It was early Autumn about 20 years ago now. We were living in a tiny town called Cedar Creek, about 30 minutes southeast of Austin, Texas. The nights were finally starting to get cooler, with lows in the 50s, a much-needed break from sticky central Texas summers. In fact, that weekend was promising to bring a rare, and oddly early, frost. This usually would have been a cause for excitement, as it was, and still is, my favorite type of weather.
But the mood was instead one of worry. As ours was a rural home, we had to rely on the butane tank behind the house, not having access to the town gas utility. Our tank was dangerously low as it was, and the dropping temps would cause that to condense, dropping the pressure too low. If that happened, we'd be without the ability to cook, heat water, or worse still, heat the house. The wife and I could probably manage it, but as parents we couldn't let it happen.
The timing was awful. Had it been a few days later, or even a little earlier, we'd have had options. But that isn't how these things work, it seems. But Murphy's Laws are immutable, and one of the harshest corollaries is "it will go wrong at the worst possible moment". So true to form, we were flat stuck.
We still had our admittedly shitty internet connection. I sat down to have a cup of tea and logged into a local chat to vent. A guy I had talked with before was on, and we got to talking. Let's call him LT. He was a lonely, kind, and kinky, older man in his mid-60s. We'd played a time or two in the past, always a gentle but thoroughly enjoyable experience. While never pretty or intricate, his rope work was consistently safe, comfortable, and effective. It was one of the only people with whom I indulged my crossdressing sides (I hadn't come out to the fact that I was actually transgender at this point in my life). It was a refuge and an outlet for me, and a pleasure for him. LT lived two small towns over, and he'd always tied me in the shotgun seat of his truck for the trip out to his house in the deep woods of Bastrop County. Road bondage is one of my favorite joys in life, so it was a real treat. We'd chat about life, the universe and everything on the long trips home afterward. A confirmed gentleman farmer type.
Because of that history, I trusted him enough to tell him the whole story. I even told him I was thinking of posting to the M4M chat room where we'd met that I was willing to do whatever it took to get the rest of that gas bill. I knew that was a risk, being deep in the heart of a Red state, but it seemed I had a family to keep fed and warm. LT was worried about that but understood the situation. Surprisingly, rather than try to talk me out of it, he simply asked, "How about I take your offer?"
I honestly hadn't considered that option. I knew him to be safe and fun, and a good match in terms of chemistry. I just didn't think of him agreeing to such a thing.
"Are... are you sure you'd be okay with that? I mean, I'd totally game if you are, but I wasn't hinting I promise. I was just..."
"...I don't mind. Honestly, I think it would be fun. I already love playing with you, and if it'll help y'all out at the same time all the better."
I sat stunned for another couple of minutes and then checked in with my wife. We have always been open in our relationship, and even though she wears my Collar, we discuss everything. It is just how we take care of one another. She was fine with it as long as I was. So, having cleared my head and my conscience, I turned back to the keyboard and replied that I was good to go.
We agreed to meet in a grocery store parking lot in the town nearest to him, to save him two full round trips to Cedar Creek. I got ready; shaved, showered, put on my favorite black satin thong, thigh high stockings, no bra at his request. My wife helped with hair and makeup, and I put on my favorite black stretch mini dress. It was super clingy, and it did wonderful things for my breasts. Whether from undiagnosed gynecomastia or Klinefelter's syndrome I still don't know. But I developed breasts right about the same age as my sisters had done. I hated the bullying growing up, but made peace with it, even counted them as a blessing when it came time to exploring my gender identity later in life.
On went the black faux-suede strappy heels. I took a deep breath, gave the mirror a nervous last look, and headed out the door. The drive to Elgin took about 40 minutes, and to be truthful I don't remember much of it. I expect I was a jangled mass of nerves, apprehension, and maybe a little thrill. But I cannot say for sure. My memory jumps from leaving our home to arriving in that parking lot on the other side of the county. I remember seeing his old black and green Ford pickup truck pull up next to me. LT wove and kindly smile at me from behind the wheel. I took another deep breath, ran a self-diagnostic of my nerves, and got out of my car. I locked it up, knowing that it would be busy enough for the next few hours, since it was the only store in 20 miles any direction. However, I also knew the staff (including my father) and most of the customers and didn't want to waste any time getting into his truck. "Bad gas travels fast in a small town" as they say, and if I was spotted it would be back to my dad in no time. So, I moved it over to his passenger do and promptly slid up onto the bench seat.