The Missing Piece, Chapter 4: Very Hungry Caterpillar (Patreon)

Chapter 4 of ? of my latest stuck story:

CHAPTER 4: VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

The metro south to the bay took longer than either anticipated. It’s had been years since Mel been on the train south and Simone had never ridden the train to the end of the line.

Both dressed nice, both done up, trying to look as queer and exciting as they could.

“Are we stalkers?” Mel stared straight ahead as she asked.

“Kind of, yes, but not as bad as I used to be,” Simone also looked straight ahead.

“Used to be?”

“When we met, I think I scrolled through your social media as far back as I could, just years worth of scrolling, and I did it through a dummy account because I was afraid I’d accidentally like a post from 5 years ago and give the game away.”

“Me too, except without the dummy account, and I think I was liking old posts of yours to try to get your attention.”

“I remember that, it worked, you got my attention.”

“It’s just how lesbians flirt,” Mel reassured herself but her awkward laugh wasn’t as sure.

“I follow A LOT of very fat women on social media, I’ve never seen her before, maybe she doesn’t want to be found,” Simone was having doubts.

“We might not even see her tonight.”

“We might not.”

The Caterpillar Club was only a short walk from the last stop. Neon fat caterpillars danced above the doorway. Mel and Simone showed their ID’s to the large bouncer.

“You all know what kind of club this is, yeah?” The bouncer raised one eyebrow at them.

Mel and Simone blushed in unison, Simone couldn’t speak, Mel managed to nod her head.

“Okay, I always gotta ask the skinny folk to be certain. Two drink minimum, have fun,” he let them in.

It was still early as far as bars go, the club was only just waking up. But even not at full capacity, Mel and Simone grabbed each other’s hands when they entered.

There were fat women- everywhere.

Behind the bar, waiting tables, DJing, dancing, drinking. All shapes and sizes, from plus-size to awe-inspiring.

Mel and Simone made their way to the bar, they were not the only thinner people there but they were easily the most petite in the place, which made them stand out.

“What can I get you two petit-déjeuners” the bartender laughed.

Simone always liked to get the minimums done and over with so she could relax and ordered them 4 beers. They looked around while trying to not look like they were looking around.

“Is this what it’s like for big women in bars? To stand-out by body type?” Mel was using the mirror behind the bar to try to be subtle.

“Except no one is harassing us or judging us, it’s refreshing,” Simone wasn’t as subtle, swooping her head around to scan the room, more people were arriving, the music was getting louder, the dance floor was hopping.

Mel offered a cheers, “we may not see her but here’s to a night out anyway,”

“To a night out.”

They drank, they danced, they smoked out back. All the while, surrounded by fat women. It was heaven.

Just before midnight, they carved a space for themselves the corner of the bar, switching to soda, they had entered the wind-down portion of the evening. Neither ready to admit defeat yet and go home, but neither young enough to want to stay out all night anymore.

“It was a long shot,” Mel said sucking on an ice cube.

“I’m surprised how much I like this place though, it has way more in common with a gay bar than I expected,” Simone said.

“It’s because fat chicks have so much experience being fag hags,” laughed Kay.

Melanie almost chocked on her ice cube. IT WAS HER. Simone laughed naturally at Kay’s joke but her laughter cracked when she turned her head to see Kay right beside her. Even bigger up close and in person.

“Sorry for interrupting, I just saw you two twiggies over here and I thought, ‘I like their vibe,’” Kay laughed at her own joke, Simone coughed into her soda.

“I’m Kay,” she daintily extended a very fat hand, like royalty. Simone and Mel both took her hand at the same time, laughing that it was big enough for both of their hands, both feeling like they should kiss the rings wedged on her adorable sausage fingers.

“Melanie,” why so formal?

“S-S-Simone,” don’t fall apart.

“Do you mind? You’ve got room to spare and I need every inch I can get,” Kay bumped her enormous hip against Simone to nudge her along the bar, Mel and Simone realized that the larger Caterpillar Club stools were big enough that they could share one stool, allowing Kay to have two.

Kay wiggled her enormous bottom on her two oversized stools happily.

“I haven’t seen you two here before, sorry if that’s weird, we tend to notice skinny people.”

“We were looking for you.” Mel couldn’t stop the words.

Simone spat out her drink.

“I’m not hard to find,” Kay laughed, she had a charmingly carefree demeanor born of someone with supportive hippy parents and possibly a theater background or maybe art school, thought Mel. It made her stand out beside the nervous, anxious pair.

“We saw you at the flea market last Saturday,” Mel wanted to tell Kay everything. There was something about her round warm welcoming face that just made secrets melt away.

Simone dug her nails into Mel’s leg, like she might tear it off.

“So why didn’t you say hi?” Kay’s eyes pierced into Simone and Melanie’s hearts.

“Hi-” eek’d out Simone.

“We wanted to- we were leaving as you were going in,” Mel petted Simone’s hand gently to try to get her nails out of her leg.

“As I was going in? I could have used a helping hand squeezing through those god damned turnstiles,” Kay laughed.

“A helping- hand?” the ice in Simone’s drink rattled as her hand shook.

“You know- a push,” Kay leaned against Simone, smooshing her against Mel.

“Come home with us-“ Simone’s eyes went wide as she said it, she didn’t mean to say it.

Now it was Mel’s turn to dig her nails into Simone’s leg.

Kay laughed an infectious laugh that made Mel and Simone’s hearts skip, “golly you two are the cutest- I’m meeting friends here later, what are your plans Saturday night?”

“We’re free-” “Saturday? No plans-” Mel and Simone fell over each other.

“It’s a date then, Saturday night, your place, shall I come hungry?” Kay took Simone’s phone off the bar and texted her phone.

“-hungry?” Mel’s mouth hung open.

“Yes” Simone said, “hungry, come”

“We’ll call it Faturday then, hee-hee!” Kay wiggled herself off her two stools, her belly and hips swaying, and kissed Simone and Mel on the cheeks, “I knew I made the right decision saying hi to you two, I can’t wait,” before disappearing onto the dance floor.

On the metro home, Simone and Mel stared silently at Kay’s contact page on Simone’s phone.

BZZZZZ

“AHH!” Simone dropped her phone, Mel kicked the phone across the tram car trying to catch it.

The two stumbled over each other trying to get the phone off the floor.

“I got it, I got it.”

It was a message from Kay, “Working up an appetite for Faturday!” -an adorable selfie of Kay on the crowded Caterpillar dance floor, cleavage, double chins and fat fingers in a peace symbol.

“Jesus she flirts so well, I can’t handle it,” Mel leaned her head against the tram window.

“What do we say?” Simone had writers block.

Mel took the phone from Simone, “look up, like you’re thinking thoughtful thoughts,” Simone put her finger on her mouth, Mel held her head in her chin- CLICK

“Planning… our… menu…” Mel typed.

“Good, cute.”

SEND

They returned to their trance, staring at the phone.

DELIVERED

READ

TYPING

A photo of Kay’s marshmallow fluffy fat hand across her expansive belly, “they say never trust skinny chefs, don’t let me down.”

Simone typed as fast as she could, “we won’t!” SEND

Her hand shook. Mel tried to hold Simone’s hand but her hand was shaking too. Their hearts raced.