To do it I had to put one leg between her legs while holding her shoulders against the door jamb. I knew she was speaking but I have no memory of what she was saying. I was looking into the house and saw a leather couch. That became my first goal… get her to the couch. I got my arm around her waist and was holding her shoulder as we entered. Maybe two or three steps in she sort of lunged forward and was able to break free of my hold on her shoulder. I wasn’t expecting it and sort of watched as she made about three or four steps forward before falling. I was right there and was about to bend down to ask if she was OK when she started crawling. I yelled at her to stop but she kept on crawling… right into the bathroom. It didn’t take long to know why. She managed to get to the side of the tub and then she started puking. I don’t know what kept her up and her head inside the tub but I knew I had to keep her there. Kneeling beside her to make sure she stayed in that position I knew I was in deep, deep trouble and it wasn’t getting any better.
There were so many thoughts running through my mind almost simultaneously that I couldn’t focus on just one. How do I get home? Do I dare take her car? If I do how do I explain it and then get it back to her. But the more immediate problem was what to do with Lynda? Do I just get her onto her bed and leave her like that? Do I get her out of her stained and wet clothes? And there were more… When her dry heaves subsided I was able to get her attention for a minute and asked her what she wanted me to do. Still kneeling beside the tub she looked at me and said she wanted me to stay with her because she was “all mixed up…” Hearing that I wanted to run… really. I remember responding with a sharp “NO!” and then told her she had to get up.
I helped her to a standing position and she started for the bedroom. She smelled like a sewer with vomit all down the front of her blouse. She still had on her coat but that appeared to be unscathed. Once we made it to the bedroom she lunged for the bed, barely making it. Now it was hard decision time… do I just leave her like that or make an attempt to clean her up and to make her somewhat comfortable. I didn’t like either choice.
I made a stab at asking another few questions all having to do with her condition. I knew she was wet because I’d heard and seen the puddle between her legs. I knew there would be no harm in leaving her that way but with her skirt and slip wet there was a chance of staining the comforter covering the bed. I knew enough about fabrics to know that it was an expensive one. With her lying there sort of on her side and her coat still on it was somewhat protected. So, I asked if she wanted to get into bed. Her answer was unintelligible so I made the decision for her and rolled her over on her back. I peeled back the coat from her shoulders and unbuttoned her blouse. She asked what I was doing and told her I was getting her ready to go to sleep. I heard but one word… “Good…”. The next step was in asking where her night clothes were and she pointed to the back of the door. I grabbed what appeared to be a flannel pajama top with buttons down the front and, after extracting her from both her coat and blouse slipped her arms in and pulled it up and over her shoulders.
If you saw the movie Animal House (and I’m sure 99% of you did!) you’ll remember the scene where the group went on a “Road Trip” and Otter (Tim Matheson) is alone with a girl and is torn between having sex with her or not. There was a ‘Devil’ on one shoulder and an ‘angel’ on the other with each stating their position on the situation. Well, in this case, with Lynda, that never came up… even after seeing her in just her bra. However the next step was a little more difficult. I guess from my experience with Elle’s incontinence my mind was geared for ‘protection’ and I immediately thought of bath towels to put down on the sheet and pillow. With her barely able to stay sitting I made a dash for the bathroom and grabbed the towels I saw. I took the hand towels and put them on her pillow thinking she may still have more to come up. With that done I stood in front of her and grabbing her wrists, pulled her to a standing position. With one hand steadying her I pulled down the comforter and sheets and made an attempt to spread the bath towel where I pictured she’d by laying. Then I went for the button on the waist band of her skirt and miraculously, got it undone in one try. Still unsteady, she asked what I was doing. As I pulled it and her slip down calmly told her I was almost ready for her to lie down and to go to sleep. I’m laughing as I type this because I heard her mumble “Thank you” as I did. I told her to sit, turn and lie down and that was exactly what she did. That was the first time I actually saw her panties as the pajama top covered her to her hips. But, in the few seconds I had I couldn’t get a ‘handle’ on them. In fact, later on, I couldn’t even remember what color they were.
By then I was a ‘wreck’. I had to decide how I was getting home and as I walked out of her bedroom I knew I had but two choices… and I didn’t like either of them. I was at the front door, which was still open, and looking at the Corvette. It certainly was tempting. However, reason took hold as I imagined Lynda waking up later, totally confused as to the happenings of the evening, getting up, looking outside and seeing it gone. Then, there was the possibility of her calling the police and reporting it stolen. NOT what I wanted to be a part of. I went back to make sure the keys were on the kitchen table and then went out the front door. That meant my only way home was to call Elle.
Standing in the street I thought back to seeing a tavern and tried to remember just where it was located. I remembered it was on a corner where we made a right hand turn. So, down the street I walked. I went past two other streets and at the third I looked to my right and could see the glow of colored lights. I headed in that direction and soon came upon “THE bar”. The clock on the wall said it was a little after 7pm. I would’ve bet it was at least nine. I got change for the pay phone (remember them?) and tried to summon the courage to call Elle. I aborted two attempts before staying on the line to hear her voice. Her first words were to ask if I was OK followed by “Where are you?”. When I told her the town I was in prompted the inevitable question… “Why?”
To be continued…
I didn’t have a plan for what to do once we were in the house but with this surprise I was thrown for a loss. I got her moving and even though it was only about 15 to 20 feet to the still open door it was slow going. She almost fell twice and somehow I managed to keep her somewhat vertical. I got to the door and propped her up for a minute to get my breath. To do it I had to put one leg between her legs while holding her shoulders against the door jamb. I knew she was speaking but I have no memory of what she was saying. I was looking into the house and saw a leather couch. That became my first goal… get her to the couch. I got my arm around her waist and was holding her shoulder as we entered. Maybe two or three steps in she sort of lunged forward and was able to break free of my hold on her shoulder. I wasn’t expecting it and sort of watched as she made about three or four steps forward before falling. I was right there and was about to bend down to ask if she was OK when she started crawling. I yelled at her to stop but she kept on crawling… right into the bathroom. It didn’t take long to know why. She managed to get to the side of the tub and then she started puking. I don’t know what kept her up and her head inside the tub but I knew I had to keep her there. Kneeling beside her to make sure she stayed in that position I knew I was in deep, deep trouble and it wasn’t getting any better.
There were so many thoughts running through my mind almost simultaneously that I couldn’t focus on just one. How do I get home? Do I dare take her car? If I do how do I explain it and then get it back to her. But the more immediate problem was what to do with Lynda? Do I just get her onto her bed and leave her like that? Do I get her out of her stained and wet clothes? And there were more… When her dry heaves subsided I was able to get her attention for a minute and asked her what she wanted me to do. Still kneeling beside the tub she looked at me and said she wanted me to stay with her because she was “all mixed up…” Hearing that I wanted to run… really. I remember responding with a sharp “NO!” and then told her she had to get up.
I helped her to a standing position and she started for the bedroom. She smelled like a sewer with vomit all down the front of her blouse. She still had on her coat but that appeared to be unscathed. Once we made it to the bedroom she lunged for the bed, barely making it. Now it was hard decision time… do I just leave her like that or make an attempt to clean her up and to make her somewhat comfortable. I didn’t like either choice.
I made a stab at asking another few questions all having to do with her condition. I knew she was wet because I’d heard and seen the puddle between her legs. I knew there would be no harm in leaving her that way but with her skirt and slip wet there was a chance of staining the comforter covering the bed. I knew enough about fabrics to know that it was an expensive one. With her lying there sort of on her side and her coat still on it was somewhat protected. So, I asked if she wanted to get into bed. Her answer was unintelligible so I made the decision for her and rolled her over on her back. I peeled back the coat from her shoulders and unbuttoned her blouse. She asked what I was doing and told her I was getting her ready to go to sleep. I heard but one word… “Good…”. The next step was in asking where her night clothes were and she pointed to the back of the door. I grabbed what appeared to be a flannel pajama top with buttons down the front and, after extracting her from both her coat and blouse slipped her arms in and pulled it up and over her shoulders.
If you saw the movie Animal House (and I’m sure 99% of you did!) you’ll remember the scene where the group went on a “Road Trip” and Otter (Tim Matheson) is alone with a girl and is torn between having sex with her or not. There was a ‘Devil’ on one shoulder and an ‘angel’ on the other with each stating their position on the situation. Well, in this case, with Lynda, that never came up… even after seeing her in just her bra. However the next step was a little more difficult. I guess from my experience with Elle’s incontinence my mind was geared for ‘protection’ and I immediately thought of bath towels to put down on the sheet and pillow. With her barely able to stay sitting I made a dash for the bathroom and grabbed the towels I saw. I took the hand towels and put them on her pillow thinking she may still have more to come up. With that done I stood in front of her and grabbing her wrists, pulled her to a standing position. With one hand steadying her I pulled down the comforter and sheets and made an attempt to spread the bath towel where I pictured she’d by laying. Then I went for the button on the waist band of her skirt and miraculously, got it undone in one try. Still unsteady, she asked what I was doing. As I pulled it and her slip down calmly told her I was almost ready for her to lie down and to go to sleep. I’m laughing as I type this because I heard her mumble “Thank you” as I did. I told her to sit, turn and lie down and that was exactly what she did. That was the first time I actually saw her panties as the pajama top covered her to her hips. But, in the few seconds I had I couldn’t get a ‘handle’ on them. In fact, later on, I couldn’t even remember what color they were.
By then I was a ‘wreck’. I had to decide how I was getting home and as I walked out of her bedroom I knew I had but two choices… and I didn’t like either of them. I was at the front door, which was still open, and looking at the Corvette. It certainly was tempting. However, reason took hold as I imagined Lynda waking up later, totally confused as to the happenings of the evening, getting up, looking outside and seeing it gone. Then, there was the possibility of her calling the police and reporting it stolen. NOT what I wanted to be a part of. I went back to make sure the keys were on the kitchen table and then went out the front door. That meant my only way home was to call Elle.
Standing in the street I thought back to seeing a tavern and tried to remember just where it was located. I remembered it was on a corner where we made a right hand turn. So, down the street I walked. I went past two other streets and at the third I looked to my right and could see the glow of colored lights. I headed in that direction and soon came upon “THE bar”. The clock on the wall said it was a little after 7pm. I would’ve bet it was at least nine. I got change for the pay phone (remember them?) and tried to summon the courage to call Elle. I aborted two attempts before staying on the line to hear her voice. Her first words were to ask if I was OK followed by “Where are you?”. When I told her the town I was in prompted the inevitable question… “Why?”
To be continued…
Saturday, July 14, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168b)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168b)
Getting into the car was a real shock. Even though it was obvious that the car sat low to the ground, I had the feeling I was sitting on the ground and from there I had no idea where the front of the car was. Lynda was babbling while I was trying to figure out where the button for the headlights was located as well as the ignition switch. It only took a few seconds to see it had a four speed manual transmission. That was definitely not a problem as I had one in my car. Not really ready to turn the key I remember looking over at Lynda and wondered how I got myself into this situation. I finally turned the key and I swear I could feel the power right though the seat as the engine fired off. It was impressive!
Even though I drove a four speed transmission car and was familiar with using the clutch pedal, when I went to release it to back out of the space the car occupied… I stalled it. It was almost like I’d never driven a ’stick’ before. I had success on the second try and slowly inched my way out of the spot. I was a bit intimidated by the fact that it was the most expensive car I’d ever driven. Pulling out into the street was ‘interesting’ because I had little more than the length of a car to do it. Cars parked on the street blocked my view and the fact of not knowing where the front of the car was made me hold my breath. I made it and to get to the road that would take me to where Lynda lived I had to go past the bank. That was when I remembered I had the passbook for the account Lynda had just opened. I looked over at her and she, thankfully, had passed out. I remember thinking it was just like with my youngest and sometimes having to take her for a car ride to get her to go to sleep.
There were two separate roads I had to traverse just to get to the town where Lynda lived. The first started right after crossing the bridge over the river. There was some limited commercial development and scattered homes over the first three miles. Then, it was five miles of nothing but scrub pine. It was on that stretch that I finally had time to think of how I was going to explain the whole thing to Elle. Then it hit me that I had no way to get home from Lynda’s… and it shocked me enough that I slammed on the brakes. That was a mistake! It woke Lynda up.
To start with, she had no idea where she was… or who I was. The only light came from the speedometer area and it had been turned way down. I hadn’t stopped the car completely and when I realized I’d woken her let the car coast off to the shoulder. I attempted to identify myself and opened the door which gave off enough light so she could see me and I could see her. I tried explaining why I was driving her car and she seemed to understand. It was then that I told her she’d have to give me directions to get to her house. That was funny! She couldn’t understand why I was going to her house. I shut the door and pulled back onto the road.
The second road I had to use was called the “by-pass” because it by-passed a village. As the area become more popular with Summer tourists, going through the village itself created traffic jams. Some of the people who spent Summers there were rich and influential and had managed to get a new road built to eliminate the bottle neck in the village. It was relatively new and the only ‘signs of life’ were a few random construction and heavy equipment businesses but not much else. Once on it I was worried for a bit that she might not recognize just where she was. I kept after her asking if she recognized anything but didn’t get much response. I finally reached the road that would take us into the village where Linda lived and as I made the turn she sort of ‘came to life’. However, it wasn’t what I wanted to hear at that time. “I got to pee! I got to pee! I got to pee!”. Weather you choose to believe me or not, hearing that did not arouse me… even a little bit.There were a number of reasons in trying to ignore her and not the least of which was that if I did stop and was able to get her out of the car, what would happen if a cop drove by and found the daughter-in law of one of the more prominent business people in town peeing on the side of the road. Another thought, not too far behind the first, was once out of the car would I be able to get her back in it. Sooooo…. I told her we were only minutes away from her house… and that bought silence for a few minutes.
I was soon back at her again almost pleading for directions. I’d reached Main Street and had no idea where to turn from there. We were stopped for maybe a minute when she finally mumbled for me to go left. From there on it wasn’t too bad as long as I went fairly slow. I can tell you this… I have always been pretty good remembering places I’ve been, especially if I’m driving… but I knew there was no way I’d ever find my way back to where she directed me to go. About the only thing that I saw as a reference point was a small tavern with a host of neon beer signs in the windows and a very unique name… “THE Bar”. The name of the street she lived on was “Bungalow Lane”. Being dark and with no street lights she missed her driveway. Actually, that wasn’t hard to do because, from the road you couldn’t see the house. There was a hedge about six or so feet high and just a narrow cut through it for the driveway. When I found it, and turned in, I made out what was one of the reasons for the name of the street… a small, white bungalow. The driveway led to a very small garage with an open door. But, there was also another part to the driveway that went right in front of the house. I chose that part.
Lynda was now somewhat alert and I now had the job of getting her out of the car and into the house. There were no lights on inside or outside. I got out and walked up to the door. With the headlights still on I was able to find the lock. The car keys were on a ring and I hoped the house key was among the other keys. While I fumbled through them I could hear Lynda calling out for me to help her. I also heard her calling out that she had to pee. It took a minute to get the door of the house open and another minute to find a lamp. Once on, I took a quick look around. It was truly a bungalow… a low ceiling with small rooms. It was very reminiscent of the houses where Elle and I grew up. I looked in a couple of doors and found a bedroom. That was my ‘target’ as I headed back outside. When I got there I found Lynda with her legs out of the car but unable to get herself out and upright. I didn’t know just how the walk to the house was going to go as I approached her.
I reached my hands out and told her to grab them and that I was going to pull her up to a standing position. As I did and got her vertical I eased her, still facing me, towards the back of the car hoping that would give her some support until I could get my arm under her arm and around her waist. As she did I again her heard her say “I have to pee!”. While slipping my arm behind and around her I thought I heard something and looked down… she was peeing right there. I couldn’t believe it… and, truthfully, wasn’t happy about it.
To be continued…
Getting into the car was a real shock. Even though it was obvious that the car sat low to the ground, I had the feeling I was sitting on the ground and from there I had no idea where the front of the car was. Lynda was babbling while I was trying to figure out where the button for the headlights was located as well as the ignition switch. It only took a few seconds to see it had a four speed manual transmission. That was definitely not a problem as I had one in my car. Not really ready to turn the key I remember looking over at Lynda and wondered how I got myself into this situation. I finally turned the key and I swear I could feel the power right though the seat as the engine fired off. It was impressive!
Even though I drove a four speed transmission car and was familiar with using the clutch pedal, when I went to release it to back out of the space the car occupied… I stalled it. It was almost like I’d never driven a ’stick’ before. I had success on the second try and slowly inched my way out of the spot. I was a bit intimidated by the fact that it was the most expensive car I’d ever driven. Pulling out into the street was ‘interesting’ because I had little more than the length of a car to do it. Cars parked on the street blocked my view and the fact of not knowing where the front of the car was made me hold my breath. I made it and to get to the road that would take me to where Lynda lived I had to go past the bank. That was when I remembered I had the passbook for the account Lynda had just opened. I looked over at her and she, thankfully, had passed out. I remember thinking it was just like with my youngest and sometimes having to take her for a car ride to get her to go to sleep.
There were two separate roads I had to traverse just to get to the town where Lynda lived. The first started right after crossing the bridge over the river. There was some limited commercial development and scattered homes over the first three miles. Then, it was five miles of nothing but scrub pine. It was on that stretch that I finally had time to think of how I was going to explain the whole thing to Elle. Then it hit me that I had no way to get home from Lynda’s… and it shocked me enough that I slammed on the brakes. That was a mistake! It woke Lynda up.
To start with, she had no idea where she was… or who I was. The only light came from the speedometer area and it had been turned way down. I hadn’t stopped the car completely and when I realized I’d woken her let the car coast off to the shoulder. I attempted to identify myself and opened the door which gave off enough light so she could see me and I could see her. I tried explaining why I was driving her car and she seemed to understand. It was then that I told her she’d have to give me directions to get to her house. That was funny! She couldn’t understand why I was going to her house. I shut the door and pulled back onto the road.
The second road I had to use was called the “by-pass” because it by-passed a village. As the area become more popular with Summer tourists, going through the village itself created traffic jams. Some of the people who spent Summers there were rich and influential and had managed to get a new road built to eliminate the bottle neck in the village. It was relatively new and the only ‘signs of life’ were a few random construction and heavy equipment businesses but not much else. Once on it I was worried for a bit that she might not recognize just where she was. I kept after her asking if she recognized anything but didn’t get much response. I finally reached the road that would take us into the village where Linda lived and as I made the turn she sort of ‘came to life’. However, it wasn’t what I wanted to hear at that time. “I got to pee! I got to pee! I got to pee!”. Weather you choose to believe me or not, hearing that did not arouse me… even a little bit.There were a number of reasons in trying to ignore her and not the least of which was that if I did stop and was able to get her out of the car, what would happen if a cop drove by and found the daughter-in law of one of the more prominent business people in town peeing on the side of the road. Another thought, not too far behind the first, was once out of the car would I be able to get her back in it. Sooooo…. I told her we were only minutes away from her house… and that bought silence for a few minutes.
I was soon back at her again almost pleading for directions. I’d reached Main Street and had no idea where to turn from there. We were stopped for maybe a minute when she finally mumbled for me to go left. From there on it wasn’t too bad as long as I went fairly slow. I can tell you this… I have always been pretty good remembering places I’ve been, especially if I’m driving… but I knew there was no way I’d ever find my way back to where she directed me to go. About the only thing that I saw as a reference point was a small tavern with a host of neon beer signs in the windows and a very unique name… “THE Bar”. The name of the street she lived on was “Bungalow Lane”. Being dark and with no street lights she missed her driveway. Actually, that wasn’t hard to do because, from the road you couldn’t see the house. There was a hedge about six or so feet high and just a narrow cut through it for the driveway. When I found it, and turned in, I made out what was one of the reasons for the name of the street… a small, white bungalow. The driveway led to a very small garage with an open door. But, there was also another part to the driveway that went right in front of the house. I chose that part.
Lynda was now somewhat alert and I now had the job of getting her out of the car and into the house. There were no lights on inside or outside. I got out and walked up to the door. With the headlights still on I was able to find the lock. The car keys were on a ring and I hoped the house key was among the other keys. While I fumbled through them I could hear Lynda calling out for me to help her. I also heard her calling out that she had to pee. It took a minute to get the door of the house open and another minute to find a lamp. Once on, I took a quick look around. It was truly a bungalow… a low ceiling with small rooms. It was very reminiscent of the houses where Elle and I grew up. I looked in a couple of doors and found a bedroom. That was my ‘target’ as I headed back outside. When I got there I found Lynda with her legs out of the car but unable to get herself out and upright. I didn’t know just how the walk to the house was going to go as I approached her.
I reached my hands out and told her to grab them and that I was going to pull her up to a standing position. As I did and got her vertical I eased her, still facing me, towards the back of the car hoping that would give her some support until I could get my arm under her arm and around her waist. As she did I again her heard her say “I have to pee!”. While slipping my arm behind and around her I thought I heard something and looked down… she was peeing right there. I couldn’t believe it… and, truthfully, wasn’t happy about it.
To be continued…
Thursday, July 12, 2018
ANOTHER YEAR... More adventures (Part 168a)
ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168a)
Thinking that I ‘had it made’ as far as going to the party at Michael’s and still being able to get home at a reasonable time, I put on my coat and was about to head out the door. One of the last people I expected to see still in the building was Hobie and he was headed in my direction. My reaction was “What now?” but I kept it in. I was in a position to see the clock on the wall and it wasn’t quite 5pm when I took a glance at it. Hobie didn’t have his coat on and that should’ve been a hint. “Got a minute?” Was what I heard. Now, even if you didn’t, you wouldn’t tell your boss that… so I responded with “Sure!” and in a positive way. It seems that Jerry had taken all my personnel manipulations as a personal affront and had ‘unloaded’ on Hobie about it. Hobie wasn’t upset because I’d let him know, after the fact, and he’d approved the moves. What I hadn’t told him was that Jerry wasn’t a part of the discussion and he wanted to know why. As patiently as I could I explained that almost all of it had been done from my home while I was on a vacation day and trying to prepare for Christmas. I told him I weighed the ‘pros and cons’ of all of it trying to put the best interests of the bank and the customers first. With the ‘busy period’ staring me in the face I did not want to go into it shorthanded. The last part initiated his asking just why Woody had resigned. Still able to see the clock I saw it was now after 5pm. It took maybe ten minutes to go through the efforts that Lorie, Trish and I’d put into finding the reason(s). Finally, he stuck out his hand and wished me and my family a “Happy New Year”. Walking out the door I wondered just what all that had accomplished.
I chose to walk to Michael’s as the only parking was behind the place and not well lit. It was also a difficult place to exit from and I’d witnessed a few ‘fender benders’ at that location. By the time I reached there it was probably close to 5:30pm. Walking in, I looked for some familiar faces and only saw a couple of the newer employees at the brokerage office. I wondered where Stan, Bill, Ruthe and Lynda were since they were the ones supposedly hosting the affair. I saw Michael behind the bar and headed in his direction. Before I could say a word I heard him say “Thank God! Someone to help me!” As you can imagine I was at a loss for words or anything after a greeting like that. I made it up to the bar and he pointed me to the open end of it. Once there he said he had a major problem and started walking into the lounge part of the establishment. As I’d described in an earlier post, this was a fairly large room but also a dark room. He felt the dimness made it more like a “real lounge”. There was a mix of tables, mostly in the center with half booths rimming it. I followed him to a booth just inside the room and there, slumped in a booth, was Lynda.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that she was drunk… and as soon as she saw me it was confirmed. I didn’t understand what she said to greet me but she made an attempt to get up. That wasn’t pretty! I asked Michael where the others from the office were and he said they’d left around 4pm. Concerned that they’d left Lynda in this state I asked why she was still there. He had a half-assed guilty look on his face when he told me they thought she’d left and said he’d made the mistake of confirming it. He went on that there'd been a lot of people coming and going all afternoon and he couldn’t keep up with everybody. He then said that she’d obviously come into the back area and possibly passed out. I asked if he knew what she’d been drinking and he said he didn’t know because she’d never come up to the bar. But this is where it got real ‘interesting’. He told me that someone had heard a voice coming from the back room demanding a drink and that’s how he found her. When he wouldn’t provide her with a drink she reached into her pocketbook and found her car keys and announced that if she wasn’t going to get served there she was going to find a place that would give her a drink. By then they were calling for Michael out at the bar. He looked at me and asked if I could "do something with her”.
At first I didn’t know what to say or do. I knew she was way too drunk to drive and I also knew the Corvette she used was owned by the Chevrolet dealership owned by her father-in law. If she wrecked that… well… But the thing was what to do with her in her present state. While Michael and I’d been talking (or trying to talk) she’d been babbling on. I knew she knew who I was so I decided I sit down and at least try to talk her out of the car keys. If you’ve been reading this over the past few months there was a strong suspicion that she ‘had her eyes on me’. I was too upset to pay any attention to the words she was mumbling at me and concentrated on trying to lure the car keys from her grasp. Time meant nothing in this situation and I have no idea how long it was before she made an offer to give them to me if I’d kiss her. I was sitting next to her and quite close because I’d made a couple of attempts to grab the keys from her hand. I know it’s hard to believe that in just such a situation I wasn’t tempted but I managed to hold her off. I finally got her attention by yelling her name at her. She stopped trying to talk and looked straight at me. Knowing I had but a few seconds I told her that if she gave me her keys I’d drive her home and she could get a drink there. The reaction? A blank stare. But, she let the keys slip from her hand and onto the floor. I was on them in a heartbeat.
I went back into the bar area dangling the keys from my hand. I heard Michael sort of exhale “Thank god!”. I asked if he knew where her car was. He told me it was probably out behind his place because he thought she’d come into the place from the back. A quick look out the back door and there it was… a 1968 white Corvette hardtop. It really struck me… that I was actually going to drive a Corvette. I’d never even sat in one even though I was considered a “motor head”. The thought of it was actually a bit daunting. However, the reality of the situation was that I had to get Lynda out to and then in the car. As I’ve written, she wasn’t exactly a small woman and, in her drunken state, she wasn’t going to be of any help. Lynda called out to me as I headed back into the bar area to get Michael or someone to help me. I didn’t stop, guessing that all she wanted was another drink. Micheal was very busy and hailed one of the people at the bar to come give me a hand. I thought I recognized him as a customer at the brokerage office. Michael explained the situation to him and we headed to back to get Lynda.
The best description I can give of her is that we saw what had been a very pretty young woman who now looked like she’d been in a street fight. Her hair was disheveled and her blouse was half out of her skirt. She was slumped into the booth with one leg up on the seat and the other splayed out in front of her. The hem of her skirt was well above the knee of the leg sticking out into the room but not enough to get a peek. The guy was a bit shocked when he saw her. I told him where the car was parked and we proceeded to get her up with each of us holding her by grabbing her under her arms. I honestly don’t remember her protesting until we got her outside by the car and opened the passenger side door. It was then that she demanded her keys and started to try and twist out of our grip. Fortunately, she didn’t hurt herself as she sort of fell into the car. I, taking advantage of the opportunity, grabbed her legs and stuffed them inside the car and shut the door.
To be continued...
Thinking that I ‘had it made’ as far as going to the party at Michael’s and still being able to get home at a reasonable time, I put on my coat and was about to head out the door. One of the last people I expected to see still in the building was Hobie and he was headed in my direction. My reaction was “What now?” but I kept it in. I was in a position to see the clock on the wall and it wasn’t quite 5pm when I took a glance at it. Hobie didn’t have his coat on and that should’ve been a hint. “Got a minute?” Was what I heard. Now, even if you didn’t, you wouldn’t tell your boss that… so I responded with “Sure!” and in a positive way. It seems that Jerry had taken all my personnel manipulations as a personal affront and had ‘unloaded’ on Hobie about it. Hobie wasn’t upset because I’d let him know, after the fact, and he’d approved the moves. What I hadn’t told him was that Jerry wasn’t a part of the discussion and he wanted to know why. As patiently as I could I explained that almost all of it had been done from my home while I was on a vacation day and trying to prepare for Christmas. I told him I weighed the ‘pros and cons’ of all of it trying to put the best interests of the bank and the customers first. With the ‘busy period’ staring me in the face I did not want to go into it shorthanded. The last part initiated his asking just why Woody had resigned. Still able to see the clock I saw it was now after 5pm. It took maybe ten minutes to go through the efforts that Lorie, Trish and I’d put into finding the reason(s). Finally, he stuck out his hand and wished me and my family a “Happy New Year”. Walking out the door I wondered just what all that had accomplished.
I chose to walk to Michael’s as the only parking was behind the place and not well lit. It was also a difficult place to exit from and I’d witnessed a few ‘fender benders’ at that location. By the time I reached there it was probably close to 5:30pm. Walking in, I looked for some familiar faces and only saw a couple of the newer employees at the brokerage office. I wondered where Stan, Bill, Ruthe and Lynda were since they were the ones supposedly hosting the affair. I saw Michael behind the bar and headed in his direction. Before I could say a word I heard him say “Thank God! Someone to help me!” As you can imagine I was at a loss for words or anything after a greeting like that. I made it up to the bar and he pointed me to the open end of it. Once there he said he had a major problem and started walking into the lounge part of the establishment. As I’d described in an earlier post, this was a fairly large room but also a dark room. He felt the dimness made it more like a “real lounge”. There was a mix of tables, mostly in the center with half booths rimming it. I followed him to a booth just inside the room and there, slumped in a booth, was Lynda.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that she was drunk… and as soon as she saw me it was confirmed. I didn’t understand what she said to greet me but she made an attempt to get up. That wasn’t pretty! I asked Michael where the others from the office were and he said they’d left around 4pm. Concerned that they’d left Lynda in this state I asked why she was still there. He had a half-assed guilty look on his face when he told me they thought she’d left and said he’d made the mistake of confirming it. He went on that there'd been a lot of people coming and going all afternoon and he couldn’t keep up with everybody. He then said that she’d obviously come into the back area and possibly passed out. I asked if he knew what she’d been drinking and he said he didn’t know because she’d never come up to the bar. But this is where it got real ‘interesting’. He told me that someone had heard a voice coming from the back room demanding a drink and that’s how he found her. When he wouldn’t provide her with a drink she reached into her pocketbook and found her car keys and announced that if she wasn’t going to get served there she was going to find a place that would give her a drink. By then they were calling for Michael out at the bar. He looked at me and asked if I could "do something with her”.
At first I didn’t know what to say or do. I knew she was way too drunk to drive and I also knew the Corvette she used was owned by the Chevrolet dealership owned by her father-in law. If she wrecked that… well… But the thing was what to do with her in her present state. While Michael and I’d been talking (or trying to talk) she’d been babbling on. I knew she knew who I was so I decided I sit down and at least try to talk her out of the car keys. If you’ve been reading this over the past few months there was a strong suspicion that she ‘had her eyes on me’. I was too upset to pay any attention to the words she was mumbling at me and concentrated on trying to lure the car keys from her grasp. Time meant nothing in this situation and I have no idea how long it was before she made an offer to give them to me if I’d kiss her. I was sitting next to her and quite close because I’d made a couple of attempts to grab the keys from her hand. I know it’s hard to believe that in just such a situation I wasn’t tempted but I managed to hold her off. I finally got her attention by yelling her name at her. She stopped trying to talk and looked straight at me. Knowing I had but a few seconds I told her that if she gave me her keys I’d drive her home and she could get a drink there. The reaction? A blank stare. But, she let the keys slip from her hand and onto the floor. I was on them in a heartbeat.
I went back into the bar area dangling the keys from my hand. I heard Michael sort of exhale “Thank god!”. I asked if he knew where her car was. He told me it was probably out behind his place because he thought she’d come into the place from the back. A quick look out the back door and there it was… a 1968 white Corvette hardtop. It really struck me… that I was actually going to drive a Corvette. I’d never even sat in one even though I was considered a “motor head”. The thought of it was actually a bit daunting. However, the reality of the situation was that I had to get Lynda out to and then in the car. As I’ve written, she wasn’t exactly a small woman and, in her drunken state, she wasn’t going to be of any help. Lynda called out to me as I headed back into the bar area to get Michael or someone to help me. I didn’t stop, guessing that all she wanted was another drink. Micheal was very busy and hailed one of the people at the bar to come give me a hand. I thought I recognized him as a customer at the brokerage office. Michael explained the situation to him and we headed to back to get Lynda.
The best description I can give of her is that we saw what had been a very pretty young woman who now looked like she’d been in a street fight. Her hair was disheveled and her blouse was half out of her skirt. She was slumped into the booth with one leg up on the seat and the other splayed out in front of her. The hem of her skirt was well above the knee of the leg sticking out into the room but not enough to get a peek. The guy was a bit shocked when he saw her. I told him where the car was parked and we proceeded to get her up with each of us holding her by grabbing her under her arms. I honestly don’t remember her protesting until we got her outside by the car and opened the passenger side door. It was then that she demanded her keys and started to try and twist out of our grip. Fortunately, she didn’t hurt herself as she sort of fell into the car. I, taking advantage of the opportunity, grabbed her legs and stuffed them inside the car and shut the door.
 |
| This is NOT Lynda's Corvette but it is exactly like it... |
To be continued...
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
FINISHING THE YEAR... Odds & ends (Part 167aa)
ENDING THE YEAR… Odds & ends 167aa)
Actually, my favorite day during Christmas was the day after. The ‘pressure’ was off and there was plenty of time to survey the ‘loot’ that everybody had collected the day before. Elle and I could play the new games the kids had received, with them, and just take it easy. It was a day of pajamas, nighties and bathrobes, although no panty pictures were allowed. Elle and I both loved turkey club sandwiches and there was plenty of turkey left over to satisfy our palate. However, lurking in the background for me was the follow up on all the changes I negotiated at the main office and the branch on Christmas Eve. I devoted the morning to Elle and the kids and right after lunch I dove into the bank situation. Hobie had been off that day so he was ‘in the dark’ and I’d made sure I let Bret, Trish and Lorie know not to say anything until I called Hobie. As I expected, he jumped to some conclusions before I had a chance to fully explain the situation. It was a long call but in the end I had the feeling that he’d support me if anything was made of it. By the time I was through talking to everybody (including Jerry, who made the most ’noise’) it was mid afternoon. In talking to both Rita and Mae I had the distinct impression that they were both looking forward to the opportunity. I sure hoped so.
Friday, as I fully expected, was a bit chaotic. To start with it was the first day of the busy period so the lobby was overflowing. Woody was still there and took over showing Mae the ‘ropes’ as far as how the somewhat antiquated drive-up equipment worked. The drive -up at the branch, with all new machinery, was much quicker and easier to operate. I made a point of checking with Lorie a number of times during the morning on her observations of Mae. I swear I didn’t ‘lead’ her at all and heard her say that Mae, in spite of only six months of experience in a very low volume office, was capable of handling the volume of a lobby teller window. However, it was my intention to leave her at the drive-up for the time being.
Because it was Woody’s last day, Liz, the auditor wanted to count her cash box before she went to lunch. She was within her rights as the auditor to do it but I felt it was like a slap in the face to her. She had an almost perfect record when it came to proving up each and every day and hadn’t done anything to make Liz suspicious. While Liz had Woody at her desk I went to Mae and asked if she was ready to handle the window on her own. I didn’t have any doubt as to what her response would be so I went back to where Woody was watching Liz do the cash count. I told her to come to my desk when Liz was finished. It took about five more minutes. I remember the look on Woody’s face… expressionless. After getting her seated I made one last attempt to find out what she’d chosen to leave but all I got was a shrug of her shoulders. When it was obvious that I wasn’t going to get a response I asked if she’d like to leave. Still, no verbal response but I did get an indication with her hands that it would be OK. I told her I’d get her last paycheck and then she’d be free to go. I really felt bad for not only her but, actually, the bank. After handing her the check she did say thank you and told me that as soon as she cashed it she’d pay me the money she owed me for the clothes Trish and I’d helped her with right after she started. I won’t say that I’d forgotten about it because in thinking about why she might’ve quit I kept going back to the situation with the panties. It took her a while because the lobby lines were long and she had it figured out, right to the penny. I asked where she was off to and she, again, went back to being silent. I stood up and thanked her for being a good employee and wished her luck. The thing I remember the most from that moment was there was no emotion in her face at all. It was hard to believe she was the same, bubbly, happy girl that I’d hired just a few months earlier.
Other than that, the day went well. No on line computer problems was a definite plus. By the time the last customer left, all the tellers had gotten to know Mae. I used Trish as my ‘ears’ and the comments were favorable. I’d called the branch and talked with Betsy a number of times. Rita had come in and picked up where she’d left off when she was laid off. Jerry, after getting over his ’snit’ about not being a part of the process to bring Rita back and moving Mae, quieted down and, to quote Betsy, “went back in his shell”. Hearing that, I felt most of the ‘drama’ that had popped up on Monday was now past and pretty much under control.
Monday was actually a busier day than Friday. I made sure to keep my eye on Mae and she seemed to have everything under control. I had a surprise show up at my desk in the person of Lynda. I’d made any number of attempts to get her to open an account with the bank but she always had an excuse. But here she was with a check for $1,000. I took note that the check came from her father-in law’s car dealership but didn’t say anything. She was in a hurry and said she couldn’t wait to get her passbook. She suggested that I bring it to the New year’s Eve party at Michael’s being held by the brokerage office the following afternoon. I’d sort of promised that I’d come but this would make sure that I’d show up. It reminded me that I hadn’t mentioned anything about the party to Elle and wasn’t looking forward to telling her. The “group”, which had been sort of resurrected when Elle and I held the party in which I’d been ‘blindsided’ by being recruited to run for the school board, was holding a ‘progressive’ dinner party. That’s one where we would be visiting four separate homes for different courses. We were saddled with the hor’s d’oeuvres and the second stop. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
New Year’s Eve at the bank turned out to be relatively quiet. There was even time to grab a bite to eat for lunch. I’d asked Trish to bring me back a sandwich from the luncheonette across the street and took it to down to the break room. I had no idea who would be there and was pleased to find Mae, and alone. It gave me a chance to get her ‘read’ on the main office. She’d only been there two full days and part of a third and she already had a couple of suggestions that she felt would move things along.They weren’t things that could be done without some planning but they had merit. That impressed me.
Because it hadn’t been all that busy during the day it meant the general proof went smoothly and allowed me to let everybody go early… and allowed me to get over to the the brokerage New year’s Eve party at a reasonable time. I figured I’d stay for about a half hour and be home in plenty of time to make all aspects of the progressive dinner party… and keep Elle in a good mood.
To be continued...
Actually, my favorite day during Christmas was the day after. The ‘pressure’ was off and there was plenty of time to survey the ‘loot’ that everybody had collected the day before. Elle and I could play the new games the kids had received, with them, and just take it easy. It was a day of pajamas, nighties and bathrobes, although no panty pictures were allowed. Elle and I both loved turkey club sandwiches and there was plenty of turkey left over to satisfy our palate. However, lurking in the background for me was the follow up on all the changes I negotiated at the main office and the branch on Christmas Eve. I devoted the morning to Elle and the kids and right after lunch I dove into the bank situation. Hobie had been off that day so he was ‘in the dark’ and I’d made sure I let Bret, Trish and Lorie know not to say anything until I called Hobie. As I expected, he jumped to some conclusions before I had a chance to fully explain the situation. It was a long call but in the end I had the feeling that he’d support me if anything was made of it. By the time I was through talking to everybody (including Jerry, who made the most ’noise’) it was mid afternoon. In talking to both Rita and Mae I had the distinct impression that they were both looking forward to the opportunity. I sure hoped so.
Friday, as I fully expected, was a bit chaotic. To start with it was the first day of the busy period so the lobby was overflowing. Woody was still there and took over showing Mae the ‘ropes’ as far as how the somewhat antiquated drive-up equipment worked. The drive -up at the branch, with all new machinery, was much quicker and easier to operate. I made a point of checking with Lorie a number of times during the morning on her observations of Mae. I swear I didn’t ‘lead’ her at all and heard her say that Mae, in spite of only six months of experience in a very low volume office, was capable of handling the volume of a lobby teller window. However, it was my intention to leave her at the drive-up for the time being.
Because it was Woody’s last day, Liz, the auditor wanted to count her cash box before she went to lunch. She was within her rights as the auditor to do it but I felt it was like a slap in the face to her. She had an almost perfect record when it came to proving up each and every day and hadn’t done anything to make Liz suspicious. While Liz had Woody at her desk I went to Mae and asked if she was ready to handle the window on her own. I didn’t have any doubt as to what her response would be so I went back to where Woody was watching Liz do the cash count. I told her to come to my desk when Liz was finished. It took about five more minutes. I remember the look on Woody’s face… expressionless. After getting her seated I made one last attempt to find out what she’d chosen to leave but all I got was a shrug of her shoulders. When it was obvious that I wasn’t going to get a response I asked if she’d like to leave. Still, no verbal response but I did get an indication with her hands that it would be OK. I told her I’d get her last paycheck and then she’d be free to go. I really felt bad for not only her but, actually, the bank. After handing her the check she did say thank you and told me that as soon as she cashed it she’d pay me the money she owed me for the clothes Trish and I’d helped her with right after she started. I won’t say that I’d forgotten about it because in thinking about why she might’ve quit I kept going back to the situation with the panties. It took her a while because the lobby lines were long and she had it figured out, right to the penny. I asked where she was off to and she, again, went back to being silent. I stood up and thanked her for being a good employee and wished her luck. The thing I remember the most from that moment was there was no emotion in her face at all. It was hard to believe she was the same, bubbly, happy girl that I’d hired just a few months earlier.
Other than that, the day went well. No on line computer problems was a definite plus. By the time the last customer left, all the tellers had gotten to know Mae. I used Trish as my ‘ears’ and the comments were favorable. I’d called the branch and talked with Betsy a number of times. Rita had come in and picked up where she’d left off when she was laid off. Jerry, after getting over his ’snit’ about not being a part of the process to bring Rita back and moving Mae, quieted down and, to quote Betsy, “went back in his shell”. Hearing that, I felt most of the ‘drama’ that had popped up on Monday was now past and pretty much under control.
Monday was actually a busier day than Friday. I made sure to keep my eye on Mae and she seemed to have everything under control. I had a surprise show up at my desk in the person of Lynda. I’d made any number of attempts to get her to open an account with the bank but she always had an excuse. But here she was with a check for $1,000. I took note that the check came from her father-in law’s car dealership but didn’t say anything. She was in a hurry and said she couldn’t wait to get her passbook. She suggested that I bring it to the New year’s Eve party at Michael’s being held by the brokerage office the following afternoon. I’d sort of promised that I’d come but this would make sure that I’d show up. It reminded me that I hadn’t mentioned anything about the party to Elle and wasn’t looking forward to telling her. The “group”, which had been sort of resurrected when Elle and I held the party in which I’d been ‘blindsided’ by being recruited to run for the school board, was holding a ‘progressive’ dinner party. That’s one where we would be visiting four separate homes for different courses. We were saddled with the hor’s d’oeuvres and the second stop. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
New Year’s Eve at the bank turned out to be relatively quiet. There was even time to grab a bite to eat for lunch. I’d asked Trish to bring me back a sandwich from the luncheonette across the street and took it to down to the break room. I had no idea who would be there and was pleased to find Mae, and alone. It gave me a chance to get her ‘read’ on the main office. She’d only been there two full days and part of a third and she already had a couple of suggestions that she felt would move things along.They weren’t things that could be done without some planning but they had merit. That impressed me.
Because it hadn’t been all that busy during the day it meant the general proof went smoothly and allowed me to let everybody go early… and allowed me to get over to the the brokerage New year’s Eve party at a reasonable time. I figured I’d stay for about a half hour and be home in plenty of time to make all aspects of the progressive dinner party… and keep Elle in a good mood.
To be continued...
Sunday, July 08, 2018
FINISHING THE YEAR... Odds & ends (Part 167z)
ENDING THE YEAR… Odds & ends (Part 167z)
As you can imagine, with three young children having to pause to watch their mother open a gift did not set well with them. So, we allowed them to continue to 'attack’ their presents with vim and vigor. This, by far, was their best Christmas with more presents being ‘fun’ things rather than clothes as had been the norm in the past. They didn’t escape that part though and the older two were approaching the age where clothes did make a difference. Once all their presents were opened we took a time out for breakfast. The Christmas dinner was planned for 3pm so it was imperative that they get a good breakfast to hold them over. They didn’t think so wanting to get back to inspect just what it was that they received. After eating it was back to opening presents only this time it was Elle’s and my turn. They, now totally involved with their things, gave short shrift to what Elle and I gave each other which gave me the opportunity to ask Elle to take off the new robe and to just be in her nightie. I’m sure I got one of her ‘looks’ but she did respond favorably to my request. The nightie, actually a Christmas present, was her ‘end of the bed’ present from Santa. It was my intention that she wear it during the gift openings thus giving me the opportunity to get a few candid ‘panty peeks’. Before heading down the stairs to light the tree I'd pulled out a pair of “fancy panties” from her drawer. I didn’t push my luck and ask for two which I’m sure enhanced my chances for not having to beg. Here are a few…
With only three hours sleep we'd started to ‘run out of gas’ at about 10am. That was also about the time when my mother called to say my brother was bringing his girlfriend. (That’s a story in itself… but I’ll spare you.) Mixed in with the gift openings were a number of trips to the kitchen to get the turkey in the oven and to prepare the traditional accompaniments. Since we were hosting both sets of parents we had to uphold some of their family traditions when it came to them. My father wanted turnips and Elle’s mother wanted a dish she called “string bean goo”. It was all good but it meant a lot of work and the potential for a lot of food to be left over. With the news of an added guest I had to rearrange the dining table to accommodate eleven people… around a table designed to hold eight, at most. At least the kids were occupied with their things so weren’t in the way.
Elle’s parents and brother were the first to arrive and, initially, the kids were able to keep them occupied showing them their gifts. I’d managed to get showered so was also free to be with them. Elle’s father, working the long hours he did, seldom visited the house and I could show him some of the progressive things that were done when it was built in 1934. It was one of the early houses built with wall board. The only negative to that was they used way too much “mud’ on the seams which gave the walls a ‘wavy’ appearance.I was hoping my parents would be there soon after as my father and Elle’s father were good friends and could keep each other occupied. What I wasn’t looking forward to was my brother and his new girlfriend. The word awkward doesn’t even come close to describing that situation. In any case, Elle, now showered and dressed, was coming down the stairs when they arrived with my parents. Again, thank goodness for the kids. They were thrilled to be ‘front and center’ showing off the presents. Elle managed to have almost all of the dinner ready at the expected time and it was time for me to ‘shoehorn’ every body into the dining room.(37)
A tradition is something that is hard to change. When the girls were much younger. and the majority of their presents consisted of clothes, Elle would have them ‘model’ their new things in a fashion show while the table was being cleared for dessert. Both my mother and Elle’s mother thought it was very cute… and it was when they were like four, five and six. But Jean was going to be ten in six months and Anne would be nine in nine months. They no longer thought much of the idea and resisted. It was the first sign of ‘friction’ the whole day. It was my mother who prevailed and convinced them to do it to ’”show off” in front of my brother’s girlfriend. She would be the judge of who gave the best “performance”; who was the most “professional” and who wore the prettiest dress. To make it enticing, my mother offered prizes, none of which were revealed prior to the show. It bought the needed time to get the coffee made, the pies cut and the dessert plates distributed. The end result… as you probably imagined… they all won and the prize was a crisp new $1 bill from my father.
Dinner had started just after 3pm and by the time it ended it was close to 5pm. My father had a bad eye and hated driving at night so was in a rush to leave. Elle’s father was not used to family gatherings such as this and he was also anxious to leave. As you probably have already figured out, Elle and I were anxious for them to leave… although, if Elle’s mother had stayed she would’ve taken care a major part of the kitchen clean up. As the last of them walked out the door both Elle and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously said we needed a nap… and we were serious. We called the kids together and told them we were going to take a quick nap and we needed them to be very quiet. We we going to be right there in the den and living room and if they made noise to wake us we wouldn’t be very happy… and since it’s been a “happy day” they should try to keep it that way. Elle suggested that they each find a present that they could play with by themselves and they agreed. Elle went upstairs to change into a nightie so she’d be more comfortable. I, for sure, liked that idea and as she headed up the stairs made sure the camera still had film.
When she returned she didn’t have on the nightie I’d bought her for Christmas and asked why not. Again, I address the strange workings of the mind of females because she said she wanted to display it under the tree with her other gifts… and wore the nightie she’d worn to bed. By the time she returned the kids had picked different places on the floor to ‘do their thing’ and Elle proceeded to curl up on the living room sofa. Initially, I thought I’d get a great picture of her backside but she went into the fetal position facing into the room. So as not to be too ‘daring’ she draped a small throw over her hips effectively blocking any chance for a picture. I ended up in my recliner and it took but a few minutes for me to make it into ‘dreamland’.
It was the phone that woke both of us up. I looked at my watch and we’d gotten a little over a half hour of sleep. It was Elle’s mother calling to apologize for not staying to help Elle. It was nice of her to do it but I was still saddled with the job. After hanging the phone up Elle proceeded to check on just what the girls had been doing. I was still in the recliner when I saw her bending at the waist to look at Jean’s ‘project’ and it was a perfect butt shot… except I didn’t have the camera. I remember shaking my head for not being prepared. I got up to view just what the girls had been doing and as I walked into the room I got another chance. It was even better than the previous position as she was on her hands and knees. The camera was on an end table and in a position that I could just grab it and shoot… and I did. It was a late Christmas present.
To be continued...
As you can imagine, with three young children having to pause to watch their mother open a gift did not set well with them. So, we allowed them to continue to 'attack’ their presents with vim and vigor. This, by far, was their best Christmas with more presents being ‘fun’ things rather than clothes as had been the norm in the past. They didn’t escape that part though and the older two were approaching the age where clothes did make a difference. Once all their presents were opened we took a time out for breakfast. The Christmas dinner was planned for 3pm so it was imperative that they get a good breakfast to hold them over. They didn’t think so wanting to get back to inspect just what it was that they received. After eating it was back to opening presents only this time it was Elle’s and my turn. They, now totally involved with their things, gave short shrift to what Elle and I gave each other which gave me the opportunity to ask Elle to take off the new robe and to just be in her nightie. I’m sure I got one of her ‘looks’ but she did respond favorably to my request. The nightie, actually a Christmas present, was her ‘end of the bed’ present from Santa. It was my intention that she wear it during the gift openings thus giving me the opportunity to get a few candid ‘panty peeks’. Before heading down the stairs to light the tree I'd pulled out a pair of “fancy panties” from her drawer. I didn’t push my luck and ask for two which I’m sure enhanced my chances for not having to beg. Here are a few…
 | |||
| As you can see it was starting out to be a VERY merry Christmas! |
Elle’s parents and brother were the first to arrive and, initially, the kids were able to keep them occupied showing them their gifts. I’d managed to get showered so was also free to be with them. Elle’s father, working the long hours he did, seldom visited the house and I could show him some of the progressive things that were done when it was built in 1934. It was one of the early houses built with wall board. The only negative to that was they used way too much “mud’ on the seams which gave the walls a ‘wavy’ appearance.I was hoping my parents would be there soon after as my father and Elle’s father were good friends and could keep each other occupied. What I wasn’t looking forward to was my brother and his new girlfriend. The word awkward doesn’t even come close to describing that situation. In any case, Elle, now showered and dressed, was coming down the stairs when they arrived with my parents. Again, thank goodness for the kids. They were thrilled to be ‘front and center’ showing off the presents. Elle managed to have almost all of the dinner ready at the expected time and it was time for me to ‘shoehorn’ every body into the dining room.(37)
 |
| All but me... |
A tradition is something that is hard to change. When the girls were much younger. and the majority of their presents consisted of clothes, Elle would have them ‘model’ their new things in a fashion show while the table was being cleared for dessert. Both my mother and Elle’s mother thought it was very cute… and it was when they were like four, five and six. But Jean was going to be ten in six months and Anne would be nine in nine months. They no longer thought much of the idea and resisted. It was the first sign of ‘friction’ the whole day. It was my mother who prevailed and convinced them to do it to ’”show off” in front of my brother’s girlfriend. She would be the judge of who gave the best “performance”; who was the most “professional” and who wore the prettiest dress. To make it enticing, my mother offered prizes, none of which were revealed prior to the show. It bought the needed time to get the coffee made, the pies cut and the dessert plates distributed. The end result… as you probably imagined… they all won and the prize was a crisp new $1 bill from my father.
Dinner had started just after 3pm and by the time it ended it was close to 5pm. My father had a bad eye and hated driving at night so was in a rush to leave. Elle’s father was not used to family gatherings such as this and he was also anxious to leave. As you probably have already figured out, Elle and I were anxious for them to leave… although, if Elle’s mother had stayed she would’ve taken care a major part of the kitchen clean up. As the last of them walked out the door both Elle and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously said we needed a nap… and we were serious. We called the kids together and told them we were going to take a quick nap and we needed them to be very quiet. We we going to be right there in the den and living room and if they made noise to wake us we wouldn’t be very happy… and since it’s been a “happy day” they should try to keep it that way. Elle suggested that they each find a present that they could play with by themselves and they agreed. Elle went upstairs to change into a nightie so she’d be more comfortable. I, for sure, liked that idea and as she headed up the stairs made sure the camera still had film.
When she returned she didn’t have on the nightie I’d bought her for Christmas and asked why not. Again, I address the strange workings of the mind of females because she said she wanted to display it under the tree with her other gifts… and wore the nightie she’d worn to bed. By the time she returned the kids had picked different places on the floor to ‘do their thing’ and Elle proceeded to curl up on the living room sofa. Initially, I thought I’d get a great picture of her backside but she went into the fetal position facing into the room. So as not to be too ‘daring’ she draped a small throw over her hips effectively blocking any chance for a picture. I ended up in my recliner and it took but a few minutes for me to make it into ‘dreamland’.
It was the phone that woke both of us up. I looked at my watch and we’d gotten a little over a half hour of sleep. It was Elle’s mother calling to apologize for not staying to help Elle. It was nice of her to do it but I was still saddled with the job. After hanging the phone up Elle proceeded to check on just what the girls had been doing. I was still in the recliner when I saw her bending at the waist to look at Jean’s ‘project’ and it was a perfect butt shot… except I didn’t have the camera. I remember shaking my head for not being prepared. I got up to view just what the girls had been doing and as I walked into the room I got another chance. It was even better than the previous position as she was on her hands and knees. The camera was on an end table and in a position that I could just grab it and shoot… and I did. It was a late Christmas present.
 | ||
| A pair of Van Raalte panties... |
To be continued...
Friday, July 06, 2018
FINISHING THE YEAR... Odds & ends (Part 167y)
ENDING THE YEAR… Odds & ends (Part 167y)
I really had no idea what she would say but when she spoke she said a ‘mouthful’. The answer to coming to the main office was a resounding “NO!”, But, it was what she said after it that gave me some hope that all was not lost. I’d mentioned that Betsy, the branch head teller, and Rita had kept in contact. Even though they’d only worked together a short time they had become good friends and had even gotten together socially. She told me the first thing she did that day was to call Betsy and tell her of the offer… and that she wasn’t interested in commuting… especially in Winter. As I’ve said, Betsy was a ‘confidant’ with me in keeping me up to date on Jerry and the branch. I’d sensed that Betsy, in spite of Jerry, liked working for the bank. The benefits had to be a definite plus for her and her family with her husband an independent contractor. So, what she had to say next was an unbelievable shock. Rita said that Betsy had come up with an idea that might work for her and the bank but that it was a ‘long shot’. She proposed that Mae be approached to go to the main office and that she, Rita, come to work at the branch. My thoughts shifted immediately to Mae and what I knew about her. A ’snap’ review of her in my mind was that she was very bright and a definite ‘positive’ for the bank. I also knew she had kids and wasn’t sure where her husband stood in the big picture. I sort of hesitated when I asked if she’d been approached with the idea. She responded that nothing had been said. I remember taking a few deep breaths thinking that it should be me to discuss it with her. I did have that one ‘in’ with her when I’d told her of my race car and that her former brother in law had raced against it. Not really sure of where I was going with this whole thing I decided to call Mae at the branch.
In retrospect, Mae was a bit of a character even though she was very much a ‘driven’ person. Being hired by the bank was, in her mind, a definite ‘step up’ and she’d expressed it to me a couple of times. Betsy had told me that it was a goal of Mae’s to become a bank branch manager one day. However, when I heard her voice on the phone I could hear a bit of fear. I had no idea what her decision might be but definitely wasn’t expecting to get a quick “Yes”. However, and this was something I quickly learned about Mae… it was never quite what it seemed on the surface. By the time we were through she’d negotiated a ‘premium’ to cover her travel expenses. When she brought it up I asked if she’d spoken with Rita and she said not since her last day of work back in July. As hard as it was to believe her, I did. The next part was something I couldn’t guarantee and that was that she be considered for a raise prior to her anniversary date. The best I could do was to put in her file that she had volunteered to help the bank out of a very bad situation. It took a few minutes for her to agree to just that, but she did. The hardest part of this whole situation was that I was at home sitting by the phone in the hallway. With all the Christmas preparations going on around me it was very difficult to keep everything that I’d agreed to in sequence. I closed by telling her not to say anything about the arrangements until she heard from Trish. Even though I didn’t know her all that well I could tell from her voice that she was excited… very excited.
After doing some things to help Elle I called Rita to tell her that Mae had agreed to come to the main office. She was just about to leave for work which reminded me to ask if there was any way she could start on Friday. She hesitated for a few seconds but said she’d try. Next was calling Trish to tell her what I’d arranged. At first she didn’t believe me but after I went through the whole process she responded by saying that she hoped it worked. I told her to get in touch with both Rita and Mae. Rita indicated that she’d know by the end of her shift and would call when she got home. The problem with that was with it being Christmas Eve the stores were closing at 6pm and I and the family wouldn’t be home.
From there it sort of got ‘crazy’ and I’m not sure I remember all the details. So, I’ll spare you by not even trying. By around 7pm Trish confirmed to me that Rita would be at the branch at 8:30am Friday and Mae would be at the main office at the same time. Lorie had been briefed and Trish told me she was a bit surprised but happy to know she wouldn’t be going into the ‘busy period’ short handed. For me it was like a ‘back handed’ Christmas present. However, it left me with a lot of work to do come Friday getting signature approvals for the women and some other ’nitty gritty’ details taken care of. I’d been on the phone and had basically missed supper. My parents always hosted a Christmas party for friends and family and I’d spent most of my time on the phone. The early Christmas Eve church service was at 8pm so I didn’t have a lot of time to grab a bite and to socialize. I won’t say Elle was upset with me but she was quiet all the way to the church, about a twenty minute drive. I, as a vestryman, had usher duties so didn’t get to sit with Elle and the kids which didn't help matters. It was after 9pm when we headed for home… with more traditional stuff to go through. Christmas Eve always was a long night but this one was looking to be longer than usual.
The tree was in place and we had two more things to do before the kids were sent up to bed. Elle, from our very first Christmas with Jean, read “The Night before Christmas” to the kids. Then, they would go hang an ornament that they’d made on the tree and their stockings on the fireplace mantle. Realistically, we knew it would be a fair amount of time before they were sound asleep and we could decorate the tree. As I had mentioned, Santa decorated our tree before leaving the presents. We both thought it pretty amazing that the older girls still believed in Santa. They were pretty smart and Elle had wondered why they never asked some pretty obvious questions concerning the whole thing.
I have no idea what time it was when we started or when we finished. One ‘trick’ we’d come up with when the two older girls were much younger was to leave a present on the end of their beds to occupy them for a bit before they got out of bed in the morning. Once we heard them it was a mad dash for me to get downstairs to turn on the tree lights and to get the camera ready for pictures. I’ve mentioned any number of times about the kids knowing of Elle’s incontinence so seeing her in panties (or even a ‘package’ with the plastic panties) was not shocking or out of place. We’d tried to make them comfortable with the whole situation. So, when Elle came down the stairs leading them I was greeted with her wearing just a nightie top that just about covered her butt. I was pleased. I positioned myself to get pictures of the kids as they got their first view of the tree and all the presents. Then it was a mad dash to the tree to see what was there. When it came to opening the presents we had one rule. It seems sort of harsh but to keep some semblance of order, they were limited to one present at a time… and after each had opened it they had to show everybody just what it was that they got. It dragged the process out but the benefit was that they all got to see what the others had received… and gave me a chance to get a lot of candid pictures. After they’d opened a few presents each I called for a “time out” so that Elle could open one of hers. I’d purchased a new, somewhat elegant robe as her main gift and I couldn't wait to see how surprised she'd be. As soon as she saw it I could tell that I’d earned a few ‘points’ for my choice.
To be continued...
I really had no idea what she would say but when she spoke she said a ‘mouthful’. The answer to coming to the main office was a resounding “NO!”, But, it was what she said after it that gave me some hope that all was not lost. I’d mentioned that Betsy, the branch head teller, and Rita had kept in contact. Even though they’d only worked together a short time they had become good friends and had even gotten together socially. She told me the first thing she did that day was to call Betsy and tell her of the offer… and that she wasn’t interested in commuting… especially in Winter. As I’ve said, Betsy was a ‘confidant’ with me in keeping me up to date on Jerry and the branch. I’d sensed that Betsy, in spite of Jerry, liked working for the bank. The benefits had to be a definite plus for her and her family with her husband an independent contractor. So, what she had to say next was an unbelievable shock. Rita said that Betsy had come up with an idea that might work for her and the bank but that it was a ‘long shot’. She proposed that Mae be approached to go to the main office and that she, Rita, come to work at the branch. My thoughts shifted immediately to Mae and what I knew about her. A ’snap’ review of her in my mind was that she was very bright and a definite ‘positive’ for the bank. I also knew she had kids and wasn’t sure where her husband stood in the big picture. I sort of hesitated when I asked if she’d been approached with the idea. She responded that nothing had been said. I remember taking a few deep breaths thinking that it should be me to discuss it with her. I did have that one ‘in’ with her when I’d told her of my race car and that her former brother in law had raced against it. Not really sure of where I was going with this whole thing I decided to call Mae at the branch.
In retrospect, Mae was a bit of a character even though she was very much a ‘driven’ person. Being hired by the bank was, in her mind, a definite ‘step up’ and she’d expressed it to me a couple of times. Betsy had told me that it was a goal of Mae’s to become a bank branch manager one day. However, when I heard her voice on the phone I could hear a bit of fear. I had no idea what her decision might be but definitely wasn’t expecting to get a quick “Yes”. However, and this was something I quickly learned about Mae… it was never quite what it seemed on the surface. By the time we were through she’d negotiated a ‘premium’ to cover her travel expenses. When she brought it up I asked if she’d spoken with Rita and she said not since her last day of work back in July. As hard as it was to believe her, I did. The next part was something I couldn’t guarantee and that was that she be considered for a raise prior to her anniversary date. The best I could do was to put in her file that she had volunteered to help the bank out of a very bad situation. It took a few minutes for her to agree to just that, but she did. The hardest part of this whole situation was that I was at home sitting by the phone in the hallway. With all the Christmas preparations going on around me it was very difficult to keep everything that I’d agreed to in sequence. I closed by telling her not to say anything about the arrangements until she heard from Trish. Even though I didn’t know her all that well I could tell from her voice that she was excited… very excited.
After doing some things to help Elle I called Rita to tell her that Mae had agreed to come to the main office. She was just about to leave for work which reminded me to ask if there was any way she could start on Friday. She hesitated for a few seconds but said she’d try. Next was calling Trish to tell her what I’d arranged. At first she didn’t believe me but after I went through the whole process she responded by saying that she hoped it worked. I told her to get in touch with both Rita and Mae. Rita indicated that she’d know by the end of her shift and would call when she got home. The problem with that was with it being Christmas Eve the stores were closing at 6pm and I and the family wouldn’t be home.
From there it sort of got ‘crazy’ and I’m not sure I remember all the details. So, I’ll spare you by not even trying. By around 7pm Trish confirmed to me that Rita would be at the branch at 8:30am Friday and Mae would be at the main office at the same time. Lorie had been briefed and Trish told me she was a bit surprised but happy to know she wouldn’t be going into the ‘busy period’ short handed. For me it was like a ‘back handed’ Christmas present. However, it left me with a lot of work to do come Friday getting signature approvals for the women and some other ’nitty gritty’ details taken care of. I’d been on the phone and had basically missed supper. My parents always hosted a Christmas party for friends and family and I’d spent most of my time on the phone. The early Christmas Eve church service was at 8pm so I didn’t have a lot of time to grab a bite and to socialize. I won’t say Elle was upset with me but she was quiet all the way to the church, about a twenty minute drive. I, as a vestryman, had usher duties so didn’t get to sit with Elle and the kids which didn't help matters. It was after 9pm when we headed for home… with more traditional stuff to go through. Christmas Eve always was a long night but this one was looking to be longer than usual.
The tree was in place and we had two more things to do before the kids were sent up to bed. Elle, from our very first Christmas with Jean, read “The Night before Christmas” to the kids. Then, they would go hang an ornament that they’d made on the tree and their stockings on the fireplace mantle. Realistically, we knew it would be a fair amount of time before they were sound asleep and we could decorate the tree. As I had mentioned, Santa decorated our tree before leaving the presents. We both thought it pretty amazing that the older girls still believed in Santa. They were pretty smart and Elle had wondered why they never asked some pretty obvious questions concerning the whole thing.
I have no idea what time it was when we started or when we finished. One ‘trick’ we’d come up with when the two older girls were much younger was to leave a present on the end of their beds to occupy them for a bit before they got out of bed in the morning. Once we heard them it was a mad dash for me to get downstairs to turn on the tree lights and to get the camera ready for pictures. I’ve mentioned any number of times about the kids knowing of Elle’s incontinence so seeing her in panties (or even a ‘package’ with the plastic panties) was not shocking or out of place. We’d tried to make them comfortable with the whole situation. So, when Elle came down the stairs leading them I was greeted with her wearing just a nightie top that just about covered her butt. I was pleased. I positioned myself to get pictures of the kids as they got their first view of the tree and all the presents. Then it was a mad dash to the tree to see what was there. When it came to opening the presents we had one rule. It seems sort of harsh but to keep some semblance of order, they were limited to one present at a time… and after each had opened it they had to show everybody just what it was that they got. It dragged the process out but the benefit was that they all got to see what the others had received… and gave me a chance to get a lot of candid pictures. After they’d opened a few presents each I called for a “time out” so that Elle could open one of hers. I’d purchased a new, somewhat elegant robe as her main gift and I couldn't wait to see how surprised she'd be. As soon as she saw it I could tell that I’d earned a few ‘points’ for my choice.
To be continued...
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