Old751 Pt. 01

I heard the shower shut off and the humming continued. She emerged from the bathroom wearing a brightly flowered sleeveless romper and a towel wrapped around her wet hair. She skipped past me into the kitchen explaining that she hoped she hadn't burned our lunch. She picked up a large basket from the floor and set it on a chair. I asked if I could help, and she declined. I watched her pulling things from the oven and placing them in the basket. I did get up and stepped in the doorway to watch. She told me that if I kept lurking I was going to ruin the surprise so I stepped back so I couldn't see what was coming out of the huge oven but did get to watch every time she bent over to retrieve something.

She finally closed the lid on the biggest picnic basket I had ever seen and asked if I had seen it all. I told her that foodwise I hadn't, but I was enjoying the rest of the show. She slapped my arm and pushed past me. Walking back to the bedroom she said that she was almost ready. Coming back out while sliding her feet into a pair of sandals and clutching an oversized bag, she announced that she was ready. I pointed to the towel on her head and asked if it was a fashion statement.

Damn, she said, dropping the bag and toweling her hair dry for a few seconds and tossing the towel into the bathroom. Okay, let's go, she said but I stopped her in her tracks taking her in my arms. I told her to slow down and take a breath, not letting her go until she took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

She stepped back and thanked me. She said that it had been a very busy few days and she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect today. I looked at her, amused, and asked if she had been on a date in the last decade. She grinned, no, she said. I told her that perfect wasn't a requirement, but a nice relaxing day was. She said she understood and would start now. She went back and grabbed the bag from the hallway, and I went and heaved up the basket and we headed for my truck. We loaded everything up and got in. I saw her fussing with the basket but didn't ask. I asked if she knew where we were going or should I just start driving. She blushed a little bit and I was glad that she was receptive to my teasing. I had dated a few women that took everything so personally that the slightest off comment would start a fight. Needless to say, those relationships never lasted very long.

She pointed up the road and said take a left at the stop sign and take the road out of town. She asked if I minded her opening the window and I rolled them both down. She leaned her head out and started finger combing her hair as the wind blew through it. It was really the first time I had seen it not pulled up in a ponytail and loved the waviness as it dried. We had gone a few miles out of town, and she pointed to a road on the right, head in there and pull up in front of the house. The road was a wide gravel drive that forked right to the maze of barns and outbuildings and to the left it circled around directly to the front porch of a an immaculately kept house.

The older couple were already halfway down the steps before I came to a stop. Julie shouted Hi Ollie, Hi Olive. They recognized her and came right up to the side of the truck. Ollie was your typical looking old-time farmer, overalls, long sleeved denim shirt, mud caked work boots and Olive matched the picture with an ankle length house dress covered by an apron. Julie introduced me and told them that we were going to the pond for a picnic, and she wanted to make sure they knew it was her before they called Barney to roust us wild kids out of there. Hell, Ollie said, where's the fun in that, 'sides ain't no kids around to roust any more. Olive commented on the wonderful smell coming from the back seat. Julie told Ollie to open the door and take the container that was on the floor and his face beamed. Cherry or peach he asked. For your birthday last week, it's peach. He grinned ear to ear. Olive here is a great cook, but no one beats your pies. Olive thanked her and said that they would bring the pan back when they came for dinner on Sunday.

Julie said no problem, she knew where they lived if she started getting low on pie plates. We said goodbye to the couple, and I pulled away. Where to now, and she pointed to the lane to the right toward the barns. Stay to the right, it's a mile or so back up in the woods. I headed that way and commented that Ollie and Olive were a cute old couple. She laughed and told me that they were brother and sister. Neither had ever married and had lived in the house all their lives and were most likely born there.

The trees closed in on both sides and I had to dodge branches so my truck wouldn't get scratched. I was about to complain when the trees gave way to a nice sized cabin and what looked like a 5-acre pond, or lake depending on your definition of each. The front of the house was covered in shade. Julie hopped out and grabbed her bag and I grabbed the basket. She led me around the side of the house to the back. A small screened in porch in the back spilled out to a huge patio that faced the west. Most of the trees had been cleared and the yard was covered in sun. There was a long dock leading out onto the lake with benches and a picnic table on it.

She started down the dock, stopped at the widest spot, right in front of the benches, and pulled a large sheet out of her bag. I helped her lay the sheet out and she opened the basket saying give me a second and you will be having lunch. I had figured out that she had been making plans and I should just let her have her way.

She set out real plates, silverware, and cloth napkins. A cast iron skillet full of very crispy looking fried chicken, a bowl of mashed potatoes along with gravy, a bowl of fresh green beans, and for the finale, a still steaming cherry pie. I just admired the whole spread and asked how she had managed this and worked all morning. She gave me one of those looks and said, you do know I've been running a diner for 20 years, right?

The day was perfect. Warm but just enough breeze to keep it wonderfully comfortable. I dug into lunch like I was starving. I noticed that she was not eating a lot, so I slowed down as well making it a leisurely lunch instead. I told her that I thought that this was the best meal I had been treated to in years. Small talk while we ate and when I was finally given that still warm slice of cherry pie, she turned to me and got a little serious.

She said that she knew it was moving extremely fast but wanted to know all about me and wanted me to know all about her before we could move forward, and she also had a huge ask once we had asked and answered all questions of which we could think. I thought for a minute as all kinds of bells and whistles were sounding in my head. I think she sensed my apprehensions and reached out to take my hand and assured me that she was not trying to trap me into anything, she just needed to know things before she asked me for the favor.

I figured that if things didn't go to my liking that I could end it and not hurt either one of us that much. I agreed, saying as much. She also agreed and asked me to please tell her about myself from the beginning.

I told her where I grew up, about my parents, high school, some college, the string of jobs that all seemed to dead end, the marriage that not only was a dead end, but it also crashed into a wall. I told her about taking another job at this midsized trucking company because I had bills to pay and then I met Old 751, and my life changed. I found some satisfaction and happiness in my life. I got into some relationships that made life better, but each one was only a lead in for the next one. I was still friends with several of my old girlfriends and things usually ended mutually.

I had been single for well over a year when Old 751 worked her magic one last time and took me to the Lost Café and Truck Stop in Smithville and my heart hadn't stopped pounding everytime, I saw that lovely redheaded waitress. She thanked me for the compliment and told me that my heart wasn't the only one doing the happy dance when a certain someone walked in. I asked if she had any questions and she said just a couple. I told her to ask away. First, she said, any dark past secrets and criminal stuff I should know about - including all things sexual. That kind of took me by surprise but I answered her. Nothing criminal but only because I grew up in a time where if you got caught doing stupid kid stuff, they just took you home and let your dad whip your ass for getting caught and embarrassing him. As far as sexually, I was incredibly open minded and mostly had lived by the idea that if it feels good and you like it, have a ball. I had very few hangups as my marriage could attest to.

She kind of gave a sigh of relief and leaned over to give me a kiss. I pulled close to her and worked that kiss into a brief but intense make out session. The romantic setting was getting to me. Julie finally pulled away and told me that if this wasn't especially important to her, we would be getting down, but she needed to do this. I let her go and said Okay, let me hear your story that you need me to know.

She told me that she was born and raised in Smithville. Jack was her twin brother. She lived in her grandparents' house and Jack lived in their parents' house. He was married and had two great kids, both in college. She explained that she and Jack were quite different growing up. Jack was the athlete, and she was a nerdy art kid. Jack had played baseball in college and was drafted into the big leagues. He made it to triple A ball and had even been called up a few times, but he busted his leg bad in a base running collision, ending his career. He came home and started coaching the high school team with some success. They had lost their parents while out living the high life shortly before Jacks accident. After Jack moved back and was doing his rehab he reconnected with Jen. They had known each other in high school but never dated. He had moved into their parent's house and started remodeling as therapy.

She on the other hand, went off to college and got a degree in art restoration. She worked for a few museums and galleries before finding some private clients that liked her work and she freelanced for them. She loved working on seldom seen masters in private collections. Julie paused for several seconds like she wasn't sure how to proceed. I took her hand to reassure her that whatever it was, it would be fine.

Deep breath and she continued. While I was in college, I discovered things about myself that I had known deep inside for a long time. I started changing myself to match the person I thought I was meant to be. I was in Europe for several years and I was finally incredibly happy with my life. When my grandparents died, I almost didn't come home because I didn't think my hometown would accept the new me.

I had spent two years in Amsterdam and had been transformed into what you tell me your heart is yearning for. It took four surgeries to become Julie and shed the old me, Jacks twin brother John. She stopped to try to read my reaction, but I gave none. I asked her to continue, and I would ask questions after.

Nodding, she continued. Her friends in Amsterdam convinced her that she had to come home and decide what was next after she found out what her friends and family really thought. Of course, Jack knew, and her grandparents knew, too. They had sounded supportive when she talked to them, but they hadn't seen her in person.

I made the trip. I was known in my art circles as Julie and had been living as a woman for many years. Once back in the States I was pleased at the difference between the way I remembered being treated as a nerdy guy and now as an attractive woman. People were polite, men opened doors for me, I was greeted with smiles. When I arrived in Smithville it was the day of the funeral, I got there early and went straight to Jacks house. I knocked on the door and was surprised when Jen answered. I knew that she was seeing Jack but when I entered, I could tell that the house had a heavy woman's touch. Jen gave me a huge hug and told me how beautiful I looked. Jack responded the same way but held me at arm's length to look at me. He had known for a long time that I wasn't a John. He was genuinely happy that I had figured it out as well.

Jack grabbed my bag and headed down the hall to our childhood bedroom. Julie said that her nerves were calmed by the greeting I had seen so far. I asked her to tell me what happened when they got to the funeral. Julie told me that she put on the simplest black dress she owned, but it was European and was probably a little showier than the good people of Smithville were ready for.

She said that she followed Jack and Jen into the church. Everyone was giving them their condolences, but Julie was just getting stares, especially from some of the older ladies. She said that she saw Jack get suddenly very tense and I could see the anger running up the back of his neck. Jack marched right up to the altar and stepped onto the pulpit. He tapped the microphone hard, and it seemed like everyone jumped. Jack grabbed the mic and stepped into the middle of the Dias.

He told the gathering in his best coach voice that "that woman you are gawking at and whispering about is my sister Julie. I don't have a problem with her, my grandparents didn't have a problem with her and By God if you do, then leave right now."

Then he tossed the mic back at the pulpit and walked back to us. I had to just give him the best hug I had in me, which he returned. There was a visible change in the whole church. I noticed only one person left; it was the only person I had ever had a date with while in high school and the only true friend I had, it hurt a little. The funeral was beautiful, grandma had picked all the hymns, and I knew them all because they were the ones she sang when working around the house. Back at the church basement following the burial, people started coming up to me and telling me about all the things that my grandparents did around town that most people never knew about but those that they did them for. Everyone seemed to want to know what was going to happen to the Lost Café and Truck Stop. I had to tell them that I really had no idea at this time, but I hoped it would all work out.

By the time everyone was starting to leave, I had reconnected with so many people that I had known all my life that even though I had changed so much, my hometown was still my hometown. I was helping to clear the tables and packaging up leftovers that I didn't notice that Jane had come in. I saw Jen stop and look and I turned to face her. She asked me if we could talk, and I said of course.

We went to one of the tables in the back and sat across from each other. I told her that it was good seeing her and that she looked well. She told me that it had been a little bit of a shock to find out about me that way and she wasn't prepared. She knew that I would be a changed person with all my time out in the world and away from Smithville, but this was more change than she was ready for. I told her that once I was away from the expectations of everyone that ever knew me that I was able to finally become myself. She said that she hadn't left, she was just where she could watch and see if I was truly happy now. I asked what she determined, and she said that I glowed with an inner peace that she rarely saw in people and that I didn't have in high school. I took her hands, she didn't pull away, and told her that I was sorry that I hadn't stayed in touch with her and hoped that we could still be friends. Her friendship was one of my lifelines in high school and it was wrong of me to cut ties the way I did.

I watched the tears well up and we both had a cry. I am not sure what we cried about but we covered it all. I thought I had lost her, but she is still one of my best friends in town, and she knows all about you.

The rest is history, well for me anyway. I knew that I was ready to come home. Jack was able to keep things running at the Café until I was able to go back to Amsterdam and close out my life there. I came home, claimed my grandparents house and began my new life as a Café owner/waitress/cook and bottle washer.

The sun was dropping quickly in the sky. If there was a beautiful sunset, we missed it. We packed everything up in the rapidly dimming light and walked arm and arm back to the truck. She slid over close as I threaded my truck back down the narrow lane. Olive was standing in the yard as we emerged from the lane beside the barn. I stopped and Julie rolled down the window. Olive said that she was about to send Ollie out looking for us. Julie smiled at her and thanked her for her concern, but I was taking exceptionally good care of her. We said good night to her and headed back to Julie's house.

I parked beside her house out of view of the Lost Café. We carried the leftovers from our picnic in and stored them away. I pulled a bottle of unopened wine from the bag and asked if she was ready for an after-dinner drink. Julie turned with 2 wine glasses in her hand and told me that she was. While I opened the bottle and poured 2 glasses, she turned on some soft lighting in the living room and turned on some soft music.

We sat on the couch with her snuggling close to me. Julie told me that I was quiet on the ride home and she wanted me to open up and talk with her. She was worried about my reaction to her bombshell. I gently kissed her forehead reassuringly and said, am I here cuddled with you on your couch, or did I dump you out and run? Julie lifted her head for a real kiss which I eagerly gave her. Julie then said, ask me all your questions then so we have that out of the way.

I made her turn to face me so I could see her face when she answered my questions. I told her that my first question was the most obvious, did she still have her penis. Julie looked me in the eye and told me, I do not. I am the woman I always wanted to be in every way. I raised an eyebrow to that, and she smiled. Next question, you told me that you had 4 surgeries, what were they? She said that my first surgery was to place inflatable spacers in her breasts to stretch the skin. My second one, should be counted as 2, they did liposuction on my stomach and used those cells to replace the spacers in my breasts. My next surgery was again breast enhancements because I wasn't happy with the fat cell results and wanted a little more. My last surgery was to make me more like the woman I wanted to be.

I told her that from what I had seen so far, they looked good now. I asked her what she considered herself sexually? Kind of a loaded question but I wanted to know. She thought for a moment before giving me an answer. It is hard to say, she started. I have been with men, loved it. I have been with women, loved it. I have been with another trans, both MTF and FTM, loved that as well. Really the only time I wasn't happy was when I would find out that it was someone who was just filling a fantasy and didn't care about me, just wanting to have sex with a trans woman to check it off their list of conquests.

I commented that she seemed to be accepted and well liked in town. Had she had any relationships with anyone in town and how did it go? She told me that she and Jane had talked about it when I first came back to town. We had a good friendship going but when we tried getting intimate it just seemed too weird for both of us. We have had a good cry and cuddle when needed but we are simply better at being great friends and gal pals. I have dated some, mostly guys from around here or nearby towns. It was nice to have company, and occasionally intimacy, but none of them were the ones that was going to last. I would end it quickly once I realized that it wasn't going to work, didn't want to beat a dead horse. Julie then pointed out to me that, while she was John when she left town, she came back as Julie and that had now been 20 years ago. Most of the old gossips were long dead, the new gossips that replaced them didn't care anymore, and the kids had no way of knowing unless they got told by an old busy body. My social media only goes back 12 years or so, no evidence of it there either, other than a few old school friends with the remember when comments.