GETTING A BREAK... finally (Part 54e)

As far as racing was concerned I was having what could best be described as ”marginal success“. I got a couple of 3rd place finishes with the three footed horse and a 2nd and a 3rd with my grandfather’s horse. The two year old was getting better behaved and that was good as his first race was coming up. In harness racing they have a special series of races each Summer called the Grand Circuit. Horses are nominated for these special races at the time of their birth. The purses (the dollars that they race for) are much larger than 95% of the regular races so there is a lot of attention paid to them. The Grand Circuit was scheduled for their week at the track in the middle of July. The highlights of the week was in seeing many famous drivers and some really good horses. The owner of my two year old (the one who decided to drive his own horse) had entered him in one of the special races scheduled for the week. I was sure AJ would take over the driving duties just because of the prestige of the week but he said I would drive. I was very nervous leading up to the race because I would be competing against some really expensive (and good) horses and very famous trainer/drivers. There was also the fact that the horse had not competed in a night race that I had to factor in.

On opening night of the Grand Circuit the owner who was driving his own horse caused a big wreck. No horse was hurt and the other drivers escaped with just bruises. The officials suspended his license which was way overdue in my mind. I know it made AJ happy. In spite of what I’ve written about the man he actually liked me. When it came time to race the two year old I think he was more nervous than I. Harry, even though he didn’t have a horse to race on that night, came just to wish me luck. Without Andy as a mentor, I’d turned to Jackson, who was having a very good year, and he told me to just ease my horse back from the gate at the start and get to the rail and then see what I could get during the last quarter mile. It was good advice. I was last for the first three quarters and then pulled out and just let him go through the stretch. I ended up finishing 5th which doesn’t sound like much. But when you look at the whole picture... it was the very first race for the horse... he was racing against some of the best two year old horses in the country... I was still a ”rookie” driver... and the horse earned more money for finishing 5th than if he’d won a regular race for two year olds at the track... it was a very successful outing. But the best part was yet to come...

One of the competing trainer/drivers in the race came up to me (and AJ and the owner) after the race and wanted to know more about the horse. I’d gone past him like his horse was standing still and he was truly impressed. I was so excited during the race that I neglected to start the split timer on my stopwatch to see how fast he'd gone that last quarter of a mile. The owner volunteered that if the race was another 100 feet or so that I would’ve been second or third. In any case, the famous trainer and driver left saying that if the owner wanted to sell the horse he’d be interested. To say that I was excited was putting it mildly. It was a bigger thrill than winning my first race.

Another trainer/driver that was there for the Grand Circuit was Dan, the man my friend Alida (from my first season with AJ) had sold her good horse to. He had a number of good two and three year old horses entered and after my big night came up to me and also asked about the two year old. The fact that a couple of big name trainers had taken notice made me feel really good. In Dan's case, he made a point of talking to me a couple of other times and, in a round about way, inquired if I might be interested in making a change in jobs. There was nothing concrete but it gave my ego a boost just to know someone had been watching me and had made an inquiry. When the week was over I was sorry to see all the big names leave.

The heat of the Summer was getting to Elle. She was much bigger than in her first pregnancy and her wetting was worse than the last time. The baby was growing and into everything. It was a good thing that Mrs M and Margie were so nice. Lisa was also a big help. Elle needed to take a nap each afternoon just as I did. One or the other of them would look after the baby so we could get some rest. Finally, in early August, Elle decided that she wanted to go home. We’d planned that she’d have the baby there and was originally going home when we shipped out to New Hampshire in September. I didn’t argue because she was pretty miserable to live with. I worked it out with AJ to do it over a weekend. We’d managed to put some money away for the delivery and with Elle living with her parents would save even more money.

We left for home after I got through my training chores on a Saturday and got home late that night. It was a miserable trip as the baby fussed most of the way and Elle basically sat in a puddle most of the way. I stayed until early Sunday afternoon and got to visit with my grandparents. That turned out to be very good. He’d already planned for Elle to be home to have the baby. He made arrangements with a Doctor friend of his to take care of Elle and the birth. Elle wasn’t so sure about it as she'd wanted to talk with some of her friends that still lived in the area as to who she should go to. She understood the money factor so kept her mouth shut. It turned out that the doctor was the uncle of MJ, my friend from when I went to school in the city, and had a very good reputation. I headed back feeling pretty good.

To be continued...

GETTING A BREAK... finally (Part 54d)

I got another surprise from AJ the following week. A new horse had been added to the stable and AJ had put me in charge of training him. He needed to be ”qualified“ (meaning he had to show that he could go a mile, in a race, in at least 2 minutes, 12 seconds). I looked over his ”papers“ and saw that he really wasn’t much of a racehorse. But like I said before, I was willing to drive anything. I got him qualified the first try and entered him in a betting race as soon as I could get him in. He was in the lowest class (C-3) racing for the least amount of money but it didn’t matter to me.

I was really excited the night of his first race. It was the first time that I was listed in the program as ”Trainer“. I didn’t expect a lot but I certainly didn’t expect what I got.
Since the majority of the races were at night we raced under lights and at the finish line there were a special bank of lights that lit up the width of the track to aid the photo finish cameras. I don’t remember where I was as far as position was concerned (maybe 6th) when we reached that point. But, when he reached the bright band of lights he tried to jump over it. It scared the shit out of me. When he came down he stumbled and almost went down. I don’t know how I stayed on the sulky (the little cart behind the horse where the driver sits). It wasn’t until I got back to the paddock that I could breath normally.

As frightening as that was it was soon replaced by a mild kind of euphoria. I won with my grandfather’s horse. I was surprised that I wasn’t more excited. AJ soon added another horse for me to train and race. It was 2 year old who had shown some exceptional speed but was rather unruly on the track, distracted by other horses. Looking back on it now I know what what AJ was doing. Horses that he was afraid of were shunted off to me (with the exception of my grandfather’s horse). I didn’t care. It was all a learning experience and I wasn’t intimidated by it.

Harry shipped his horses in to the track the middle of June. His nephew, Levi, had been "promoted" and was now listed as an Assistant Trainer and was going to try and get his drivers license. I was excited for Levi but recognized that my chances to get to race any of Harry's horses were much diminished. When I stopped at their barn, located at the old fairgrounds, I was introduced to Georgie, another trainer/driver stabled there. As soon as he opened his mouth it was obvious that he was born and raised in the city. Not only that but he talked a mile a minute which made it doubly hard to understand him. It wasn't Georgie that caught my whole attention. It was the girl who appeared to be working for him. Without a doubt she was a "looker". I would've liked to have spent more time finding out about the two of them but I had a horse waiting to get out onto the racetrack. I knew there would be more time in the future.

It was in early July that I finally got my chance to see Margie’s panties up close. The area we were in was known for Summer thunderstorms. They would blast in with wind and fury for a short time and then leave with sunshine soon reappearing. On this one particular day a storm came in right before lunch and drenched everything. When I got to the house I saw clothes still on the line and knew it was Margie’s day for washing. Mrs M usually took Margie’s clothes in on those occasions and I thought it was strange that they were still there. Elle told me that they had gone somewhere for the day. I tried to think of a reason to go back downstairs to take a look but couldn’t. I could only hope that they wouldn't be back by the time I was ready to head back to the track. I know I didn’t nap all that well thinking of the opportunity to finally see the panties.

When I got to bottom of the stairs I knocked on Mrs M’s door. Usually it was open but I wanted to make sure she wasn’t there. With no answer I became emboldened and headed for the other side of the house. As I approached it I could see that the wind had blown some items off the line and into the back yard. The first thing I came to was a pair of what were obviously Mrs M’s panties, just from the size of them. I looked out towards the grove of trees and saw other items as well. I headed that way and found some of Margie’s daughter’s clothes. Finally, I found what I was looking for draped against a bush. I’d taken far more time than I’d intended and was worried that Elle would wonder why I hadn’t left so just grabbed them and stuffed them into my pocket. Thank goodness they were just damp. One nice feature of nylon panties is that they dry fairly quickly.

I didn’t look at them until I got to the barn. I went for the label first. Mojud, size 5. It was a fairly familiar label for me. They were plain, just like the other Mojud panties I'd previously come across. They didn’t have any noticeable staining in them which told me they were probably fairly new. As I studied them I thought back to the night I’d seen the lot of them hanging on the line and hadn’t gone over to take a look. I consoled myself saying that Summer still had a long way to go.

I’d not had a lot of luck in seeing much of Lisa, the waitress. Elle rarely went anywhere and was satisfied to take the baby out back in the afternoons to give me some peace and quiet. Elle had only used her to look after the baby a few times when she and Mrs M had gone food shopping. I don’t remember exactly when I finally got a peek into her room. The one thing that struck me was that she had a folding clothes rack set up over by her window. I didn’t see any clothes on it but it was a signal that she would hang some of her wash on it from time to time. On this one day I came home for lunch only to find Lisa out in the yard with the baby. I stopped and chatted for a few seconds noting only that her shorts weren’t as short as Margie’s. I went upstairs and as I went into the bathroom saw that her door was open and that there were clothes hanging on the rack. I know I didn’t hesitate as I walked in and saw three pair of panties blowing back and forth. As I looked at them I could see Lisa and the baby in the yard. I picked up one pair and saw they were cotton. I went to find the label and was disappointed in not finding one. I spread them out and saw that they were obviously her "period panties" as the were blood stains on the leg elastics. They weren’t special in any way. I classified them as ”common“ and probably purchased at a ”Woolworth’s“ or another 5 and 10 cent store. I hung them back up without looking at the other two pair. I left feeling somewhat disappointed.

To be continued...

GETTING A BREAK... finally (Part 54c)

The two other renters had moved in and Elle had met them both. She seemed to be at ease about the man after meeting him. The girl was a mystery to me though. Any time I was around she wasn’t. Elle described her as being very nice and very good with kids. Our daughter went right to her even though she was a complete stranger. It was the same with Margie’s kids. Elle said it was amazing. By then we’d been there for almost four weeks and Mrs M still wasn’t accepted that well by our daughter. The girl’s name was Lisa and she'd volunteered to babysit Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4pm at which time she had to report for work. Even though I was usually there during those hours I was usually taking a nap. But I made a note to keep my eyes open for her.

AJ gave me a chance to actually race a couple of horses at the end of the first full week of racing. It certainly picked up my spirits even though the results weren’t all that good. One of the horses belonged to my grandfather and I sort of knew that he was behind me getting to drive it. The other was a horse that had been in the stable for over a year and owned by a man who was really slow in paying AJ. The horse had a hoof problem and if he wasn’t racing (and winning money) AJ wasn’t going to get paid. In a desperation move AJ had a veterinarian ”nerve“ the offending hoof. It meant that the horse would no longer be able to feel anything in that hoof. It had been a fairly common procedure in ”the good old days“ but had been outlawed with the new found popularity of harness racing and much stricter rules. With the lack of feeling in the hoof there was possibility of the horse stumbling. (Think of having your foot go to ”sleep“ and then trying to walk on it.) Being somewhat wary soul to begin with AJ decided that I could drive him. At that point in my frustration with the lack of drives I didn’t care. I’d drive just about anything. I’ll admit I sort of held my breath the whole race. But he raced well and it was my conservatism that kept him from doing better. Later, AJ said I could drive him again which pleased me to no end.

One thing that I noticed right away was that some of my driver friends had not returned to the track this year. The most noticeable was Andy. Harry and Clyde were also missing but that was because the track would only give stall space to horses that were race ready and the harsh Winter had them and others who trained up North behind on their schedule. It wasn't that I didn't know anybody but they were my closest racing friends.

The baby’s first birthday was the next Sunday. Elle and I had decided not to buy any presents and forgo a party to save some money. Elle’s and my parents had sent us a batch of new clothes for the baby to grow into. Being a Sunday, I still had to go to the track to check on the horses and upon my return I found the yard almost filled with cars. I had to park on the lawn. As I walked over to the door I could see a bunch of people in the back yard and I recognized Vi, Harry’s wife. Puzzled, I walked over to the group and saw Elle, Mrs M and Margie along with some other people that I didn’t recognize. There were also a group of young children running around. Mrs M, without saying anything to Elle, had organized a party for the baby. Margie invited some of her friends, along with their kids, to make it a ”real“ party. Vi had the birthday written on her calendar and as I’d told Harry where we were living this season, was able to find us. The one thing that stood out to me when I walked up was that the baby was in a playpen. It turned out that it was gift from Harry and Vi. I arrived just in time for the cake and ice cream. The interesting part of that was that up to then the baby had never had ice cream. I wish that we had a camera because she didn’t like the cold and would just shake her head after feeling it on her lips. She did finally catch on.

For me, it was like a show. Including Margie, there were three young women in short shorts, all with young children that needed to be chased. Each time one would bend over to pick up one of their charges I’d get either a peek at their panties from under the leg openings or a nice VPL. I was in heaven. I was sorry to see the party break up.

Actually, it was my first official meeting with the girl who lived down the hall. As I mentioned before, she worked at the restaurant across the road. On Fridays and weekends they were open for lunch as well as dinner and she’d finished up her lunch time duties and was on her way up to her room to rest. I held the door open for her and followed her up the stairs. I couldn’t help but look up as I did. Her uniform was pale yellow and fairly short with a somewhat full skirt. I won’t lie and say I got an eyeful. It was close but I didn’t see her panties. The hem flounced from side to side but I never saw the ”target“. But, what it did was to get my mind racing even more. She wasn’t particularly pretty but she had a decent figure. She was maybe a couple of inches shorter than Elle. Knowing that I had to walk past her room to get to the bathroom was certainly an interesting thought.

Elle had put the baby down for a nap and lay down on the bed herself. I joined her with all the memories of the afternoon racing around in my head. Elle was showing a lot more than at the same time with the first pregnancy and it was taking a lot more out of her, especially with the stairs. I thought I might find some ”afternoon delight“ but she was ”too tired“. I remember waking up having had a wet dream and being embarrassed.

To be continued...

GETTING A BREAK... finally (Part 54b)

I knew that Elle had worked out a schedule for clothes washing with Mrs M but because I wasn’t around most of the day it didn’t affect me. But that night I pursued it with her. Because her daughter also used her washing machine and had diapers it was decided that they would take turns during the week but Sunday was for Mrs M unless there was a weather problem. Like so many people of the day they used a four line T pole wash line. But, from the driveway it was out of sight and on the other side of the house. I had encouraged Elle to tell Mrs M about her “problem” just so she’d understand if she regularly saw sheets on the line or a lot panties. I knew that Elle could use as many as a dozen pair over a two day period although she’d been doing fairly well over the Winter. She wasn’t keen on the idea but I also wanted her to let Mrs M know that there was protection on the mattress so she said she let her know.

With my new found interest in getting a peek at Marge’s panties I made a concerted effort in finding a reason to go around to the other side of the house. On the next nice evening I told Elle I was going to follow the stream. Because she was carrying the baby in her arms and, at almost a year she was getting heavy, declined to go with me. I started off in the opposite direction from the house. When I saw Elle had gone inside I turned around. Even though there were no clothes on the line at that time I got a good idea of just how it was positioned for when I wanted to take a serious peek. I followed the stream all the way to the highway. While standing there found that if I stood at the beginning of the small bridge that went over the stream that I could see the clothes line. I determined that if I slowed my car when approaching the bridge that I’d be able to determine if there were clothes on the line or not. At that point I had the first part of my plan in place.

It only took a couple of weeks for me to really miss not having the trailer parked right across from the barn. I could no longer just run across the way and get something to drink, eat or to grab a kiss (or maybe something else). The only way to get in touch with Elle was to get in my car and drive to the apartment. Elle, on the other hand, was really enjoying her time with Mrs M and her family. Elle had learned that the other two rooms upstairs had been rented but wasn’t too thrilled with the fact that one of them was to an older man. Mrs M told her that he’d stayed with her since the racetrack had opened almost ten years earlier and had no problems. He worked at the track selling the betting tickets and was supposedly so quiet that the most noise he made was shutting his car door when he got in at night. When Elle told me I couldn’t do any more than shrug my shoulders. The other room was rented to a college girl who would be working at the restaurant across the street as soon as her classes were over. That news certainly interested me and upon hearing it I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like. I tried to use it to calm Elle’s concern about the man as this was going to be her second year staying with Mrs M. If there had been a problem she wouldn’t be returning. All we could do was to wait and see.

As far as the wash line was concerned there were a couple of days where I could see wash blowing in the wind when I got there for lunch. I couldn’t come up with a reason to walk over to the side of the house where the line was located so had to bide my time. With Elle and her “problem“ she’d only had a few ”misses“ and they weren’t at night so there wasn’t much in the way of extra wash. I just had to be patient. It was hard because I’d had another peek (a down pants) of Margie’s panties and that ignited the desire to see more than just a peek.

Things got really busy when AJ shipped the rest of the stable in. It was right before the track opened for the season. I think we had around 20 horses but, unlike previous seasons, almost all were race ready. On opening night we had five horses racing so I was out of my mind busy. I was still spoiled by having been home at night for the past six months so by the time I got back to the apartment at 1 am I was exhausted. On top of that the tractor trailer rig was blocking most of the yard. I ended up having to drive around it and onto the grass. In so doing I ended up in the back yard with my headlights shining on the other side of the house and... on clothes hanging on the line. For a few seconds I honestly thought about going over to check it out. But I was just about falling asleep behind the steering wheel. I figured that it was a long season and I’d have many more chances... and went on upstairs to bed. But believe me, I questioned myself in the morning when I got into my car and saw five or six panties hanging on the line. I wanted to kick myself.

To be continued...

GETTING A BREAK... finally (Part 54a)

In the back of my mind was the apartment that the female photographer, Pat, had rented. All I could do was hope that it might be available. AJ’s plan was to take the race ready horses to Delaware and I would take the others on back to the track where we’d raced for the past four years. AJ had assigned Ed to go with me which allowed me to leave early. I arrived before the horses and went right to the apartment. I’d “sold” Elle on it even though it had some obvious negative aspects. The best part was that, even though only one room, there was plenty of space. It also had a big, grassy back yard with shade trees which would allow Elle and the baby to spend a good bit of time outdoors. It was also only 5 minutes walking time into town. The negatives were that it was on the second floor and had no sink so dishes had to be washed in the bathroom. We pulled in and the owner was sitting in a lawn chair, soaking up the sun. Mrs M was a large, pleasant woman. Elle and I liked her immediately. She showed us the apartment and when Elle reacted negatively to the lack of a sink Mrs M immediately offered up the use of her washing machine, at no extra cost, to compensate. Elle, by then, had become very good at knowing costs and weighing them into the big picture. We both knew washing clothes and diapers were going to be a cost that we hadn’t had to face all winter. I looked at Elle and she gave me a weary smile back. We had a deal.

All our things were loaded into the car but I knew I had to be at the track when the horses arrived so needed the car. Mrs M came to the rescue. She told me to take her pick up truck and she would help Elle unload the car. The timing couldn’t have been better. The first truck had passed through the gate only a short time before. It was early afternoon and I hoped we could get the horses settled in before dark. That thought was like a death wish because we had some problems. The order for hay and straw had gotten fouled up and by the time all the horses were bedded down and fed it was dark. When I got back to the apartment I found my way partially blocked by a big tractor trailer truck. I found a place to park and went upstairs only to find Elle and the baby asleep. On the chance that she’d had a chance to get some food I checked the refrigerator and found a plate of food there along with eggs and milk. It was a pleasant shock. I tried to be quiet but managed to wake the baby who, in turn, woke Elle.

It took her a little time to get focused but caught me up to date. Mrs M had gone into town and bought some staples so we’d have something for breakfast. Then she ended up cooking dinner for Elle and me. Listening to Elle rave about how nice she was was a noticeable change. She’d taken to complaining about almost everything and I, in some ways, couldn’t blame her. I was pretty tired myself and was ready to go to bed but Elle wasn’t done. I decided that it would be a good idea to take advantage of Elle’s good mood.

Mrs M introduced Elle to her daughter who lived in a trailer that was parked next door. I’d seen it but it didn’t think much about it. It didn't appear to be connected with Mrs M’s house and yard. The tractor trailer rig in the yard belonged to her son-in-law who was an over the road trucker. He was home for a few days and would move the truck in the morning. They had a son just a little older than our baby and a daughter about 3 years old. Elle said she’d met the daughter, Margie, and her kids. Elle was excited about the boy because it would be the first time that our baby would get to play with anyone her age. She went on to tell me that Mrs M had shown her the back yard and she said that there was a fresh water stream that ran through the wooded area. They had cleared an area along the stream where they had some chairs and a table set up. After having cooked out in the sun the whole previous Summer she was looking forward to spending time back there. It wasn’t the same type of water she was used to but at least it was wet and she could wade in it to help keep cool. For the first time since I had suggested that we not haul the trailer all the way back to the track Elle seemed to be happy about the situation. At least I wouldn’t have to worry as much about it.

For me, work was somewhat fun because I was in charge. Ed was a tremendous help and without having AJ hovering around all the time it made my life a lot easier. Racing hadn’t started so meant I still had my nights free. Being May, the nights weren’t all that warm but we did manage to have a few where we could spend time out in the yard. One thing I remember vividly was watching our daughter make her first foray out into grass. It must’ve tickled her because she’d go a few feet, flop down, rub her feet and toes and then do it all over again. Mrs M’s daughter brought her kids over and our daughter seemed to be intimidated by them even though they had met a few times before. It was the first time I’d formally met her and as we watched the kids I kept looking at her trying to figure out weather she was cute or just plain.

She was about Elle’s height and weight but she had a round face and big, dark eyes. I finally decided that when she smiled she was cute. Her hair, dark brown and almost black except for when she was in direct sunlight, was cut into one of the popular styles of the day for women, a page boy. It made her face seem even rounder. I remember that she and Elle talked mostly about the kids and I just sat and observed. The first time I found myself even the least bit interested was when Margie's daughter ripped a toy away from her son and he started bawling. She jumped up to go pick him up and when she bent over to lift him up I got the first VPL I’d seen in a long, long time. That little look got me immediately thinking about her panties and just where her wash line might be.

To be continued...

HARD TIMES... or what seemed like it (Part 53c)

She, as could be expected, was excited. But it wasn’t too long before the fact that we’d be flying in an airplane hit her. She’d never flown (remember, it was 1959) and as she thought about it started to worry. I, because of my Air Force ROTC time in college, had flown any number of times. It became sort of a game for me. Every time she’d get herself worked up I'd ask her, point blank, if she wanted to be home for Christmas. She’d always say "yes" so we would continue preparing for our trip.

The weather cooperated and it was an easy flight. The worst part was connecting up with the man my grandfather had hired to pick us up at the airport. We ended up going to see my grandparents first which didn’t sit too well with Elle. The baby was hungry and fussing and Elle’s “package” needed changing when we got there. It was awkward, to say the least. At least my grandfather seemed to understand and we set up a meeting for the next day.

Elle was certainly relieved to be back at her home. After getting herself cleaned up and the baby settled we called my parents to come on over. After my last experience with them when they had brought the new car up to the track, I’d had minimum contact with them. But they surprised me and were very warm and welcoming. It seemed like the old times when both families got together on a regular basis. I didn’t know why but I didn’t care at that point.

Since there was no way for us to carry material presents back with us we got cash for Christmas. What had looked to be a “hard candy Christmas” turned out to be quite wonderful. We had unseasonably warm weather the whole time we were there and Elle and I got to take a couple of walks on the beach. When we arrived back in North Carolina Monday afternoon we found the temperature to be in the high 70’s. If we hadn't had the baby I would’ve put the top down on the car. Once back, I was able to pay off most of my debt (with the exception of my grandfather) and that took a lot off my mind.

But that was the last of the good weather. The month of January was wet and cold ending with a monumental ice storm. We were without electricity for three days. That part was scary but we managed to jury rig a gas heater up to keep us relatively warm. We couldn’t do anything with the horses except keep them watered, fed and their stalls clean. That meant spending a lot of time with Elle and the baby. Her personality was starting to come out and in spite of the bad conditions I really enjoyed getting to be with her.

I think the big disappointment was that there were no others our age living in the trailer park. Elle became friends with the lady next door who was almost a clone of Gert, our neighbor from the Summer. But that relationship was fairly stunted. By March we both had “cabin fever” and were desperate to get out and about. It was almost like a prayer had been answered when a new stable shipped in. The bad weather we had experienced in January and February was universal up through the whole mid-Atlantic region. Even though the trainer didn’t want to go South, he was almost forced to do it. It was a father and son and the son, Maury, was just a little older than I was. I went out of my way to meet him and he seemed to welcome it. He was married and they had a son about a year old. The father had rented a house and the whole family was living there. I talked Elle into letting me invite them over for dinner that first Sunday. It turned out to be a good thing as the two women hit it off as did Maury and I.

In retrospect, it probably saved our sanity. Elle was able to get out and about with someone her own age and in basically the same situation she was in. For me, Maury introduced me to golf and that, in turn, brought me into contact with some other guys around my age. Because the race track was owned by the same company that owned one of the golf courses, people working at the track were allowed to use the course after 3pm each day. I was terrible but the others put up with me and I actually had some fun.

Elle missed her period in March and, at first we didn’t think much of it. But, when April came and still nothing. Elle decided she had to find out. She got the “word” on my birthday so you could say that it was my birthday present. It shouldn’t have been a shock to me but it really was. Not that we had a “plan” as far as kids were concerned but the timing of this one was not good. I’d priced out moving the trailer North for the Summer and then returning it in the Fall. Now, with another baby on the way, it was just too expensive. As we were scheduled to head North in the middle of the month we had to make a decision and quickly. One option was for Elle to spend the Summer with her parents. Monetarily, that was definitely the way to go but it was Elle who said “no way!” I had calculated what rentals might cost and knowing that Elle would eventually head for home as her due date approached, decided on that.

To be continued...

HARD TIMES... or what seemed like it (Part 53b)

By the time we left on Thursday morning both of us had sworn off hamburger for life. We ate it twice a day for three days. I was tempted to ask my father-in-law for a loan just to make sure we had enough money to make the trip but Elle talked me out of it. There was no way I was going to keep up with the horse vans as they had two drivers each. Because of the baby and Elle’s “problem” we were going have to make many stops. Reluctantly AJ let me leave early Thursday with the horses leaving that afternoon. I just had to be in North Carolina when the horses arrived. I just hoped I’d be there.

I’d asked Harry if he could/would move out trailer to North Carolina but he said his equipment wasn’t licensed for interstate travel. Fortunately, I’d heard from my brother that one of my old race car friends from home had gone into the trailer moving business. I was able to get in touch with him and he said he’d do it and I could pay later. But, when we left I didn’t know if he'd moved it or not. I’d told him that we were due there around the middle of the month. So, that was another worry.(1)

We did stop for about 5 hours sleep when we reached Virginia. The baby traveled well but Elle was miserable. I wasn’t as considerate of her problem as I should’ve been and basically drove a full gas tank full between stops. The only 4 lane highway was the New Jersey turnpike and no one had given me a good estimate of time the trip would take. Knowing that I had to be at the barn when the horses arrived was the overriding motivation to press on.

It was dark when we pulled into the track and a quick drive by the barn told me we’d gotten there before the horses. I then drove to where the trailers were parked and was somewhat surprised to see only four, including mine. It was definitely a relief to see that ours had made it and that it was blocked up. But, when I went inside I got a terrible shock. It smelled terrible. I couldn’t identify the odor and then, when I went to turn on the lights, nothing happened. I tried the water in the sink and, again, nothing. By the time I’d made all of those discoveries Elle had the baby in her arms and was headed towards me. At that point all she wanted was to get washed and into dry clothes. It was very hard to tell her that she couldn’t.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know anybody in the area to call and I knew AJ wasn’t there. To say that Elle was VERY upset is putting it mildly. I did find some dry clothes for her but she wouldn’t let me watch her change. I really wasn’t in the mood what with being so tired from the trip and not knowing what to do about getting water and electricity to the trailer. The horses arrived around 10pm or so and by the time all the horses were bedded down into their stalls, watered and fed it was about 3am. Eddie, the long time groom for AJ, was from the area and told me that he thought there was a motel about 10 miles South of the area. Not knowing what else to do I headed in that direction.

I slept until mid morning and then headed for the track and the trailer. A quick tour of it explained the smell... mice... and a lot of them. Droppings were everywhere and they had eaten a whole corner of the bedspread to make their nests. Being a Saturday, the utility company was closed so the earliest we’d have lights was Monday. All I could do was to try and clean up some of the mess. I did buy some mouse traps and set them before I left for the day.

We lived in the motel until Tuesday. I borrowed money from Eddie just to live on. It took that long to get electricity connected. AJ had gone on a hunting vacation with some of his friends so I couldn’t get help from him and I was too proud to ask Elle’s parents (or mine). It finally came down to going to my grandfather. He was more that happy to help but reminded me that it was strictly a loan. As unhappy Elle was with the situation the baby was getting along well. I remember thinking of how lucky she was being so unaware of the world and it’s trials and tribulations.

I’d counted around a dozen mice that my traps had caught by the time we were ready to move back in. I’d scrubbed everything that they could’ve gotten on or in and washed everything else. The mattresses were spared because we had a piece of oilcloth covering them because of Elle’s “problem”. I was satisfied that the odor was gone but Elle swore that it wasn’t so she wasn’t happy. Fortunately there wasn’t much to do with the horses so I didn’t have that added pressure. By Thanksgiving everything had somewhat settled down. At that point in time I remember being around $200 in debt to various people and that didn’t set all that well with me. It was looking like anything but a Merry Christmas coming up.

Elle understood and the baby was too young for it to matter to her. We decided that instead of presents to each other we’d have nice turkey dinner. On the Monday before Christmas AJ called me into his office and handed me an envelope. I’ll admit I was hoping that it was a Christmas bonus but was totally surprised when I opened it. There were two round trip airplane tickets home. AJ sat there with this smile on his face as I read the itinerary. We were to leave on Wednesday, two days before Christmas, and return the Monday after. There was nothing in the envelope but the tickets so I immediately assumed it was a gift from AJ. He shook his head and told me they were from my grandfather. He and my grandmother had yet to see the baby. They were now great grandparents and wanted desperately to see her. AJ told me that he and my grandfather had worked it all out. Of course I was excited and ran back to the trailer to tell Elle.

To be continued...

HARD TIMES... or what seemed like it (Part 53a)

Before Elle left for home with her brother we packed up the trailer for the move to North Carolina. I had the things we needed for the baby packed in the car. I quickly learned the value of a convertible when it came time to load the crib and carriage. All I had to do was put the top down and load it. When loaded all I had to was put the top back up instead of fighting to fit things through doors that were too small. We timed her trip home to take place the day before the horses were to ship. Was I ever thankful that we’d decided on that. One of the horse vans broke down in Massachusetts and we sat by the side of the road for almost 5 hours. I didn’t even want to think of what that would’ve been like with Elle and the baby.

Once at the track things started going smoother although it took a few days to find a place to stay that I felt we could afford. Actually, we couldn’t but AJ agreed to advance me some money against future pay. It was a 21 foot, 8 foot wide trailer parked right across the street from the track. When I unloaded the crib there was barely enough room to get past it and to the back of the trailer. AJ had to wait a few days to enter our horses in the races which gave me the chance to go into Boston to pick up Elle and the baby. I had thought that the train was arriving at the North Station and went into a panic when she didn’t get off. After calming down and talking to the station master he located her at the South Station. When I caught up with her she was a mental and physical wreck... and mad at me for not being there when she got off the train. The baby was hungry and crying because when Elle had tried to breast feed her there was little milk. That and the fact that it had been almost seven hours since she last changed her “package” and the back of her dress was obviously wet. By the time we got to the track she had pretty much calmed down but was still unhappy. Seeing her new “home” didn’t help matters either.

AJ had advanced my pay so I could buy food. We hadn’t budgeted for formula because when Elle had left for home she was still producing all the milk the baby needed. After buying a weeks supply of formula there wasn’t much left for food for the two of us. I remember eating cereal for both breakfast and lunch for that whole first week. Because there were so many horses at the track and we didn’t have but 14 horses there were a few nights that we didn’t have any horses racing. I was lucky and got a job taking horses from other stables to the paddock at $10 each which took some of the pressure off for our second week. There were no neighbors and the only person Elle got to talk to was the old woman who owned the house and property where our rental trailer was parked. I won’t say she was unfriendly but she didn’t have much of a personality. AJ’s wife had stopped in Massachusetts for the first two weeks where she had family so she wasn’t an option for Elle. I didn’t know many of the trainers and drivers and although I made an effort to make friends it was obvious that the “locals” looked at us as interlopers coming in to take their money.

The two owners who had been driving their own horses (with not much success) weren’t coming up so AJ finally got to drive them. One of them had been rated a mid grade “B” horse the previous season. But, with the poor drives the owner had given him he was now a low “C” (on an “A”, “B”, “C” classification scale). There was nothing wrong with the horse and I had this overwhelming feeling that AJ would win with him the first race he started. Even though I had the $10 that I’d earned the night before in my pocket I knew that anything can happen in a horse race and that if I lost any of it we wouldn’t have the money to pay for washing the baby’s diapers. So I didn’t bet him and he won paying around $12 as I remember it. If I’d bet but $5 I would’ve won $30. I was happy that AJ had won but it was somewhat bittersweet in that I felt I couldn’t have bet on him.

It was obvious to me that AJ was somewhat desperate to do well while racing at this track because when we left here we’d be heading for North Carolina for the Winter and his income would be reduced. With that mindset there was no way he was going to let me drive in any races. That didn’t make me any happier. I was unhappy. Elle was unhappy. The baby was unhappy (she didn’t take to the formula all that well). AJ was unhappy because he was only getting his horses in to race about every 10 days (as opposed to once a week all Summer long). It ended up being one very long month.

AJ had planned on staying until the season closed in the middle of November. As I explained in some earlier posts you entered your horses four days before they would race (enter Monday for a Thursday race). With so many horses (600) on the grounds and only 432 racing per week it was like playing roulette in getting yours horses in to race. Discouraged by the end of the first week in November, AJ decided it was a waste of time and decided to head for North Carolina. Elle’s parents, knowing they wouldn’t see her or the baby until at least mid April, decided to make a spur of the moment trip up to see us before we left. I’m being kind when I describe them as being “frugal”. As such, they NEVER ate out at a restaurant. That meant that we would have to plan on feeding them the day they would be with us (which was a Sunday with us shipping out on Thursday). The cheapest thing Elle could think of was meat loaf. I really didn’t want to give her the $5 to buy the meat and fixings but I didn’t have much choice. It was about an 8 hour trip for them so they drove to relatives in Massachusetts on Saturday and got to us about 10am on Sunday. The very first thing they said was that they were taking us out for a “good Sunday dinner”. I remember almost choking when I heard it. That was a whole tank of gas that was sitting in our refrigerator and we had a 750 mile trip coming up.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52j)

It took a few days until I was able to fetch Carol’s panties. It was during the day and Elle was walking the baby. It gave me a good chance to fully inspect them and I found they were another brand that I’d never seen before... Sylray and the tag read Acetate. They felt like nylon and I was puzzled. I checked out the crotch and, although a little stained, they were not nearly as stained as the other pair that I had of Carol’s that were made of nylon. I didn’t have an answer so retrieved my ”stash“ box and added them to it. I was tempted to go through it and, wisely, elected not to as Elle was approaching.

Things turned a lot brighter when Harry showed up with his boat. Elle was so looking forward to getting to some water and a beach that she took her focus off of being mad at me. If there was one negative to our upcoming trip it was that she didn’t have a bathing suit. As much as I wanted to make her happy there was no way I could afford to let her go buy one as we were saving every penny we could for our move to New Hampshire. When Sunday came I persuaded her that she could swim in her clothes if she really wanted to swim. Not entirely satisfied she picked out her oldest shorts and a dark plaid short sleeve top to wear.

The boat was about 16 feet in length with about a 50 horsepower outboard. Harry had been right as it was easy to navigate the launch ramp. The problem was in getting the motor to start. I’d never operated one this powerful or made by this manufacturer. A boy, about 15 or so, seeing me struggle came over and flicked a few gizmos and started it right up. Elle wouldn’t let me open it up to full speed because of the baby but we still had some fun. Elle wanted to walk in the sand so we went in to the beach and had a bit of a picnic. I held the baby as I watched Elle walk out into the water up to her knees. After a few seconds I could see a stream of pee coming from her crotch and splashing into the water underneath her. I got an instant bulge. I was hoping she’d walk back up to where we were just like that but I watched as she waded further out into the water. I was disappointed until she returned. She’d chosen a pair of faded purple shorts and they were pasted to her body clearly outlining her panties. As I’d mentioned before, she’d taken to wearing a pair of cotton panties with a pair of nylon ones over them and, when she turned her back on me to pick up a towel I could readily see the outline of both of the panties. I was hard as a rock.

We stayed there for quite a while as Elle thought there was too much air blowing on the baby when we were riding around in the boat. There is one memory about that time and that is it was the first time that either of us had ever seen a female wearing a bikini bathing suit. There was a popular song on the radio at the time about an ”itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini“. At the track we were pretty much insulated from what was going on in the rest of the world. We seldom watched TV and only occasionally got to see a newspaper so the sight of it was quite revealing. I remember Elle saying that she’d never wear one. All in all, it was a good day for us. The baby got more sun that she should’ve but that was the worst part. Elle was clearly over her "mad" at me which made my life a lot easier.

Elle got a letter from her brother telling her that he'd been released from the Army earlier than expected and he was coming up to see her and the baby. It was a bit of a shock to the both of us. He said he was bringing her mother with him and the timing couldn't have been worse. I was already worried about the move to New Hampshire as it would be the first trip with the baby. I had to wait to leave with the horses and was expected to be there when they arrived. I didn't know how we'd be able to do it but I didn't have a choice. As we struggled with the logistics I came up with an idea. It was to have her brother drive Elle and the baby home and that way I could do what I had to do with the horses as well as find us a place to stay. Then Elle would get her brother to drive her to the city where he was planning to live and let her take a train to Boston where I'd pick her up. Neither of us were crazy about the idea but we decided that's what we'd do.

I got to drive in two more races before we shipping out for New Hampshire. One was for Harry and it was at that time that he made me agree to accept the crib as "pay" for driving the horse. It was hard in that I fully recognized how much he’d helped me (us) in so many ways and I felt a bit guilty. Actually, if I had money I would've paid him to let me drive. I didn’t do well in either race and after the last one I found myself questioning my ability. The only credit I gave to myself was that I was a whole lot better than the two owners who had fancied themselves as drivers. I, at least, had finished ”in the money“ (first, second or third) in four out of the twelve races I’d competed in. Between the two of them they had only two in sixteen races. But, in spite of that I still liked the work I was doing although I was almost starving in the process. With the move to New Hampshire I was going to have to find a place for us to stay and, after a Summer of free rent, pay for it. As we packed up to leave I hoped I had enough money to cover the cost of the gas, food and for a deposit on a place for us to rent. If I’d learned anything that Summer it was that working when you HAD to work was a lot different than when it was somewhat for fun.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52i)

I had a plan all worked out in my mind for Tuesday night. I couldn't wait to finish up my race track duties so I could put it into action. I'd asked Andy when Carol was going to finish up at the hospital and he'd volunteered that Tuesday night into Wednesday morning would be the last. That worked perfectly for me. As I'd gotten into the habit of doing I walked down past the cook house and blacksmith shop and then down the road where the trailers were parked. I slowed as I got to Andy's trailer and, finally, saw clothes on the line out behind it. My heart was pounding and it wasn't anywhere near the time I was planning to check the line up close and personal. I knew Carol usually left a little after 11pm. I still had chores to do at the barn and I was going to wait there until the lights on the track went out and then take another walk. Once there I had to make a choice as to which route I took to the back of the trailers. I could continue walking straight past the cook house and out into the field just as the grooms would do when "grassing" their horses. The problem with that was I would have to walk behind a few trailers and, as I'd discovered, sometimes people would sit out back at night. The other choice, much bolder, was to walk to the back by walking down along side Andy's trailer. I was almost ready to flip a coin but I decided on the latter path. Fortunately, the people in the trailer on the other side were asleep (at least the lights were out). When I reached the clothes line I almost couldn't believe my eyes. All four lines were almost filled. The first lines held sheets and pillow cases. The back two had all kinds of clothes on them. There was no doubt that they belonged to Carol (and Andy) as her uniforms were there as well. All like items were grouped together...all Andy's shirts... his trousers... his undershirts... his boxer shorts. All Carol's uniforms... her shorts... her blouses... her bras... and most important (to me), her panties. I think I stood there taking it all in for maybe 30 seconds. It was then I headed for the panties. My memory says there were at least a dozen pair if not more. I took the two pair at the end of the line and retraced my tracks. I could've stayed out in the back to get back to my trailer but with the dew in the grass my path could've been traced so I walked back to the road. When I reached it I looked both ways and saw some activity down towards my trailer so I headed back up past the cook house to the main road through the barn area. I was almost back to the barn when I saw headlights behind me. I couldn't believe it. So close to the barn and now there was someone behind me. Of all people it was the night watchman.

I don't know where it came from but when he stopped and asked if everything was OK I came up with the fact that I was looking for one of AJ's dogs. He then told me to jump in with him and we'd take a tour of the barn area to see if we could find him. I breathed a big sigh of relief although the damp panties were in my pocket and I could feel the wetness seeping through. It took about a half hour to make a full round and, of course, there was no sign of the dog. He left me off at the barn and I thanked him. Now my problem was what to do with the panties and, if Elle were up when I walked in, to explain why I was so late and also the wet spots on my pants.

I ditched the panties behind the steps into the trailer. That was the easy part. Elle was up and feeding the baby but with the lights out. When she saw the door open she turned on the light. I was already feeling guilty so I was like a deer in the headlights. She probably said something along the lines of ”Where have you been? It’s almost 1am.“ Worried about the wet spots on the front of my pants I just made a dash for the bathroom. She followed me in and luckily I was facing the toilet as if I were getting ready to use it. She turned and walked back into the living room. I knew she expected me to follow her but I went into the bedroom shedding my pants in the process. I knew that by ignoring her I’d made her mad but was willing to take the ”heat“ in exchange for her not seeing the wet spots on my pants. I don’t remember the conversation but it was obvious that she wasn’t happy with my excuse for being so late. As I remember it there were a few ”cool“ days in our relationship that followed.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52h)

I felt a little guilty leaving at that point but I could see Elle was getting a bit upset. Once on the other side of the road Elle told me that she'd been peeing while we were talking with Harry and Vi and that it was running down her legs. Of course I had to take a peek and when I did she hit me on the back of my head... but it was worth it. I could see her whole crotch area was now wet and my bulge was growing. The problem was that I knew she was mad enough that I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the situation.

Back at the trailer Elle quickly got over her "mad" and focused on getting the new washing machine up and running. She had two days of diapers to do and as she changed and washed up I got it all set to run. I could tell she was calmed down by the fact that she reappeared wearing just her blouse and dry panties. The first load was done just about the time the baby wanted to be fed so I got the job of hanging the diapers on the wash line. As I stepped out of the door and looked towards the line I could see a pair of red shorts, white panties and a blouse on the line along with a pair of gabardine driving pants, boxer shorts and a western style shirt... the clothes Jackson and his girlfriend were wearing when we saw them down by the pond. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited at seeing the panties. Not only that but I was going to be close enough to touch them. I made sure that I hung the diapers so that I would be somewhat hidden when I took a close up view. I think my hand was shaking when I reached out to touch them. When they had been hung on the line they were inside out which meant the label was exposed. I sidled over to them and took a quick feel. The tag read Vanity Fair and it was embroidered. It also said "Size 5" but they looked bigger than Elle's size 5 panties. I also noted that the waist elastic was different than any that I'd ever seen. They sure were new to me. I couldn't stay for very long and hoped to get another feel of them when Elle finished the next load of diapers.

The washer seemed to do a good job but she couldn't put that many diapers into the tub. By the time she finished all of them she'd done three loads. That part was disappointing but she realized that if she stayed on top of them in the future it would work. When I took the last load out to the wash line it was almost dark. I checked Jackson's trailer and was happy to see it was dark and there were no cars parked in front. As I finished hanging the last of the diapers I walked past the panties and in one swipe grabbed them and the clothes pins. I stuck my head in the door and told Elle I was going to check on the horses and headed for the barn. The panties were just about dry and as I made my way over I could feel a bulge starting. I made a cursory look at the horses and finally stopped under one of the lights to get a good look at the panties. The leg elastics seemed like the type found on Elle's nylon panties but the waist elastic was really unique. The other thing that was different was that the inside of the crotch felt sort of like cotton but it was fuzzy. I just couldn't reconcile the feel of the material. I knew I better get them back on the line before Jackson returned but I'd seen enough to be on the look out for them when and if I got a chance to go panty shopping in the future.

Labor day was the penultimate day of the year at the track. Management featured an invitational only race with some of the best horses in the East scheduled to race. There were horses that shipped in from the city just for it. I was surprised to see Jackson was listed as the driver of one of them and in the paddock made a point to congratulate him on it. When he saw me coming he thought I was going to rag on him from the previous day at the pond. I guess he was feeling guilty because as I approached he started explaining. I just stood and listened. The girl (I don't remember her name) thought it would be fun to go for a ride in the boat (That sounded familiar...) but he found it was really muddy by the edge. He'd taken off his shoes, rolled up his pants and was in the process of carrying her to the boat when he tripped on a submerged stick. The two of them ended up in the mud and water. I had a hard time keeping from smiling as he explained but I was happy that it had happened for it had given me the opportunity to see a different pair of panties. (BTW: he ended up second in the big race .)

I also saw Andy and he confirmed that he would be leaving the next day with his horses. At first I was sad thinking that Carol would be leaving as well and that I might not get another chance at her panties. But he went on to tell me that she would be leaving on Wednesday or Thursday when the trailer would be going. Because of the Labor day holiday he couldn't get anyone to move it until then and Carol was staying to pack it up for the move. That news gave me some hope at one more try.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52g)

With my head starting to reel I decided it would be a good idea to get some food. They were barbecuing chicken which was something Elle really liked. I fixed a plate for us and as I was carrying it to her ran into Carol and Andy. I pointed them to where we were located and they promised to stop by. By then the baby had fallen asleep so we were able to enjoy our meal together. By the time Carol and Andy got there the baby was fussing and Elle knew it was time to feed her. Because she was still breast feeding Elle wanted to go back to the car. Carol walked up and wanted to hold her before we left. She had her food on a paper plate and when she bent down to put it on the ground I got quite a view. She was wearing a pair of green shorts and when she bent over the outline of the crotch of her panties just kind of jumped out at me. There was no doubt that there were two pair of panties under those shorts and within seconds a bulge was growing in my pants. Even though it only took a second or two for her to put the plate down and to stand up again I saw what I wanted.

I’d made a few abortive attempts to find Carol’s panties on the clothes line again and again without success. One time I was headed that way when, luckily, I spied the glow of cigarettes behind one of the trailers between mine and Carol’s. I don’t know what I would’ve done or said if they had seen or caught me. After that I’d made a point of returning from the track by walking down past the cook house and blacksmith shop so that I could at least get a peek at the line from between the trailers before going out there. It was a combination of rain and being too tired to make the effort that had pretty much thwarted my attempts. But the sight of the VPL’s made me promise to myself to make one last attempt before they headed off to the next track.

I escorted Elle back to the car for the baby’s feeding. When she was done Elle handed me the baby to carry back to the picnic. When we got out of the car Elle just stood there. I asked her what was wrong. She gave me one of those half disgusted looks as if to say that I should know. She was peeing... into her package. When she had finished she said that she thought it might be a good idea go home. Now it was my turn to give her a ”look“. It took some persuading but I convinced her that she would be OK and that we wouldn’t stay too long.

Back with the group again we caught up with Mrs AJ and AJ. Of course she wanted her turn with the baby. She offered to take her to give Elle a break. We were at the fringe of the picnic on the downhill side of the field and Elle noticed the pond. At the last time I’d been to the picnic (Part 33) Pat, the track photographer, and I had walked down to it and we had an interesting experience, one I was NOT about to tell Elle about. Elle, who had been reluctant to sit down fearing that having peed in her ”package“ that it would leak if she did, suggested that we walk down to it. I really wanted to stay with the group and to mingle with my friends as I still hadn’t caught up with Harry and Vi and that was something I really wanted to do before we left. I needed to thank them for getting us the washing machine and also the crib, even though I didn't have the money to pay for it.

About halfway down I saw some people at the pond. I was pretty sure that one was Jackson, our next door neighbor, because of his height. He was, by far, the tallest driver at the track. We had seen him earlier with who we assumed was his girlfriend. As we approached I could see that they were both semi wet with mud all over both of them. It was a pretty funny sight. They weren’t too happy to see us and as we got to them Jackson told us not to mess with the boat. I immediately remembered my experience with Pat from my last time there and told him there was no way I’d go near it. Just looking at the two of them told me there was a good story there.

There was a grove of trees with a few fallen ones to sit on. As small as the pond was it was water and it made Elle somewhat melancholy. This was the first Summer she hadn’t been home and she really missed the beach and being able to see the water. I told her that if the weather was good the next Sunday I’d take her to the lake North of the track. When I told her that it had a beach she was really excited. The baby became restless and Elle said she really wanted to go home. When we got up I could see that Elle’s fear had come to fruition. There were ”smiles“ around her butt cheeks where her pee had leaked out from the leg openings of her sanitary panties. The sight excited me but, at the same time, I didn’t want her to be be embarrassed. I also knew that if I told her that she’d really be upset and probably mad at me for talking her into going back to the picnic... so I decided not to say anything. It really wasn’t that noticeable and I felt that if she knew she’d be self conscious and draw attention to herself. We went back to Mrs AJ and the carriage and said our goodbyes. Just as we got to the road that we had to cross to get to the car we ran into Harry, Vi and Levi.

They were disappointed that we were leaving but Vi wanted her turn with the baby. I said my "thanks" for getting us the washing machine and crib. I was concerned about the cost and Harry kept telling me not to worry about it. In spite of his words I couldn't help it. As Vi and Elle were chatting she mentioned that I’d promised to take her to the lake the next Sunday and was all excited about it. Harry happened to overhear it and jumped in to say that he’d bring their boat up during the week for us to use. He told me they had a boat ramp there and it was an easy in and out. That excited both of us. We stood there talking for a while and finally Elle poked me. I looked at her and was giving me the ”sign“ that we had to go.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52f)

As August came to a close most trainers were making plans as to where they would race when the track closed. Even though it was open until the end of September some trainers wanted to move on to tracks that would be open later into the season to guarantee stall space. Andy was one of them. Tentatively, he had targeted leaving right after Labor Day. I knew AJ was planning on moving on to New Hampshire to appease a few of his owners who were from New England but not until the latter part of September. I was sad to hear Andy’s plans for any number of reasons. He was more of a mentor to me than AJ was and I’d learned a lot from him. One thing I was happy about though was that he (and Carol) would still be there for the track picnic on the Sunday right before Labor Day. I’d missed the last one when I had gone home and raced the sailboat. I was really looking forward to going again.

On the morning of the picnic I was at the barn overseeing the morning chores when I recognized Harry’s pick up truck parked in front of my trailer. I knew that Harry and Vi were planning on attending the picnic but it was way too early to go. I quickly ran over and saw Levi struggling to get a fairly large box out of the bed of the truck. As soon as I got to the truck I knew just what it was... the washing machine. The timing couldn’t have been better as the diaper service ended the day before. But there was another big cardboard box in the truck. While I was cutting the cardboard off the washer, Levi brought the other box in. Since I had no idea what it was I started opening it. It was a portable crib/play pen. I remember Elle letting out a muffled sound of excitement. You didn’t have to know much about furniture to know it was a quality piece. It was made of solid maple and had fully adjustable legs. I asked Levi about it and he said all he knew was that Harry told him to deliver it to us. All I could do was wonder what it was going to cost. My "piggy bank" was empty.

Elle was looking forward to the picnic if for no other reason than to get away from the trailer and the track. I told her that conditions were pretty primitive so that it might be a good idea to wear a ”package“, just to be safe. She’d been doing all the things that the Doctor had suggested and was pleased with her results. I remember her not really wanting to put one on. I finally persuaded her to do it and as she did I also remember her complaining. To me it was sort of funny because she’d worn one almost constantly during most of her pregnancy and without complaining (at least to me). I’ve mentioned before that she had lost all the weight from the pregnancy and about 10 pounds more. All her old clothes were now baggy and one day she was complaining to Gert, the neighbor to the South of us about it. Gert offered to loan her her sewing machine so she could make some alterations and Elle had chosen to wear a pair of bermuda shorts that she worked on. As she pulled them up I was pleased to see that they were tight enough to see a VPL. Because she wore a sanitary panty over the others it was higher than one would normally see. It was something that always gave me thrill to see with any female but when it was Elle it was even better.

Our neighbor to the North, Jackson, had not been the problem like I’d expected. As the Summer wore on, on my way to the barn first thing in the morning, I’d noticed the red Studebaker that belonged to the clubhouse manager parked in front of his trailer more and more. I’d never seen her but Elle said that she’d usually leave late in the morning. But, on this day, I saw her getting into her car as I was loading the carriage into ours. I’d never formally met her but had seen her up in the clubhouse many times. I didn’t think she was especially pretty but she had a nice body. On this day she was wearing short shorts that matched the color of her car. Short shorts were just coming into vogue at the time and this was a closest I’d ever been to someone wearing them. I remember thinking that I’d sure like to see her bend over.

As we drove down the road we had to pass Andy’s trailer and I saw that Carol’s car was still there. I remember hoping that they hadn’t changed their minds and would still be coming. I thought we were on time but there were so many cars in the designated parking field that I was afraid there wouldn’t be a place. It was a long walk pushing the carriage through the rough cut rye grass. The first people we recognized were Clyde and Jane and she was very obviously pregnant. They made space for us and, immediately, the baby became the center of attraction for the ladies. The guys made a quick exit and headed for the beer. I hadn’t had even one the whole Summer and after just two I could really feel it.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52e)

Rain around a race track is most unwelcome... especially on a Sunday. It makes it difficult to get the horses out of their stalls to give them a walk and ruins any outdoor plans you have for your family. When I got up it was pouring. I checked out the barn and did what I could. When the rain let up a bit I headed for Andy’s trailer. Carol’s car wasn’t there and as it was around 9am I knew she should’ve been home from her shift at the hospital. Andy had a small awning over his door so it was open. I called to him and was invited right in. It was obvious that he was prepared for my visit as the table had a couple of scrapbooks laid out on it. His trailer was older than mine and was only 8 feet wide. Two feet doesn’t sound like much but in a trailer it makes a BIG difference. Because it had pretty much been his home for quite a few years there was a collection of furniture that made the room very crowded, at least to me. He offered me coffee, something I rarely drank anymore, but, to be hospitable, said ”yes”. I asked where Carol was and he said she was visiting with a friend. I was somewhat disappointed that she wasn’t there.

The scrapbooks were very interesting and proved that he had been very successful as a younger man. I had actually heard of his best horse although I’d not seen him race. One of the reasons I’d stopped drinking coffee was that it went right through me although not in the way you would think. I asked if I could use the bathroom and he pointed me down the hall. Compared to mine it was very dark and cramped... which was the way my stomach felt. As I sat on the toilet I looked around and saw a laundry basket in the shower stall (They didn’t have a bathtub) and right on top was a white nurse’s dress. I gave some thought to rummaging through the basket but decided against it. After finishing my “business” as I turned around to flush the toilet I felt something soft under one of my feet. I backed up a step and looked down. It looked like a roll of cloth. After fastening my belt I was about to leave but decided to see just what it was that I’d felt. As soon as I touched it I knew exactly what it was.

Evidently, when she took off her panties she sort of rolled them down from her waist. I’d seen Elle do this any number of times. When I had them out in front of me I could clearly see the crotch... and it had discoloration. When I felt it it was damp. My pants had a definite bulge to them. I immediately put them up to my nose and got the now familiar musty smell of stale pee. My heart rate was very accelerated and, as warm as it was out and in, I was definitely perspiring. I had to force myself to put them back on the floor and after I did it took a minute or two for me to calm down.

Because I’d taken so long I felt I had to explain my situation to Andy. He chastised me for not coming out and declining the offer of the coffee. We finished up with the scrapbooks just as Carol returned. When I saw her I sure was glad that she hadn’t been there. At the same time I knew I’d definitely be taking some peeks at the clothesline out back.

I think it might’ve been the same day that Elle and I got some visitors... Harry and his wife Vi. She always tried to spend time with Harry during one of the county fair weeks. Since she was there she got Harry to drive her over to see Elle and the baby. But, there was a big surprise for me. He asked if there was possibly a way for me to race one of his colts at the fair with him. I was all excited but knew I’d have to get AJ’s OK before saying “yes“. What had happened was that there weren’t enough entries to hold two races for the same class of horse (2 year old colts) as had been done in all the fairs held to that time. While Harry and I discussed that Elle and Vi were talking about the fact the baby was using the carriage as a bed. She didn’t approve but I knew that our next purchase would be a portable washing machine as the diaper service was due to end as of Labor Day. And that fact led us all to talk about just that subject. Vi volunteered that they had a source for just such a product. I don’t remember exactly how the conversation went but when I asked how much one would cost Vi said something along the lines of ”Don’t worry about it.“ When I heard that I said I wanted to pay for it and that they had done so much for us already that it wasn’t right. I went into the bedroom and brought out some money and gave it to Harry. Vi was upset with him for taking it but I wouldn’t take it back.

I must’ve caught AJ in a weak moment because when I asked if I could go with Harry to drive one of his horses he said yes. It turned out to be one of the most bizarre experiences I had while working with the horses. The track, 1/2 mile in length, had a soft spot about 10 feet out from the rail right at the head of the stretch heading for the finish line. Since 99% of all harness races were one mile in length it meant possibly having to go over it (or avoid it) twice. It was definitely dangerous. But the fair officials came up with a unique solution... put a couple of saw horses over the spot and paint them yellow. It was truly weird and should never have been allowed to happen... but it did. Harry won the race by staying on the inside rail. I wasn’t as lucky and had to go wide around the saw horses and ended up fourth. Without the "detour" I probably would’ve ended up second. But at least I got to drive in another race.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52d)

One night, in talking with Levi, I asked him if he thought Harry would consider me to drive one of his horses. Levi was a really nice kid and we got along well. He told me to go ahead and ask and to do it when he was present. When I finally got the nerve to ask, Levi jumped right into the conversation, almost pleading with Harry to let me do it. Long story short... he said “yes” as long as AJ approved. I think I’d mentioned earlier that AJ didn’t think much of Harry and his training methods so there was a bit of doubt when I approached him. But I was pleasantly surprised and Harry put me down to drive. By that time I didn’t care how good or bad the horse was. All I wanted was to get into some races.

I should remember the name of the horse but all I can come up with is Grace something or other. On that night I still had to warm AJ horses up for him so Levi warmed Grace up. I only had one chance to drive her before the actual race and I found that she was a handful, pulling hard on the bit. As we headed for the starting gate I took a look at the odds board and found that we were 40 to 1. I got lucky and found a place along the rail in second place. When we hit the 3/4 pole I could feel her letting go of the bit, not a good sign. But no one was coming up from behind us and ended up second. My best finish so far. Levi was more excited than I was. As we walked up the ramp back into the paddock Andy walked up and congratulated me. I really appreciated that.

Two horses had been shipped to AJ from the city but both needed to be qualified. (All horses needed to be able to trot or pace a mile in 2 minutes, 12 seconds, without going off stride. Also, horses that went off stride in two consecutive betting races had to be re-qualified and prove that they could go a mile in a race without breaking stride) Right after my second place finish AJ put me down to try and qualify one of those two horses. Both of them were royally bred but had not performed up to expectations. This track was of a different configuration and the owner thought it might help them. I was shocked when AJ told me. The one I was to drive was called Wonnerful. It was stupid name and he was anything but. As opposed to the horse I’d driven for Harry, who was really “on the bit”, he had a “soft mouth“ and was hard to drive because you couldn’t ”feel“ him. But, it was another chance to drive.

In looking back on that experience the only way to describe it is to say it was like driving a car with a loose steering wheel. It was the first time I’d ever been afraid while on the racetrack. Every time I’d try to ”steer“ him he’d lift and shake his head and change direction. He didn’t break stride but didn’t qualify either, missing by a fifth of a second. In a way I was glad. If he had qualified I was sure AJ would’ve put me down to drive him in a betting race. Even now I still feel the same way.

What was really important was that the horse that AJ had driven qualified easily. We had both been in the same race and as we crossed the finish line I could see AJ holding his horse back. There was no need for him to go any faster than he had to to get qualified. Andy had been watching while we were racing and the first night AJ went to race the other horse, Rod Mite, he asked if I thought he could win. Based on what I’d seen and overhearing AJ talk to the groom who was taking care of him I told him that he ”had a chance“. Andy reciprocated by telling me he ”had a chance“ with his horse as well. It was another Daily Double combination and I felt good enough about his chances that I bet both the Daily Double and Rod Mite. I remember it being a Monday or a Tuesday and that if I lost both bets I was down to just a few dollars until Saturday.

There was no need to worry. Rod Mite won and because his past record while racing in the city was so poor he went off at around 15 to 1 odds. I saw the payoff light up on the infield tote board and was giddy. Rod Mite had just won me more than half of my weekly net pay. But the best was yet to come. Andy won his race and the daily double paid $60 something. I was walking on air the rest of the night.

It was standard procedure for a horse to be moved up in class after they won. Rod Mite was racing with better horses on his next start. AJ and I were back on better (but not good) terms and he volunteered that he thought he could win again. I looked Andy up and passed the word to him. I still had some of my winnings in my pocket and for the first time since I was married I bet $5. Rod Mite won again and I had around $40 to put in my pocket. I knew Andy, who had told me he never made a bet for less than $20, was a happy man as well.

The next week, even with the horse moved up in class again, AJ volunteered that he didn’t know how good the horse really was and that it was possible to win again. I went right to Andy. I bet another $5 and walked away with another $30+. It was too easy. In a little over a two week period I’d made more than twice my weekly pay. Naturally, Andy was very grateful for the ”tips“ and we continued to spend quite a bit of time chatting in the paddock each night. I ended up asking him what was the best horse he’d ever trained and driven. His eyes lit up and said that he’d dig out his scrapbook and show me the pictures. I was really interested because I’d heard that when he was younger and racing in Canada he was considered to be one of their best. The problem was in trying to find the time to get together. Finally, on a Saturday night, we agreed that I’d come down to his trailer the next morning after chores were done.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52c)

Later that day (actually it was night and she was headed off for work) Carol stopped by our trailer to check on how the baby was doing. Elle had been asleep and when she got up to feed the baby was only wearing a T shirt and her panties. She was sitting in the living room and because it was very warm and humid all the doors and windows were open. When Carol knocked the only light was from the kitchen and for Elle to get to the bedroom from where she was sitting she had to go past the open door and into the lighted kitchen. There was no way for Carol not to know Elle was there as the windows were open. Elle told me that she didn’t know what to do but to invite her in. She was hoping that by having the baby across her lap Carol wouldn’t be able to see how she was dressed. They chatted for a few minutes but just before Carol was about to leave Elle felt herself ”leaking“. She was sitting in an upholstered chair and, in spite of Carol being there, got up. As she did she felt herself continuing to pee. Carrying the baby she rushed into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. (I would’ve loved to have seen the look on Carol’s face.) Carol called in to Elle asking if she was OK. It was about then that the baby decided to start crying. Again, Carol called in to Elle and this time she asked if she could help by coming in to get the baby. When Elle, who told me she was embarrassed beyond belief, didn’t answer and when she didn’t Carol came to the door. There was Elle, sitting on the toilet in her panties, holding a crying baby. I really would’ve like to have known what was going through Carol’s mind at that moment.

Carol ended up getting the baby and Elle got washed up and changed. When Elle reappeared, dressed, Carol was all apologetic for dropping by without letting her know she was coming. Elle told me that Carol seemed to be as embarrassed as she was. But then, in an effort to make Elle feel better, she admitted that, even at her age, was still wetting her bed and after she did Elle thought she was now more embarrassed. Elle said that she felt she should tell Carol her about her wetting situation to make her feel better. At this point I was hard as a rock and trying not to smile. It was like listening to a perverted game of "Can you Top This?" At the end Carol ended up admitting that she also had a ”dribble“ problem. When Elle told me all about Carol’s visit she told me she didn’t know whether to believe her or not. I will tell you that I had a hard time hiding my bulge from Elle as she recounted Carol's visit. When I got into bed I tried to get Elle "interested" but it was to no avail.

So, in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Carol had told Elle. As I thought about it I came up with possible scenarios for a couple of the questions that I’d had about Carol. The ”dribble“ problem would certainly explain the stains in her panties. As someone who still wet the bed at night it was certainly possible that she had wet herself while asleep on the trip back from the other track. And, in spite of the hour, it was certainly reasonable for to her have rinsed out her wet clothes upon returning home that night. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. I had answers that satisfied me. One thing I do remember about that night was that I knew I’d have to make some more clandestine visits to her clothes line.

By August I had a completely different perspective as to my ”work“. Even though I was employed by AJ, I had been getting more and more frustrated with some of the decisions that he’d been making. Granted, he had 20+ years of experience in the business and, cumulatively, I had about 9 months. But, he didn’t seem to be using common sense in making some of those decisions. In an effort to be helpful I questioned him about a couple and got a verbal blast back for my good intentions. After that things got fairly ”cool” between us. I’d driven in only a few races and that was part of my frustration.

My friend Clyde, who had been working for Harry, had gotten frustrated and quit, moving his four horses from the Fairgrounds area up to the main barn area. For Harry, it was poor timing as he was about to racing his two and three year old colts on the County Fair circuit. (It would take too long to fully explain that whole process. In essence, over a six week time period there were six county fairs that sponsored harness racing and featured horses bred in State. The purses [the $ paid out to the winners] were for more money than those same horses would race for at the track we were at.) For Harry it meant a lot of traveling and the potential of not being back in time for the night races as the the Fair races were held in the afternoon. Harry had expected Clyde to fill in for him when there were conflicts but that was no longer possible. If you remember back to when I was working for Harry on Saturdays during the Winter I had mentioned his nephew, Levi. When Clyde left him, Harry had no real choice but to accelerate Levi’s learning curve. Basically, he was doing what I had done that first Summer I worked for AJ. In any case, Harry had been asking a variety of different drivers to race his horses when he couldn’t make it back in time.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52b)

When it was time to go to the track Carol went back to the car. We were close enough to the track to walk and I wondered why she did. When she rejoined us she had on a skirt. I remember wishing that I’d been able to watch her change. We all went into the paddock and met the man who was training the horse. Andy got permission to warm him up and put his driving colors on. (Rules required that once the track opened to the public anyone on the racetrack had to have on their race colors) We all waited to hear his opinion and it was positive. From there we all went to the clubhouse to meet the man who still owned the horse. The deal was that even if Andy’s owner did want to buy the horse it wouldn’t be until after the race. The prospective owner was really excited and, as it worked out, the horse won and he agreed to buy the horse. We were all excited, especially Andy but soon after the race was over Andy, Carol and I left.

Carol got in the back seat and, as she had a small pillow, proceeded to lay out on it. I was the driver and had hoped that Andy would be able to help me stay awake. I figured that we’d be back around 1am which wasn’t all that bad. If I had a horse racing in the last race that would be the time I’d arrive home anyway. The first hour wasn’t bad but Andy fell asleep soon after. The highway was straight and boring which wasn’t helping me. I wasn’t used to the dashboard and when I finally located the gas gauge what it read woke me up, for sure. I hadn’t been paying attention for the the exit signs which, quite conveniently, told how many miles until the next one. I was in a panic because the needle was on empty. There were very few cars on the road and I could envision being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Our luck held out because an exit appeared within minutes. As I pulled into the gas station I looked back at Carol. What I saw almost made me hit the gas pumps. Carol was lying on her side with her back to the front seat. Somehow she had managed to roll over with her skirt caught up under her. What I saw was a white pantied bottom. There wasn’t much light but I knew what I had seen. After stopping the car I turned around to take a good look. Fortunately Andy and Carol stayed asleep. The light from the gas pump island let me get a real good look and I couldn’t believe what I saw. There was no mistaking the fact that I saw two very distinct crotch lines... she was wearing two pair of panties. The attendant (they still pumped your gas in those days!) startled me and also woke Andy and Carol up. She, immediately, rolled over and pulled her skirt back into place. Andy and I decided to visit the rest room and I asked Andy if Carol wanted to go. He shook his head and said it would be better to let her sleep.

When we returned to the car Carol had turned over and was now facing the front of the car. No more ”free show“. I had no trouble staying awake on the last part of the trip thinking of the wonderful sight I’d just witnessed. Of course my main thought was on why Carol was wearing two panties. It wasn’t that I’d never seen it before as Elle was now into wearing two pair but I wondered why Carol was. I knew there was no way for me to find the answer but I still couldn’t help wondering why.

Back at the track I parked in front of Andy’s and walked home Elle (and the baby) were asleep which meant no ”snuggling“. But I was really tired and didn’t hear her get up to feed the baby so missed out again. When I got up I remembered that I’d left the racing program in Carol’s car. On my way over to the barn I decided to go check the car and sure enough it was lying on the front seat. The windows were still down so all I had to do was reach in to get it. As I backed my head back out I took a quick peek to the back of the trailer. I could see part of the clothes line and I saw what appeared to be the skirt that Carol had been wearing the night before. Started towards the back and after on a few steps I saw two pair of white panties hanging right next to the skirt. I was puzzled. Why would she, at 1am, wash out the clothes she’d just been wearing? I headed off to work scratching my head.

One thing that Carol had told both Elle and I was that anytime that we had a question about the baby or she seemed to be ill to come down and get her. She had two years working in the pediatric section of a large Toronto hospital. It was shortly after my trip with Andy and Carol that Elle found the baby to be very fussy and not interested in her usual feeding. After I’d gone off to work she carried the baby down to Carol’s trailer. She told Elle that it wasn’t that uncommon for a baby to reject an occasional feeding and that, absent a fever, just carry on as she had been doing.

To be continued...

WORKING... and the reality of it (Part 52a)

As well as my private life was going it certainly wasn’t the same for my work. It was a bit of a shock to realize that it was a lot different now than when I was working during the Summers because now I had to. A lot of the annoying things that I’d had to do when working with AJ during the previous Summers I was able to handle because, on the whole, working with the horses was “fun”. I was rapidly coming to the realization that all those things would be around as long as I chose this life as my profession.

As I’d mentioned before I was disappointed that I wasn’t getting to drive in more races. I told you that a couple of the owners now fancied themselves as “drivers” and were driving their horses in the races thereby cutting AJ out of money that he counted on to help pay me. That, in turn, was forcing AJ to drive horses that I might’ve had the opportunity to race.

Because the stable was so large there weren’t any free nights except for Sundays when the horses weren’t racing. There were nights when what I wanted more than anything was to stay home with Elle and the baby but I had to work. There were very few nights that Elle was up when I finally got home. Yes, I did get “some”, but it was a lot more fun to go to bed at the same time as she did.

In an earlier post I had told of wanting to get to know Carol’s (she of the 59 Chevy Impala) father Andy and it came about in a rather unique way. AJ had decided to let me drive a horse that he hadn’t had any success with. I ended up finishing third and was pretty proud of myself being that it was the longest shot in the race. After dismounting I was walking back up the chute into the paddock when I felt something tapping me on my shoulder. I turned to see it was Andy tapping me with his whip. He also had a horse in the same race. I stopped and as he walked up to me he said with a definite French Canadian accent, “You coulda won that race.” It was a bit of a comedown for me after thinking I’d done so well. Remembering that I wanted to become a friend I let my hurt feelings slide. What he ended up telling me was really good advice and I was sincere with my thanks.

The next night he walked up to me and asked if the horse AJ had in the second race “had a chance”. That was a code for asking a driver if he thought he could win. I told Andy that AJ (and I) thought he would. As he walked away he said that his horse in the first race also ”had a chance“. I quickly looked up old Mose, the paddock worker who would take our bets and place them over at the grandstand, to bet the Daily Double ($2 bet on the winner of both the 1st and 2nd race) As I remember it I got back around $20. More important was that Andy and I now were on the same page.

Over the next week I spent more time chatting with Andy than I did with AJ. One night he told me that an owner he had trained for in years past was interested in getting back into the business. He was looking at a horse that was racing at a track about 2 1/2 hours away. Out of the blue he asked if there was any chance that I could join him when he went to look at the horse. Of course I was flattered... but pretty much knew AJ wouldn’t let me. I told him to let me know when he was going and I’d let him know. For once luck was with me as the day he chose we only had one horse racing. I picked my spot and asked AJ if I could have the night off. I didn’t tell him why and he didn’t ask and he said ”yes“.

Andy had worked it out that we would go on a night that the horse was racing. He wanted to have a chance to sit behind him during the early warm ups as well as to see him actually race. Andy said he’d pick me up around one pm and when the car pulled up I saw his daughter, Carol, driving. I’d assumed that it would be just Andy and I and that I would share the driving with him. I went around to the passenger side and got in the back seat. Andy introduced me to Carol and then, sort of embarrassed, explained that he couldn’t drive as his license had been suspended. Carol, who worked as a nurse, worked the midnight to 8am shift didn’t want to take a chance in driving back that night so I was to be the ”relief driver“. That was fine by me.

I found Carol to be a really nice person. The time that I’d seen her at the laundromat her hair was down to her shoulders but today it was tied back in a pony tail. She had a pretty face and, from where I sat, a pretty fair body. She was wearing a blouse and shorts and even from the back seat I could see that she was, indeed, very well endowed. Most of the conversation was about me and my background. When we arrived at the track we went right to the barn where the horse Andy was to look at was stabled. The groom was getting the horse ready to take to the paddock which gave Andy the time to go over the horse to see if any of his critical areas were sore. While he was doing that the man who was intending to buy the horse arrived and he and Andy went into ”conference mode“ leaving Carol and I to chat.

She was very candid and told me that Andy had taken a liking to me. She also told me that Andy had always been a ”drinker“ but when her mother died he pretty much fell into the bottle. He wrecked his car and got hurt and that was when she decided to step in. They’d been together for about 9 months and even though he hadn’t had a drink in that whole time she still worried about him. She chose the midnight shift so that if he did fall off the wagon she would be able to keep him from trying to race while drunk and possibly lose his trainer/driver license. It was obvious that she cared deeply about him.

To be continued...

FATHERHOOD ... Learning to cope (Part 51 g)

One thing that I needed to address as far as my becoming a knowledgeble trainer concerned the importance of having the right shoes (horseshoes) for each and every horse. AJ encouraged me to take horses to the blacksmith and to ”pick his brains“ as part of my education process. Even though I’d done this right from the time I’d started working for him he still felt it was important for me to continue. It was often the practice for a horse to be shod the day before he (or she) raced. There were two ways to get to the blacksmith’s shop and one was to walk the horse down the road in front of the trailers. I remember leading this horse and noticing a new 1959 Chevy Impala parked beside one of the trailers. I couldn’t see the color of the car the other night at the laundromat but just seeing that Impala and remembering the stains in the panties made me excited. That, and the fact that the car was in the general vicinity of the trailer where I’d grabbed the panties the previous night. What were the chances of the two actually being the same? I know I didn’t learn much from the blacksmith that day as all I wanted to know was who owned the car.

That group of trailers was about 7 or 8 to the North of ours. I knew one of the people who lived in that group and made a point of looking him up that night up at the track. I had to be careful of how I asked about the other residents because the panties could’ve possibly belonged to his wife. I decided the best way to go about it was to ask what he thought of the new Chevy. After a bit I asked just who owned it. It turned out that it belonged to the daughter of a trainer/driver who I didn’t know except to recognize him. The next step was to get to know him.

It was somewhere around that time that something happened that I never, ever thought I’d be happy about... Elle started her period. We both hated it but for different reasons. She, because they were long, messy and painful. Me, because I had to put up with a very moody female and, usually, it meant putting off anything sexual for 7 to 8 days. But, in this case, it meant that once it was over I would finally be able to make love to her after almost a 4 month wait.

The trainer’s name was Andy and he was a transplanted Canadian. He was about AJ’s age and I asked him what he knew about Andy. I didn’t get very much information but one important thing was that his wife had died. I didn’t want to ”push“ him because I didn’t want him to ask why I wanted know. I felt like a detective but, as it turned out, if I’d waited I could’ve gotten all I wanted from Elle. On one of Elle’s walks with the baby in the carriage she had run into his daughter.

Her name was Carol and she was divorced. Elle guessed she was somewhere around 30 years old. Her father (Andy) had a tough time when her mother had died and she decided to spend the Summer with her father with the thinking that they could help each other get through it. Elle said that she really liked her and felt comfortable with her. At that time I didn’t know if that was good or bad news.

As I remember it the first time we actually made love it wasn’t planned. Elle’s period was much shorter than usual. I’d been asking her, each day, how she was doing and she’d usually answer by pointing to a pad in her panties. She’d been doing well as far as her wetting was going and wasn’t wearing her ”package“ any more. So, when I walked into the trailer she had just put the baby down for a nap. I walked up to her, kissed her and, as usual, put one hand between her legs. There was no pad. It was probably the fastest hard on I’d ever achieved. I started rubbing her panties and was trying to get my finger inside. She was sort of responding but my lips were locked on hers. She was trying, but not very hard, to get away. She managed to get her lips free and told me she should go to the bathroom. I wouldn’t let her go and after a few seconds she stopped struggling... and I felt my hand get wet and warm. We were ”at it“ within a few more seconds. It was great!

My sex life after that afternoon was unlike anything I’d ever experienced or even dreamed about. Maybe it was the spontaneity of it but it seemed that so many inhibitions that Elle had exhibited throughout the time we’d dated and been married went away. About the only time she wasn’t interested was when she was feeding (breast) the baby. If she got up during the night to feed the baby there was a very good chance that she’d be ”willing“. A ”quickie“ at lunch was sometimes possible. One afternoon, just before I was leaving to drive in a race, she suggested ”one for luck“. It was wonderful! If there was one bad part over those few weeks it was that I lost about 5 pounds.

One thing that I remember (and loved) was that inside our trailer Elle basically walked around in a blouse and her panties. She’d gotten somewhat used to it after the doctor (and I) had encouraged her to work on holding her pee. I’d let her know how much I appreciated the ”view“ so after she had convinced herself that she had some semblance of control she continued to appease me. She’d had a few small ”leaks“ so still wore a pair of cotton panties with a pair of nylon ones over them but that was fine with me. On the other hand, she also knew how her being wet turned me on so she would humor me (when I was around) by not wiping when she used the toilet and sometimes when I would walk in and grab and kiss her and put my hand between her legs, give me a ”squirt“. If I’d ever had a fantasy I don’t think I could’ve come up with a situation that matched what I had for real.

To be continued...