[Story] Skinny Jake

Poor Skinny Jake—he either didn’t eat, or he had an insane metabolism, but from when we met in high school he was always a walking bag of bones. Of course, I didn’t say anything: I knew it was a sensitive subject. I thought he’d grow out of it. I was fairly lean in high school, and by the time college was over, my face had filled out and I had grown a gut.

Jake went to a different school, and I moved away from our hometown, so it wasn’t until after college that things synced up for us to hang out again. We met at his place, a little one-bedroom apartment on the older side of town. Jake was as skinny as ever. He showed me his place, his bony arms pointing out every nook and every expertly-covered stain.

“You’ve filled out really nicely, man.” He said, as if he had been holding this comment back since he first saw me.

“Uh, thanks. College food, you know.”

“I don’t, actually.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything.” I tried to think of a followup. “Uh, a lot of guys would kill for your metabolism.”

“It sucks. Clothes never fit right, I look older than I am, and you know no one really thinks twice about making a skinny joke? Or telling me how much they want my metabolism. I hate it.”

“Sorry, man. Have you tried to gain a little weight? I mean, I’m sure you have.”

“Yeah, but nothing seems to work out—obviously.”

“Have you tried something like eating an extra meal every day?”

“No, but that’s a good idea.”

“I have a buddy that uses a supplement for weight lifting. I bet you can use that stuff to get a bit bigger.”

Jake’s sunken cheeks brightened at this. He pulled out his phone and searched. “Like this?”

“Yeah, use that stuff for a while and you’ll be fine.”

The subject didn’t come up again, and I thought little of it until a year later, when I was in town again. I texted Jake, who was happy to meet at his place again.

When Jake answered the door, I barely recognized him. Skinny Jake was no longer skinny. But he hadn’t simply filled out. His concave cheeks were now fleshed out, making his narrow face round. He had grown out his beard, but I could clearly see a double chin underneath. His arms, which once looked wiry and out of place, were now full and meaty and pushed against his t-shirt’s sleeves. His torso had been nearly invisible the last time I had seen him. But now…wow. His chest was clearly defined through his turquoise t-shirt—or at least his two soft pecks were clearly visible. His flat stomach had ballooned into a round belly that hung a few inches over his waistline and wobbled when he moved. His jeans, which once loosely hung on his bony hips, now looked like they were painted onto his thick legs and plump butt (I admit I didn’t ever think of him as even having a butt before).

What the hell had happened to him? How could someone change this much in a year? Did I do this to him? He looked like a completely different person: Fat Jake.

“I did it!” He said. “I’m not skinny anymore!”

“Wow, you look so different.” I tried not to sound sarcastic. “Good work, man. I’m happy for you.”

“I did what you said and ate extra meals and used a weight gain supplement. It worked like a charm.”

“Yeah, it worked really, really well.” I tried to think of what else to say. “How long did you end up using the weight gain supplement?”

“Oh, I’m still using it.” Jake smiled, his chubby face dimpling. “I love that stuff.”

Holy shit, I thought to myself. No wonder he’s so fat. Does he even realize it?

“You should try it.” He continued. “It’ll put some meat on your bones.”

“I’m good.” I said. “I have to watch what I eat to stay under 200 lbs.”

“You sure? You look like you’ve lost a little weight.”

I had actually gained 15 pounds, which I pointed out to him. “How much weight did you gain since we last met?”

“Well, I was 135 pounds before. Yikes, hard to believe now. Last I checked I was 230 pounds. So, 95 pounds.”

“Is that about what you were planning on?”

His belly jiggled as he adjusted his shirt, which was at least one size too small. “I wasn’t really planning on anything at first. It just felt amazing to fill out. Like I was finally in control of my body, you know?”

“Yeah, nice.” You don’t look in control, I thought as I glanced at his bulging middle. “You happy with where you’re at?”

“Hell, yeah. I don’t miss being skinny at all.”

“Did you say why you’re using the weight supplement still? Or did I miss that?”

“Oh, I figure I may as well gain an even 100 pounds.”

Damn, Jake had really lost it. Should I tell him? “Whatever you gotta do, man.”

As we hung out that day, I kept finding myself staring at Jake. Whenever he walked, his shirt would ride up and expose his soft, jiggling middle, and he’d instinctively pull the shirt back down. It took me half an hour at the mall before I finally figured out what to say about it next.

“Hey, you need anything? Clothes?”

“Eh, not really.”

“That shirt’s not uncomfortable?”

“A little bit, now that you mention it.” He scratched his second chin thoughtfully. “I just bought it like two months ago. Gotta get some use out of it.”

“Bet it feels good not buying extra smalls though.”

He grinned. “You have no idea.”

What if it was my fault Jake had turned into this? If I had just kept my mouth shut, maybe he would have just gained a few pounds naturally and forgot about his body issues. When we got back to his place, I decided I had to confront him, even if I risked hurting his feelings. It was wrong to let this go.

“Hey, Jake, I’ve been thinking. Mind if I ask you something kind of personal?”

“Sure, dude. What is it?”

I breathed in. “I know not being skinny is really important to you, but don’t you think you’ve done enough? Like maybe more than enough?”

Jake’s face fell. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, I mean, we’re both around five foot ten, and I’m technically overweight at 195 pounds. We’re kinda…rounder than we should be, you know?”

“I wondered if that’s what you really thought.”

“Dude, I’m not trying to judge. I just don’t want you to take my weight advice too far.”

“You think you’re the reason I gained 95 pounds?” He put his hand on the side of his belly. His fingers sunk into his fat a little. “I’m grateful for your advice: it helped me get off my ass and do something about my weight, but I’m the one who did the work. I’m the one who paid for the food. This is all me.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just—the way you were talking, it didn’t seem like you’d realized how big you’d gotten.”

Jake laughed, which made me feel better. “Dude, how could I not realize? I’m not blind. Also, other people like to have their say. At first everyone was positive because I was so skinny before, but now everyone’s like, ‘You used to be so thin, what happened? Better lay off the burgers. You’d look better in black. Have you gotten your thyroid checked?’ And my doctor—he was not happy about my change in weight.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“It doesn’t bother me when they point out I’ve gained a bunch of weight.” He grabbed his belly with both hands and shook it. “I have gained a bunch of weight. It bothers me when they try to do something about it. It’s not anyone’s place to tell me how much I should weigh except me.”

 My cheeks were burning. Now I really felt like an ass. “I’m—I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not trying to get down on you. You’ve been so polite, and tried so hard not to say anything. When you first saw me, you thought, ‘Holy shit, Jake got fat,’ right?”

I admitted it was, and we laughed. When he laughed, even his chest jiggled.

“For real, man. I love my body. You should try loving yours too. It’s great.”

When I drove back to where I was staying, Jake’s old appearance and his new one swapped back and forth in my mind. He swelled up like a human water balloon. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or horrified he was so happy being chubby. I tried to think of a reason he should be unhappy, but I drew a blank. If I helped him become a happier person, wasn’t that good enough?

It was hard to believe Skinny Jake was in there, buried under almost 100 pounds of soft fat. Maybe that wasn’t the right way to look at it. Indeed, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Skinny Jake never existed at all.