ADAPTING... three is enough (Part 95a)

I’d forgotten how much work a baby could be. It’d been 3 1/2 years since our last one. Actually, because I’d been working with the horses and put in such long hours I didn’t spend all that much time, at least while I was awake, at home. With Elle not up to “par“ I’d been very involved with all three of them. Truthfully, it was an eye opener for me and gave me some appreciation for all that Elle had to do. It was about mid May that Elle was up and about but not at full strength but it was enough for me to get away for the police agility exam that had been postponed by a week and the day was perfect for it.  

Because of the large number of applicants who had passed the written portion the location was split between two schools with about 350 for each. Each prospective patrolmen had to do five different physical events with the cumulative score deciding who passed and who didn’t. It was a long day. I was a bit worried about Elle and wanted to bring her a present. One of the things that she really liked was fresh strawberries. It had been a surprise to find out that Rick’s family grew them on their farm. I thought all they grew was vegetables. On the way home I took a quick trip up to their farm stand. An added treat (at least for me) was seeing Rick's sister who manned the stand. While there I ran into Bags who was getting some for his mother. He asked how I was coming on getting my car ready for opening night. I told him how I’d gotten behind because of Elle’s operation and the new baby. I didn’t think much about our conversation but that night I got a call from him. He said that he could get some of his crew together the following day and would come and help me get the car ready. I was excited.

Elle, more or less, knew that I’d be spending time working on the car so it wasn’t a complete surprise to her when I told her where I was going.  After taking my grandfather to the hospital on his usual Sunday visit I headed East to Crash's house. Bags brought three of his pit crew and we finally got the car to Crash’s house. I took a lot of ”grief“ from them because of the ratty condition of the car. I’ll admit it looked worse in daylight than at night at the track. It didn’t take long to switch out the motors what with four of us working. I was really excited when we started the motor for the first time but I’m sure the neighbors didn’t appreciate it though. When we were cleaning up Bags suggested that I tow it to to Ricky’s barn. He’d seen some broken welds and was concerned. I’d been hoping to get home at a reasonable hour not wanting to tax Elle's strength too much. But Bags was right and safety was important.

At Rick’s I had to put up with more ”grief“. Rick was willing to do the welding (for free) and after he’d finished he made a comment that bothered me. He said that the car wasn’t really worth the effort. In my heart I knew he was probably right but when you don’t have much money you do with what you have. Today it would be... It is what it is... The guys asked if I was going to go to the open practice the following Sunday. I still needed tires and had deftly hidden away about $40 of the money that my grandfather had given me at Christmas. However, running practice laps would only wear them out. I didn’t even know about it and told them I’d think about it.

It was after 6pm when I got home. Marge greeted me telling me that Elle and the baby were sleeping and she’d fed the kids. I knew I was in for a little ”heat“ when she woke up but I rationalized it by knowing that the car was basically ready to race with the exception of the tires. I sucked it up and thanked Marge profusely. As she went down the steps I took a good look still hoping for at least a VPL. No such luck!

As it turned out I wouldn’t have been able to have gone to the practice. As mentioned earlier, my grandfather was starting to fail. One of the things he liked to do in the Summer was to go to ”The Cottage“ (it was what he called my parents house), sit in the shade and get cooled by the breeze off the bay. He hadn’t done it yet this season and when he asked if I’d take him after seeing my grandmother I didn’t have the heart to say no. When we got back to his house I didn’t expect to see Jan’s car. She’d done one of those split shift deals and didn’t have to be back at the hospital until 4pm. Initially, I was concerned about taking him because of his ever increasing limitations. Upon seeing Jan I impulsively asked if she go with us thinking she'd be my "insurance" if he had a "spell”. Jan had never seen my parents house and I knew she’d love seeing the beach and the water. I had to persuade her but wore her down. She did make a point of the fact that she absolutely had to be back at the hospital by 4pm. I promised she would. I told her to get her bathing suit and couldn’t believe it when she said she didn’t have one. I thought of going home so she could borrow one of Elle’s but time was getting to be a factor. I’d lose a total of one hour going and coming and as it was we’d only have about 2 hours so skipped the bathing suit. I did tell her that she couldn’t wear her uniform though. That got a smile out of her.

I called Elle and my parents and told them of the plans. I thought Elle might have a problem with it but she thought it was a nice gesture for both Jan and my grandfather. My mother was pleased to see us and quickly made up some “treats” as my grandfather called them. Jan was really impressed with the location and made a comment that now she really wished she’d had a bathing suit. I did too... but for a different reason. If she’d brought one there was the chance to inspect her panties.

To be continued... 

INTO THE FUTURE... with hope (Part 94e)

The next five to six weeks were a virtual blur, especially as I sit here and trying to remember it all and putting it in a time line. So... I’m going to give a synopsis and do a sort of fast forward.

=============================================================

The race car had to wait. The baby was fine and showed no effects from Elle’s thyroid operation. The problem was Elle. After the operation the doctor thought he had the dosage of her meds regulated. However, the birth of the baby created a hormonal imbalance that had her all messed up. It made coming up with the right amount difficult. After she finally left the hospital someone had to be with her constantly. I’ll bet I made a dozen trips to the doctor with Elle during the first three weeks she was home. It took over a month for her to get back to feeling somewhat normal. One positive was that she’d only gained about 25 pounds during the pregnancy and was back to wearing her regular clothes within the month. She’d hoped that her incontinence would get better but it wasn’t, at all. We started talking about looking into a follow-up procedure for her soon after she got home.

Sonny was moved from the critical care section of the hospital he was in and was able to have visitors. With looking after Elle on a nightly basis made it almost impossible to get over to see him. The reports coming back from those that had were not good. It would be a long time, if ever, before he’d be able to walk again. I vowed to visit him as soon as Elle felt comfortable.

The new program that Jay had created to create computer generated lists for the Clerk Typist exam was a big success. I was so excited about its success that I wanted to have all competitive list become computer generated. Because so much attention had been put on the Police exam which had just been completed, Mrs K asked me to limit it to just that one. However, she didn't say "no" to the idea of doing it for all exams which was a good sign. Even though I had fit in well with the Civil Service office and liked the people and the work my heart was still in the Data processing department so Mrs K’s request was welcomed by me, for sure.

It was into April before all the police exams had been scored (over 1200 by hand). The next phase was the physical agility test. I don’t remember the number who had passed the exam but we had to run the tests at two separate schools. It was supposed be the first Saturday in April but, as the song goes ”April showers bring May flowers“, we had a mini monsoon and Mrs K deemed it unfair to run the tests under those conditions.  Because I’d made arrangements for Elle to have someone with her (I don’t remember who) for the whole day I decided to head to Crash’s house and try to finish up the motor. The season was due to start Memorial Day weekend and from being way ahead of schedule back in March I was now getting worried that I wouldn’t make opening night. We did what we could but really needed the car so that the new motor could be installed but that had to wait.

Marge, the new neighbor, turned out to be a life saver, stepping up to pitch in to help out at a moments notice. It took some ”doing“ but I was finally able to find out about what her husband did. The Town Council had made a somewhat secret zoning change that would allow a ”tank farm“ to be created. There were to be up to six giant petroleum storage tanks built to warehouse home heating oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel. Once the word was out the community was up in arms. Marvin, Marge’s husband, was there to oversee the construction of the tanks and was trying to keep as low a profile as possible. In spite of seeing more and more of Marge, I still had no real ”peeks” or clothes line views. Disappointing!

My grandfather had experienced a couple of “bad spells” and my father had decided that someone was needed to be with him during the day in addition to Jan at night. When told about the need, Cammy, my grandmother’s daytime nurse, said she could get her mother. The critical times were from 8am to noon and from 5pm to 9pm. I was aware that Jan and Brig were getting more and more serious. When she had first started she had expressed her willingness to be available seven nights a week. Having witnessed all the extra things she did for my grandfather firsthand I'd told my father that she should be entitled to some monetary compensation over and above the room. He resisted but I insisted. It made me feel good to “win” one over my father.

One of the many things I learned while working with Jo on the “lists” project was that Jay’s father had died. If you’ve read much of this blog you’ll remember that Jay was not one to share information on his personal life. After she told me she followed it up with an admonition not to say anything about it as he’d know she “spilled the beans“. Another thing I learned was that he and Jo were living together and her mother was having a ”fit“. Their plan to get married got put on hold because husbands and wives could not work together in the same department. The pay increases and Jo’s promotion were too good to walk away from so this was the best arrangement they could come up with. Jay had continued to find carpentry projects and stumbled onto one in which he’d been asked to convert a 2 1/2 car garage into an efficiency apartment. Jay did it and his ”pay“ was one year free rent. As Jo said, it wasn’t utopia but it would do for now. 

To be continued...  

INTO THE FUTURE... with hope (Part 94d) 

When it came time to bring Elle home the doctor had a really serious meeting with me. It became obvious that I hadn’t grasped how serious the operation was and how much effort was going to take to get her back to good health. He said a number of things that hit me upside my head just like a 2x4 would. First of all was that without a thyroid Elle would have to take a medication that would replace what the thyroid gland produced. The problem with that was there was no specific recommended dosage because each person’s system produced a varying amount. He said he was just guessing with the initial prescription and would have to monitor Elle weekly until such time he was satisfied that she was stabilized. A second concern was that he couldn’t be sure how the meds would affect the baby. There was the possibility that they would have a negative effect on her and she would have to be monitored closely as well. Only time would tell. The third was that he didn’t really want to release her but Elle had pretty much demanded it saying that she’d been away from her kids for five days and she wanted to be with them. At that point he looked right at me and said I would have to make sure that Elle did nothing but rest for at least a week, if not more, regardless of what she said. He definitely got my attention.

Elle’s mother stepped up and agreed to come to look after her and the kids a few days during the weeks that followed. On the days she couldn’t make it Janice took her place. The new neighbor, Marge, volunteered to make supper on the days that Janice was there (she was definitely NOT a cook!). On a personal basis, the situation caused me to spend a lot more time at home on the weekends. Basically, the only time I was away was to do grocery shopping and to take the kids to Sunday school and my grandfather to the hospital. All thoughts of the new motor and the race car were put aside. In a way it was a trial run for when the baby was born. With everything else that was going on the doctor had moved the expected birth date up to April first. For reasons that only a female would understand, that upset Elle. She didn’t want to have an April fools day baby. 

Jay was true to his word and wrote the program to produce the Civil Service Clerk Typist ”lists“ using the computer. I got Mrs K to approve a test of the program using an existing list that had been double/triple checked for accuracy and it passed. It was fun working with Jo again but the due date for the revisions on the Police exam was right there upon me. I had to step back and let Marty finish up as different municipalities were demanding valid lists. However, the door had been opened for working with the DP department and I was looking forward to it.

The other PT’s including Wilson and Marty were the guinea pigs as far as testing out my revisions on the Police exam. Even though the test wasn’t to be given until the third Saturday of the month (March), the office had over one thousand applicants with almost a week to go before the cut off date. Supposedly, the Police department was planning on the largest class of rookie patrolmen in the history of the department. There was a lot of attention being given to the exam which made me a bit nervous. When they finished and the test was scored they gave me the thumbs up. As far as work was concerned I was definitely on a positive roll.

The Saturday of the test was the first day that Elle was on her own. The doctor had been playing with the dosage of her meds and, based upon what Elle had told him, was somewhat satisfied with the results. She was definitely looking forward to having the baby as her pregnancy had become a definite burden following the surgery. I had spoken with the new neighbor, Marge, to find an excuse to stop in after lunch to make sure she was doing OK. Speaking of Marge, I was disappointed in that I had yet to see any ”unmentionables“ hanging on her wash line. Although not really pretty she had a ”girl next door“ look about her. I was really looking forward to seeing some panties on her line. Another thing was that her husband seemed to be invisible in that I’d rarely see him or his car. Elle had tried to get some information from Marge but she just let Elle’s questions slide by. It was strange.

The Police exam was an eye opener. Six schools were used. I got assigned to the one closest to home because of the situation with Elle. Teachers from each school were hired as monitors and each of us from Civil Service "ran" the program. Even though the exam was only two hours didn't get home until late in the afternoon. Marge was there and it was the first time I'd gotten even a hint of a VPL. That meant there really was hope.

Much to Elle’s relief, baby Kaye arrived at 2:30pm on March 31st and there would be no April fools day baby. When Jan heard that the baby had arrived she managed to switch with one of the nurses in the nursery. When Elle saw her walk in the room she thought she was just coming for a visit. When she found out that she would be one of the daytime shift nurses it made her very happy. It made me happy as well. I hadn’t seen her but for a few minutes a few times since Christmas. I didn’t have to wait long to get a VPL and it showed she was wearing band leg panties. It was what I expected. I remember wondering when, if ever, she wore the fancy Rogers panties. I knew from when Elle had worn hers that I’d be able to tell just by the size of the crotch line in the back. Of all the panties Elle had the Rogers had one of the widest and, for sure, the longest (from front to back) crotch. 

Because of the thyroid operation and what effect Elle’s meds might have had on the baby it was decided that she should stay for five days. As far as costs were concerned it didn’t make that much difference as, under the new health care coverage, it was included. The hard part was making sure that the kids were cared for and happy. They, of course, missed Elle but they’d seen Janice and Elle’s mother enough not to have a major problem with the situation. Right after the baby was born Elle’s mother picked them up and took them to her home for that weekend which meant that for the first time in about six weeks I’d have some time to myself. It wasn’t a hard decision what to do with it... RACE CAR! 

To be continued...   

INTO THE FUTURE... with hope (Part 94c)

As February arrived Elle’s pregnancy continued to go without much trouble (other than her incontinence) and she continued to respond to calls for her to substitute teach. I’d guess it averaged about twice a week. Janice (Jan’s sister) continued to babysit the kids. She’d usually arrive around 8:30am and eat breakfast with the kids. One of the things she enjoyed doing was to give updates on Jan’s ”love life“, as she called it. I got the definite impression she was jealous. Brig (Buddah) still hadn’t gotten a full time job so a lot of the time that he and Jan spent together was just ”parking“.  Regardless, I was happy for her.

At work, Annette had quickly allayed Mrs K’s fears about her mobility. That, and the fact that she actually had a personality, won everybody over in short order. The PT’s no longer had to answer mundane phone calls or get up from what they were doing to hand out flyers on job openings. Her acceptance within the workplace pleased me to no end... and certainly pleased her. 

In the month that I’d been working with Sonny on the revision of thee Police exam I’d been able to partially break through the ”barrier“ that he’d built up around himself causing him to be called SD (strange duck) behind his back. Without going into the boring details suffice it to say that I found he had a real interest in ice hockey. Unmarried and unattached he’d go to all the home games of a regional hockey team. Out of the blue he asked if I’d like to go to a game with him. I’d had an interest in hockey when I lived in the city but hadn’t paid much attention after moving back home. I was smart enough to realize though, that for Sonny to invite me was a big step and decided to accept even though it’d be a tough ”sell“ to Elle. Long story short... I enjoyed the game and his company and it was time well spent. I honestly believe that it showed in the increased productivity of our work on the Police exam that followed. Sonny even talked of inviting me again.

He lived in a rented apartment in a town about fifteen miles East of the County Center. The road he had to travel was known to be dangerous. There were three lanes but the center lane was not a turning lane. Heading East, for the first five miles there were two lanes. Then, quite abruptly, it changed so that Westbound had two lanes. The lines on the road indicated the change but, at night they were hard to see. Signage on the sides of the road also indicated the change but this was a period in time where reflective signs were considered too expensive. At night, at speed (50mph) they were impossible to see. On a regular weekday night with no snow, sleet or rain, Sonny got hit, head on, by a delivery truck.

Sonny was dependable. I don’t remember him ever being late even when it snowed. So it seemed strange when he didn’t show up and there was no call. Calls were made to his apartment with no response. A couple of us were concerned but nothing concrete came of it. When the office still hadn’t heard from him the next day Wilson went to Mrs K. She was amazing. It seemed like she knew everyone not only in town but also the surrounding townships. Using her resources she was able to find out about the accident and where he was. When she told the PT’s about it she told us that she was still working on getting his condition. It was quitting time before she did. Sonny was alive but just barely. In the ICU he’d been given last rights. It was depressing news. Through one of my racing contacts I was able to locate where they’d towed his car. Even though it was dark when I saw it it was hard to believe he’d survived. The left front wheel was pushed back into the cabin of the car as was part of the motor. It really shook me up.

That was the first negative thing of the new year. The second had to do with Elle. It was in early February when the nurse at the school where Elle was teaching that day walked up to her and asked if her doctor had commented on the ”bulge“ on her windpipe. When Elle said ”No“ the nurse told her to call him as soon as she got home. As you can imagine Elle’s effectiveness for the rest of the school day was gone. Again, long story short... Elle had a growth on her windpipe. It was deemed serious enough for surgery to be scheduled almost immediately even though she was into her eighth month. The tumor was benign but it had gotten into her thyroid gland and the gland had to be removed. She came through the operation without a hitch but the recovery time in the hospital was almost four days. The kids stayed with her parents and, back in those days, visiting hours were limited so I continued to work and got to see her at night.

One unexpected benefit was that I was able to get to work on the new motor. Her recovery stay included the weekend so I got a lot done. ”Crash“ estimated that it would be running in just a few hours if the race car was there. Here it was only the middle of February and I was almost ready to go (race). It was a good feeling. 

Working with "Crash" on a Saturday I got the added benefit of seeing the wash line. There were two distinct sets of panties right out behind the garage for ready viewing... one set was bikinis and the other was full briefs. I already knew who the bikinis belonged to. Bikinis were still fairly new to me so I spent more time looking at them than the others. It was a pretty sight to see especially in the bright sunlight. Getting a few fleeting glances of Alicia (the daughter) just added to my delight. The only thing that would’ve made it perfect was to get to see the panties up close and personal but I knew there was still time.

To be continued...    

INTO THE FUTURE... with hope (Part 94b)

The banquet to recognize the seasons stock car racing champions was usually held in early November. Lightning had struck the hall where it was traditionally held and it was postponed until after Christmas. I’d had no plans to go as I’d only raced a few times and wasn’t in line for any point money or trophies. However, in talking with people like Bags, Ricky and ”Crash“ my racing ”juices“ were flowing and, at the last minute, decided to attend. Elle had no desire, whatsoever, to go so I was on my own. I had a blast meeting new people and talking racing. When I left the banquet hall that night I was all fired up and ready to get started on the new motor. The question was in how to do it without upsetting Elle.

Sometimes help comes from the strangest places. In this case it was Elle’s mother... or I should say a friend of hers. Ellie had been my mother in law’s best friend going back to before she was married. In fact, Elle was named after her. In any case, Ellie had moved to the West coast during WWII. It had been a long time since she’d seen Elle’s mother and it was certainly prior to Elle and I getting married. She wanted to see Elle and the kids. Elle hated to ”perform“, as she called it but knew there was no way out of it. Seeing a chance to get started on the motor I volunteered to drive telling Elle that I would use the time to visit some of my friends. I certainly wasn’t lying but it certainly wasn’t the whole truth.

”Crash“ had decided that I would put the motor together with him advising and watching. This made sense because that way he would have more free time to drink beer. It wasn’t that I had no idea what to do as I’d watched a few motors being built when I had my first race cars. It was the ”details“, as ”Crash“ called them, that made the difference. As usual, I let time get away from me. It wasn’t until Alicia, his daughter, came into the garage to let him know that supper was ready that I realized that I was in trouble. I only wished that she’d come in earlier as she really was a good looking girl. On my way to pick up Elle and the girls I was pleased at how much I’d accomplished in putting the motor together in just four hours. Actually, at that moment in time I didn’t really care how mad Elle was.

I’d mentioned earlier that I’d been working with Jay on a pilot program to score some of the Civil Service exams. It was around the end of January when it was discovered that the women in the office who created the lists that were used for hiring Clerk Typists throughout the County had been screwing them up since the beginning of the year. It was a BIG mess. It had nothing to do with what John and I’d been doing in administering the exams. However, the problem was so large that Mrs K decided to suspend giving new exams until it was straightened out. I casually mentioned it to Jay and he shot back that he (the Data Processing department) could create the lists using the computer. I remember shaking my head and thinking how great that would be. When asked how hard would it be to program he smiled and said he could do it in a weekend.

When I left him that day I knew I had to find a way to present the idea to Mrs K. I rolled and tossed most of that night but by the time I got to work the next morning I had a plan. I knew that she liked me but not to the extent that I could just walk in and have her accept any idea I threw at her. In this case I had to ”sell“ her on the idea. There was no doubt that the problem was a big embarrassment (BTW: her first) to her so that was the wedge I used. The only exposure for error if the lists were created on the computer was from input. Right from my first exposure to DP I was impressed that two people had to enter the same information and if either one was wrong it had to be done again. It took me about an hour before she allowed me to contact Jay to set up a planning meeting.

The timing for this project was perfect even though I was also working on the revision to the Police exam. Not administering the Clerk Typist exam gave me approximately a day and a half ”free time“ to work on it per week. Jay said he’d write the program on his own time (as a favor to me) and that I’d be working with Jo. It was almost like old times. She seemed pleased with the news to be working with me again and I know I was happy to be back working with her. It also gave me a chance to observe the newly hired Data Entry Clerks. Neither was particularly pretty but both were definitely ”in style“ wearing mini skirts. I’m smiling as I write this because I remember Jo telling me to ”stick to business“ when she caught me trying to get a look at them as they worked.

Our new neighbors moved in during a snow storm. To make things worse for them their furnace wasn’t putting out much heat. As I’d mentioned their unit was one of the newest models and had a new type furnace (for mobile homes). Because it was so new the ”boys“ who owned the park hadn’t had the two handy men trained on it. When I got home I found the woman in our living room talking with Elle. Her name was Marge and I remember wondering how young she must’ve been when she had her son who we’d been told was off at college. She didn’t look much older than Elle who was 26 at that time. I remember thinking that I’d definitely be looking at her clothes line. We invited them to stay with us for the night when the husband returned to say that the furnace couldn’t be fixed that night. I was seriously hoping that they would but they thanked us and said ”No". Even though I was disappointed with the decision I was pleased that they had seemed very nice and looked forward to them being neighbors.

To be continued...

INTO THE FUTURE... with hope (Part 94a)

January 1 was highly anticipated by everyone working for the County. Salaries would be up and health care expanded. For me there was added responsibility. Mrs K had tapped me to work with Sonny on revising the Police Patrolman exam. It had been his project but he hadn’t been making enough progress on it and she felt I might be able to help get it back on track. The Police exam was, by itself, the most anticipated test administered by the Civil Service department. Given twice a year, there had been almost 1000 applicants the last time it was given. It was a professionally created exam much like the Clerk Typist exam, designed to test for general knowledge. However, there was also a portion designed to test for reasoning powers. The department had been using the same one for three years and Mrs K felt it was time to “shake it up”.

Sonny had been dubbed “a strange duck” by Wilson who, behind his back, even called him SD. Very much a “loner”, he didn’t socialize all that much with the other PT’s and there was little really known about him. He seemed like a good guy to me so didn’t look at the pairing with a jaundiced eye. It would’ve been easier to have worked with John as my partner as we really worked well with each other, constantly bouncing new ideas off each other.

Another departmental development was that our buxom receptionist had been transferred to another department in the County Center building. Her novelty had long worn off and Wilson had finally “won” and got her moved out. One of the girls who had taken the Clerk Typist exam and had passed with high marks on both the written and practical parts had stood out in my mind as an obvious replacement. However. it wasn’t an easy “sell”. Annette was a victim of polio and had no use of her legs. You have to remember that this was the beginning of 1964 and people with handicaps were on their own. But, Annette didn’t consider herself to be handicapped. She got around with metal canes and kind of propelled herself by throwing her legs forward. The problem was in convincing Mrs K that she could do the job. My thought was that she would make the perfect receptionist as she would be willing to stay put, answer the phone and answer questions. Mrs K threw all kinds of questions at her and Annette handled them all with ease. I was really pleased when Mrs K said “OK“.

A big change took place in the Data Processing department as of January 1st. The work I’d done of job descriptions had been accepted and the Board of Supervisors approved a budget just for them. They were still tied, loosely, to the Audit and Control department but Jay was now a full fledged department head with the title of Data Systems Manager. The position of Keypunch Operator was now called Data Entry Clerk with a senior level added (and an increase in pay). Two new girls were in the entry level position and Lucy was in the senior position. My old position of Machine Operator had been changed to Data Processor and Jo now held it. Andre was promoted to Senior Data Processor. All my old co-workers had been given new titles, a pay increase but they were only provisional in that they would have to take a test and pass it to become permanent. It was not something that made Mrs K happy but because of the fall out from Leo’s mismanagement of the department she went along with it. I was no longer barred from visiting the DP office and in fact Jay and I were working on the possibility of having some of the tests scored using electronic equipment. It wasn’t quite like old times but it was close.  

Back at the mobile home park the lot next to us finally had a mobile home in it. It was the newest model and I was a bit jealous as some of the changes were really nice. I was able to glean the fact that the owners were in their 40’s with a son in college. I’d been hoping for something like the teen girls who had been living there when we first moved in. The unit across the street had been sold to a single middle aged man so that was a disappointment as well. Eric had decided to have his unit (our old one) moved to where he was originally from but it wasn’t going to happen until the end of the month.

Elle’s pregnancy was still going well with her only problem being that her incontinence was a bit worse. Her doctor told her to follow up with Buddy’s father (the doctor who had done the corrective procedure on her back before we were married) after she’d recovered from the birth. Just the thought of another operation, even though it wasn’t major, just scared her mightily. One of the reasons we’d put off doing anything about it was our medical insurance had been limited but now, with the benefits changed there was no excuse. Selfishly, I was concerned about what the ultimate results would be as we’d integrated her wetting into our love making. Realistically, I knew we had to follow up on the doctors suggestion.

Bags had been away over the holidays so it wasn’t until the second week in January that I finally tracked him down. Of course he wanted all the money right away but I was able to hold him off for a while. It was helpful that his girl friend, ”Crash’s“ daughter, was there when I gave him the money so she could tell her father about it. That cleared the way to starting to put it together. I was excited even though I didn’t have a plan in place to explain to Elle where I’d be going on Saturday afternoons.

All in all the new year was starting off well.

To be continued...

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (part 93f)

My preoccupation with wondering if Jan had worn the fancy panties was displaced with planning what to do with the $250. First on the list was to give a fair amount to Bags to pay for the motor for the race car. I wanted to get started on building it and “Crash” had told me that he wasn’t going to touch it until Bags gave him the “word”. By the time I fell asleep I’d spent the whole thing and more. The next day I made a quick trip at lunchtime over to my grandfather’s to not only thank him for his generous gift but also to find out what had prompted it. He got all emotional saying that he very much appreciated my taking the time to come over to visit with him and to take him to the hospital. He made a caustic comment about how my brother seemed to avoid him. I chose to keep my mouth shut on that subject and told him I’d see him on Sunday.

It wasn’t until I got back to work and saw a nice VPL from a woman while on break that my thoughts went back to Jan. Then it came to me that I’d had a perfect opportunity to check Jan’s lingerie drawer or her wash to see if she’d worn the panties. I wanted to kick myself. Try as I might I couldn’t come up with a plausible reason to go back over to my grandfather’s house while Jan wasn't there. I finally gave up and figured that it didn’t matter in the long run.

As usual, I showed up after church on Sunday to take my grandfather to see my grandmother. We usually got there at noon or a little later. My grandmother’s condition had deteriorated to the point that she was a “vegetable”, not able to communicate in any way. It was really sad. My grandfather would sit in his wheelchair and hold her hand for about a half hour. I’d just sit and watch unless Cammy, her nurse, happened by. She was always good for a VPL plus a bit of conversation. As she walked out the door I saw Jan standing there. I waved for her to come in but she shook her head in a negative way motioning for me to step out in the hall. This was a real surprise. But the shock was yet to come.

From the time I’d first met her and in all the time I’d been around her I don’t think either of us had touched. So, I was totally unprepared for her to grab one of my hands with both of hers. It wasn’t just a light hold but was rather strong. Then she started talking. Basically what she had to say was the she really appreciated what my family had done for her by inviting her to join in celebrating Christmas. But she went further saying that she now understood what I’d meant that night when I’d asked about “special” days. The gifts and invitation, indeed, had made it a special day and for her to feel special. I thought she was done at that point but then she told me that when she’d found the package with the panties she'd been really upset. She thought I was “strange” and didn’t know what to make of it. However, with the present of the fancy blouse and slip she, more or less, understood. By this time I was perspiring and I really don’t remember what my mealy mouth response was. As surprised as I was for what had just transpired I certainly wasn’t expecting the kiss she planted on my cheek. With that she let go of my hand and turned to walk away. As she did she really made my day when she said something along the lines of “... and I did wear the pants” (She’d always called them underpants in my presence)

That night when the phone rang it was almost 10pm. My first thought was that my grandmother had died but it was Jan. Now my concern jumped to my grandfather. It was neither so, still a bit paranoid about the gift of the panties, I figured it had to do with them. When she asked if someone could look after my grandfather on New Years Eve I was so relieved that I said yes without thinking. Brig (Buddah) had asked her out. It took a few seconds for me to put all the pieces together and when I did realized that I’d committed to go to the farewell party for Eric, my racing helper and neighbor. I kind of hemmed and hawed for a few seconds and then told her that I’d get back to her with the details.

Eric’s party was to start early and Elle really didn’t know any of his Air Force buddies so when I told her that we’d just make an appearance she was happy. All I had to do was get over to my grandfather’s by 9pm. I confirmed it all with Jan and she said that it was perfect as Brig was going to pick her up at 9pm. I decided to try and get there a bit early to meet him again since he and Bags (and Ricky) were friends and I wanted to solidify myself within that whole group.

For a girl who’d told me that there were no “special” times in her life she sure looked special when I saw her that night. I recognized the blouse but with a really different hairdo she looked really good. Before I could start to visualize her wearing the fancy panties Brig arrived. It was a bit awkward at first probably because he hadn’t expected to see me or anyone else. Racing talk cut through that but Jan quickly ended it. I told him that I looked forward the racing season and was sure that we’d meet up again. I remember Jan smiling when I said that. After they left I closed out the year with three games of dominoes with my grandfather. It would only be an hour before a brand new year would be here.

To be continued...
 

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (Part 93e)


When we got to my grandfather’s house we found my mother busy in the kitchen. Anxious to see the kids reaction to the presents she had bought for them, she took a break and followed all of us into the living room where my father, brother and grandfather were seated. I’d warned my mother that Jan probably wouldn’t arrive until 4:30pm or so. Janice, her sister, being naturally shy had decided to wait for Jan. Concerned that Janice would feel awkward what with gifts being exchanged I’d gotten a subscription to Life magazine and my mother had gloves and a scarf for her. My mother, who loved to shop, had decided that Jan’s gift (a nice fancy blouse and lacy slip) would be from the whole family. That was perfect as far as I was concerned. I was still praying that Jan wouldn’t do or say anything that would even hint at my “gift”.

With the kids happily playing with their gifts Jan and Janice walked in. Jan was still in her nurse’s uniform and my mother made a comment that it would be nice if, for dinner, she could change and not make us all feel so formal. I’d watched Jan’s face from the moment she’d walked in and she hadn’t looked in my direction even for a second. When my mother made her comment she handed Jan the present. After all the “Oh... you shouldn’t have’s” she opened it. It was obvious that she was surprised by the blouse. When she held it up in front of her for all to see, her excitement just glowed. She did look at me as she showed it off and there was no sign of any problem. I was relieved, at least for a few seconds. At my mother’s urging she disappeared into her room with her presents to change.

While she was in there there my grandfather handed out his presents. We all knew it was money. With his failing eyesight and inability to get around he could no longer buy specific presents for each of us. He’d always ask what we actually bought with it but, at least in my case, I’d never tell him. I was expecting the same as the previous year and that was $50 so I didn’t bother to open the envelope. The last envelope was for Jan who appeared from her room just in time. I was amazed at how nice she looked in the fancy blouse and a plain gray wool skirt. She’d also done something with her hair which added to her “look”. When my grandfather called her over for her envelope she was embarrassed. I’d not anticipated him including her. After giving her the invitation, to join the family for Christmas I explained what she could expect and that wasn’t part of it. I was happy for her especially after how long it had taken for my grandfather to accept her.

Jan and her sister insisted that they help my mother getting the food ready. My brother finally showed up about a half hour before we were to eat. I was in a position to see my grandfather’s face when he appeared. It was clear that my grandfather wasn’t too pleased with him. In a selfish way I was hoping that my brother wouldn’t get his envelope... but he did.

With two “strangers”, dinner was a little awkward at first but everybody soon melded in. I kept taking peeks at Jan but she seemed to avoid looking my way. I was a bit surprised since she’d had a nice smile on her face when she’d walked past me when showing off her new blouse. At least she wasn’t making faces at me. Tradition in our family was that the dessert served at both Thanksgiving and Christmas was home made mince meat pie. It was a recipe handed down for generations and something that you had to acquire a taste for. Watching both Jan and her sister take their first bites was definitely a Kodak moment although no one had a camera. However, they survived. With the kids occupied with their new toys the rest of us sat around and talked. Most of it focused on Jan and Janice’s memories from their Christmases as children. It was eye opening for me as they didn’t get much in the way of toys and the clothes they received were plain and functional. Hearing that I felt very good about my desire to get Jan some “special” things.

Elle wanted to get the kids home at a reasonable hour since they’d been up since around 7am and without a nap. I was proud of them as their behavior was, for the most part, exemplary. I was a bit torn about wanting a few seconds with Jan or not. When it didn’t happen I’ll admit I was relieved. Unrealistic as it was I was hoping to find out if she’d actually worn the fancy panties along with the slip and blouse. After loading the presents into the station wagon we then said our “good byes”. When I bent over to kiss my grandfather and to thank him for the envelope he tried to put something into my shirt pocket. When I got it in my hand I asked what it was and he just told me to get going and waved me away. I knew better than to fight him so walked away with a smile. Not wanting to bring attention to it I stuffed it in my pocket and headed out.

It had been a long, but good, day for all of us. After getting the kids to sleep I was ready for bed myself. It was when I was taking my pants off that I remembered the thing my grandfather had tried to put in my pocket. Elle was washing up in the bathroom when I fished it out. When I saw what it was it just about took my breath away. It was a check for $250. I didn’t understand it. I’d gotten my envelope along with everybody else but hadn't looked in it and immediately wanted to know what was in it. Both Elle’s and my envelopes were still in the bags containing the gifts from my parents so, after rooting around in them I found both. Mine held a brand new $50 bill and Elle’s a new $20 and a $5. I stood there questioning the meaning of the check until Elle called me. As I walked down the hall I made a quick decision that I wasn’t going to mention the check.

To be continued...   

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (Part 93d)

I was paying for the panties when another saleslady walked up and as the first saleslady was wrapping them made a comment to her. They chatted for a few seconds and then the one who’d been waiting on me said that I might be in luck. The other saleslady had put two pair away for a customer the previous week who hadn’t returned and they were a size 5. I couldn’t believe my luck. I ended up taking all four.

John wanted to know what was in the bag I brought back. We’d shared panty peeks for a few months by then but I wasn’t up to sharing my absolute fascination with panties with him at that time. I fudged the answer saying I’d bought Elle a nylon scarf. I was partially right... at least about the nylon.

I questioned my sanity shortly after making the decision... I decided that I would give them to Jan on Christmas eve. After the news that I’d have more dollars in my take home pay Elle and I decided we’d splurge a bit on the kids. We’d seen a 1/3 size play kitchen set in the Sears Christmas catalog. The only place to assemble the three pieces was at my grandfather’s house which gave me an excuse to see Jan. As it turned out I actually needed her help to get them together. Without ”pushing“ I got her to admit she was looking forward to having Christmas with us. In the course of casual conversation she asked what everyone would be wearing. My answer was that it was tradition to wear clothes that we’d been given for Christmas. I saw her face get wrinkled up a bit so I asked what was wrong. She didn’t want to answer but this time I ”pushed”.

She told me that all she was getting from her parents was a hand me down Winter coat and that she and her sister had agreed not to exchange gifts, At this point in time I have to tell you that she was helping me by crawling around the floor on her hands and knees while still wearing her nurses uniform. Being white, I was getting an occasional VPL and it was obvious that she was wearing band leg panties. I’d come up with a couple of mismatched panels and couldn’t get the two pieces to fit together. Frustrated, I just sat back with my back against a wall. Jan was on the other side and chose to do the same. The difference was that she was wearing a dress and when she leaned back she used her legs to push her butt back. A very nice “peek”! It didn’t matter that I knew what she was wearing as a peek is a peek is a peek. She saw me looking and didn’t say anything at first. When she spoke her words surprised me. I’d forgotten that she’d made a joke of when I’d handled her panties back when I was fixing her dresser drawer. I don’t remember her exact words but they were along the lines of “Now you’ve seen my underpants on and off me... satisfied?”. The tone of her spoken words weren’t as harsh as they appear above and her lips did have a bit of a smirk.

I just sat there for a few seconds and the only thing I could think of to say was to ask if she was mad at me. That made her smile. She said I reminded her of a guy she knew in school who was always trying to see up her skirt. With that I was blushing beet red. I figured that any chance of giving her the fancy Rogers panties was now dead for sure. But I felt I had to defend myself just as I had when I’d handed the panties I’d dumped on the floor that time back to her. When I did she just waved her hand towards me and said she’d just been kidding. She went on that it just seemed funny to her that I’d been involved in so many incidents concerning her underpants but that she was not upset. 

We got back to the task at hand and finished it up. After loading the pieces into the station wagon I came back into the house to say good night to my grandfather. I brought the Rogers panties in with me but didn't know if I had enough nerve to go through with giving them to her. Jan wasn’t in her room but the door was open and her light was on. I’d left the panties in the tissue paper that they had been wrapped in and had put a bow on the top. I knocked on the door just to be sure and, not getting a response, walked in and put the little package on her pillow. I’d grabbed a slip of paper from my grandfather’s desk and wrote “Merry Christmas! These are to make you feel SPECIAL”. I did manage to make it out of the room before she returned. Once back in the station wagon I started to realize just how big a chance I’d just taken. All I could do was hope (and pray) that she had the sense not to say anything. To say I was distracted at the midnight church service that night is putting it mildly.

With that weighing on my mind Christmas morning wasn’t all that exciting. The kids went wild with their presents (a sink, refrigerator and stove) and when it was time to get dressed and head for Elle’s parents they weren’t very cooperative wanting to stay and play with them. Even telling them that there were more presents to come didn’t work. So, with two disgruntled kids in the back of the station wagon we headed out. Elle’s brother was there and even though he’d been out of the the army for a while he didn’t spend much time at home. Our kids distanced themselves from him which didn’t make our time there very pleasant. Even with the trepidation of seeing Jan at our next stop I was looking forward to leaving.

To be continued...   

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (Part 93c)

The party was very nice. Mrs K’s husband, Larry, ended up being the entertainment. Wearing a Santa suit he fit the bill. Because of my dislike of John’s wife I avoided her all evening. The women, some meeting for the first time, got along well and Elle managed her “problem” without incident. Wilson’s wife and Elle shared similar backgrounds and interests which I thought was a real bonus. We left fairly early with Elle’s pregnancy as the excuse. Not unexpectedly we found Karen asleep in the swivel rocker and the TV on. We startled her as we walked in and she jumped up. Her coat was draped over the chair she’d been in so she just put it on and we were out the door. I drove her home with nary a word spoken. I paid her and told her I’d see her in church in the morning. Even that didn’t get a “rise” out of her.

Elle was dressed ready for bed and sitting on the sofa when I walked in. By her feet was this small bag with the name of the local high school stenciled on it. Karen, in her rush to leave, had left it on the dining room table. It didn’t matter as we’d see her in church in the morning. I was in bed when it came to me that there was a good chance that a pair of Karen’s panties would be in the bag. It took a while to fall asleep as I tried to come up with a plan to investigate it in the morning.

Nothing was going well as we prepared for church. Anne, our youngest woke up in a snit and wasn’t co-operating with Elle about anything. Trying to dress her Elle finally picked her up and took her down to our bedroom to do it on our bed. I immediately headed for Karen's bag. Initially, it appeared that all that was inside was Karen’s red and white uniform. I was rushing, afraid Elle would appear from behind me but I made one last swipe and found something silky. I pulled it to the surface and it was as if the panties knew that I was looking for them as they were inside out and right on the top with the label, Isis, right there. I knew immediately where they came from. We had a W T Grant store down on Main Street and it was like an upscale 5 & 10 cent store. I’d seen them a time or two before and had been impressed by the quality. All I had time for was to read the label. I stuffed them back inside the bag and went on down the hall to help Elle.

After the church service, when Elle and I went downstairs to retrieve the girls from the nursery, it was the “old” Karen we saw. With a big smile on her face she was down on her haunches helping a very young boy with his coat. I stopped and waited, hoping for a peek. When it didn’t happen and she stood up I still visualized her there in just her Isis panties. I also hoped that we’d be able to have her babysit again under better circumstances.  
 
With Christmas approaching I’d gotten to thinking about Jan and her sister being alone and I got the idea of including them for Christmas dinner at my grandfather’s. Jan's comment to me about not having any "special days" had really gotten to me. I ran the idea by my mother who thought it was a good one. However, because Jan would be working Christmas day, we’d have to change the time for dinner to be served. That became a problem.

My grandfather, at his age, was very set in his ways. Christmas dinner was ALWAYS in the early afternoon. Added to that... Elle’s mother NEVER served the main meal of the day before 5 or 6pm. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I’d stirred up a hornets nest. However, help came from an unexpected source. Elle’s brother had been working in the city since getting out of the Army and that Fall he’d just landed a good job. With Christmas on a Wednesday he had to be at work on Thursday. Since his only mode of transportation was the train and the last train was at 3pm Elle’s mother HAD to have an early dinner for him to participate. That solved half the problem. My father, reluctantly, agreed to handle his father which pretty much solved the other half. I can still remember the reaction from Jan when I gave her the invitation.

John and I had seen a definite slowing of applicants for the Clerk Typist exam as we approached the holidays. On the Monday right before Christmas the turn out was the least we’d seen. By the time the last test taker had finished we had all but a handful scored which gave us quite a bit of time for lunch. John had continued to bring his lunch so I had over an hour to go get mine. Like most towns, this one had a small locally owned department store. I’d thought about going in a few times but by the time I’d ordered and eaten my lunch there wasn’t enough time. But, on this day I had at least a half hour after eating. I remember the name of the store started with “Bon” but there are a couple of names that keep popping up in my memory for the second half of it. In any case I already had Elle’s present so that meant I was free to wander... right to the lingerie department. As opposed to a number of other like stores it was way in the rear. As I approached it I saw this rather large display at the entry way. Actually , it was a cart with bins painted in an ivory color and the name, in script, read Roger’s. A hand made sign was taped across it that read “Closeout Sale’. There weren’t many panties but the first pair I saw was truly beautiful. Lace cut-outs on both the left and right side of the front with lace all around the leg elastics. The waist elastic was distinctive as well. But the clincher was the feel... nylon satin! I rooted through all the panties that were left and all I found of the fancy ones were two size 6's. A saleslady walked up and must have seen me digging through the bins as she asked if she could help. I showed her what I’d found and asked if by any chance that there might be any more in size 5. She was really very nice but told me that everything they had by that manufacturer was on display. I already knew I was going to take the two pair I had in my hand even though they weren’t what I wanted as I rationalized that Elle could wear them during the next few months of her pregnancy.

To be continued...

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (Part 93b)

One of the things that I’d thought about after staying with my grandfather for those few nights was just how happy he was to have someone to play dominoes and to reminisce with. He’d lived an interesting life and I’d just started to scratch the surface of it. I figured that I could stay and eat lunch with him after taking him to the hospital to see my grandmother and still be home by 2 or 2:30pm. The day after meeting ”Buddha“ I was wheeling him though the lobby at the hospital when the lady at the desk called out to me. I had no idea who she was but everyone knew my grandfather. I headed over to where she was and she proceeded to tell me that her son had just met me. I remember smiling but didn’t know what to say. It puzzled me but I put it aside and chalked it up to life in a small town.

My grandfather really appreciated me taking time to spend with him. After eating he proceeded to tell about his life when he was the same age as I was and it was eye opening. It was a call from Elle that broke my grandfather’s ”spell”  on me. I actually looked forward to the following Sunday. That happened to be a Sunday that Jan had worked out a split shift with one of her fellow nurses and she was at the house when we got there. She joined us for lunch and then retreated to her room. However, my grandfather and I were seated right outside her door for his storytelling. It took a while but she appeared in the doorway and asked if she could sit in and listen. I was truly surprised. When I was leaving she walked with me to the door and told me that she’d met a friend of mine. I asked “Who?” and she responded “Brig”. I know I must’ve looked perplexed because I didn’t know anyone with that name and probably had never even heard that name before. Not put off at all she went on that his mother was a volunteer at the hospital. It took more than a few seconds for me to remember the lady who’d hailed me a few weeks prior when I was with my grandfather. Once I put the two pieces together it made sense.

Like any good mother with an unmarried son, Brig’s mother arranged for Jan to meet him. She volunteered that they’d had a “casual” date and during the conversation he’d mentioned race cars. Jan knew I had a race car and mentioned it. Voila! The connection. I had to explain that I knew Brig as “Buddah” and had only met him the one time. She thought the name was funny. He’d told her that we were friends. I had no real problem with that but I wanted to know him better before I'd classify him a "friend". I explained that to her and she commented that he was really a nice guy. I remember her saying that she hoped that he and I would would become friends. I wondered about the full meaning of that.

I always waited to mid month to pay the rent. When I walked up to the park office to pay I saw that all the patio room panels had been removed from the lot where Andy and Lil had lived. The only thing left on the pad was the shed. I still had the key and had yet to take a look inside. I was sure there was nothing of interest for me. I’d given some casual thought about using the shed itself but there was the question of ownership. At the office I asked and was told by Dick, one of the owners, that for all intents and purposes it belonged to him as Andy hadn’t paid the rent going all the way back to May. He told me that if I wanted it, take it. He also told me to do it quickly as a new 60 footer was due in soon and it would need the space occupied by the shed.

Back home I got the key and inspected the contents. As I’d expected most of what was there were broken parts for Andy’s bulldozer. There was also an old bookcase painted a bilious green. It wasn’t very big and there were some parts boxes marked “International”, the make of his truck.  On the bottom were some old wooden cigar boxes. A peek inside of a few showed miscellaneous nets, bolts, screws and the like. I didn’t have any immediate need for them but thought they might come in handy at some time in the future. There were probably eight or nine and I just stacked them up and took them over to the trunk of my car. There wasn’t much room as I had all my tools and spare parts for the race car stuffed in there. I told Elle what I’d found and, in spite of my description of the bookcase she wanted to see it. It ended up in our patio room. As far as the shed was concerned Andy had mixed up some cement to make a floor and when he laid it down he went right over the bottom lip of the panels. That made it impossible to dismantle it without damage. I left thinking it would've been nice but...

At work, the office voted to have the Christmas party in the office with no guests. Once that was decided Mrs K told each of the PT’s (Personnel Technicians) that we were invited to a “real” party at her house with wives and, in Sonny’s case, a guest. Knowing her personality I was sure it would be a good time. The problem was that it was only a few days away. When I told Elle she reminded me that her mother and father would be away that weekend visiting her father’s only living relatives. That meant we needed a baby sitter.

Elle had been volunteering for some time at the church and working with the mother of our sometime babysitter, Karen, so made the call. Karen was playing basketball in a holiday tournament that day. Her mother said she’d use her “influence” to persuade her to help us out even though it would be a bit of a struggle. The way it worked out was I had to go to the school to pick her up immediately after the game. I got there to see her play a few minutes but her team was hopelessly behind and the coach was putting in the bench warmers to close out the game. I caught up with her once the game was over and, still wearing her uniform, we headed home. Even though Elle had told her mother that she could shower and change at our place and that there would be a meal waiting she didn't look very happy.

I liked Karen (and her family) but on this night it was obvious that she was really “beat”. I’d always been able to engage her in small talk but on this night she was quiet. I figured it was because the team had lost in the championship game. Once Karen was inside Elle and I were off to the party.

To be continued...

YEAR END IN SIGHT... (Part 93a)

There were all kinds of rumors circulating throughout the County Center as the monthly Board of Supervisors meeting approached. They ranged from one that seemed absurd (they were going to build a new County Center about 40 miles to the West and close the existing one) to one that seemed to be on everyones wish list... a pay raise. We all had to wait until after their monthly meeting to find out what was real and what wasn’t. Mrs K called us all together the morning after and certainly had our attention. The first thing was that the County was going to take over the full payment of our retirement. I remember thinking “Whoopie... a whole dollar and a half more in my biweekly paycheck!" My retirement was almost 40 years away and was probably last on my personal priority list. However, she went on to say that the Board had also decided to broaden our hospitalization coverage. I knew that Elle’s stay in the hospital for the upcoming birth was covered so it didn’t seem like a big deal. That is until she fully explained what was meant. It turned out to be the forerunner of our present day medical insurance coverage. That did sound good to me as it meant that it would cover most of the cost for doctor visits for Elle, I and the kids.  I liked that, a lot!. But it didn’t end there as we were then told the County was going to pay the premiums for both medical and hospitalization. The biweekly cost had been under $3 for the hospitalization but added to the dollar that I wouldn’t have to pay for my retirement was up to $4 and would amount to over $100 for the year. Not a lot but...

Most of us thought that was the end of the announcements. Mrs K, playing with our psyches, dragged it out for a few minutes longer but then said something like ”How would you like a 7 1/2% increase in pay?“ It took more than a few seconds for that to sink in. I was sitting next to Sonny and he was the first to let out a yell. Even though he wasn’t married I’d learned that he was sending money home to help out his family. A quick calculation tallied up to $400 more for me. The sum and substance of all of it was that I’d have roughly $20 more in my biweekly check and even more once the baby was born. It was an early Christmas present even though I’d have to wait until the new year for the benefit.

It didn’t take me long to start spending (mentally) the money we’d been putting aside to pay the doctor bill for the delivery of the new baby. With Elle teaching between one and three days a week we’d already put aside over $200. That was almost as much as I needed to pay Bags for the new motor for my race car. It was shortly after the announcement when Bags called the house and, in a nice manner, asked when he could start to see some money. He was well into building his new race car and needed some cash. I told him it’d be right after the first of he year. He seemed satisfied and told me I should stop up to Ricky’s barn to see what the car looked like. I'd wanted to but had put it off knowing that he’d probably ask for money once he saw me. Now that part was over so I was anxious to see it as ”Crash“ had indicated that it was different.

It was shortly after that call that I did stop by Ricky’s barn. I still shake my head when thinking about the car. Bags had started with a 1939 Ford sedan and had cut the roof right about half way to the back. Then he took the sloped rear part of the body and welded it to the front half. It was like no other vehicle I (or anybody else) had ever seen. It surely was ”different“. Bags explained that he didn’t want to have to go buy another car body just to be like everybody else. There would be no doubt as to which car belonged to Bags.

While there I got to meet another guy who’d gone to high school and played football with Ricky, Bags and some of the other guys who were a part of Ricky's pit crew. I was introduced to ”Big B“ or, as he preferred, ”Buddah“. The latter name really fit him as he was rather large and, although only in his early 20’s, starting to go bald. I found him to be a lot more friendly than some of the others in Ricky’s crew. A racing fan since his early teens he actually remembered my first race car. I found out that he’d joined the Army right out of high school to be able to qualify for the GI Bill and college assistance. He’d chosen a Junior College and graduated in June and had hoped to find a job in the area around the college but was unsuccessful. He finally gave up and had just arrived back home. He admitted that he had no skills relating to cars but hoped to be a part of Bags' pit crew. I left that night liking him a lot.

To be continued...  

FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... (Part 92g)


I was still on my knees and on the floor during this last dialog. Seeing her reaction I got up and immediately apologized saying that I hoped I hadn’t offended her in some way. She finally looked at me and with a sad look in her eyes said something that really grabbed me. She said she really didn’t have any ”special days“. My reaction was to do the typical clueless male thing and say that she must have something like a birthday or Christmas that was special. She didn’t respond and I noticed that she had turned her eyes back down towards the floor. At this point I knew I’d really stuck my foot in it.

Jan really was a sweet girl. She loved being a nurse and, to the best of my knowledge, was good at it. She’d accepted the position at the local hospital because our area was rural, much like the area she came from. When her sister (Janice) followed her she was very happy but after the sister took the second shift at her job they hardly ever got to see each other. I’d picked up some more background from the sister when she was babysitting the kids for us and found out that their parents were very strict and there was not a lot of ”love“ given out. On top of that Jan’s boyfriend had decided to join the Peace Corps pretty much ending a long term relationship. Knowing all that and seeing her looking so upset my heart wanted me to give her a hug but all I could do was to stand there and mumble out another apology. If I could’ve snapped my fingers and disappeared I would’ve.

I was smart enough by then to just shut up and headed into the living room to say goodbye to my grandfather. I had to pass through the dining room to leave and when I appeared in the doorway Jan was right there. She had tears in her eyes but, thankfully, wasn’t crying. I had to stop to avoid running into her and when I did she apologized to me saying she now realized that I wasn’t doing anything more than making conversation and she’d reacted poorly. I was glad to hear it but thought that was it. In what had to be a 180 degree turn in attitude she proceeded to tell me that the panties (she still called them underpants) that had been stolen were the first she’d ever purchased on her own. Up to that purchase her mother had bought all her underwear and because the family had to struggle to pay for her education bought ”plain and simple“. I thought that was about all she had to say and offered up some sort of platitude. I was overjoyed to hear the explanation but, by that time, wanted to ”escape”. As she stepped aside so I could leave she thanked me for fixing the drawer. I’d almost forgotten about it. I turned and looked at it standing in front of of the sideboard and realized that it would have to be put back into the dresser. I told her I’d do it the next day when I came to pick up my grandfather for his weekly trip to see my grandmother. At least she was smiling when she said goodnight. On my way home I wondered how I’d managed to get things so screwed up.

Sunday turned out to be the first snow of the season. It pretty much caught everyone by surprise and my grandfather called to say he didn’t want to go out in it. It wasn’t all that bad and Elle, I and the kids went to church. I thought about stopping at my grandfather’s on the way home to replace the drawer but Elle, even wearing a partial “package”, had leaked and didn’t want to go. I decided that I’d go over later but before Jan got there. I really didn’t want to face her after the events of the previous night. Even though I was into watching the football game I left around mid afternoon. When I pulled into the driveway I was somewhat shocked to see Jan’s car. I could’ve backed out but that was dangerous even without the snow so I sucked it up and went inside.

I honestly felt that Jan was glad to see me. I explained why the drawer hadn’t been replaced and she said it didn’t matter. I don’t know why it seemed so heavy when I picked it up. I could only hope my “fix” worked as I slid it into the opening. It was a little tight but it worked a lot better than before. I had Jan try it a few times and she gave it a passing grade. I asked why she was there and not at work. She proceeded to explain that on Sunday’s she often worked a split shift with some of the other nurses so they could be home with their families in the evening. What was interesting was that as she explained it to me she was taking neat little piles of her things off her bed and placing them into the drawer. She’d moved a couple but when she picked up the pile with the nylon panties and the Lollipops she ended up dropping some of the nylon ones on the floor. I honestly wasn’t thinking and was only reacting when I bent over to pick up the ones on the floor. (THAT’S THE HONEST TRUTH!) I already had them in my hands when I remembered her reaction when I’d picked her panties up the night before and started blushing before she realized what I’d done. Even though it was relatively dark in her room that fact was pretty obvious to her when she turned and saw the panties in my hand. I wasn’t expecting the reaction that I got as she turned around. Her face lit up with a big smile when she saw me with a guilty look and her panties in my hand. That only made my embarrassment worse.

I tried to explain that she’d dropped them but by then she was just shaking her head from side to side and trying to wipe the grin from her face. It took a few seconds for her to get control and when she did she said she understood and that everything was “OK”. I handed the panties to her and when I did she said something along the lines of “Now I really don’t have any secrets, do I?” I wanted to laugh but I really couldn’t. With the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her she finished putting her things into the drawer and then half pushed me out of the room.

To be continued...   

FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... (Part 92f)

I was already familiar with the problem with that drawer having been in it just a few days earlier but she didn’t know that. I watched her try to get it open and saw that it was jammed. I stepped up and hit one side freeing it up and then let her continue. She explained that it would get jammed from side to side and was really annoying. She made another attempt and had another jam. I asked if I could try to get the drawer out and she stepped back indicating it was OK. In a way I couldn’t believe that she was going to let me see all her ”intimates“.

With a little ”jiggling“ I managed to get the drawer free and out. I knew everything that was in the drawer but I still had a a hard time keeping my eyes off them even with Jan standing right there. I set the drawer down on her bed and returned to the dresser. I knew nothing about furniture and how it was made but when I saw this wooden ”bar“ running from the front to the back I instinctively knew that it was  ”guide“ for the drawer. It was obviously worn and there were two grooves worn into the main cross bar. That led me back to the drawer itself. I lifted the front and took a peek at the underside. The problem was self evident. One of the two battens that were supposed to be attached to the bottom to make a channel for the ”guide“ was missing. I had Jan take a look and asked if, by chance, she’d seen anything like the one that was still partially attached. She immediately reached behind the dresser and like magic, the batten appeared.

I’d gone this far so decided I’d do the right thing and try to fix it while I was there. The room was so small that I couldn’t even think about working on the drawer in there so carried it out to the dining room. The area with the most open space was in front of the side board. I put it down and then tilted the drawer up to get a good look at the problem. When I did most of the contents slid out and onto the floor under the sideboard. I apologized to Jan but what could she say. With that damage done I stood the drawer up on its back and could clearly see what had to be done. I determined that if I could find some little nails and some glue I could repair it in a matter of minutes.

From my time living with my grandfather I knew he kept an ”odds and ends“ bucket in the pantry. I’d used his tack hammer a number of times in the past and hoped there would be some small nails in the bottom. My father insisted that there be some Duco Cement (glue) in the house at all times because, in his mind, he could fix anything with it (BTW: I still use the stuff!). It only took a few minutes to find what I needed and, with Jan looking on, I proceeded to attack the project. I had to turn the drawer completely over and when I did I apologized to Jan once again. I remember her just shrugging her shoulders.

As I projected, it only took about fifteen minutes. The only thing was that I didn’t want to do was to put the drawer back in place until the glue was dry. My grandfather called out to find out what the ”banging“ was all about and Jan went in to explain it to him. I dumped all the things I’d used back into the bucket and, still on my knees, saw the pile of bras, panties, slips and socks under the sideboard. I swept up as much as I could into my hands and put them up on the dining room table. I was in the process of gathering up the rest of the items when Jan walked back in. As I remember it she let out a little cry and I could clearly see she was upset. She wanted to know what I was doing. To me, it was obvious... I was picking her things up off the floor.

I immediately tried to explain that since I was the one who’d dumped out the contents of the drawer and was already on the floor it seemed like the right thing to do. I know she didn’t like it but didn’t say anything. Trying to defuse the situation I asked what seemed to be a simple and reasonable question... asking how she liked the Lollipop panties. Now she really was embarrassed. I’d already dug myself into a ”hole“ so decided to keep on going. It wasn’t exactly the truth but I told her that Elle liked them because they were so much softer than the ones she’d worn before and a little more comfortable. That got a little response from her and she half heartedly agreed that they were quite soft. What I really wanted to know was what had made her change from nylon panties to the cotton.

At this point I was probably a bit like Ali (from whom I'd purchased the Lollipop panties) when she was in her ”sell“ mode. I tried a different approach and told her that if she didn’t like them that I’d buy any that she hadn’t used back from her. That got her attention and she, enthusiastically, said that she really liked them and wanted to keep them all. Having ”broken through“ I, boldly, charged on. Making it up as I went on I told her that Elle had changed from nylon to cotton because she found they were warmer in Winter and actually cooler in Summer. Elle did really think that but it certainly wasn’t her reason for the switch. I continued on, telling her that I’d bought some fancy, frilly nylon panties for her to wear on special occasions. I told her that I thought all women should have some special lingerie and then pointed to the pile of things on the table and asked if she didn’t have a few for herself. That question really embarrassed her. She didn’t say a word and stood there looking down at the floor. At that point I didn't know if I’d gone too far.

To be continued...
 

FINISHING OUT THE YEAR... (Part 92e)


 Because of going to bed so late my grandfather slept late. My parents arrived to start cooking the Thanksgiving dinner at around 9am and I headed for home. Dinner was supposed to be ready around 1pm but my mother had asked Elle to help her with the final preparations so we were back at around noon. My brother showed up late which upset my grandfather. He’d complain to me just about every time he’d see me about the lack of attention showed to him by my brother. 

My parents offered to stay with my grandfather until around 6pm but wanted me back around that time. At home I fell asleep when the girls took their naps but when I woke up thought I might have an idea where Jan had put her dirty clothes. That made me a little more accepting of having to go back to spend another night. For entertainment it was more dominos. I definitely remember my grandfather challenging me as I think it was a $5 bill he put on the table. I believe it was if I could beat him five times out of fifteen games it was mine. The night before we’d played about the same number of games (it was really slow going because of my grandfather’s poor eyesight) and I think I won two or maybe three times. We agreed that he’d go to bed when we finished the set number of games. I wanted to get it finished to see if my hunch was right about the dirty clothes.

It was around 9pm or so when we called it quits and, true to form, my grandfather had, in his terms, ”whupped me“. As soon as he was settled into bed I headed for Jan’s room. The furniture was truly old. My grandmother had told me that the dresser had been hers when she was still a girl. Back from when I lived in that room I remembered that there was a hidden bottom drawer. To someone standing in front of it it looked like trim around the base. It had no visable handles and to open the drawer you had to cup your fingers under the bottom and then pull. I did... and there were the missing clothes.

Among all that was there were two of the Lollipops and a close check of the crotch of one showed a pee stain of about two inches by maybe an inch. It was about the amount that would be left if she hadn’t wiped after using the toilet. I also remember that it appeared that this pair hadn’t yet been washed as the label was still pristine. The other pair didn’t show any obvious staining. The other two were the Argo Knit and other than a small yellowish discharge looked new or close to it. I quickly figured that she’d worn a Lollipop and taken two others for her trip. I was happy with my powers of deduction and it was another pleasant night of sleeping.

By Friday night I was ready for Jan to return. Tired of dominoes, I asked my grandfather if we could look at some of his photo albums. Because of his failing eyesight he hadn’t looked at them in quite a while. I prevailed and, with difficulty, we managed to go through a few and I found him to be a fountain of information. As a teen I had no interest in family history. When we sat down at the table I still didn’t but after about an hour I was fascinated. Before we knew it the clock on the mantle rang ten times. I got him to bed and then lay down in his chaise to wait for Jan. I was truly ”out cold“ when I felt something shaking my foot. It was Jan. Not really ”with it“ I made some small talk and then headed for home. It was good to be back and to have Elle to snuggle into.

Elle got a call from my grandfather the next day. When he went to sit in his chaise he couldn’t get the back to lock in place. I had committed to working at the church that Saturday, doing repairs to the pews so it wasn’t until I got home that evening that I knew about it. I immediately knew what the problem was. When I’d put it down to sleep I disconnected the latching mechanism and never thought to reconnect it before I left. Not having had much to eat during the day I opted to eat my supper before retuning to fix the problem.

When I arrived I was surprised to see that Jan was there. When I walked in to the living room I saw the two of them studying the chair. Jan was standing but bent over with her hands on her knees. In her white uniform the VPL was classic. But, what really got my attention was the size of the crotch. Elle had yet to wear her new Lollipops and my knowledge of the panties was limited. If what I was looking at was a true version of how they presented themselves I couldn’t wait to get Elle into them. As far as nylon panties were concerned I knew that Kayser and Van Raalte panties had a very large crotch but the panties that I was looking at through Jan’s uniform were very close to them. Even though I was tired, that bit of information energized me. I couldn't wait to see Elle in them.

It took but a minute to get the chaise back to normal. I showed Jan what to do in case it happened again. I was ready to leave but Jan asked if I could look at something for her while I was there. She motioned for me to follow her into her room. My first thought was it had to do with the door which had been a bit of a problem for as long as I could remember. But it wasn’t. We walked in and she pointed to the dresser and said she was having a problem opening and closing the top drawer and proceeded to try and open it. OH MY HEART! She was opening her underwear drawer for me!

To be continued...