LIFE GOES ON.... and on... (Part 171j)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171 j)

I was still not totally aware of ‘body language’ at that stage of my career. However, when you feel you know someone pretty well and see his demeanor change you know something’s going to happen. Here I was having just received praise for supposedly doing well and all of a sudden I see the person who has just uttered those words lean forward in his big, comfortable chair and put his hands together on the table and stare right at me. I was across the table from him and with no one on either side of me knew I was going to hear some things I really didn’t want to hear. To say I was nervous would be to put it mildly… and it’s for that reason I use that as the reason I don’t remember what he said first. Later, when I wrote the incident up, I had no recollection of anything he opened with. The first words I do remember were stating an obvious fact…. Jerry was a problem. For the next 20 or so minutes (maybe longer… I didn’t make note of it) I heard the story of how it came to be that the bank hired him. It’s been 50 years since then and because I couldn’t take notes at the time I know a lot of the facts are jumbled and ‘fuzzy’ so please bear with me.

When the Board of Trustees made the decision to open a branch they had no idea what was involved. They did know the big city banks were prohibited from opening branches in the County but knew little to nothing of how that came to be. I won’t go over that here and suffice it to say, because of their ignorance they made any number of ‘fumbles’ in pushing the process through. One of the things it had taken me some time to fully realize was that with all contracts there is “fine print”  and that has to be read and understood. What the bank had missed in filing all the paperwork and jumping through the obvious ‘hoops’ was that the final decision would come from the State Banking Commission following a number of private meetings held among themselves. The Commission was made up of State appointed people as well as members of the banking community itself. One of the banking members was the Chairman of the Board of his bank and he, not the head of the Commission, was considered to be not only powerful but also cantankerous. He was opposed to allowing our bank permission without some additional conditions to be added. As preposterous as it sounds one of those conditions was that our bank had to interview a set group of people recommended by members of the Commission to be not only the branch manager but also to become an officer of the bank. (Are you getting the picture?) Sitting there listening to Bert go over this ridiculous proposal I thought back to how strange the interview process had been. It had not taken place at the bank itself and how secretive it had seemed to be.

I think (but am not sure) this is where Bert stopped and in as serious a tone as I’d ever heard from him, told me that none of what I’d heard or would be hearing was to be discussed with anyone… and the “anyone” was stressed more than once. I was told that if word got out about the content that I would be terminated on the spot. Believe me, I got the message! But, I was completely baffled as to why he was telling me all of this. When Bert continued he told me the list our Board was given contained officers from city banks that had been put forth by members of the Commission… Jerry included. When it came time for our branch committee to make the decision on who to hire they chose Jerry because he worked for the bank the ‘cantankerous’ Commissioner was Chairman of. Bert added a little ‘aside’ at this point in that he and Hobie had disagreed but had been overridden. All I did was sit and listen as there was some discussion between the two of them. The bottom line… that was the reason I’d been stifled in trying to bring Jerry ‘in line’ and why, unless he committed some sort of crime, we’d all have to live with him and the situation. Bert added that with another branch application pending the bank didn’t want to upset any member of the Banking Commission. With that said and established, it came time for me to hear about the audit report.

Again, because I was so nervous I can’t remember the sequence of what was said and when. An overview (mine) of what Bert proceeded to cover started with the ‘exit interview that CeeCee, the head examiner for the State, had with the audit committee. She had cited the lax conditions at the branch when it came to following standard operating procedures. When asked by a member of the committee if she’d observed any of the specifics she’d referenced she said she hadn’t. The next question was where did she get the information from… and she’d told them from me. Hearing that, a couple of the Board members ‘jumped’ on her saying that what she’d referenced was ‘hearsay’ and shouldn’t be a part of the audit report. Without Bert saying it I immediately got the answer as to why CeeCee had left so abruptly on that day. The way I figured it the Trustees had badgered her not to write it up. That part wasn’t mentioned by Bert so I don’t really know. Moving on… what she did in writing the branch audit up was to reference that there were some ‘internal memos’ that indicated that the manager of the branch was “selectively” bypassing “accepted accounting principles” and that needed to be addressed. From what I gathered she didn’t reference anything specific. That left me sitting there wondering what was to happen next. It didn’t take long to find out. Bert sort of excused what I’d done by handing over my folder of Jerry’s transgressions to CeeCee as an error of judgement due to my inexperience. He didn’t come right out and say it this bluntly but, in essence, he said the auditors were the “enemy” and we, the bank, should not go out of our way to do the job they were paid to do.

There was a pause while Bert left the room. While he was gone I took it upon myself to ask Hobie what was I supposed to do going forward. He told me just to listen to what Bert had to say and that we’d talk afterwards. When Bert returned he seemed to have softened the stern position he’d taken over the previous twenty or so minutes. I was still sitting forward in my chair when he returned. He obviously noticed and instructed me to sit back and relax. When your body is involuntarily stiff it’s almost impossible to do. So, I sat there and listened as he pretty much agreed that Jerry was a “handful” but that somehow we were going to have to live with the situation while, at the same time, taking steps to meet the direction as written in the audit report. Bert then said he’d called Jerry to come to the main office to meet with him the next day. Hearing that I wanted to be a part of it but knew there was no chance. He finished up saying he was going to meet with Hobie after lunch to see what they could come up with and I’d be advised as to what was decided. That told me I was ‘safe’. I was excused and headed down the back stairs left to wonder what they could come up with that hadn’t been tried before.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171i)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171i)

There is probably nothing more worrisome than knowing there’s going to be a meeting in which you’ll be called out on something under your responsibility. With the audit report in the hands of the president and chairman of the Board it was only a matter of time before I’d be contacted to meet with them. However, it didn’t happen before the weekend was upon us. In anticipation of it I met with Bret to go over both our lists of actions taken and/or not taken by Jerry, the branch manager. Because of my continued difficulty in overseeing Jerry I’d been instructed by Hobie to have Bret handle face to face meetings with him. I was, as the Operations officer, technically Jerry’s boss so whatever was in the report would come back on me. What made this so difficult for me to accept was that I’d not been allowed to reprimand Jerry for some of the things that he’d done or not done. In my mind he was incompetent and should never have been hired. I’d not been a part of the interviewing/hiring process and ended up being saddled with him. Bret and I’d talked many times about it and it was my contention that there were some external circumstances that we were not aware of that had led to his being hired and, in spite of his inability to follow rules and regulations, allowed to stay in the job. So, as you can probably imagine, my weekend was dominated by thoughts of what would happen when I was called in to discuss the audit.

Working on preparing the race car was definitely on my agenda and I looked forward to it if for no other reason than to get my mind off Jerry and the audit report. Cliffy had assigned the motor as my area of responsibility and I was a bit anxious about it. Joey was no longer with us so Cliffy had to assume the things he’d been responsible for. Secretly, I was hoping that with the motor being ‘fresh’ there wouldn’t many problems and all I’d have to do was just change the oil and oil filter, make sure there were no leaks and that all the nuts and bolts on it were tight. By the time we all left the shop everything had been checked over and we were ready for the track. However, money was still a problem. The next two Saturdays were designated for practice. The tires on the car were from the championship race back in October and were not compatible for the size track we regularly raced on. We still had the tires we’d finished up the season with but they were worn out. I still hadn’t gotten the money from Cliff, the guy who drove my first race car, who wanted us to hand out coupons for his restaurant. Cliffy wasn’t too happy about it but, regardless, he didn’t want to go to both sessions. That was OK by me as well. With Spring now truly upon us there was a lot of work to be done around the house.

It was on Monday the following week when Joanie told me Elle was on the phone. Truthfully, I wasn’t all that stressed about the potential pregnancy but Elle was. So, in spite of my having fairly strict orders not to call me at work she was on the line. I was initially annoyed until she spoke and said she definitely was pregnant. She’d gotten a call from the doctor’s office to tell her but the doctor was concerned that the blood tests showed she was anemic. That explained why she was always tired. She’d always been marginally anemic but that was because she had long and heavy periods. The loss of blood was the cause but now, with her being pregnant, it was potentially a real problem so she was going to have to have more tests and go on an iron rich diet. I didn’t know what that meant but I knew I’d soon find out. What she was most upset about was there was a possibility she’d need a blood transfusion and I knew she was petrified of having someone else blood in her. I tried to calm her as best I could and told her I definitely wouldn’t be late for supper. One positive thing from the news was that it took my mind off the pending meeting about the Federal and State examination. I’m not sure when it came to mind but I was bound and determined to leave the bank around 4pm. I made myself visibly scarce from right after the doors closed until that time. I told Bret I had a “situation” at home and needed to leave early.

I’d hoped to work with Mae in the cellar that afternoon as we were within ’striking distance’ of having one area completely vacant and ready to install shelves. As I’d mentioned, Moira (up in the accounting department) was completely out of space. The daily paperwork from the data center was voluminous and had reached the point of being unusable because each day’s print outs were just being stacked on the previous day’s work. But, as I explained to Mae I really needed to be home. The extra money she was making when we did work in the cellar was not really enough to make a difference but it did provide her with some extra cash for herself. When I told her she seemed to understand.

Elle and I’d decided not to say anything about the potential pregnancy until there was confirmation on it so, aside from the health situation, our conversation after the kids were in bed was on who to tell first and when to tell them. Based upon the older girls reaction to having Cliffy’s son for a little more than a week back in February I thought they’d be excited. I was more concerned about Kaye because she was the one who demanded, and got, most of Elle’s attention. The projected birthdate was mid October and she’d be in school a half day so I thought that might help that situation. Telling our parents was going to be another thing altogether. We felt Elle’s mother would be excited because she loved kids. I wasn’t sure how my mother would take it but I knew my father would love it having another chance at keeping the family name alive if we had a boy. However, in the back of my mind was Ginger and Jon with five girls. With Elle now approaching three months it wouldn’t be long before she’d start to show. We ended up deciding to invite both sets of parents for dinner on Saturday evening to tell them. As for the kids we decided to have a ‘family meeting’ just before the parents were to arrive… and crossed our fingers.

The much dreaded meeting on the audit report took place the next morning. It was bittersweet in that I was glad to get it over with but yet I was apprehensive as to what the result of it might be. I didn’t know who would be there other than Bert (the president) and Hobie. We met in the Board room and when I walked in I fully expected to see the whole audit committee there. It was only Bert and Hobie. I remember taking a few deep breaths before entering the room. Bert did the talking and he seemed to be as calm as usual as he started. I’m sure he had a plan because the first words out of his mouth was to tell me that the operations area for the main office had gotten “high marks”. He spent a few minutes reading some specifics from the actual report. Then, the look on his face changed and so did the tone of his voice.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171h)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171h)

After we’d eaten Elle asked me to ‘“entertain” the kids as she wanted to go over some things having to do with school that Paula had brought with her. They stayed at the kitchen table while I went in to the den with the kids. Homework for the older two had been completed so they wanted to play a game… but without Kaye. Thankfully, she was still enamored with the coloring books she’d gotten for her birthday so that freed me to take them on in a game called Mirror Mania that they’d mastered. For every game I’d won they’d beaten me at least twice. It was a challenge that I enjoyed. When 8pm arrived it was time for them to get ready for bed what with the next day being a school day plus I wanted to watch the Ed Sullivan show on TV. It was also the signal that it was time for Paula to leave.

I was a bit curious as to just what it was that Paula wanted Elle’s help with but no so curious as to not seeing the TV show through to it’s completion. At that time I asked and Elle explained that the upcoming week was the first one where Paula had to create lesson plans for the upcoming week. Teachers are supposed to have them available so that if substitute teachers have to come in they have an idea of what it is they are supposed to teach. When Elle had finished up her multi week stint Paula came in to the class with a whole week’s worth of lessons already laid out for her. So, Elle being the nice person that she was and having knowledge of the class make-up agreed to work with Paula. After having that explained to me I got around to asking about the brown bag she’d brought with her and had, for a while, ended up on the end of the kitchen counter. Me, asking about that didn’t make Elle very happy and tried to side step it by asking about the first part of the Sullivan show that she’d missed. I didn’t want to upset her so recapped it for her but finished up by, again, asking about the brown bag. We’d been together long enough for her to know I was like a dog with a bone when I wanted an answer. I remember her laying back on the sofa with a ‘resigned’ look on her face. It was obvious I was going to get an answer but it was going to cost me.

When Paula started unpacking her things at Elle’s mother’s house and putting them in the dresser drawers she found a pile of Elle’s stained heavy ribbed cotton Spanky Pants and a a couple of “ratty” (Elle’s word) sanitary pants that Elle had left there for ‘emergencies’. As soon as Elle mentioned the Spanky Pants I knew where she was going with it. I’d been with her on a couple of occasions where having them there had somewhat ‘rescued’ her from certain embarrassment. But, in her describing having to face Paula and to try and explain was just as embarrassing. She said she didn’t try to talk her way around it but explained her incontinence to her. I had to ask what her reaction was. That made her smile a bit as she said Paula had no idea what incontinence was. Elle didn’t want to go into it any further except to say that she felt she’d impressed upon Paula how important it was to make it a secret between the two of them. When she told me that I couldn’t help but think of the widening circle of people who were aware of Elle’s problem. But I also couldn’t think of any case of that knowledge being in any way used against her. I also thought the ‘secret’ was safe because Elle had gone out of her way to mentor Paula and I told her so.

Life was pretty much back to normal as far as the banking floor operations were concerned in the following week. That is until a private firm messenger delivered a package to Bert, the president. I didn’t see it arrive and if it weren’t for Joanie I wouldn’t have even had an idea about it. The messenger had come to her desk asking for Bert. When she said she could take the package up to him he said he had to get his signature to prove he’d delivered it. It was an unusual experience for her so she asked me about it a little later on. I can’t say I immediately realized that the package contained the final report of the combined State and Federal audit examination that was done just before the ‘busy period’. But, when I did I began to be concerned about the contents especially when it came to what CeeCee (the lady in charge of the State portion of it) had written about the branch. That thought also triggered in my mind the question of why she’d left so abruptly on her last day at the bank.

An indication that there were some things in the report a bit out of the ordinary was in seeing the Chairman of Board show up that afternoon. In poor health, he’d only been coming to the monthly Board meetings. When I saw him disappear into the elevator I quickly made my way to and up the back stairs. I actually did have some things for Lena, the president’s secretary, that needed his signature. It was my hope to be by her desk when the Chairman got there. I thought I might get a hint of the seriousness of the situation from Lena. She was bending over at the waist retrieving something from the bottom drawer of a file cabinet as I approached. Even though she was older (approaching 40) she was definitely a ‘fashion maven’ in what she wore and short skirts were definitely a part of her. I’m telling the truth when I say that the last thing on my mind at that moment was seeing Lena’s panties. It lasted for more than 5 seconds… white with even a bit of the crotch showing. When she stood up it wasn’t because she’d seen or heard me. It was because the Chairman had walked up to her desk. She didn’t even know I was there.

It was as she was ushering him into Bert’s office that she finally saw me. I made sure that I had the papers out in front of me when she turned around to see me. I started talking as soon as she turned which got her to focus on them and not that I’d come up behind her. I explained what they were and where I needed his signature before casually asking why the Chairman was there. I remember her shrugging her shoulders and making a face, wrinkling her brow, to indicate she didn’t know. She only said one thing… “It must be serious.” After that all I could do was wait… and worry.

One thing seeing Lena’s panties did was to remind me to call Lynda at the stock brokerage. She’d been up to her eyeballs with work on Friday and I’d wanted to find out more on Ruthe. I called before the stock market opened which gave her a chance to bring me up to date on the situation with Ruthe and her ex-husband as well as when she’d be returning to work. Lynda said that physically she could come back at any time but she didn’t want to be out in public with the damage to her face still visible. Her guess was it would be the last week of the month. Eddie, the ex, was still in jail. What I found interesting was that it wasn’t so much for what he’d just done to Ruthe but the fact that by doing it he’d broken his probation from a previous incident.

Nothing was shared with me about the report for the rest of the week. The postponed meeting of the four county banks as regards to branching activities had been rescheduled for the last day of the month and at the same place. In hearing it my thoughts went to trying to figure out if there was a way to visit Lynda’s house and to see some more of her husband’s pictures of her. She’d told me that if I’d come back she’d share them and that thought was very much active in my mind.

To be continued…

Holiday wishes

Holiday wishes...

Another year and I'm still here. I don't know if that's good or bad. As the now very 'tired' saying goes... "It is what it is..." but I still enjoy reliving some of my past panty experiences (along with a lot of other stuff). With so much turmoil in the world today I wish there was a way for it all to stop for just one day... Christmas... and let us all experience something that we've never had in our lives... peace on earth. The next best thing is to be able to have some peaceful time with family. Here's hoping that you do and that all is well in your immediate world. Elle and I will be with our middle daughter (Anne) and her daughter and will have a traditional Christmas dinner. With no travel involved I'll be back with the next post right after it... and thanks for sticking with me.

As a "Thank You" I'll give you a "present"... a picture of Elle at one of our past Christmases.

Note the tinsel on the tree...

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 173g)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171g)

As it turned out, I never did make it to the ‘meet and greet’. As a vestryman I was expected to pass the offering plate which, when I attended the 10am service, I did. The counting of the money was done after the service by the treasurer but, on this Sunday, she wasn’t there. Me, being a banker, was asked to do it. While Elle and the kids went down to the meet and greet I ended up in the minister’s office with the cash and pledge envelopes in the offering plates. I had faint hope of getting it done quickly but, the most onerous part of doing the job was recording the amounts on the pledge envelopes onto a ledger card and that took time. I was only starting to count the cash when the other “Elle” walked in. She asked to see the minister but he was still down in the undercroft with the parishioners. She was still wearing her coat but it was open and I could see she had on a skirt that fell above her knees. I told her where he was but she said she’d wait for him. That was OK by me and she took a seat on a folding chair against the wall. It was not a good place for me to have a chance at an upskirt so I concentrated on figuring a way to reposition myself that wasn’t too obvious. But it wasn’t something planned that gave me the chance. I’d been stacking quarters in piles of four to make it easier to count dollars. When I dumped the second offering plate on the table a couple of envelopes made their way to my piles and knocked a couple of them over and some quarters fell to the floor. I had two choices… go around the table or to go under it to pick them up. It took only a split second for me to duck under the table. If I’d been scripting the scene I couldn’t have done it better. Startled by the sounds of coins hitting the floor the woman leaned forward in her chair to see what had fallen. When she did she opened up her knees to get closer to the floor. I could’ve used a little more light but just the sight of light colored material right between her legs was enough to please me. When I saw it my head was under the table. It was a reaction when I lifted it to get a better view and I hit my head. I couldn’t see her face but I heard her ask if I was OK. I was but my peeking was now over.

The reason she was not in North Carolina was that after the Easter service her mother had fallen. If you remember, it had snowed. As the woman explained to the minister they hadn’t shoveled the driveway and upon their return to the mother's home she’d slipped while exiting the car. Her mother had insisted that she was OK and insisted that the daughter return to her home. She did but got a call midweek that her mother was in the hospital. A neighbor hadn’t seen her for a few days and came over to the house to find her lying on the floor. She’d broken her hip and ended up in the hospital. The daughter had returned to bring her to her home and she was there in the office to ask the minister to stop in to see her to help raise her spirits.

If we hadn’t worked together setting up for Easter I’m sure she wouldn’t have been so open about the situation with her mother. I got the feeling she felt comfortable talking with me. What I was interested in was to find out where her mother lived so asked. Not really knowing the area she didn’t know any of the street names other than the one her mother lived on and it was one that I was unfamiliar with. We chatted a bit before the minister finally showed up. One thing I gleaned from it was that her mother loved to play cards with bridge being her favorite. Elle’s mother was a bridge fanatic, playing three of four afternoons a week when not looking after Kaye, our youngest, when Elle was called in to teach. Wanting to get back with Elle and the kids I excused myself but took the time to ask the minister if he was familiar with the street name. I remember him shrugging his shoulders. It was a bit of a mystery. On the way home I told Elle of the older woman’s misfortune and told her about her liking to play bridge. She proceeded to ask where she lived and I remember laughing… and then telling her about the ‘mystery’ street. She laughed too… but told me to try and find out just where it was so she could tell her mother.

After lunch I started in on painting a sign for the local country club. I should’ve been working on it but didn’t have the ambition to start. Now, with the prospect of Elle being pregnant, extra money (and all cash) was the impetus. It was their ‘rules’ sign located right before the first tee. It was a big sign, not only in size (6’ by 8’) but with what had to painted on it. When finished it would be the biggest payday I’d had since starting to paint signs. During the Winter we’d limited the amount of time the kids spent outside relegating them to the basement to play. Now, with this big sign and the need for space, they were sent outside to play. About mid afternoon I took a break and went upstairs to the kitchen. Elle was on the phone and when she hung up I asked who it was. I remember her smiling when she told me it was Paula and she was at Elle’s mother’s house. She added that Paula was becoming her “shadow”. When she’d been at the house the last time she’d told us that she’d be going home to her parent’s house after classes on Fridays and then returning on Monday mornings. Here it was, Sunday afternoon and she was back. I was about to ask why when Elle said that she’d be stopping by… and asking if she could invite her for supper. I told her it wouldn’t bother me, that she was the cook and if it didn’t bother her, then why not?

Kaye had been playing with her Chatty Cathy doll that she’d gotten for her birthday but she’d stopped talking. Battery operated, Kaye didn’t understand the importance of turning the switch off when she was finished. Before returning to my sign job, I took the doll apart and while doing it Paula arrived. I remember her getting a kick out of seeing me with the doll. I looked up at her, blushing, but had nothing to say. She had a brown paper bag in her hands and I heard her tell Elle that it was for her. I went back to working on the doll at that point as Elle and Paula went into the living room. Once Chatty was back to talking I returned to the basement and stayed until Elle called down that supper was on the table.

I had to wash up and chose the kitchen sink to do it. I saw the same paper bag that Paula had brought for Elle now sitting on the end of the counter as I walked by. All I did was to note it in my mind but didn’t say anything. Paula had to repeat what she’d told Elle when I asked what had brought her out a day earlier than expected. She was obviously comfortable around us now because she, willingly, explained it, again, for me. Basically, she’d been unsure how her stay at Elle’s mother’s house would go on her first week there and had just packed a suitcase with clothes she thought she'd need. Then, after the little misunderstanding with Elle’s mother and Elle’s subsequent involvement with clearing it up, she decided that she could bring more of her clothes and “move in”. She chose to bring them that day and to get them organized with plenty of time and no pressure. I had to ask how her relationship with Elle’s mother was progressing. I remember her answer… “It’s warming up…”.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171f)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171f)

The time working in the cellar with Mae was productive in two ways… what we actually accomplished in the way of cleaning out the junk and, what she had to say in the way of her observations of how the bank waited on customers. We agreed to quit when the noon siren went off but we didn’t leave the bank until almost 12;30pm. It was her feeling that there were two ways we could help speed up the flow of lobby traffic and, almost as important, a suggestion to cut down the complaints when the bank would lose contact with the data center. We’d been on-line with them for over a year and had weathered the customers distrust of such a system However, when we’d lose contact the tellers (and just about everyone) would explain the situation with... “The computer is down…”… and that would trigger the distrust all over again. During the busy period the teller machine that was used by Mae had a problem. She got to talking with the repair man, Bob, and while he was working on it there was an interruption with the communication with the data center. Bob overheard one of the tellers say that and he mentioned to Mae that it was really a telephone company problem. He proceeded to explain how the whole system worked and Mae said she thought it might be a good idea to educate the customers with those facts. I fully understood how the data was transmitted but when I’d call in that we were having problems no one from the data center had ever told me that it was more than likely a telephone line problem. Mae and I talked about it and I agreed that it would be helpful to pass it on but didn’t know how to do it. When we were leaving I thanked her for the input and promised I’d work on it. As she drove away I kind of shook my head realizing that the bank really had a ‘diamond in the rough’ with Mae. Her annual review was coming up and I knew she deserved to be recognized. The only thing, I was pretty much the only one to have witnessed some of the things she’d done.

The race car crew was meeting at the garage at 2pm. It’d been my plan to go home, eat lunch, load up the trash and garbage and go to the landfill, then go to the shop. Because I was late in leaving the bank Elle was gone when I got home… and she hadn’t left anything for me to eat. Cliffy hated it when anyone was late for an agreed upon project so I skipped the lunch part. I was on time but the others were already there and had the car up on jack stands. Even though we’d gone over every nut and bolt before heading for the championships in October and really hadn’t run all that much in practice or the race, Cliffy wanted it all done again. He’d broken out a list of what needed to be done and who was to do it. The rear end of the car had been my area for maintenance and I fully expected it to be again. I can’t tell you how much of a shock it was when he told me to go over the motor. That was usually his responsibility. I didn’t ask why but listened as he told me what I had to do. It was definitely a step up in responsibility. It also made it a reality that the first practice session was in two weeks and we’d be racing again in just a month.

Saturday had been the first time the race car had been a part of my life since the end of October… and Elle wanted to make a point about it as soon as I got home. She reminded me that for the next four months I’d be going to the races on Saturday nights… and she’d be at home. I knew, immediately, she was angling for something. It didn’t take long for me to find out what it was… she wanted to go the movies. Going to the movies had been a rare occurrence for a few years. Growing up and up to just after we’d moved back to town the movie theater had been located over the public library. It was a wooden building and it was old. About three years prior there had been a small fire in the popcorn machine. There was no real damage but everybody had to vacate the theater. As with any fire where the fire department was called a report had to be filed with the County Fire Marshall’s office. That triggered an inspection by them and the result was the building was deemed to be uninhabitable… and eventually condemned. There was a building available to temporarily locate the library but the movies were gone. The previous Summer the township passed a very controversial piece of legislation allowing for the first strip mall. One of the concessions the developers had to make was to provide a movie theater in the complex. It was a typical strip mall… an ‘anchor’ retail store, supermarket, liquor store, luncheonette, drug store, dry cleaner and a movie theater. Parts of it had opened right after the first of the year and the theater had opened in conjunction with the Easter break with the school. Because of the rural nature of the area none of the movie theaters got first run movies and usually it was a couple of months after the initial release before they’d show up. Some of Elle’s friends had seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the city and told her to see it if it ever showed up. It did and Elle was right on top of it. I had no idea what it was about but knew it was useless to protest.

We dropped the kids off at Elle’s parents house and headed for the new movie theater. Neither of us knew but there were three screens with three different movies. One of the three theaters was a bit larger but none of them was very big. As to the movie… you know I’m a car guy but this thing was a bit much. It was funny but not something I would’ve chosen on my own. The real downside was running into people who’d heard that I’d been approached to run for the school Board. I still hadn’t made a decision choosing to wait to see what, if anything, was going to happen with the bank’s application for another branch. If it was to be approved there was no way I would run so I had to be non-committal. I hated to be that way.

A very positive result from the trip to the movies was that we’d be home alone… and even with the uncertainty of Elle’s pregnancy I was looking for some ‘play time’. Elle was more than willing to accommodate my desire for some wet fun. I have a ‘star’ marking my notes which indicated that it was good sex for us both. The next morning we both slept in, a real rarity, and I went to the late church service with Elle and the kids, another rarity. An additional ‘positive’ was that the other “Elle” that I’d met on Easter weekend was there again. It was a surprise to see her as she was supposed to go back to North Carolina the day after Easter. As I’d mentioned after seeing/meeting her she was a good looking woman. Being with Elle I didn’t make an overt effort to go over to her after she walked in. Another surprise was that her mother wasn’t with her as she was the reason for being here. It was my hope that she’d join in the ‘meet and greet’ in the undercroft after the service was over. She had a coat on, which she didn’t remove, so I had no idea what she was wearing. If she did join us downstairs I was hoping for another chance at a DP or, at the least, a VPL. It was a lot more interesting thinking about that possibility than in listening to the minister’s sermon.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171e)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171e)

Paula wasn’t the only item for discussion. Elle, in telling of her stop to see her at school had casually mentioned a visit her doctor. She studiously avoided going for check-ups and had most of her life. We’d discussed the need for a pregnancy test and Elle had said she’d take care of it. I thought I’d have to prod her to do it so wanted to hear how it had gone. They didn’t have those convenient little test strips that can be purchased in drug stores back in those days. Elle had to leave a urine sample to be put through some sort of procedure and it would be a few days to get the results. When asked how she’d been feeling she told the doctor she seemed to be tired all the time. Since she was already in the office the doctor suggested that she have a physical and thorough blood work up to get a ‘base line’ from which to work with if it turned out she was pregnant. The doctor was well aware of Elle’s incontinence so being embarrassed by her partial ‘package’ was not a factor. However, when it came to drawing her blood it was another story. Elle absolutely hated needles to the point that she’d almost fainted on a couple of occasions. Hearing Elle tell of it I could only imagine her reaction. She told me she didn’t pass all the way out but got very light headed. When she started to come out of it she could feel that her ’bottom’ was very warm. That embarrassed her as the partial ‘package wasn’t designed to hold a full void. Elle always had spare panties in the station wagon and the doctor, to spare Elle further embarrassment, went out to fetch them for her. I’ve written on any number of occasions, as much as I enjoyed Elle’s wetting, I never enjoyed seeing her be embarrassed. She seldom, if ever, ever voluntarily told of such occasions so this was something new. I’m glad she told me on her own. To me, it was a sign of maturity on her part.

I never got as far as I’d wanted with the empirical data that I’d been working with. There was just so much material and I’d never seen anything like it before. I gave up after falling asleep with it in my lap. As soon as Hobie saw me the next morning he wanted to know how it had gone. I suggested that to save time we go upstairs to see Bert. When we did it was a little disappointing because I’d gotten so worked up with the concept of meeting, one on one, with the legislators that hearing Bert’s comment that it wouldn’t do much good. I don’t know where I summoned the courage to ask why he felt that way. His answer was that legislators from rural areas were ignored. I started to protest but stopped. I was caught off guard when he encouraged me to finish what I’d started to say. It was nothing ‘earth shattering’ and not much more than what the lobbyist had espoused at the meeting. It would be a “numbers” game and the more who heard the message the better chance of getting the hearing before each house of the legislature would be. I couldn’t tell if he was impressed or not but said he’d take it up with the Board. Leaving his office I had a good feeling about myself. Only time would tell if it really meant anything.

That day was the last one in the ‘busy period’. It was the first one since it began where we actually had a deposit gain. It was my hope that things would get back to some form of normalcy. It was Mae, asking about the cellar project, that pretty much confirmed it. The one big outstanding question was what would be in the combined audit report from the Federal and State authorities. I still thought about CeeCee’s abrupt leaving and couldn’t help but wonder what had taken place at the exit interview with the Board’s audit committee. I won’t say I was worried but I did know that my area of responsibility, operations, would be written up and would probably focus on the branch. That, to me, was a never ending problem.

With the pressure off as far as lobby traffic was concerned I could actually take a lunch break without feeling guilty. I wanted to get over to the brokerage office not so much to see Lynda as to get the latest news on the last stock I’d purchased. In working with Stan, my broker, one of the basic tenets he espoused was to set limits on losses and to not be greedy on the profit side. Rather than use percentages I chose to put a dollar amount on both gains and losses and that amount was $1,000. The last purchase was approaching that amount but I wanted to check on the latest research before making a decision. I was a little more anxious this time because of the possibility of Elle being pregnant. If the profit got to $1,000 it would mean I’d parlayed about $1500 into over $3,200 in a little over six months. When I walked into the office Stan was standing right inside the door. He laughed when he saw me and said he’d just tried to get me on the phone. Lynda was at her desk and Stan was sort of blocking my view of her but I could see she’d pushed herself away from her desk and was reaching for something on the lowboy file cabinet behind her. The spread between her knees was over two feet. As soon as I saw that I lost track of what Stan was saying. If he wasn’t in a rush to leave I’m sure he would’ve picked up on my inattention to him and my attention to Lynda. Even though it was for only a split second seeing the white of her panties was exciting. By the time Stan was out the door she was back at her desk. She acknowledged me but picked the phone receiver that was on her desk and became totally involved with the person on the other end of the line. I was a little impatient because I wanted to get something to eat. She glanced up at me and made a motion to indicate she’d call me.

It was after 3pm when Lynda called. I could tell she was a bit stressed because she would usually start with something ‘light’. I won’t say shows all business but wanted to know if I needed something to be done. I explained that I’d come for some guidance on the Pacific Petroleum stock. She responded with the standard company ‘line’ about not being qualified to give advice… but then I heard one word…”Hold.” and I was put on hold for about 30 or so seconds. When she came back she asked if I got “the message” and that’s when it came to me. I thought it was incredibly quick thinking on her part. She still sounded like she was struggling so I told her I’d catch up with her the following week. I’d wanted to ask if there was any time frame for Ruthe’s return to work but didn’t get it out before she hung up the phone.

Before leaving for the day I did speak with Mae and arranged to meet her at the bank Saturday morning. There were only a few Saturdays before the stock car racing season would start. It was my goal to have gone through all of the stuff in the first bin by the first of May. Between the two of us we’d managed to get rid of enough junk to have about 1/2 of it clear and available to use for files presently filling needed file cabinets on both the first and second floors. There was one employee who couldn’t wait for it to happen… Moira up in the accounting area. In anticipation of that happening I’d spoken to her before the busy period and told her to start boxing up the oldest files. She worked in the smallest area in the bank and was out of room. I also knew she’d be involved in the move and hoped I could get caught up with what was happening in her world.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171d)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part171d)

Much to my dismay, I lost track of the woman as she reached the upper platform before I did. I didn’t know which way she turned or if she’d gotten on the train on track nine which was there waiting. It was a few minutes before my train showed up and left me time to think about red panties. I'd just left one of the largest lingerie departments in the country and had been there walking up and down the aisles for at least twenty minutes without seeing even one red piece of lingerie. As I thought about it the only place I could remember seeing red panties (as well as black) was in either the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog. It was, for a brief few minutes, a nice break in the day.

The train wasn’t all that crowded and I had a seat to myself. It gave me a chance to look at the printed materials that had been handed out at the meeting. It was deposit data (inflows & outflows) from the previous year sorted into a number of different categories… bank asset size and location (city, urban, or rural) were the primary ones. Also included was mortgage loan data. The narrative that accompanied it detailed how the decrease in deposits had a causal effect on the dollars that were available to be invested in mortgages… and directly, the profitability of each bank in the state… and indirectly, the State’s economy. I was amazed at just how it had been put together… and was able to see how we stood in comparison with the other three banks in our county. Very interesting, for sure. I was deeply into it when we arrived at the last stop and had to transfer to the bus. I was one of the last to board  and found limited seating. I had to make a choice and, unfortunately, didn’t do a good job of it as I ended up with a ‘talker’. I made an attempt at staying with the material but it was a lost cause. I hated to work at home but vowed to try and get back to it later on and resigned myself to being bored almost to tears listening to a stranger tell me about his travels.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the red Peugeot parked in my space in front of the garage. It wasn’t that I had anything against Paula/Polly, the new young teacher who’d taken Elle’s place. It was that I really wanted to have a real understanding of the material I’d been perusing while on the train. I knew that once I turned it over to Hobie and Bert at the bank I’d never see it again. As I walked up the path I could see the kids were playing a game with Paula on the floor in the den. That was a good thing because I could question Elle about what was going on without embarrassing Paula, Elle or myself.

Elle had chosen to go to her doctor to get a pregnancy test that afternoon. Coming back she chose to go past the school where Paula was teaching and decided to stop in to see how she was doing. It was a bit before school let out for the day so, with permission from the principal, went to her classroom to observe. Then, after the kids were gone, she chatted with her for a while. Elle was also interested in how Paula was making out living with Elle’s mother. It was when she got to that part that Paula appeared in the doorway. Looking at her standing there it came to me just how young she was. Elle had fed the kids and was waiting for me to arrive to eat. Paula spoke up and made some sort of apology for interfering with supper. Elle insisted that she hadn’t and told her to come in and have a seat at the table. It was obvious to me that she was uncomfortable and that surprised me because she’d fit right in when she’d been there before. I tried to make ‘small talk’ but Elle interrupted saying that Paula didn’t want to talk ‘shop'. That made things a bit awkward. So, trying to keep it simple I told them of my ‘flying’ trip to the city and back. Talk of the city got Paula somewhat involved and she told of her memories of visiting with relatives and being afraid of riding on the subways. Hearing that, I laughed and proceeded to tell of riding between the cars on the way to school in the mornings. I can still remember the unbelieving look she gave me. I swore that my friends and I did it almost every day. That seemed to loosen her up even more. I was still curious as to why Elle had invited her to dinner but that wasn’t forthcoming.

As I said I really wanted to spend more time on the banking material so I excused myself and headed for the den while Elle and Paula stayed in the kitchen. The older girls were working on homework by then and Kaye was coloring in one of the books she’d gotten for her birthday. Engrossed, I didn’t see Elle and Paula come into the living room. When I noticed them they were on the floor with Kaye. Paula was sitting yoga style with her legs crossed and under her skirt. Seeing that gave rise to the outside chance of catching a peek when she got up. I’ll admit I was distracted. It was only a short time until it was 8pm and definitely time for Kaye to go to bed. When Elle told her it was time to get ready Paula said it was time for her to go. I knew I had to be careful not to have Paula catch me watching as she started to get up. Now, over time, I’ve seen women get up from that position very gracefully. I believe she tried to do it the easy way by rocking forward and quickly sliding her feet from under her and then jumping up. All I know was that whatever she tried didn’t work. She rocked forward’s but her feet and legs didn’t make it out from under her and she fell back. As she did both legs had started to straighten out and her knees were cocked upwards. I was at least 20 feet away but I, for sure, knew she was wearing some kind of white panties. Maybe two or three seconds for an unobstructed view was all I had. But, as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosy. That was two for the day.

After Kaye was in bed and Paula had gone I finally got the rest of the story of why Paula was there. It had to do with Elle’s mother and the kitchen at her house. The arrangement Paula and Elle’s mother had was for $25 which covered a room and doing her wash and, breakfast for a dollar if Paula wanted it. Paula had gone into the kitchen the previous night wanting to boil some water for tea. What Paula didn’t know (or remember) was that she wasn’t to use the kitchen for anything other than to walk through from the door to the stairs to the second floor. Elle’s parents bedroom was right off the kitchen and they both went to bed around 9pm because they were both up at 5am. Paula had come downstairs at around 9:30pm and started looking for a pan to boil water. In doing it she woke Elle’s mother who came out and had a ‘hissy fit’. She was going to make Paula leave right then and there. It was Elle’s father who came out and calmed her down. Paula went back upstairs but didn’t sleep. So, when Elle showed up at school Paula was thankful for it and asked if she could help calm things down with her mother. When they left the school they went to Elle’s mother’s house and, as Elle put it, she moderated a “truce” and made sure both knew the “ground rules”. By that time it was almost supper time and Elle, feeling somewhat sorry for Paula, invited her home to eat.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171c)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171c)

The meeting on usury limits was scheduled for 10:30am which was perfect for me as it meant I could take the bus/train to the city and back home on the same day. As strictly an observer there was no pressure on me to be prepared. Other than the thought of being intimidated by the majority of the other attendees I went to bed looking forward to it. The hardest part was in getting up at 5am to be at the bus stop on time. The number of riders seemed to be about the same during the winter but once the good weather arrived, it would pick up considerably… especially on Mondays. Even though I seldom rode the bus/train anymore I recognized some of the ‘regulars’ and on this day ended up sitting next to one of them. He was also a banker and, to make conversation, asked if he knew Ginger’s father-in-law. His response caught me off guard when he came right back at me with “How do you know him?”. I was just making ‘small talk’ and found myself being ‘grilled’. It turned out the two of them had worked together and he’d been let go. It became quite obvious he was still bitter about it. It sure made the hour to the train very ‘interesting’ and reminded me of just how small the world could be.

I was fine until I walked into the association offices. I didn’t recognize any of those who were already assembled and my inferiority complex kicked in, big time. I don’t know why but the president of the association walked up to me and proceeded to introduce me to a couple of the men and they didn’t growl or bite. One of them was with the biggest bank and he made a comment that finally made me relax a bit… “We’re all in this together…” meaning the big and small banks. If there was one big thing that I took away from the meeting was in recognizing the importance of the association. The the meeting opened with the association president giving an overview of the current interest rate situation and the position it had put the member banks in. That was followed by a packet of papers being distributed to all those present and what they represented. In the interest of time, we were told to wait until after the meeting was over to take a close look at them. Next up was the lobbyist who represented the association. He proceeded to explain his role in meeting with both bodies of the state legislature… and how hard it was in dealing with them on this particular subject. He told us of his frustration in getting the individual members of each house to understand how the financial markets work. In my opinion, he wasted a lot of time as he was preaching to the ‘choir’. The association chairman then took over and got to the ‘meat’ of the meeting. We were all charged with returning to our respective banks and “educating” our Trustees using the materials that had been provided and to encourage them to contact and, if possible, schedule one on one meetings with the State Representative and Senator for our locality to get the message across. And… that message was for them to call for hearings about interest rate ceilings and the need to increase them. Failure to do that would mean no money available for home mortgages and that would negatively affect the State’s economy. With that the meeting was over. It was only 12:30pm. I was in awe. It was unlike any meeting I’d ever attended. There was no discussion, at least during the formal part of the meeting, which kept it on topic and efficient. There was plenty of discussion afterwards but because I knew no one I was left to just observe and to listen. For those wishing for a bite to eat there was a lite luncheon available. Never one to turn down free food I was one of the few who chose to eat. There were three types of sandwiches and I chose the roast beef. Wow! There was almost an inch of meat. By the time I left I was full.

I had plenty of time before the train so stopped at Macy’s to peruse the lingerie department. It had been a long time since I’d had that opportunity. My only problem was I hadn’t thought about going there the day before so was limited to the cash I had in my wallet which wasn’t much. The train depot was only minutes from the store so I calculated just how much time I had for my browsing. Walking into the department all I could do was look around in total awe. Every type of undergarment imaginable was there and pretty much on display. I’d long been over being embarrassed in a lingerie department so I strolled up and down the display cases and tables taking it all in. One of the things that caught my eye were some of the new labels being showcased. One was a brand called Henson Kickernick. In seeing it I had to smile. Naturally, I wanted to see what the panties looked like but all I could find was peignoirs. I asked a saleslady about slips and panties and she couldn’t help me. I even asked if she could ask another salesperson. As she walked away I glanced at my watch. I still had about twenty minutes and started getting anxious when no one appeared. I gave up with fifteen minutes to go and as I walked away I heard a voice call out to me. I turned and looked to see a tall, well dressed woman heading towards me. I hesitated and waited for her to catch up with me. She apologized saying that the Henson Kickernick products were new and many of the individual items had not been put out for display. She suggested that I stop back in about a week. Another glance at my watch told me I had but ten minutes to exit the store and get down to the lower level and the gate for my train. I know it appeared to be impolite but I just bolted for the escalators. I made the train by about a minute.

Being the last on board I knew I had to stand until the train reached the station where I had to change trains. There was one young woman who caught my eye. Actually, it was the shortness of her skirt that got my attention. She was seated and from where I was initially standing I couldn’t see anything but a lot of thigh. There were two stops before I had to change and, with each, people had gotten off and I managed to move to a better viewing position. I know if I’d had a seat across from her I would’ve gotten at least a little peek but from my standing position I couldn’t see anything but a lot of high thigh flesh. When we reached the station where I had to change trains I hesitated in leaving hoping she’d make a move with her legs that might’ve given me a chance but she was very ‘ladylike’, making sure she didn’t give anything away. Now, at this station there were five platforms and ten tracks. We’d pulled in on track eight and I needed to get to track ten. The last time I’d taken the train from the city it pulled in on track nine which meant all I had to do was disembark and walk across the platform and onto the train I needed. The only way I could get there was to go down the stairs to ground level and then walk over to the stairs for the platform I needed. In the crush of people disembarking I lost track of the woman I’d been eyeing. I was cursing about having to use the stairs and was actually halfway up the ones to my desired platform when I looked up and got more than I could’ve hoped for. There she was, actually running up the steps with the back hem of her skirt bouncing nicely up and down. There was no mistaking the color of her panties… bright red.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on (Part 171b)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part171b)

I’ve written about how my grandfather used cliche’s all the time. Some were from when he was small and the language was less sophisticated. When Elle spoke the words about possibly being pregnant I almost immediately thought of something my grandfather ’spouted’ when a group of his old business partners showed up at the house for his 65th birthday. It was during WWII and gasoline was rationed. Somehow these men cobbled together enough ration points to fill the tank of one of their cars and drove the 90 or so miles to surprise him. I was living with my grandparents at the time and I had no idea who these men were but I heard the words “Well I’ll be gobsmacked!” and they were forever registered in my brain. Of course my grandfather had to explain the meaning of it which further reinforced it. Well, sitting in bed and hearing “I think I may be pregnant…” put me in the same position that my grandfather had been in when the men showed up totally unexpected. I don’t remember saying anything until Elle asked if I was going to say something. I’m not sure what I said first but I do remember after I had time for it to ‘register’ asking about all her plans to start teaching full time. For that, it was her that was speechless.

When we finally turned out the lights it was almost midnight. Nothing was decided because all she was basing her statement on was that she was over two weeks late on her period. For as long as I’d known her her periods were almost like clockwork… every 28 days… give a day on either side. Her periods were longer than most women experienced so when we were first married I dreaded those seven to eight days. The last time I’d tracked it was during the previous Summer in anticipation of our trip to Bermuda. After that we were both so busy that I didn’t give much thought to when it was due. The last thought I had before trying to fall asleep was that it still might come. She agreed to make an appointment with her doctor the following week.

The alarm went off around 6:30 am. As I was getting washed and shaved I heard the older girls  waking up. They no longer believed in the Easter Bunny but had been schooled to not let Kaye know. I had to get the sidewalks shoveled at the church and hoped to be back in time to see all of them when they went looking for their Easter eggs. On my way to my car I took note of spots of colored snow. I went over to one and picked up an egg. All the color had come off and was now on the snow that surrounded it. It was somewhat funny but I knew the kids would be disappointed. Now I really wanted to be a part of their Easter egg hunt if for no other reason than to see their faces when they found white eggs in place of the expected colored ones.

Elle was planning on taking the kids to the 10am service so they weren’t dressed up when I got back home. They looked more like waifs with their winter clothes on as they went out the door. It really was a funny sight watching them run to the areas with colored snow. As expected, they were disappointed with their ‘haul’ of white eggs and I remember Elle telling them they could decorate them with crayons later that afternoon. The two most attended services each calendar year were at Christmas and Easter but the snow managed to keep many away on this day, especially those with small children. I was a ‘greeter’ for the service and I almost didn’t recognize Janelle wearing a heavy Winter coat and with make-up on and her hair nicely coiffed. Elle was standing next to me when she and her mother came in and I, on purpose, introduced her as Elle just to get ‘my’ Elle’s reaction. She honestly thought I’d gotten flustered when I did but Janelle quickly cleared the matter up. There was no repeat of the previous day’s DP but she was still nice to look at. She took part in handing out the potted plants to the few kids that had showed up. We ended up giving some to the older parishioners which actually made them happier than the kids. At the ‘meet and greet’ after the service Elle and I got to meet Janelle’s mother. After chatting for a few minutes she seemed to think there was a chance that her husband, who’d been killed in WWII, had worked for my grandfather before he enlisted in the Navy. An exchange of names and phone numbers pretty much closed out the morning. Janelle told us she’d look us up when she returned on vacation in the Summer. Looking at her as she spoke I could only imagine what she’d look like in a pair of shorts and looked forward to her return.

Back at home it was obvious that the conversation that Elle and I’d had the previous night was still ‘front and center’ on both our minds. Once Elle set the girls up to decorate their non colored Easter eggs we sat down to go over, with paper and pencil, just what her possible pregnancy would mean to all of us. It was one thing to lay in bed and to go over the obvious but it was necessary to both our thoughts down on paper. As we started in I got the feeling that Elle wasn’t all that upset about it. In my own mind the thought was, as inconvenient as it might turn out to be, I might end up with a son. We spent about a half hour on it and resolved to come back to it after Elle visited her doctor. I remember sitting there as Elle walked out of the room and tried to envision having a baby around the house for more than the two weeks we’d taken care of Beth’s baby back in February. It certainly would change our lives.

The ‘busy period’ ran through Thursday but lobby traffic after Monday fell off sharply. Hobie was scheduled to go to the city to attend the meeting called by the banking association to discuss the large deposit outflows from the member banks. Hobie, who’d worked in the city before being employed by the bank, hated the thought of having to go there and as Monday came to an end was clearly not happy with that prospect. He was going over what I was to do at Wednesday’s mortgage committee meeting with me when I got a hint that he might not go. Knowing that J J, who had a higher ranking title than I, was considered to be ‘loose cannon’ when it came to representing the bank was an indication that it might be me headed for the city. That was a scary thought. I knew that most of the attendees would be senior bank officers and I wasn’t but a junior officer. With that prospect on my mind it pretty much killed the day… and night for me.

After a night of tossing and turning I arrived at the bank and found Hobie waiting for me. The decision had been made and I was to represent the bank. I spent the morning being fully briefed on the whole subject of interest rates, State usuery regulations and strict instructions to be nothing more than an observer. As I left Hobie’s area I suddenly realized that to be selected to represent the bank at this meeting was quite an honor… and I stopped worrying about it.

To be continued…

LIFE GOES ON... and on... (Part 171a)

LIFE GOES ON… and on… (Part 171a)

The next day was Good Friday and the banks all closed at 3pm. That was good because I hadn’t done the work at the church that I’d promised to do. Stopping on my way home I was able to get it done and also got to meet the daughter of a new parishioner. She was a little older than me but quite good looking. She was visiting her parents for Easter and had volunteered to help out with the flower decorations for the Easter service. One of the traditions of our church was to give out small live potted plants to the children. The plants had been delivered in cardboard ‘flats’ that were hard to handle. So, being the only male there I was asked to assist with them. The woman’s name was Janelle but she told me to call her “Elle”. I laughed and, initially, she didn’t appreciate it. I explained that I called my wife Elle and if they were to meet on Sunday it could get confusing. She smiled.

The plants were to be lined up under the altar rail. Janelle’s mother couldn’t get down on her knees to do it so designated her “Elle” to do it. I was to hold a ‘flat’ and she would take a pot and place it. I was standing behind her when she dropped down to her knees and although you know my penchant for VPL’s and DP’s (down pants) I truly wasn’t expecting it on this occasion. But, there it was, a beautiful DP with at least six inches of waistband elastic to observe along with about two inches of panty showing at the small of her back. I’ve written about how I’d made a small science of recognizing waistband elastics and I surely recognized this one. I hadn’t  ever seen anyone wearing Evette panties other than Elle and the very few people who I’d given them to. (They’d been made by the company my old sailing friend, Willy, had owned for a while and I’d bought a whole batch of them from him.) It seems kind of strange now but at the time it excited me to see them on somebody I didn’t know.
       

Evette panties... note the distinctive elastic 

In any case, I had at least five minutes of watching her place the plants. There was no VPL as she was wearing a pair of patterned wool slacks. When she finished I got to chat with her for a few minutes and had hoped to get an idea of where she lived. I knew the Evette brand was primarily available in the South and when Willy bought it he tried to get distribution North of the Mason Dixon line but with little success. She said she had lived in North Carolina since graduating from college. She didn’t volunteer when that was but it did give me a good idea she’d purchased them there. As I said, it was exciting to see a pair once again. I did the work I’d come to do and when I left for home I asked if I’d see her on Sunday. I got a smile and an affirmative nod of her head. 

It was my birthday on Saturday and we’d all agreed to celebrate it early and combine it with Kaye’s birthday party with the whole family present the previous weekend. I figured it would be a somewhat leisurely day for me after doing my Saturday chores so with nothing planned I decided to take a ‘side trip’ to the garage where the race car was kept after leaving the landfill. Cliffy had indicated we’d soon start preparing the car for the season so I wasn’t surprised to see it not only uncovered but out on the shop floor. Cliffy was in a good mood and said he hadn’t called because it was Easter weekend. However, he wanted to get the guys together Monday night. He had some news in that Joey wouldn’t be part of the team as he’d moved to be closer to his job. I asked if Buster had put in his share of money and got a frown as an answer. Asking the question quickly soured his mood so I headed for home.

Even though I’d only been at the garage for a short time it had started to snow by the time I got back to my car. It was the second time it had snowed on my birthday and with Easter the next day the snow would make a mess. At home the kids were all excited about it and insisted on playing outside. By the time it was dark there was at least four inches on the ground. It did not make me happy as it meant I’d have to get up really early to shovel the snow off the sidewalks at the church before the 8am service. Kaye still believed in the Easter bunny so we had to color eggs and hide them after all the kids were in bed. Elle did have a birthday present for me when she came back downstairs… she came up to me took my hand and put it between her legs. It had been a while since she’d deliberately wet herself on her own. I enjoyed the feel of the warm wetness but I was on the outside of her knit slacks and I wanted to feel the wet nylon satin and tried to get inside her pants. That move ended it… with her backing away and saying I’d have to wait until the eggs were colored and hidden. 

By the time we’d finished both of us had forgotten about the snow so when I went out to hide the eggs I found all the normal hiding places were covered. I didn’t have any choice but to just put them down in the snow. When I got back inside I headed right for Elle. As soon as I touched her she let out a little scream. My hands had gotten cold dealing with the snow and she wouldn’t let me touch her. That was a big letdown and she recognized it. In a totally unexpected move she looked at me and told me to get the camera. She never did that! It was always me begging and cajoling her to let me do it. Needless to say it didn’t take me long to fetch it from the closet. By the time I got it and opened the bellows I found her in the bathroom straddling the toilet... with her pants still on. I asked what she was doing and she laughed answering something like “What do you think I’m doing?" Without answering the question I pleaded with her to stop if she could. She gave me a funny look and said she thought I wanted her to go. I did but what I wanted was to be able to feel the warm wetness on her panties, not her pants. She was, surprisingly, able to stop and asked how I wanted to take the picture. We were right outside the den so I suggested she lie down on the floor. As soon as she did I knew I wanted a picture of her backside where the two panties showed through as well as two stains.

     

As much as I appreciated getting the picture, by then I was more interested in the ‘real’ present. After developing the picture I grabbed her hand and we headed upstairs. With as much restraint as I could muster I managed to last long enough for Elle to get some pleasure so that it wasn't just me. Because it was still early, around 9:30pm as I remember it, we decided to get cleaned up and to get Elle in her night time ‘’package”. Neither of us was ready for sleep so we shut the door (Elle still wouldn’t sleep with the door closed) and sat in bed and talked. That was a real rarity. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that there was something on Elle’s mind and I was sure it had nothing to do with something I’d done (or not done…). She asked me if I’d recently noticed something different… about her. Try as I did I couldn’t think of anything. She then told me she’d give me a hint and for me to think about the calendar. There were no more birthdays for a while… Easter was the next day… our anniversary was six months away. I was at a loss. Then she hit me with an atomic bombshell… She thought she was pregnant.

To be continued…

"SPRING"ING AHEAD... Better days? (Part 170z)

“SPRING”ING AHEAD… Better days? (Part 170z)

The only real apartment Elle had ever seen was when she and her family had made a trip to the city to visit my family when she was a teen. Our apartment wasn’t anything special… dining room, living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. So, when Elle was told by Ginger the five of them were going to her in-laws apartment it wasn’t just that she was upset about not going home but she couldn’t imagine how they would all fit. By the time the cab pulled up in front of the building Elle said she knew was wet and hoped the plastic pants had worked. The first indication that it wasn't the same kind of apartment building that she expected was when a doorman opened the door of the cab. It was followed by walking though a fancy lobby to the elevator where there was an elevator operator waiting to take them on up to the apartment. Ginger’s mother, Vera, was waiting for them and Elle told me she was a bit shocked when she saw her. Very gaunt and looking old, Elle stood back and watched her fawn all over her grandchildren. After introductions Ginger gave Elle a quick tour. In talking to me Elle was now somewhat animated and she was truly impressed with what she saw. There were four bedrooms with one she described as enormous. There was a large living room and a dining room with a kitchen she told me was bigger than any she’d ever seen in a house. Added to that was another room just for the ‘help’ to rest in and it  had it’s own toilet. While showing Elle around Ginger noted that one of the bedrooms had been converted into a studio for her mother-in-law “dabble” in painting, something she’d started after coming out of rehabilitation. Ginger then pointed out that Elle would get the bedroom with the double bed so Kaye could seep with her.

By that time Elle said she was getting really uncomfortable both physically and mentally with her being wet so headed for the bathroom attached to the bedroom. She said she washed up and put on both of the spare panties she’d brought with her but without the plastic pants wanting her skin to “dry out”. When she rejoined the others, Vera and Ginger were discussing what to have for dinner. Edward, the father-in-law wasn’t due home until around 6pm. The cook, who only came in to prepare dinner, was waiting for a decision so she could order what she needed. Elle said she was only asked what Kaye would eat and didn’t say anything after hearing Vera tell the cook to get lamb chops. When Elle told me that I had to smile. I don’t think Elle had eaten Lamb chops more than a few times and that was when we’d been invited to my parents house. The kids, by then were exhausted so they were all put to bed for a nap. Elle  told me she wanted to go and take one with them and had to fight to stay awake while being bored to tears by Vera talking about all the wonderful thing her kids had done. She, of course, didn’t know that Ginger had told her some of the family ‘secrets’ and now it was Elle’s turn to smile as she told me that she had to fight to keep a straight face.

Elle said the dinner, which was served around 7pm, was “gourmet”, complete with mint jelly to go with the lamb chops. The kids ate grilled cheese sandwiches along with macaroni and cheese and were more than happy with it. Edward, the father-in-law, was less than pleased to have his daily routine upset and when the meal was over retired to his bedroom. Vera apologized for him but Elle told me she was glad as he was “not a happy man”. She added that Ginger took the hint and told Vera that she and Elle had been up since around 5am and were really tired and would go to bed with the kids. She protested but Ginger “won”.

That set up the situation that Elle had dreaded since they missed the train… what to do about sleeping what with her incontinence. She was really worried about what would happen to the mattress if her ‘package’ leaked since she didn’t have alarm clocks to wake her up during the night. That, as we both knew, was not a guarantee. She was wearing the spare panties and there were but a couple of extra sanitary pads in her carry bag to make up her night time ‘package’. She told me she’d been reluctant to talk to Ginger about it even though Ginger knew all about her problems and about how she handled it at night. Faced with actually getting into bed she told me she thought about taking a couple of bath towels and sleeping on the floor. Then there was a knock on the door and it was Ginger. Elle said she watched her walk over to a dressing table and open a side drawer. She watched as Ginger put her hand in and came out with a handful of panties and spread them on the top of the table. Elle said she got up and went over to not only look but to ask what she was doing. She said Ginger had smile on her face as she pulled a couple of panties out of the pile and explained that Vickie never bought one of anything as she was a compulsive shopper. She pointed into the drawer and Elle said she saw nothing but panties. Ginger explained that the only panties she had were the panties she had on. They were the ‘dribble’ panties that we’d made for her and having worn them for the whole day they were “well used”. She told Elle that if she needed panties to pull a couple out and that Vickie would never know. That gave Elle the courage to bring up the sleeping arrangements and the bed. Elle then explained that Ginger went to the kitchen and found an oil cloth table cloth. When she returned she spread it on the bed and used Elle’s idea of bath towels over it. I asked how she acted while doing it and Elle said she made no comment and made it seem like there was nothing to it and went off to her room.

I just had to ask about all Vicki’s panties and, as expected, Elle didn’t really want to talk about it. However, I did ask what she did for panties on the trip home and that got her to open up a bit and even with a smile. She said she wasn’t all that wet in the morning and that was because she’d had so little to drink over the previous 24 hours. But, she said she wasn’t going to wear the wet ‘package’ on the way home. At that point I ‘pushed’ her to tell me what she ended up wearing. She said she broke down and went to Vicki’s panty drawer just as Ginger had told her to do. But, that was as far as she went. I had to plead with her to tell me what she’d picked out and all that got me was some snide questions as to why it was so important to me. Finally, she told me to go to the  clothes hamper and see for myself… and I did… but not until later on.

Even though Elle had ‘warmed up’ a bit in telling me about her trials and tribulations she was still not in a good mood so I chose to go back down to the den to watch the news on TV. I really had but one reason and that was to let her go to sleep so I could go ‘raid’ the hamper. When I finally went back up I waited to hear if she was snoring. When convinced she was ‘out’ I made my way to the hamper and grabbed the clothes that were on top and headed for the bathroom. Turning on the light I was almost shocked to see a pair of fancy pink panties right on the top. I couldn’t believe that Elle had chosen a pair like that… but obviously she had. Inspecting them I was disappointed in that there wasn’t a brand label with the only one showing they were a size 6. The other pair was a plain pair of beige Vanity Fair size 6 panties. I put the clothes back in the hamper and then went to bed.

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To put this thread to ‘bed’ , I’m going to fast forward about a week. Elle washed the panties and returned them to Ginger who said she wasn’t going give them back and for Elle to keep them. She tried to get Ginger to take them but she wanted no part of them. Being they were size 6 and Elle wore size 4’s and 5’s she threw them in the waste basket in our bedroom. When I saw them I didn’t waste anytime before picking them up and within a few days they were in my “stash”. The pink ones were somewhat unique in that they had little bows embroidered all over the front and a little lace at the leg openings. Knowing I was going to get to this part of the story I took a picture of them back earlier this year. This is what they look like and they still looked like new… 

To be continued...

"SPRING"ING AHEAD... Better days? (Part 170y)

“SPRING”ING AHEAD… Better days? (Part 170y)

I was in front of the bus stop when I opened the envelope and when I saw what it was I stopped in my tracks not believing what I was looking at. I’d seen the picture in the album Lynda had shared with me back when I’d stopped at her house. As I stared at it I remembered that I’d made a comment to her about it… and obviously, she remembered. I don’t know how long I stood there, maybe 30 seconds or so, when I heard a voice ask if I was OK. I looked up while quickly hiding the picture to see one of my former neighbors from the mobile home park. We chatted for a few minutes but she had to board the bus. As she did I could only hope she hadn’t seen the picture.

Back at my desk I hid the picture in my briefcase. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to open it up back up to take a look at it as the afternoon progressed. Being a Friday, and still in the ‘busy period’, both Trish and Bret worked with me until 6pm. We were all anxious to get out of there even though there were still things we could’ve done in preparation for Monday. As soon as my butt hit the seat in my car I had the briefcase open and the picture in my hand. Staring at it I remembered there was a series of pictures that went with it. I thought the scene, outdoors, was incredibly sexy and wished I could get Elle to do something like it. As I put the picture away I knew it was wishful thinking on my part.

On the way home my thoughts focused on hearing how the trip to the circus had gone. I knew from Elle’s curt demeanor that she was less than pleased with the fact that she had to stay overnight. I’d thought about how she’d, reluctantly, taken extra panties and pads, and wondered how she made it through the night. Knowing her reluctance to discuss things that made her uncomfortable I knew it would be like pulling teeth to get her to tell me about it but I was determined. I got a somewhat convoluted view of the circus from Kaye who was still excited. At least that part was a success. Naturally, she brought home some souvenirs which she lorded over her sisters. Because there was no school the older girls were allowed to stay up a bit later which annoyed me. I wanted to hear all about Elle’s perspective of the trip to the city. With the girls all in bed I waited for her to return… and wait I did. I expected her to be reluctant to tell me but her not coming down stairs was ridiculous… so I went up to confront her. I’d found that confronting her when she was in this kind of mood would sometimes work… and it did.

NOTE: My telling of this part is from notes I wrote after hearing Elle tell me of her experience. I wrote it up in detail the next morning and put the papers in a file folder. It took some ‘digging’ to find it but, as you’ll see, I did… 

The bus trip to meet the train was uneventful. Elle fully expected to be able to use the restroom at the station but the bus was late in arriving and the passengers were ushered right on to the train. Based upon what I’d told her to expect she’d not had anything to drink since eating supper the night before so she told me she was OK up to then. The train ride was an experience in itself as there was little heat in any of the cars and as Kaye told me, “it was noisy”. They arrived at the terminal in the city around 9:30am. The first stop for all of them was the restrooms. Elle said they were disgusting and Elle held Kaye over the toilet rather than let her sit on the seat. She said she was happy that she was still dry and was tempted to just go in her ‘package’ because the place was so “disgusting”. No one had eaten before leaving and they were hungry. There were plenty of places to get a quick breakfast before heading upstairs to the arena. The show didn’t start until 11:30am but the doors opened at 10:30am. Ginger had been there a few times when she and Jon were first married so led them to the ’side show’ where all the “funny looking people” were located. Elle told me the kids were frightened by some of the “grotesque” people and some of the things they did. Elle said she’d never seen a swordswallower and was intrigued by him. They got to their seats and, as Elle put it was, “absolutely unbelievable” as they were front row in the mezzanine and right in the middle where they could see all three rings. She said they didn’t realize the show was as long as it was and when it finally ended they had but a little more than a half hour to get to the train… and had to get to the restrooms as well. That’s when things started to go bad. Long lines and the kids not co-operating led to Elle not getting to use the toilet. Once on the terminal level they ran to get to the gate but found it was closed and they’d missed the train.

Elle had been fairly upbeat up to this point but when she started in with Gingers’s decision to call her mother and to invite herself and Elle to stay over with her parents without asking how she felt about it I could see her mood change a bit. She said she was upset about missing the train, that she’d wet herself and had no input as to what they were going to do. After making phone calls they got a cab and went to her in-laws apartment.

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Some background is necessary here….

Ginger’s in-laws lived in a large, fancy apartment complete with a doorman and elevator operator. Her father in-law was a senior officer in a large commercial bank and was born and raised in the city. He married a ‘city girl’ and they had three children… Rob, Jon and Vickie who were also born and raised in the city. As the father in-law got promoted he invested money in a waterfront Summer home in the town where Elle and I lived sometime back in the 50’s. Spending their Summers there, Rob and Jon fell in love with the area and, after college and marriage, took jobs that allowed them to settle there. We got to meet Rob and Jon (and their wives) when Pat (the PTA lady) was trying to recruit younger candidates for the local school Board. They were part of “the Group” that Pat had put together and we eventually became a part of. Rob, by then was an alcoholic, and after a while was dropped from our activities. Elle became good friends with Jon’s wife, Ginger, for a number of reasons. She had five children, all girls, and we had three, also girls, with our two older ones matching two of hers in age. And, as it turned out, they shared something else… incontinence. In time as they became closer, Ginger shared some ‘dirt’ about her in-laws with Elle.

Basically, they were both recovering alcoholics. The bank where her father in-law worked paid for a stint in a recovery center and he remained sober and kept his job. But, when the kids were growing up, alcohol had flowed like water in their house. Rob and Jon were a couple of years apart but were never really that close. The daughter, Vickie, was four years younger than Jon and a ‘daddy’s girl’. She could do no wrong in his eyes. Jon resented her in that she got anything she wanted… new cars (plural, because she wrecked a couple due to drinking), vacation trips, three colleges with six years to get a degree. All that and he still refused to reign her in. Even with a teaching degree she still hadn’t gotten a job and sometimes lived with them in the city apartment.(74)
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To be continued…

'SPRING'ING AHEAD... Better days/? (Part 170x)

“SPRING”ING AHEAD… Better days? (Part 170x)

Right from the beginning of the ‘busy period’ more money was being withdrawn than deposited. The normal ‘busy period’ would have deposit outflows for the first few days and then would be a reversal with substantially more dollars flowing in. Through the first five days the money continued to flow out the doors. It was the same for the other three savings banks in the County. Hobie had told me the rumor was the same thing was happening at the city banks and there was a special meeting of bank presidents being called by the Association that represented all 128 state savings banks. It was to discuss the problem and to try to come up with a strategy to combat the outflows. Bert, the president, wouldn’t be able to attend because of his wife’s physical condition so Hobie was designated to go to the city to represent us. That told me the situation was more serious than I’d thought. Hobie hated to go into the city but this was important enough that he couldn’t just send someone else… like me. The meeting was scheduled for the following Wednesday and that was a regularly scheduled mortgage committee meeting. It meant I’d have to take the minutes and the first thing I did was to check on which of the Trustees would be there. It was just my luck to find that “Polack Joe” was on for the month. NOT something to look forward to. I was hoping against hope that “Gee”, the Trustee/attorney, would be on the committee as well. He, on more than one occasion, had ‘gone to bat’ for me when Joe voiced a negative opinion about me or one of my projects. But he wasn’t scheduled… my bad luck.

I’d been asked by Bert to make a chart of the deposit flows over the past four calendar quarters and was working on it when Joanie rang me up on the phone but didn’t tell me who it was. When I heard Elle’s voice the first thing I did was to glance up at the lobby clock… and it was after 3pm. That wasn’t good as Elle and Ginger should’ve been on the train headed for home. Hearing the tone of her voice I could tell she was really, really upset. Somehow, they’d missed the train. I’d missed the same train a couple of times so I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. The 3pm train was the one that had the bus for the second half of the trip. There were still trains that ran to that station up until 6pm but with no bus to continue on. When I’d missed I’d called my father to drive there to pick me up. In my mind they could catch a later train and then Jon, Ginger’s husband, or I, could drive there to get them. But… and as it turned out, that wasn’t her real problem. Ginger had called her mother in-law who lived in the city and, as Elle explained it, (in detail, after she got home) invited herself (and Elle and Kaye) to spend the night. Even though the call was short it was obvious she was not comfortable. She wouldn’t go into any detail saying they had to go get a cab and would try to call later. That meant I'd be alone with the kids for the night. Since I didn’t cook (and still don’t) I knew I’d have to ask Elle’s mother. Another look at the clock told me she was probably over at our house meeting the girls and the school bus. It took less than a minute for me to call the house hoping Elle’s mother had let them go inside to drop off their books. For the first time in quite a while something went my way… she was there and agreed to feed them and keep them overnight. That gave me some latitude as far as leaving work and allowing me to finish the tracking project. It also gave me the opportunity to have supper at the restaurant owned and run by Cliff, the guy who drove my first race car. Earlier in the year he’d made an ‘off-hand’ offer to sponsor the race car I was involved with and this would be a chance to pin him down on it. He was always super busy (as the chef) but gave me a moment after serving me a fantastic T-bone steak. I can’t say that he reneged on the verbal offer he’d made but what he presented was less than I expected (hoped?). He’d give us $500 and we were to hand out coupons for the restaurant to those people who would stop by the race car after the races. It turned out the money was a one time deal but I thought we’d get more money if the promotion was successful. I really couldn’t say anything because the $500 would buy us a whole set of tires to start the season.  

Back at home it was around 8pm when Elle finally called.  But, as with the previous call, she shared nothing about how the day at the circus had gone. She did say they would be on the ’noon train’ in the morning and that Ginger’s husband would pick them all up. The call lasted less than three minutes. After that, I was able to get in touch with Cliffy about the sponsorship money. He claimed he was about to call me to tell me the crew would soon be getting together to go over the race car to prepare it for the new season. I thought he’d be happy about the money but if there was one thing consistent about Cliffy he always expected/wanted more. It ended up being a lonely night by myself. I had no sign projects to work on so settled for TV. It’s funny but there were times I’d wished for peace and quiet in the house and now when I had it I didn’t know what to do with it.

For some reason this ‘busy period” seemed longer than usual. Maybe it was because the continued outflow of money had continued. By Friday the volume of lobby traffic had slowed. Around 10am or so I got a call from Stan, my stock broker. He started by wishing me a “Happy Birthday”. That caught me by surprise. It was the next day but I hadn’t really thought much about it. At home we’d sort of acknowledged it with Kaye’s party the past Sunday where all the family was present. Stan suggested that we go to lunch as he wanted to talk to me about my portfolio of investments. He made a point of doing that at the end of each calendar quarter. As I said, lobby traffic had slowed which made me feel comfortable in leaving for the whole lunch hour. With the number of complaints about our low interest rates I’d stayed in and had someone grab me a sandwich. Stan told me to stop by the office around noon and we’d grab a bite at Michael's, right across the street.

I walked into the brokerage and as soon as I did Lynda stood up and grabbed her coat from a coat tree. She sort of pushed me back towards the door and then walked past me motioning for me to follow. Outside, by the curb, she told me that both Stan and Bill were in a conference call with the main office in Baltimore. I knew that Bill had been there the previous week and asked if Lynda had any idea what was so urgent. She just shrugged her shoulders and started to cross the street. Just as we were about to go inside the restaurant she handed me an envelope and wished me a happy birthday… and told me not to open the envelope until it was time to go home.

Stan never made it to lunch. Lynda and I spent most of the time talking about Ruthe, her ex husband, Eddie and her recovery. The news was good in that she’d gotten most of her hearing back and that as soon as the bruises on her face were gone she’d be back at work. I asked if she was going to go back to live in her house and Lynda said if she did it wouldn’t be for a while. Lynda had no new news about Eddie and when we talked about him I saw her get almost rigid with anger. With that, it was time to go back to work. With the envelope that Lynda had given me still in my hand I decided to open while walking back to work. This is what I found inside... with a hand written note wishing me "Happy Birthday"
 

To be continued...