Believe it or not, there are benefits to the ridiculous fuel prices that have plagued our country. I am a living, breathing example of it. A few years ago, I was in a real slump. I was working part time, going to school full time, and living at my mom's place. It doesn't sound so bad, until I say that I wasn't fresh out of high school. No, things hadn't changed much for me in the long six years I'd been trying to become a self-supporting member of society. I was 24, and because of the way I lived and where I lived, I wasn't getting much action either.
I lived in a small town, which meant all the girls my age I had graduated with. All of them had moved on, either moved out of town to attend big schools or got married and cranked out kids already. The little action I did get was usually out of pure luck by some new girl in the college finding an attraction to my silent and mysterious demeanor. Most of them were afraid of me, but maybe once a year a new one would take a chance on me. I got head twice that way, and actually fucked one. She was my first and only, until the summer of the glorious year my story is about.
My best friend from high school was Paul. He was the one guy that didn't want to leave town. I did want to leave, but my family was not wealthy enough to send me off, and I wasn't about to stay in a dorm so I chose to commute to a nearby community college. He was the small town type -- he wanted to work, had no interest whatsoever in higher education, and wanted to start a family young. And that's exactly what he did. He got a job, married his high school sweetheart, and a few years later came their first.
Socially and morally, he was pretty much the complete opposite of me. But with just about anything else, we were like identical twin brothers. That included physical build, sexual tastes, and humor -- save he was about half a foot taller than me. So it was no surprise that I found his wife Elaine (which I'll refer to as Lanie) attractive. I knew her in school too, so after they married she kind of became my assistant best friend and one of the bros. Just out of high school she was at her prime (as we all probably were), and had a perfectly curvy real body, cute face, C-cup breasts, wavy brown hair, and a plentiful ass. After the kid she kept on a few extra pounds, had a slightly wider ass, and her breasts plumped into D-cup range. That didn't bother Paul or me though. Neither one of us ever thought ourselves as beefcake material in the body department. I'd catch glances at her from time to time, and they both knew it. Who can blame me? I think Paul saw it as bragging rights for himself.
Anyway, it was early summer of my 24th year. I was hard at work because I'd just put another semester in the books and I belonged to the boss for the next few months. Paul and Lanie would come to visit or I would visit them about once a week, but that month things had slowed down. I called Paul to inquire. He said they were in a financial bind and were about to lose one of their cars. Lanie wasn't working at the time -- something that could have helped -- but she was the old fashioned type that wants the man to bring home the bacon. The next week, their second car - Lanie's only ride into town - was repossessed.
It wasn't long before Paul began asking me for help. I had very little financial assets to offer them anything, so asking for money turned to asking for favors. Paul had to work overtime almost constantly which required the use of their only vehicle, and Lanie needed to run errands every few days for groceries and whatnot. Add to that the fact that she was stuck at home alone with their daughter all day, every day, with no interaction from someone her age other than the few minutes in the mornings and evenings she got to see her husband.
Paul proposed an idea to me over another phone call, "How about once a week on your day off, why don't you drive out to our place and take Lanie into town so she can run errands and have someone to talk to?" At first I scoffed at the idea because even though she was a friend, I didn't like the idea of me being alone with my best friend's wife in a small, gossipy town. Rumors spread, and he might just kill me if he heard something I did but that I didn't really do. Or even if he didn't care because he knew better, word could make it around to my various family members, and they wouldn't know better.
But then I realized that I could take advantage of the situation. My only intent was for a little gas money, but my humor got the best of me and I replied to him, "Okay, I'll do it, but you know the old saying -- 'ass, gas, or grass: no one rides for free'."
Paul chuckled and said, "Alright man, I get it. I'll see what I can do. I really appreciate it, Steve. She's going crazy out there by herself. Talk to you later, gotta get back to work."
Did I forget to introduce myself? I guess so. I'm Steve.
Sooner than I knew it, Wednesday rolled around which was my first arranged 'friend day' with Lanie. I had not been prepaid and assumed Paul had left some cash with Lanie or would attempt to owe me. It was a hot and beautiful summer day with a few white clouds against a glowing azure sky. When I arrived at their place, Lanie and her daughter were waiting outside the house for me with a car seat ready to go. As I helped her install it in the back seat of my truck, Lanie said to me, "Steve, I can't tell you how much we both appreciate this. It's been hell without a car."
"I know," I said, "I can only imagine what it must be like. It must be especially hard with this little booger" as I lifted the little girl into her seat and strapped her in securely. She smiled at me and gave me a playful slap on the cheek upon realizing I called her a booger. Lanie smiled and nodded.
As we sped towards town, Lanie broke the silence that had befallen the cab of the truck. In the background the radio played softly. "So I just need to get a few things at the grocery store. We can drop her off at my parents' place" pointing to her daughter in the back seat.
"Alright" I agreed as I looked over at her in the passenger seat, noticing she was wearing a sports bra and jogging pants. The blue sports bra really brought out the shape of her chest, and I got a little chubby after I could see some nipple through the material. I didn't keep my air conditioner on full blast for nothing. But as I focused back on the road, my thoughts went from tits to why she was dressed that way and I joked, "So why are you wearing workout clothes? Gonna get a workout in the store, eh?"
"You know how we women shop!" she laughed. After a slight pause, she continued, "Actually I was hoping you might have time to take me by the track so I can get my exercise for the week in. You're welcome to join me if you want."
"Ehh," I said, "we'll see. I'm not really dressed for the part so maybe a brisk walk but anything more than that and I might get a rash." I'm very sensitive about what clothing I wear while working out.
"Well that's okay," she replied and smiled, "you can just sit in the truck and keep an eye on me."
I smiled back and said, "No problem." I knew this was an obvious reference to my various glances her way through the years, and I got a little chill because she obviously didn't mind me staring.
