Fat Happens Part 4 (Patreon)

As long as she could remember, Miri's biggest fear had been dealing with her overly critical mother. Always dissatisfied with her daughter's accomplishments, Lori had a way of getting under her daughter's skin without any noticeable remorse or sympathy. When she was alone with her mom, the short Korean girl would take extra care not to incur the inevitable wrath of the picky woman's unwarranted perfectionism.

More and more often now, Miri questioned that perfectionism with increasing annoyance. The more she thought about all of the times she'd been nit picked to the point of tears or corrected until she didn't feel like what she did mattered, the more she realized that the person criticizing her wasn't anything special either.

Miri'd been preparing feverishly in her mind since she got the text requesting a day for her mom to come down to the apartment for a visit.

"Probably just wants to check up on me," she would think before jumping to another conclusion.

Her hair done up into a ribbon-held bun and clad in a stylish pair of tight-legged, loose-waisted denim bell-bottoms with a thin, but tight fitting burgundy shirt, Miri floated around the kitchen in a graceful tiz. Decidedly short on time to go for her morning jog lately, she focused her energies on eating a proper breakfast and straightening up the house in preparation for what could be a pleasant visit if everything went well. After popping a couple waffles out of the toaster, she sprinkled some onion powder and just a bit more butter into a skillet of scrambled eggs.

(1)

"Maybe she'll be cool," Miri thought as she pictured a casual conversation over tea or walking around the town, her mom smiling at her in her old-timey sundress and matching hat. The notion became immediately uncomfortable as she realized that her post-high school style didn't match anything that her mom would be wearing, which would be questioned sooner or later. She carried on wiping the counters while nibbling on her meal, grateful for the extra time in the morning while thinking back on her time being interrogated on her wardrobe.

Whenever they were around, Lori would subtly brag about how she and her daughter shared clothes "all the time," a blatant lie that Miri had never dared to dispute in front of company. Once Miri agreed and everyone had gone home, Lori would sit Miri down and complain about having to tell "white lies" so that her friends would think she had a proper daughter.

(2)

Rolling her eyes and gnawing on a syrupy blueberry waffle, Miri's anger spiked, causing her to sigh loudly and clench her fists just slightly before returning to her chores.

"If she cares so much about sharing clothes, then why doesn't she borrow mine?"

The thought was an irrefutably annoyed one, but struck a victorious chord with Miri's logical mind.

"They probably wouldn't fit her."

Her mumbled statement made her laugh, leaving a wicked grin on her face. It was a petty justification, but aside from knowing that Lori was a good 3 inches taller than her, Miri let herself acknowledge that she was also a good deal thinner, having actually tried to follow the regimens that she was prompted to take up.

"It's not even just that," she added, licking a dallop of whipped cream from the can she'd just used to sweeten her remaining waffle further. Tawny and Megan had both pointed out that Lori wasn't as small. In fact, they insisted on saying that the youthful-looking housewife was even fatter than her daughter.

A moment of hesitation broke Miri's train of thought as she quickly corrected her mental ramble.

"Well, not *even* fatter, just...fatter. Which is probably why she's so insistent on saying we wear the same clothes."

She'd begun speaking aloud to herself, as was her habit when she didn't think anyone was around to hear or see her verbalizing thoughts and comebacks to things that were never said.

Miri allowed herself to dwell on the idea that Lori was just trying to live through her for several days. That rationale had allowed her to justify her position as a pestilent daughter who never did what was expected of her as well as rebuke the constant and insecure idea that she was simply a failure for not meeting the standards put before her and all girls her age. She consoled herself with the idea that her mother was trying to claim to be smaller than she was by forcing her daughter to stay thin, then claim to share outfits. Because if the daughter fit into a size 6, then so could her young, hip mom.

Miri glanced over at her phone and pondered what she was going to tell her mom. Originally, she said she would "tell her when she was free" later in the week, but hadn't actually given her a date yet. She paced around the kitchen, fiddling with the dark blue stone pendant that fit itself between her small, perky breasts and laid against her sternum. The wide, low cut of the elegant shirt allowed her to press her fingers into her chest, tracing the firmness of the boney plate at it's center, an idle action she took whenever she was thinking especially hard and not paying attention.

"What would we even do?"

The thought had crossed her mind several times during the week as she typed out her reply nervously, finally deciding to set the date for the upcoming Monday after her dad left the house for his condo in the city. Miri had no idea what activities would amuse the two of them and still impress her mom long enough to stop her from finding things wrong with her.
For just a second, Miri began to wonder what could possibly be said about her before self-consciously pulling her shirt down over her jeans, smoothing out her supple tummy and masking it's slight protrusion past the lip of the denim bell bottoms.

"Whatever." She said as she steeled herself.
"If she says I need to lose weight, I'll just tell her that she does too. 'Motherly curves' be damned," she said as she rolled her eyes over the last of her breakfast, still standing in the kitchen with her plate on the counter. Twirling a lock of hair that hung just past her chin, she smirked at the idea that if her friends' assertions about age were true, Lori didn't have much time left in smaller clothing anyways. Venturing further, she guessed for a second that maybe that was why the two of them didn't wear the same sizes already before disregarding the idea, realizing that that would mean she too was eventually going to lose control of her size. Lightly prodding the squishy layer of fat beginning to roll over her pants, she stocked the dishwasher, unable to shake the idea that maybe "fat did just happen."


After meticulously cleaning the house for the third time since she'd received the text, the problem of buying gifts moved up in Miri's mental queue. Lori had said that she had gifts, which invariably meant that she was expecting to receive gifts in return. Miri had always thought it a ridiculous and cheap tactic to get people to buy things for someone by purchasing an unwarranted gift for them instead of just going out and buying whatever new outfit or magic appliance happened to stand out at the time. But still, that was the the way she was raised, and the families of her mom's friends all seemed to agree with the custom without hesitation. And even on that ridiculous front, it made a kind of sense for people trying to save face and appear selfless to exchange gifts rather than be seen spoiling themselves.

She picked up the phone and called Tawny, hoping to enlist aid in picking out a place for a suitable gift. After explaining the situation, Tawny agreed to take her out to the mall and show her around some stores she liked, including a curio shop that was run by her grandmother. They met up on the road over, with Miri catching up on foot since neither girl owned a car.

"Hi lady!" Tawny chirped almost flirtatiously as her Asian friend caught up to her.

"Hey," Miri said, excited to be out of the house and into the warmish-hot afternoon sun.

"Alright, what are we looking for? Like clothes or bath stuff or what?" Tawny asked.

"Well, she's into art and little figurines and stuff. Uhhhhh.....Clothes are always good. Sun dresses. All of the sun dresses. Plants and flowers and stuff if we can find them," explained Miri, listing off general items of interest before asking "What kinda stuff does your grandma sell?"

Tawny smiled, emphasizing the whiteness of her teeth and unintentionally pushing out her massively busty chest as she stretched, pulling her shirt up and revealing high-waisted pants that stopped her comparatively not-huge belly from spilling over anything.
"My nan's got odds and ends. Random cool shit collected from wherever the hell. Most of it's garbage unless you're specifically looking for it though."

(3)

"Got any records?" The dark haired girl asked half-interested.

"Probably," Tawny replied.

As the two entered the mall, they took an immediate detour to the bath and body shop to pick up a couple bottles of lotion and body wash, then down to the food court at the heavyset blonde's request.

Walking up to a Mongolian barbecue place, Tawny pulled a credit card from her wallet.
"You want something?" She asked

"I already ate breakfast actually," said Miri, still feeling a little full and proud of herself for making a real breakfast.

"Well, it's lunch time now," said Tawny almost argumentatively.

"That's true," Miri said as she glanced over the menu momentarily before correcting herself.
"No, I shouldn't. I'm still on a diet."

Miri began noticing a theme to Tawny'a behavior. She was very confident and somewhat pushy, as if she was just used to getting her way when she wanted something. She didn't carry a purse, nor did she tend to dress in anything but jeans and a T-shirt, today being no exception. She was playful, but had an otherwise no-nonsense attitude that likely contributed to her strong opinions.
She lifted her eyebrows at Miri.

"Really?"

"..Yes?" Said Miri, unsure of how to respond, puckering her lips and turning her head as she did so.

"You don't sound sure...Besides, don't worry about me. I have the money and we both know you have NOT been dieting. I can tell just by looking at you. Those pants were not that tight a week ago. Order something."

Miri's annoyance at being spoken over was overshadowed by her relief at not having to put on a show for her friend, nor be a burden on the girl who had been nice enough to come with her to solve her mommy issues. Looking up at the menu, she felt her stomach growl, her appetite stimulated by the long walk.

"Sure. I'll get a number 2," she said, embarrassed but relieved at her friend calling her out and freeing her of her self-imposed obligation to go hungry.

The two sat down and hung out leisurely at an open table while kids played on the daycare playground nearby. Miri attempted to locate stores that may hold any interesting items that she could pick up, her eyes periodically shifting to passers by, marveling at the size of some of them as they walked by, enormously wide and jiggling as they went. Men and women with chubby cheeks and massive bellies meandered aimlessly around with no visible attention payed to their round, flabby bodies, nor to any store that sold any clothing Miri herself could wear comfortably.

(4)

After finishing a large plate of oily noodles and vegetables, a very full Miri stood up from her chair, taking a deep breath as she did. Noticing her shirt riding up a bit, she tugged it down, absentmindedly pulling the fabric past the soft roll created by the tightness of her pants digging into her hips and stomach. As the two girls walked through several clothing stores for dresses and accessories a middle-aged woman would appreciate, Miri fidgeted with discomfort as the denim rubbed against her smooth skin where her small, taut belly was propped up and held in place by her shirt.

After picking out a couple dresses from two different department stores, they finally came to a well-lit, but cluttered store towards the end of the mall's western wing called "Mirabel's Mysteries."

"This is my Nan's place. She's really nice and runs the shop, but be warned: she's going to try and give you stuff for being my friend. That's cool and all but if she does it too much, she won't have anything to sell," Tawny warned.

Miri acknowledged with a short "Ok" then attempted to enter, but was stopped again when Tawny's husky arm flew in front of her.

"Also, I know we just ate, but she's gonna try to feed you."

"Ok." Miri nodded again.

"And just so you know....." Tawny's pause made her friend slightly nervous.

"...Yeah....Just so you know, no, she's not a witch. Just..yeah."

Making a serious face, Miri nodded a final time, eager to enter the store and be done with the shopping ordeal.
As she wandered in, a fat woman with silvery gold hair waddled out from behind a counter and said hello in a sing-song voice before looking up and seeing her granddaughter.

"Oh hi! How are you girls today?" She asked, suddenly paying significantly more attention.

"We're alright. This is Miri. She's looking for some stuff to get her mom so I figured we'd check out what's in." Tawny stated casually as she pawed at a rack of assorted hats.

"Oh great! Well I'm Mirabel, nice to meet you!" Said the woman through a wide smile of crooked teeth.
"Let's hope we can find her something MAGICAL!"

(5)

Miri glanced over at Tawny who just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Walking around the shop, she couldn't help but feel the old woman's eyes on her wherever she went. Looking up only confirmed this as Mirabel's sparkling eyes and giant, excited smile seemed glued to the short and somewhat nervous customer.

"So what's she like?" Mirabel asked as she waddled into one of the open spaces where no odd assortments of jewelry or dish wear had been placed.

"Artsy, old-fashioned, conservative, overbearing and super critical." Miri said dryly.

Throwing up her hand and pointing to the ceiling as I she had an epiphany, Mirabel exclaimed through a soft voice "I have just the thing!"

Walking over to a bookshelf, she pulled out a single dusty tome and placed it on the counter nearest Miri.

"Does she like to read?"

"Uhhh...not really anymore, but she used to," said Miri, overly cautious of what book the smiling old woman had picked out.
She walked over and read the title.

"Gone With The Wind. By Margaret Mitchell. It's a classic and a wonderful read, especially for the older crowd," Mirabel stated, her face gleaming with delight.

"I don't think that's what we're looking for, Nana," Interrupted Tawny as she walked over to the other two women with a painting of a tiger in her hands.

"How about this?"

Miri looked at it, then rocked her head to side to side, squinting as she did.

"Nah. Not her speed."

Again, Mirabel piped up.

"Well what does she look like?"

"Like me, just older. Little taller," said Miri, prompting the older woman to study her while tapping on her lips with a pencil.

"How about....these?" Said Mirabel as she pulled out a small box with an ornate design on the lid, then pulled out a gorgeous pearl necklace.

"Ooh. Maybe," cooed Miri as she studied the necklace, noting the warmth of the pearls in her hands.

"This belonged to a beautiful and revered queen who lived in Siam many years ago. She was a pampered and-"

"No they didn't, Nana, stop lying." Tawny cut her off.
"Those are from my aunt Charlotte's jewelry box. She gave them to us because her son was playing with them and broke two of the pearls on the kitchen counter."

Mirabel clicked her tongue and playfully glared at Tawny and said "Thanks, kid. Ruin it for everybody whydontcha."

"Actually yeahhh....My mom's pretty uppity about stuff like this. If it's broken, she'll just say it's cheap garbage and throw it away." Miri sighed, frustrated that just moments ago, she thought the pearls were perfect.

"Well I have something special for little ladies who think they're better than all us normal folk," Mirabel said slyly, picking up a small, old-looking statue from a dusty corner of the room.

Both girls looked over at her.
"Nan, please don't." Tawny warned.

Interested, Tawny asked "...What is it?"

"It's called a swift kick in the head! Last time I had some diva insult my stock, I punched her in the nose!"

Mirabel laughed as she dusted off the statue and set it on a higher shelf to make room for a set of wine glasses she'd picked up from another cluttered table.

"She did too. It was bad." Tawny nodded.

"She deserved it!" Mirabel retorted.

"She did. Nana don't take no shit." Agreed her granddaughter, nodding even harder.

During the exchange, Miri came across a stack of paper folders filled with vinyl records and asked, "Hey! How much are these?! These were actually on my list of things to watch for."

Mirabel looked up and pulled a pair of glasses up to her eyes from a string around her neck.
"Oh those? They've been here forever. You can just have 'em."

"Nan."

"Five bucks."

"NAN."

"Oh Jesus, kid, fine. Twenty for the lot. I was trying to be nice. By the way, are you girls hungry?"

The two walked over to the counter as Tawny continued deflecting her nana's offers.
"We just ate actually."

"Well what about her?" Inquired the old lady, seemingly hard-pressed to give favors away.

"She ate too." Tawny stated, simulating a twitch in her eye out of annoyance.

"Miri, trust me. You don't have to be polite or hide your appetite around me. She calls me fat all the time. It doesn't bother me none and don't you let it bother you. You still got plenty of room to grow," said Mirabel, as if to discreetly cut her progeny out of the conversation.

"Uhh, well...I'm actually trying to LOSE some weight...So I'm actually good, but thank you." Miri replied sheepishly, trying to make her point without sounding indignant enough to get punched in the nose.

"You?! Oh please, there's nothing to you!" Said Mirabel dotingly.

"Actually, you should see how much this girl eats. She's turning into a lil butterball since she started hanging with me," Tawny prodded, poking Miri's side, touching the bare skin where Miri's shirt had ridden up again, exposing her small, squishy muffintop and causing her to squeak at the sudden tickling sensation.

"And there is nothing wrong with that." Mirabel counseled.
"If anyone ever gives you shit for your size, you send them to me and I'll make sure they get a fitting punishment."

Miri, still blushing furiously from embarrassment gave up trying to pull her shirt all the way back down after failing several times, instead opting to thank the abnormal but sweet woman and head home.
Mirabel of course, insisted that she take two boxes of bon bons free of charge before shooing both of the young women out the door before either could protest.

As they walked out of the mall parking lot with their bags, Tawny looked over with an amused grin and said matter-of-factly, "She's not a witch."

Miri laughed incredulously, revealing her modest cleavage as she bent over slightly from laughter.
"Are you fucking sure?! I swore to god she was gonna bust out her cauldron any second!"

"I promise not a witch." Tawny said.
"She likes witches and witch movies and has a bunch of new age 'Corvus Goldenclaw' books telling you how to cast love spells and shit, but I swear she's just playing it up. She's not gonna turn your mom into a newt or whatever."

"I hope not." Miri said, amused at the caricature of a woman she'd just met.

The two talked and laughed all the way home, hugging at Tawny's door and blowing Megan a kiss before Miri broke off and headed to her place with renewed dread of her mother's arrival in two days and continually bothered by how confining her clothes were.

Staring into the mirror again after arriving at her apartment, Miri looked herself over fully clothed.
Her shirt looked good even with the extra skin showing, but her pants pushed into her hips and stomach, forcing her soft flesh upward and creating a chubby pillow over them.
She stared at the slight deepness of her naval and slapped her sides with her hands, causing a tiny wave to race towards her belly button. She pressed her fingers into her stomach and felt for her abs, finding them completely hidden from view under her soft waist which created a plush slab from under her petite breasts all the way down to where her belly puffed forward at her belly button.

She smiled at her reflection. A little pudge was normal, she thought. She looked good, she felt good, and compared to everyone else in town, she was practically a bikini model.

(6)

Her mom didn't have a leg to stand on.