As I walk into the modest community center I find myself in the threshold of a short hallway, a shiny polished concrete floor reflecting the harsh florescent lights which flicker above me. The walls are relatively far apart, leaving for a large enough space for multiple to wander the hallway, with multiple doors leading off into smaller breakout rooms. Small sheets of paper hang on the stark white walls nearby every doorway, each containing a series of names on the simple but effective signup sheets.
However, my eyes are drawn down to the end of the hall and a large set of double doors. Loud yet muffled noises emanate from beyond the dark wooden doors, light music and voices carrying out to reach me as I slowly pace my way ever closer. Clearing my throat, I begin to fidget with my clothing and roll my shoulders back in an effort to show myself in a slightly better light.
"Just this once" I mutter to myself once again, my heart pounding in my chest and ringing in my ears. "I'll just some lunch and I'll be out of here before..." I continue to rationalize, pausing as I pull one of the large doors open.
The noise hits me like a wave, the poor acoustics of the repurposed hall making each and every voice echo in a discordant fashion. Glancing around my jaw practically hits the floor, the packed room making me finally realize just how popular these rare events truly are. Cheap folding seats line the expansive space, giving people a chance to get off their feet or to merely sit while they talk. A little further in rests a large number of tables which form a circle around the hall itself, with each one filled with cheap-looking food and light snacks. What exactly was on any given table was anyone's guess, which the spread on each plastic table cloth only being visible through the crowd for a fraction of a second at a time.
Despite my height I struggle to see deeper into the hall, the roiling sea of heads obscuring whatever may lay within if anything. To the far left is a large stage, most likely part of the intended purpose of this room, with a large and downright frightening-looking machine resting atop the raised wooden platform. I pause, merely staring up at the two metal chambers, each being connected to one another and a large series of computers by a series of haphazardly bunched wires and cables. A low hum rumbles from the strange machine, the sound only adjusting as people enter it and the hum is replaced with a loud crackling static before quickly returning to the dull ambient sound.
Swallowing hard I return to looking at the shuffling crowd, my stomach growling as I watch people pass by with food in hand.
"I should...get some lunch" I think to myself, quickly making my way to the table closest to the entryway.
As I try to make my way through the crowd, grinding and bumping into people as I fight my way towards the food, I begin to look more at the people around the room.
My eyes are drawn to the sight of a young woman by the assorted chairs circling the room. Her skin is a deep caramel, her thick wavy black hair resting just below her shoulders. Her slender yet toned arms are folded over her perky chest which itself is tightly covered by a black halter top. A scowl is spread across her pretty face, her plump lips twisting into a grimace as she talks to the person next to her with what must be contempt.
I slowly glance further down, my eyes becoming temporarily glued to the young woman's firm pert behind. Her similarly athletic lower body appears to have been poured into a pair of gray yoga pants, a well-worn pair of trainers evidencing how she had earned such a fit and trim form.
Before I can ogle her much longer I watch as she lets out one last huff, spinning in place before heading back into the crowd. My curiosity overtakes me, a wonder of just who she had been talking to elicit such a strong reaction. My gaze drifts over to the seat she had been standing by, the sight of an overweight young woman in her early twenties eventually becoming visible through the ever-shifting crowd.
A short sweaty mop of bright pink hair rests atop her head, strands of her messy fringe hanging in front of her doughy rounded face. Her complexion is ghostly pale, almost as if she hadn't seen sunlight before coming here today, though her pudgy cheeks are colored a deep red. A 'vintage' Super Nintendo T-Shirt is stretched over her torso, the neckline distorting to give onlookers a perfect view of the overwhelming sea of soft pale flesh which makes up her bust. The sleeves appear a little tight as they dig into her flabby upper arms and leave a red mark whenever she adjusts the obviously uncomfortable shirt.
Her stomach presses out against the shirt as well, overhanging and resting on her lap. Reaching down she grabs some chips from her lap, quickly shoveling them into her face as she appears to race through the food she had collected for herself.
Tears begin to fill the flabby young woman's eyes, causing me to look away as she breaks down and eats her feelings away. Moving closer and closer to the food table I watch a tiny Greek woman in her mid-twenties fighting to even get into the crowd. Her black hair is shaved down within an inch of its life, covering her scalp in a thin layer of black fuzz. Her slender frame is dressed in a rough denim jacket with numerous patches from bands and organizations covering the exterior. Her black jeans appear to match the jacket, having a rough and worn appearance and being baggy enough to hide the woman's body beneath it all.
"Move fucker!" shouts the young woman as she barrels into the crowd, her soft sweet voice struggling to carry the aggression she had intended behind her words.
As I approach the table, finally getting within striking distance of the low-quality sandwiches and can of soda, I notice a towering blonde finishing up. Her honey-blonde hair hangs about her tanned face in a complete mess as if she had attempted to style her hair herself for the first time in her life. Dark bags rest under her bright blue eyes, the only blemish on her face. An older-looking white top covers her remarkably average body, the sight of a large set of pokies sticking through the shirt drawing my eyes to her slightly larger than average chest.
Before I can get much of a look at her lower body I watch as she forces her way back into the crowd, quickly losing sight of her as she disappears into the sea of people trying to get some food out of this whole event.
Reaching the spread on the table I quickly snatch up a small red plastic plate, holding it in my palm as I begin to pile food atop it. I manage to snatch up a few ham and cheese sandwiches and a hand full of stale chips before I feel something tug at my navy blue sweater. I jump a little before quickly reaching up to grab my food, not wanting to lose all that I had I manage to grab from the frenzied activity around the table.
Looking behind me I meet the gaze of the young woman standing behind me, the lower part of the cable-knit sweater bunched up in her tiny pale hand. As our eyes meet her puffy cheeks begin to glow bright red, matching her long silky hair that reaches down to her lower back. She simply stares up at me with deep green eyes, her thin lips quivering as she strains to meet my eyes from her 5'2" frame.
She is dressed in a rather modest blouse that practically hangs from her slender frame. The off-white material dating the ruffled shirt, giving a second-hand feel to her outfit. A faint outline of a black bra can be seen underneath, the straps making the biggest impact in contrast to her light skin and top. The second-hand look is carried on with her lower body, the high-waisted earthy brown colored maxi skirt feeling like it had come out of the 1970s as floral patterns dot the airy material.
"Did you want to get to the..." I mutter, shuffling to the side as I try to squeeze her in at the table.
"You were looking at girls" she squeaks, looking down at her hand before quickly letting go of me. "Does that mean you're looking to...you know..." she continues meekly, wringing her hands and no longer looking me in the eyes. Her voice is high and melodic, though something about her words feels off as if she was struggling to get them out.
My heart sinks for a moment at her pointed question, my blood running cold as I dwell on the thought of why I had even come here today. I hadn't given it that much thought, but I did know that Rachel had swapped with a man.
"I...well I suppose I haven't ruled it..." I begin to stammer back, only to be cut off by the short redhead.
"I'm Sally" she squeaks, holding out her hand and her shoulders tensing up as she tries to force her way through the interaction. "I'm looking for a... a swap with...with..." she continues, quickly running out of steam.
While balancing my food I reach down and shake her hand awkwardly, a smirk covering my lips as I humor the stressed young woman. "I'm Jordan, should we..." I muse, trailing off as I nod over to the wall and away from the food.
"I...yeah...I mean..." she stammers back, huffing and groaning as she tries to fight her way back out of the crowd.
I slowly begin to push my own way out as well, only pausing as I feel someone grab my sweater once again. Looking over my shoulder I watch as Sally holds to my sweater tightly, using my towering form to guide her out of the crowd.
Reaching the edge of the room is far easier and quicker than forcing my way in. while the chairs are all filled I manage to find a nice space to lean against the wall as I begin to pick at my nauseatingly stale chips, my hunger overwhelming any disgust I had.
"So..." I mutter, choking down my mouthful of food as I try to restart the conversation. "You were asking if I was..." I begin to ask, cocking an eyebrow at the shy young woman.
"Yes!...I want...I mean I was hoping to find someone to swap with" she explains, the flushing in her cheeks not going away as she remains flustered at the thought of swapping with anyone let alone a man. "Do you...live nearby?"
"Yeah...well not really close by" I explain, tilting my head from side to side. "I live by myself in the city, near Latham College. How about..." I say, my question being cut off as the girl quickly pipes up.
"Latham College?! Do you go there?! What do you study!? I always wanted to study..." she squeals excitedly, her eyes going wide and her words dropping off as she realizes what she was saying. "I mean, I'm currently staying in the city as well...we're pretty close by huh?" she mutters half-heartedly, struggling to make eye contact as her gaze darts around nervously.
"I actually teach there, I'm a junior lecturer on the staff...How old were you again?" I ask, wanting to clarify what she meant about studying.
"I'm...eighteen" she mumbles, shuffling her feet and temporarily revealing a large pair of old leather boots. "But I'm almost nineteen! My birthday is in a week!" She blurts out defensively, obviously put on guard by my question.
"Oh, so you're hoping to go to college soon then?" I ask, trying to give a warmer expression to put the young woman at ease.
"Yes! I mean..." she squeaks, pausing as she gets lost in her own head for a moment. "I suppose...if we swapped...I could get a better sense of adult life...living alone and...and college" she mutters, trying to piece together a bit of a sales pitch. "You'd be helping a..."
Before Sally could finish her thought a sound cuts her off, a loud cough snapping our attention to a woman in her mid to late twenties. Her dark red hair hangs around her eyes, parting to give way to a short layered bob that wraps around her head. While Sally could only be called adorable this older redhead would more fit the term impish, a mixture of sharp and soft features being pulled together by a mischievous look in her hazel eyes. She stands well above the young redhead at around 5'7", her head tilting up and down as she drinks in my body.
Her body is not overly skinny nor chubby, happily riding a comfortable middle ground. A simple black t-shirt covers her pale body, her relatively perky chest straining out against the cheap cotton top. A pair of light blue jeans cling to her legs, her wide hips and plump behind making the stretched denim look almost painted on.
"Did you both say you lived around here?" she asks, an eager grin forming across her soft pink lips. "I mean, in the city?"
Before Sally can answer I cut in, nodding at the taller redhead before looking between her and Sally. "Yeah, I live by myself and she lives..." I begin to answer, only to be cut off by Sally.
"With my parents!" she squeaks nervously, again failing to really look either of us in the eyes as she makes her statement.
"Fantastic" the older redhead coos, her voice dripping with excitement. "I'm Maggie, Maggie Jones. Well, Margret Jones really, but everyone calls me Maggie" she rambles, holding out a hand to Sally. As I watch the younger redhead reach out to take the older woman's hand I choke back a short gasp, my eyes locking onto the silver wedding band wrapped around her free hand.
"So Maggie...Why are you..." I begin to ask, my eyes still locked onto her hand.
"Well I..." she begins to reply, pausing as she looks over at me and notices my staring. As she looks down at her own hand she lets out a bit of a sigh before holding it up. "Yes, I'm married" she groans, her shoulders slumping as if she had been caught in some sort of deception. "But I swear, Kyle is a wonderful husband it's just..." she states defensively, freezing up as she composes herself.
"I don't...I don't think I want to be..." Sally mutters under her breath, her voice catching in her throat as she thinks out just who she was willing to swap with.
"I just can't stand his job...well...where his job has taken us really" Maggie explains, twisting and playing with her lips as she tries to find just the right words to put her situation in a good light. "Kyle...my husband, he's taken a research position out in the mountains and...Well I thought I could handle it, being unemployed up there and away from the hustle and bustle of city life...but..."
"I...um...that doesn't...I don't..." Sally stammers, looking up at Maggie and shaking her head a little.
Without skipping a beat Maggie shifts her attention over to me, her eyes locking onto mine hungrily. "That's fine, I was hoping to not move back in with anyone anyway. I'd like to just be by...Myself for a while" she explains, her voice sounding almost sensual as she looks down at my crotch for one fleeting moment.
"I...wait so you'd..." I stammer, my eyes darting over Maggie as she drinks in my own body.
"Swap with a man? Why not? I've been a woman, a wife, for so long. Why not try being a man?" she snaps back, a grin spreading across her lips.
"You can't!" Sally chirps, her voice quivering as she tries to find her confidence. "He and...I saw him and..."
"Now now, the adults are talking" Maggie says dismissively, leaning in closer as she lowers her voice. "I promise, you'll like Kyle. We've been together for nearly a decade, he knows...this body" she says with a wink.
Sally opens her mouth to say something, anything to enter back into the conversation. However, before she can get a word out another voice enters our little group. A huskier hoarse voice pipes up behind me as I feel a hand tap on my shoulder.
"Sorry...are you done with that?" whimpers a weak and defeated voice, the occasional sniffle breaking up her sentence.
Maggie looks past me, a moment of disgust covering her face before slowly being overcome with a grin as her eyes move down over the chest of the woman behind me. Sally merely stands there with her mouth wide open before quickly closing it and looking away.
Spinning around I look down to see the pink-haired young woman from before, her eyes having grown red and her t-shirt stained with tears after her interaction with the athletic Latina from earlier. Looking at this obviously distressed young woman I quickly hold out my plate for her despite my hunger, hoping to maybe get some more later.
"I'm...here, you take it" I mutter, passing it to her as she takes it into her pudgy hands.
"Thanks..." she practically whispers before quickly beginning to eat the stale chips. "I'm Zelda" she says as her words become muffled through the food.
"Like the video game" I chuckle, nodding to her shirt. "Did you change it or were you..." I begin to ask, only to be suddenly cut off by the pink-haired woman.
Her attitude suddenly shifts, her dull saddened eyes become bright and attentive at the question. "No! I mean yes, it's like the game character but no I didn't change it. My parents just named me that and when I saw the game as a kid I fell in love with it. Have you played Breath of the Wild!? I've beaten it like...five times at this point. Oh oh, what about Genshin Impact? That's such a Breath of the Wild clone, but it's pretty good for a mobile..."
"Um...Zelda, was it?" interjects Maggie, trying to cut the young woman off and get the conversation back on track. "We were..." she tries to continue, only to be cut off by Zelda.
"What?...Oh right, I live here as well. I'm near the Hawthorn Annex at Lathem, you teach there right?" she asks, any trace of the uncomfortable young woman I had seen before fading away after that brief outburst.
"I...yeah I teach at..." I begin to stammer back, only to be cut off by Sally.
"You're a college student?" she asks, thankful to get her first chance to return to the conversation.
"Yeah, I study arts and..." Zelda explains, taking a huge bite out of one of the sandwiches as Maggie jumps in as well.
"So in the city?" she asks, grimacing a little as she stares at Zelda's bulging flab.
"Yeah, on campus...alone" she states, the last word shifting her demeanor back into the one she had entered our conversation with. Zelda glances down at herself, her lips quivering as she fights back tears once again.
"So why are you wanting to..." I begin to ask, only to be cut off by Zelda.
"I got dumped" she whimpers, her hands shaking a little. "He...I keep seeing him every day, he lives down the hall and...and...it was because of my...my..." she stammers, struggling to get the words out before returning to food.
"Well..." Maggie muses, the look on her face reflecting her obvious discomfort at the thought of losing her relatively slim form for Zelda's far larger frame. "If we...well...Kyle could make you very..." she tries to pitch as Zelda quickly interjects.
"I don't care about that" she grumbles, glaring up at Maggie for a second before her expression softens. "I just want to be...not like this" she explains, taking a hold of one of her rolls of fat in her hand before jiggling it a little. "You're all so...would you maybe want to..." she mutters, looking between the three of us.
"You mean...permanently?" I ask, desperate to clarify what exactly she meant.
"Yeah I...were you all looking for..." Zelda stammers, her voice growing quiet as she realizes she may have misread the situation.
"No no, I'm looking for something...final" Maggie explains, glancing down at her ring with no small amount of sadness before staring daggers at her mud-covered shoes.
"I'm..." Sally pipes up, pausing as she looks at me as she tries her hardest to read my expression. "I...I...can do either really...I mean I'm staying close by right?...we can...Is permanent or temporary better for..." she blurts out, looking away from us again as she provides her answer and rubbing the back of her neck.
The three women slowly turn their attention to me, their eyes looking expectantly for my answer.
"I...hadn't really thought about it" I chuckle, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "I suppose...if it felt right I could..." I stammer, trying to work out my limits myself. I try to compose myself, focusing on working out what I should do.
No comments:
Post a Comment