Freaks Of Nature

Marie was not alone when she woke up the next morning. She was not sound asleep in her own bed either. Nor was she fully dressed and curled up in a mass of sheets and blankets. Her memory was fogged over like a camera lens that had been smeared with Vaseline. She could not help but deny some of the memories that came back to her as she lay there with her mind still half clinging to sleep. Though she groped blindly with the expectation that she had dreamed everything from the night before she could find no pillows strewn next to her, only carpet. When she opened her eyes a hue of scarlet flushed across her cheeks while she lay sprawled across the naked chest of that giant who had invaded her home the night before. “Carlos?”, she thought as she chewed on her bottom lip. It was him alright. He laid across the living room floor with his eyes firmly closed. Somehow despite all her fidgeting he had remained fast asleep, clutching the wrinkled layer of fabric that, once his shirt, now served as a somewhat makeshift blanket.

Her face tingled with embarrassment. Sitting up she groped around for any sign of her shirt but discovered that it was still huddled next to the couch where she could not reach it. Not unless she intended to wake up Carlos at least. Cursing gently under her breath she attempted to reach for it anyways, stretching out her arm as far as it could go in some vain attempt at hooking her fingers around the flimsy material. She knew it was reckless but what else could she do? Certainly not sit there with her chest exposed. Even with her free hand pinned firmly against her breasts she still felt hideously uncomfortable. It had been a long time since she had found herself exposed in any other place other than the bathroom. Cringing she attempted to leaned foreword just a slight, hoping that doing so would enable her to take hold of her shirt. She nearly had it in her grasp when he suddenly stirred underneath her, groaning loudly while his eyes slowly opened. “Good morning...” All the blood drained from her face as she turned her head slightly to observe her. He was laying perfectly still, smiling up at her fondly despite everything, and though he did not seem very concerned by what she was doing she still felt strangely unnerved by the whole situation.

She was about to say something. An excuse perhaps, or an apology for asking him to stay the night before. The hand that was still firmly pressed against her bare breasts quivered softly when all a sudden she felt two large hands slowly coarse up the length of her spine. “It's a little too early to be tense. Don't you think so, Marie?” He asked as he gently stroked the sensitive flesh, sending tingled throughout her entire body.

“I'm sorry.” She moaned quietly, faintly recalling the events of the night before. His fingers were soft against her skin. They pressed gingerly against the curve of her spine, traveling up and down it steadily as if to imply something that was less than innocent. She felt her face flush but could not bring herself to ask him to stop. His ability to retain such gentleness astounded her. The feeling of his long fingertips gliding over her flesh filled her with delight. “Mmmm.” she mewled softly, straightening her shoulders in response to the caress. “We should stop.”

“Why?” He paused, gazing up at her as initial shock wore away. Marie mentally grimaced at herself as she climbed off of him, throwing her shirt back on quickly to prevent him from seeing even one more minute of her exposed torso. 'Nothing has really changed.' She thought to herself as she course her fingers roughly through her hair. Even spending an intimate night with Carlos just wasn't enough to make her feel comfortable with him. Something about the situation made her feel terrible. Turning away from him as he gradually picked himself up off the floor she gestured towards the kitchen, loudly chirping; “Do you want some coffee? It's nothing fancy but it does the trick.” It came out sounding high pitched and fake. Not at all what she had intended. Without waiting for his answered she retreated into the safe haven of countertops and cupboards, rifling around for a few minutes before setting up the coffee maker.

“Is everything alright Marie?” He asked as he watched her shuffling around nervously. He hadn't put his shirt back on. Every time she looked over at him she would feel her face go completely red. If only Heidi and Paige were there to crack some suggestive little comments. Their shameless teasing might have eased some of the tension that she was feeling.

“I'm fine.” She denied with a firm shake of her head. “Really, I am.”

He quirked an eyebrow, pausing when she knocked over one of the coffee mugs. “Am I making you uncomfortable? You're acting so jumpy right now. It's really...strange.” Marie felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She stopped and stared over at him briefly with an expression of horror plastered over her face. How could he tell? Was it that obvious?!

“I'm not used to having “company” this early in the morning.” She replied with a heavy sigh. The mug was retrieved, unscathed by her clumsiness, and she returned to her little routine. After doing the same thing every morning she did not even have to think, her body involuntarily went through the motions of preparing coffee, including grabbing the milk and sugar.

“Are you having regrets about what happened between us?”

She pretended not to hear him as she rifled through one of the lower cupboards for a box of cereal. What the hell, she could use some breakfast at this point. Maybe if they occupied themselves with eating it would make the tension go away. Carlos was very indifferent to her cereal choices although he smiled when she exchanged his bowl for a slightly larger one. “I'm not a horse Marie.” He reminded her with a gentle laugh. “You don't have to feed me ridiculous portions like that.” Though she tried to act like the situation was amusing all she could think about were the graphic memories floating in her mind from the night before.

“But...you're a lot bigger than most people.” She frowned with loudly filling both of the now equally proportioned bowls with cereal. “Don't you need to eat a lot more? You know, for the energy?”

“Kind of. I probably need to consume more during the day than you. But it's not an overtly noticeable amount. It's not like I'm eating an entire turkey to myself or anything.”

“I take it people bug you about that?” She sighed as she caught a glimpse of her own reflection on the door of her fridge. She looked much more slender than she did when they first met. Her waist had gotten much more defined and there was obvious proof of the weight she had been gradually loosing. But she hadn't reached the “goal” weight she had set out for herself when the dieting madness first began and that was enough to make her question the amount of cereal she'd poured in her bowl.

“Not anymore than they make fun of me for my height. I don't think people have elaborate thoughts when they pass by me on the street. Usually it's just initial shock.” As he spoke his bright green eyes watched her carefully, studying her movements like he was simply waiting for her to make a mistake. Marie had long gotten over their snake-like appeal, having decided that it was pure coincidence and not Carlos's inner nature that made them so intense. But it was still enough to make her second guess her plan to scoop a little bit of cereal out of her own bowl. He was aware of her eating habits already. Knowing this made her feel uncomfortable and with him gazing quietly from the other side of the counter she reluctantly poured milk into both bowls and accepted the portion as it already was.

Sitting with him on the couch she felt a slight hesitation after every spoonful. They were watching the morning news after a little bit of quiet murmuring and now both of their eyes were so glued to the screen that neither of them was really noticing what the other was doing. Marie was surprised when she finally did turn her eyes away from the last “breaking headline” to discover that Carlos was not simply eating his food; he was devouring. While most of the people she had taken the time to allow into her personal residence seem to eat slowly, scooping each spoonful carefully while trying not to spill, he held the bowl as close to his head as possible to ensure the spoon traveled the least distance possible. She knew this method of eating; she had done it herself many times before. Only when she did it she was often by herself on a late afternoon wearing the faded old pyjamas that she'd been in all day long. It was the type of ravenous behaviour of an individual who was utterly relaxed with their surroundings.

“How can you do that in front of me?” She asked him finally when it became too much to simply sit there and quietly observe. When he stopped what he was doing and shot her a rather puzzled look she immediately rephrased herself. “I mean- it takes a lot for someone to be able to eat like that without the fear of being judged...doesn't it?”


“Well, I suppose it's because I don't tend to worry about being judged for simple things.” He answered while setting his spoon down inside the now empty bowl. “Even if we don't work out down the road I highly doubt you're going to remember me because of the odd way that I eat.”

“No, I guess not...”

Going through her morning routine was uncomfortable while she had a 'guest' present. She rushed through her shower reluctantly while he waited quietly in the kitchen sipping at the leftover remnants of the coffee she had made. Her eyes were glued to the bathroom door, paranoid that he might step into the room at any given moment and see her while she was at her most vulnerable state. The more she thought about it the more anxious that Marie became and when she emerged, fully dressed with her hair still dripping wet from lack of concern, he gave her the strangest look she had ever seen him make. She didn't say it openly but she was glad when his phone started ringing a half-hour later and forced him to tell her “Goodbye.” One of his employers was badgering at him. They wanted him down at the art gallery in the next two hours so that they could show him off to a prospective client. She was however mildly disturbed by the fact that he kissed her just as he was headed out the door. It wasn't a terrible kiss mind you. His lips were still as soft against her cheek as they had always been and he was certainly meant no intentional harm in performing the action. But as she stared at her living room window and saw him rush briskly down the street her stomach began to knot up in a way that it had never done before. It was suddenly and painful, but worst of all when it happened it made her feel like she was going to be sick.

Paige called her later on but she couldn't bring herself to answer the phone. As much as she yearned to confide herself in one of her friends Paige was remarkably talented at wrestling information out of her. The last thing she wanted was someone else knowing the events that had taken place the night before. She watched t.v instead and when that began to drive her mad she went for a walk. The sun was setting when she emerged from her apartment building but there were still plenty of people wandering around outside. Children laughed as they scampered past her on the sidewalk. A girl with bright blue hair sat at a bus bench with large headphones perched over her ears. As she walked she keenly observed everyone that she passed without a word, pondering over what might have been going on in their lives and whether or not they were happy. Somehow she ended up standing outside a movie theatre; the very same one she had been going to with Heidi and Paige for years. Inside were clusters of happy young couples, groups of teenagers rough housing as they waited in line to get tickets, bumbling families with noisy children and the occasional loner such as herself.

There were no films playing that she truly wanted to see. Most of them were schlocky blockbusters or corny renditions of a 1980's horror flick. To save face she opted for the one that seemed the least menacing, deciding that watching cars exploding for two hours or people screaming as they fled from a knife brandishing maniac weren't the most appealing situations. Although her stomach growled furiously she choose to avoid the concession stand. All that butter on the popcorn certainly looked appetizing though. God knows what else was mixed in with it though. Gritting her teeth in firm resolution she headed into the darkened auditorium and perched herself in a seat near the back where she could be left alone. For ten minutes other people slowly dwindled inside and chattered softly amongst one another. Crossing her arms over her chest she kept her eyes glued to the screen until the opening credits started the roll and everyone in the front rows gradually piped down. The movie itself was nothing truly interesting. It was the latest drama that everyone had been hyping up and although she wasn't overtly moved by the plot or the acting she still remained completely engrossed for the entire hour and a half that it was playing across the giant screen.

There was an uncomfortable hugh when the film ended and the lights switched back on to allow those still planted in their seats the ability to see where they were going as they got up to leave. She watched everyone else leave one by one and when at last she was the last person still in her seat Marie got up and made her way towards the exit. Her eyes squinted as they struggled to adjust to the light but eventually she edged her way past the crowds of movie goers and back outside onto the street. The sun was completely gone by then and had been replaced by a cloudy night sky. There were several missed calls on her cellphone; all of them from either Heidi or Paige. “They must already know that somethings up.” she murmured with a low sigh as she walked past an obscene looking nightclub that had just opened up a few months ago. Inside the latest music remixes blared loudly and those who were craving a cigarette were forced to huddle together outside to indulge. Among them was a rather familiar looking blonde who shot her a smile when she looked his way. She did not react until she heard him open his mouth and call out; “Marie!”

“Jack?” She said as she slowly turned to face him. He was nestled between two other people; one man and one woman. Both of them were as posh and as bleached as he was and just like any “rebel” of the month they were all quietly smoking flavoured cigarettes. As she quietly approached the gated barrier that separated them from the open street she caught a whiff of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla mixed with smoke. She knew this duo. They were friends of Jack whom had once spent their evenings partying together. In the past they had indulged in a double date or two but no matter where they went Marie had always felt as if she was the odd one out of the group. The woman in particular made her uncomfortable. She had the poise of a much more wicked Tricia; striking a beautiful, but rotten on the inside. Her eyes narrowed when Marie approached and as Marie folded her arms over her chest and inhaled she caught of whiff of strong smelling perfume. To spare herself the anxiety she kept her eyes locked on Jack and ignored the other two. “Good to see you again. How are you?”

“Excellent. You remember Allan and Mya don't you?” He responded while gesturing to the other two. Allan nodded his head as he took a sip from the imported beer bottle he was carrying around. Mya rummaged through her purse in search of a tube of lipstick.

“Yea, sort of. I remember that we hung out a few times.” She admitted with a casual shrug. It was the truth after all. The only thing she'd left out was the fact that she'd hated every moment of it.

“So what are you doing all the way out here by yourself huh? I figured you'd be hanging out with Heidi and Paige tonight.” He asked her while flicking the rest of his cigarette onto the ground.

“I wasn't in the mood for a night out on the town with them. I'm just coming back from a movie.” As she was explaining herself Mya turned and walked away. Allan was quick to pursue her and she watched them both as they disappeared back into the bar leaving nothing but identical trails of smoke behind.

“Really? Well if you're not in a big hurry to get home I could totally use someone to hang out with.” Jack exclaimed with a loud chuckle. “Allan and Mya and boring the living hell out of me. All they want to do is hide in a bathroom stall exchanging bodily fluids with one another.” Against her better judgment Marie found herself nodding. Honestly she felt sorry for him at that moment. She was all too familiar with the idea of being the third wheel on a night out. It got lonely after awhile. The bouncer didn't think twice when she showed up at the door. Two girls who saw Jack walk up and embrace her in a friendly hug when she stepped inside salivated like hungry wolves though. She thought that she recognized them as well but she didn't have enough time to think about it. As soon as they had finished with their warm greetings she found herself being whisked towards the bar. The drinks were are deliciously fruity, and Jack was paying the tab.

Being out of her element made her mindful of how much she consumed. When at last the symptoms of a faint “buzz” started to show themselves she retreated into a diet of soda and orange juice. Mya and Allan were visible again but they were too busy grinding against one another on the dance floor to be bothered to converse with anyone. As Jack propped himself against the bar counter she studied him, pondering for a moment before boldly asking him; “So where is Tricia?”

“Oh her? She's hanging out at another art gallery tonight. I wasn't in the mood to go so I came here instead.” He rolled his eyes as they watched the obscene behaviour happening on the dance floor. “I guess the rest is self-explanatory.”

“Yea I guess it is.” Marie nodded while staring at her own reflection in the surface of her drink. “I never thought of you as the type to play the third wheel in an outing. It's kind of weird seeing you like this right now.”

“Yea well it feels weird.” He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He was on his third drink by now and just like Allan he seemed to favour exotic looking imports that Marie had never even heard about. All she knew was that they came in fancy bottles and they didn't smell as strong as ordinary beer. When he was done taking a good swig from it he turned to her and smiled. “I feel a lot better with you around though. It makes me feel a lot better having someone else to talk to.”

“Well I'm certainly glad that I could cheer you up.” Marie giggled as she raised her glass to her lips. “I know how it feels to be left out.”

Jack seemed please by her response and together they lingered near the bar chatting and drinking. By doing this she found out that he had recently received a job promotion that he'd been striving to get for over a year. In return she told him about how slow things had become at the hotel. Surprisingly enough the conversation was actually very enjoyable. She was relaxed by the casual pleasantries even if they sometimes felt like they were being forced. Jack was completely polite. The conversation never strayed to anything to personal and there were a lot of laughs exchanged between the two of them.

Mya and Allan returned from the sea of writing bodies eventually. In between sips of strong alcohol and complaining about the D.J's choice of music they insisted on dragging her out onto the dance floor with them. Jack was also snared but he seemed to put up less of a protest than she did. Something about dancing made Marie break out into a cold sweat. Even as a little girl she had panicked when her gym teacher decided to show everyone how to square dance for one week. No matter how much she practiced alone in her room she was a terrible dancer. To make matters worse when they did make it out onto the floor she found herself mashed up against Jack and some other person that she didn't even know.

She tried to play along with the little game for awhile. Although she felt like a complete fool nobody else really seemed to notice the way that she awkwardly mimicked those who were around her. Eventually she began to realize that they were simply too drunk or too caught up in the music to care. Jack grinned as he watched her struggle to keep up with the pounding beat. The same two woman who had glared when Marie first came inside looked completely horrified to see her dancing with him. Marie tried her best to keep a safe distance but the rest of the crowd kept pushing her. Every time someone tried to scuttle by she would end up becoming pressed uncomfortably against his chest.

“Relax Marie. You're just dancing with me.” She heard him murmur while she squeezed her eyes shut. His arm found it's way around her waist and she felt her skin prickle. With his fingers digging into the fabric of her shirt he nudged her from side to side until she was swaying to the beat of the music. Her heart raced wildly as the rest of the crowd danced together in one massive sea of sweaty, alcohol induced bodies. Allan and Mya hovered nearby for almost a half-hour, preventing her from escaping. When they did finally vanish it was to duck into one of the bathrooms and Marie felt her stomach heave when she recalled a comment that Jack had made about them earlier. “How disgusting.” She hissed quietly to herself.

She wanted to walk home and just sleep off everything like a bad hangover but as she was headed out the door Jack caught up with her. “Let me walk you back to your place.” He insisted. “It's way too late for you to be wandering around by yourself.”

His presence did not surprise her like it had the previous time. Numbed by alcohol and yearning for a nice warm bed to collapse on top of Marie found herself feeling rather indifferent to Jack. “I remember now why I don't go out to bars that often. The heat is an absolute nightmare. And the smell. I think at least fifty people near us spilled some of their drinks. It reeked like beer.” She laughed giddily as she strolled down the sidewalk,feeling carefree with a good dosage of alcohol and sugary soda pulsing through her system.

“You seem really happy tonight you know.” Jack commented as he paced quietly beside her. “Much happier than you were before. In fact it seems like every time I see you you're becoming more and more cheerful.” She watched him just out of the corner of her eye, noting that his gaze lingered curious from her head to her feet several times during the walk. “You've lost weight haven't you?” He eventually asked.

Marie was just a little to eager to nod her head. Other than Carlos's slightly unsettling comments about her eating habits this was the first time anyone had taken a clear notice in the dramatic transformation her body had undergone. She was certain that others had noticed as well, but few of them had the nerve to come out and ask her about it. Possibly because they feared insulting her. “I don't think I've ever been this size before. It's so fantastic.”

“Really? Well you look absolute stunning.” Jack smiled when he answered her, shoving both hands into his pockets. “Actually I thought you looked even more amazing that night when we hung out together. You looked so sophisticated and confident that I almost couldn't believe it was you.”

Marie felt her stomach flutter with excitement as she focused on the sidewalk ahead of her. “I'm sort of putting more effort into the way I dress too. Heidi and Paige kept buying me these pretty outfits and I'm forcing myself to wear some of them now that I've lost weight. I kind of feel guilty about the fact that I have so many but they've all been sitting on hangers in my closet all this time.”

“Tricia was kind of like that for awhile. Her friends and parents send her all these clothes and she decided that they weren't going to sit around in the closet anymore.”

“So what did she do about it?”

Jack rolled his eyes, seemingly displeased that he had unintentionally staggered into a topic that he did not enjoy. “She took an entire weekend to sort them all out and rearranged them so that she would be able to put together outfits without so much trouble. In the process I lost my space in the closet and had to put all my things in a separate dresser.”

She chuckled, amused by the idea of Jack being evacuated from his designated closet space by a wave of skirts and dresses. “Well at least you know exactly where they are huh? Maybe later on you can talk to her about rearranging the closet to give you some space again.”

“Not going to happen.” He grimaced. “Tricia doesn't like to share. She's so used to living on her own that the thought of giving up any space to someone else puts her on the edge. She even takes up spots in the fridge. The first two levels are nothing but her “organic” foods.”

“Wow, I didn't think that she would be like that. Kind of sounds like she's a bit of a control freak.” Marie responded uneasily, running her fingers through the back of her hair as she looked over at him. The frown that had formed on his face was rather off-putting in comparison to the cheerful smile that had been there only a few moments before. “I guess it's one of the down's about living with someone else. You've got to get used to the fact that all that space isn't just for you anymore.”

He nodded in agreement but the annoyance that had surfaced took almost the rest of the walk to fade away. By the time that they were standing on the front steps of her apartment building it had almost entirely vanished. He even smiled when she reached into her pocket to fish out her keys and snickered quietly when Marie fumbled and dropped them onto the pavement. “Even after all these years your still all thumbs when you handle keys huh?” He asked her. In was a familiar comment, one that had once been an inside joke exchanged between them when they were still dating. Marie shrugged her shoulders as she knelt down to pick them up. She giggled but it was mostly out of politeness than actual amusement.

“Well I guess I'll see you around huh?” She asked when she had recovered from her little accident. “Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you tonight by the way. I've got to admit I had a lot of fun.”

“Listen, I wanted to ask you earlier about this but are you interested in going out with me tomorrow night? Tricia is going out to have a girl's night with a few of her friends and I figured it's been awhile since we did anything together. There's an outdoor skating rink on the other side of the city that I've been wanting to show someone. It's really cool.”

Marie stared down at her feet the entire time that Jack spoke. Her eyes were practically glued there, studying a white scuff mark that she had obtained on the toe of her left foot. No doubt it was from being stepped on while they were dancing. “I guess so. I don't really have any plans.” She replied with a shrug. It had been years since Marie had even set foot on ice. As a child her parents had tried to get her to take lessons out of some desperate attempt to give her a 'hobby'. Ultimately it had made her despise slippery surfaces.

“Great! I'll come by around 5:00 okay? Take care of yourself until then.” Without so much as a warning he lunged forward, pulling her into a suffocating hug. Her limbs twitched violently from the initial shock and though she felt herself tense with resistance he didn't seem to notice. Instead he laughed, lingering with both arms draped around her for a moment before finally letting her go.

“Have a good night.” She mumbled while turning slowly towards the door. As she stepped inside and headed into the elevator she found herself rubbing her arms compulsively. There were five messages on her answering machine when she got back into her apartment. Two of them were from Paige. Three belonged to Carlos.