Saturday 10 October 2015

CLEANER II: Chapter Five - Part Nine

DAHLIA

It was the end of another long day: up at the crack of dawn to clean outside the hotel around the pool, then helping with breakfast, more cleaning (stripping beds and doing bedrooms), a break for a few hours in which I went to the local shop for supplies then sat in my room with the curtains drawn shoving junk food in my mouth, more cleaning, then helping with dinner.

When it got time for me to eat I binged even more than normal, piling the food that little bit higher on each plate; going back for one entire plateful over and above what I normally did. It was a wonder I could pack it in there but I was somehow able to. It made me think about the scratching I had had when I was in my old life. Back then I would have felt bloated after half of one plate. Nowadays I was having four; eight times further on than I would have said stop in the old days.

I didn’t play poker with Maxine and the girls. The cook finished in the kitchen earlier than normal. I saw him headed out and followed after him. I caught up with him on the stairs up toward his room.

“Vasilis!”

He turned back but the look on his face wasn’t a happy one. He looked put out.

I gave a shy, needy smile. “Where are you off to? Are you having an early night?”

“Er... I, uh... I’m busy tonight. Out for drinks with friends.”

“Oh.” I smiled. “Can I come?”

He looked pained. “It’s just men.” He continued up the stairs. I walked after him.

“Are you going out right away?”

“Not... In a while. In half an hour.”

“Oh. I might come up then and hang out with you while you get ready.” He was moving quickly in his lithe slim body. I struggled to keep the same distance between us in my bloated, sagging one. He reached the first landing and hurried down the corridor to the back stairs. He was pulling away. “Hang on,” I said, giving a nervous chuckle. “I can’t keep up.”

He stopped and gave off a sigh. I waddled up behind him. The skin around his eyes and mouth was taut. Had anyone ever looked at me like that in my former life? No men surely. Men had been fawning or lustful, kind or generous, charmed by my looks and my personality.

“What is it?” he said. “I told you I’m busy.”

“I just... wanted to spend some time with you while you were getting ready to go out,” I said.

“Why?”

“Uh... What?”

“Why do you want to come up? I don’t have time for sex. I’m going out.”

“To... talk? I was feeling... I’m a bit lonely. Are you sure I can’t come out drinking with you?”

The tightened skin around his eyes spread onto his cheeks in ribbons of white. “I want time away. That is the whole point. I don’t want you there. It’s embarrassing.”

“What?”

“Pfah.” He walked away.

“Wait,” I said. “Embarrassing how?”

He stopped, scratched his forehead, didn’t turn.

“Vasilis. What is it?”

He showed me his face. “I like... big women. That’s why I like you. But you’re too big now. Too fat. Look at you. You’re gross. My friends think I’m an idiot being with you.”

“What?”

He walked away then paused. “If you want to fuck later then you can come up when I get back. I’ll knock on your door.” He looked pissed off like I’d just done him down somehow. “Do you want that?”

The offer was made like he was doing me a favour.

I thought of all the men who had pursued me in my life as a beautiful model: hundreds of handsome guys willing to do anything to earn my favour. There was no pursuit here. Even his initial interest had been lackadaisical. If anything I was the pursuer and looking at his gaunt, sunken face, bony body and protuberant eyes, his greasy skin, I saw reflected my own level of attractiveness. But it wasn’t just looks; it was all about self-image and confidence. Out of the two of us, he had assumed the dominant role. I was the one desperate for the connection. He could take it or leave it.

“Well” he asked. “Do you want to fuck later?”

My mouth quivered. I looked at his dirty shoes. Still looking at them, I nodded.

“Fine,” he said offishly, again as though he were granting a boon. “If I feel like it I’ll give your door a kick on my way past. You can follow me up.”

“Uh, okay.”

“But do something about your appearance first for God’s sake. You get fatter and uglier each time I see you. And cleaning makes you smell.”

He turned away again and this time he didn’t look back.

I stood there in the corridor, trying to understand what had just happened for well over ten minutes. All I could think about was the man I’d spied flirting with Melissa next to the pool; how into her he had been.

Surely I had almost achieved my goal in full now. I was no longer treated like the woman I used to be in any way.





28 comments:

  1. ABsolutely horriifying, chilling chapter My how the mighty have fallen. Poor mad D from having rich handsome guys beginning for her fAvORS SHE GETS TURNED DOWN BY LOW CLASS UGLY GREEK COOK, & She still hasn't had an awaking. You ca't help feel for D but at the same etime oyu want to hit her on the head. for being such a fool. More than ever she is so islotated from everyone acceopt the trustworthy M. I hope she has a bit of an awaking when even the cook tells her that - even though he like s fate woman she's now too fate & she ( Who was once an internation, famous beauty ihat he too ashamed to be seen with her.!) nmaybe she wil cut down a Little on food intake.
    I don't think M - with a small amount of PLastic surgey will have trouble to take D place - D has lost it! Looking forward to more. I can almost feel D's uyter hopeless despair. What has she done to herself & how well the orignal M has done as her the mirror of failure on her part & the M now being the mirror phyical & persoanlity image of her former glamous self.
    WHY Its almost like magic!
    Emma, you should ne ashamed of yourself!

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  2. Wonderful chapter, Emma. Dahlia has fallen into a pit of despair, yet she's not even clawing at the walls to get out. She admits to herself that she has achieved her goal of no longer being the woman she was, the beautiful Dahlia Western, but, I don't think she quite realizes the flipside of that goal. If she is no longer Dahlia Western, then it means that Melissa is.
    Dahlia is most assuredly mad. She's playing a game, but Melissa is playing for keeps. She realizes that she is poised to just take what she wants...Dahlia Western's wealth, her identity, and her career. In fact, Dahlia has GIVEN it to her...insisted that Melissa learn how to be Dahlia Western, so Dahlia's madness, her fantasy has quite possible driven her to a place she cannot come back from, or at the very least, not back to her original life...that belongs to Melissa now.

    (Evil grin)

    --Robert

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  3. It is as Robert says: D´s life is no longer her own.
    But it appears that she still thinks she is just acting out her secret desires, storing her actual personality with "trustworthy" M in the meantime.
    It might be a horrifying awakening when D finally learns that M wasnt some sort of benevolent Sandman watching over Dahlia´s sleep but a selfish executioner condemning D to a pitiless existence in a nightmare of her own making.
    Great writing... as always.

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    1. And of course...can`t wait for more.

      marc

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    2. Thanks Marc. Like the sandman idea.

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  4. I got a shiver. You can't say no. At this point you need the succor of companionship no matter how poisoned, bit poisoned it is how many times will it tale to completely destroy her self esteem.

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  5. A Poem By Mellissa Chapman
    How do I hate the, let me count the ways,
    I hat you Dahalia for being slim
    I hate you Dhlia for being Beautiful
    I hate you Dahlia for being Rich,
    I hate you Dahlia because I clean your mansion
    In fact Dahlia. I just fuckin hate you!


    Let us anyalze the trade from what Dahlia agreed to expected to what Meissa bullied her into.

    DAHLIA MELISSA
    Trade Names for D to Live and Work in run down Hotel
    Trade Hair colors and Style Make D make friends with other Cleaners
    Wear coke bottle glasses Allow Maxine to boss D around
    Destroy your eyesite Make D have a fling with ugly greasy Greek
    Trade warddrobes Cook, Trade voices and vocabularies
    Trade wealth status Trade charm,Charisma and confidence and
    Make D social skills like M’s
    Trade shapes and weigth Trade grace and altheticism
    Melissa to become slim Have sex with Dishy guys while
    For Dalhia to become fat forcing an ugly brute of a ‘Bloke on D
    To work for M as her cleaner To take total control and force D into
    Horrible life and setting
    To trade memories, making D’s wonderful
    her own and Melissa’s miserable ones D’s

    I wonder if we ever know why D is doing this toherself. She doesn't even seem to know or if it will remain a mystery in Emma's evil & twisted mind. _ No offense!

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    1. We played that scene before.
      Dahlia seems to be driven by a mixture of self-hatred, kinky desires and submission fantasies.
      When several strokes of fate (e.g. the brother´s death) allow these self-destructive tendencies to break free and go on a rampage, Dahlia gets hopelessly carried away in a maelstrom of despair and self-loathing. Maybe Dahlias subconsciousness considers a more simple life with lots of labour and menial work as necessary to do penance.
      Changing to the Melissa persona also seems to make it easier for D to cope with her grief and bereavement. In addition the swap grants D the chance to forget about her personal issues. "Simple life, simple problems", so to speak...
      I think, Emma explains this quite well in Part1 of the trilogy.
      The timing for the swap was perfectly for Melissa, though, because D only had eyes for the negative aspects of her supermodel life when she let her submissive side and self-hatred take over.
      If she had taken the time to think it all through D would have seen what she STILL really had and that the sun would shine for her again soon - with all its brightness.
      But a few wrong and rushed decisions quickly led her on a direct path to the abyss where only humiliation awaits...and Melissa´s diabolical laughter.
      It seems that - for Dahlia - the sun might never shine again...
      It´s a pity...
      (grins)

      marc

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    2. It is indeed a pity. And well explained Marc, thanks.

      There may be a little bit more too it that has yet to be revealed though...

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  6. the last coupl of sentences suddenly hit hom
    All I could think about was the man I’d spied flirting with Melissa next to the pool; how into her he had been.

    Surely I had almost achieved my goal in full now. I was no longer treated like the woman I used to be in any way.

    Does this mean - possibly - that its tinme to call it quits & go back to being Dahlia Western?
    OR perhaps that her former self is lost & she is M now, not D?

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    1. I thought the same thing, but that's Emma's way of teasing us.

      We're unsure of which path Dahlia will take. She is most certainly not Dahlia anymore and it's just now hitting her. But, will Melissa LET her be Dahlia again?

      --Robert

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    2. It certainly isn't a done deal yet. However deeply Dahlia goes she might still want to return to her old life. It remains to be seen how Melissa would react to that kind of directive though and who would win if it came to it.

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    3. I think as long as they're in Greece, Dahlia would stand a chance of reclaiming her life, but...if Melissa makes it back to England and resumes Dahlia's life, identity and career, I think all is lost for Dahlia. She may get her beauty back, but once Melissa is living and working as Dahlia Western, Dahlia would have quite a battle to fight.

      That remains to be seen!!

      --Robert

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    4. "She may get her beauty back. "

      Hmmmm...

      I think this factor that Robert mentioned might be the only possible loophole in Melissa´s scheme.

      Melissa surely wouldn´t like a second Dahlia Western to appear on the scene after taking her identity permanently.

      Would it be wise for M to "allow" Dahlia to become slim and beautiful again?
      Wouldn´t she insist on Dahlia staying fat and remain in her bloated form?
      And wouldn´t M want to prevent such a "comeback to beauty" by all means?
      Concerning this matter, the often-cited cosmetic surgery could indeed help Melissa. It might be even more important for her to change D´s face than her own because any changes to D´s face, especially negative ones, might ensure that the former supermodel will never jeopardize Melissa´s plans, even when Dahlia should manage getting slim again sometime in the future.
      And without the money to revert any cosmetic changes, that were initiated by Melissa, Dahlia would be stuck in the Melissa persona all her remaining life.

      Just a thought...

      marc

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    5. Marc makes a very good point, but, once Melissa has complete control of Dahlia's identity, life, wealth and career, Dahlia won't have the money for a personal trainer, liposuction, etc. Becoming Dahlia Western again would take time, time that Melissa will have to dig her heels in.

      If Dahlia came back and tried to reclaim her identity, whose to say she's not some crazy obsessed Dahlia Western fan that made herself look like Dahlia? With Melissa living her life, Dahlia would have a tough time proving she was the real deal. "I swapped lives with my cleaner and she took over!" Who would believe that? Maybe Katherine since she saw the game being played, but would she actually believe Dahlia would go so far?

      Just my two cents...

      --Robert

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    6. It does sound unblievable. She would have a hard time convincing anyone.

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  7. Love that chapter !! "“But do something about your appearance first for God’s sake. You get fatter and uglier each time I see you. And cleaning makes you smell.”"

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    1. Heh heh. This is what my boss says to me every day.

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  8. Dahlia's certainly getting a double dose of humilation now. First it's Melissa being enthusiastically chatted up by handsome men while she has to hide her bulk behind a few plants to spy. Now it's a somewhat unsavoury man snubbing her and telling her that, even though he's into fat women, she's getting to be an embarrassment she's so gross. What's more he's instructing her to shower before he gives her a mercy fuck because she's not only getting uglier but smells as well! Now that really is humiliation to the nth degree.

    Where will it all lead? I can't help think a linear progress to disaster for Dahlia will be a disappointment. I think a few twists which include partial, or even complete restoration (even if temporary?) of the old status quo might add to reader satisfaction. I'm sure Emma won't disappoint.

    The increasing ugliness interests me. Presumably Dahlia had an attractive face before her swap with Melissa. From my own observation I've seen that even very obese women's faces still look good, even beautiful and Dahlia's make-up skill can't have left her completely. Just a thought.

    Robyn H

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    1. I agree completely that fat doesn't equal ugly but I also know that a lot of men do equate the two.

      A temporary restoration would be nice but I suspect it would take too long!

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  9. I suspect that the delighfu M now that she has decided to turn fantasy into reality & become Dahlia Western back in Britain & the world will start trying to put faces to names & events she has memorized so well that she tell the stories naturally.
    "
    "(Swmmin laps) Boredom was my biggest obstacle with it but I’d purchased a water-resistant music centre so that wasn’t a problem. And I’d loaded it with the recordings I had made of Dahlia’s reminiscences about her life. I listened to them over and over again, absorbing the information about her life and career; about the different people she knew and the way she interacted with them. "

    Now I wonder if M will try to replace & substitue , as much as she can, of her own miserable likfe & take on D's as if it was her own, be natural to her & come to consciously & unconscious think of herself as Dahlia Western?

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    1. I think now that Melissa has realized that she CAN become Dahlia Western, her sense of self will begin to change as she begins to transition from playing the part of Dahlia Western to BECOMING Dahlia Western.
      If other people see her as Dahlia, it will only serve to reinforce the change in her psyche. She's already changed, her confidence, her charisma, her grace, her beauty were all once Dahlia's and are now hers. It's changed the way she perceives herself. We've seen her reminisce about HER experiences as a model, so that process is already taking place and it seems to come naturally.
      There will come a tipping point when Melissa mind will switch from "I'm Melissa playing the part of Dahlia" to "I am Dahlia Western" I don't think that will happen until Melissa is back in England and completely immersed in Dahlia's identity.

      Can't wait for the next Finn-tastic episode!

      --Robert

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  10. I hope when you read this you will be totally recovered & well.

    I woke up this morning with a vision. M & D are back in England & now living as each other. M has won she's now totally D - her face, figure, Personality. & D is totally subsetvant & submerged into M's pitiful ugly fat form & mousy, frightened personality. Katherine & Tommy meet them & are totally fooled. To celebrate her return & return to HER modeling Career the new Dahlia throws a party for the famous & fashionable people ( & she moves easily & with her 'usual' charm among them) She has told 'Melissa' to help clean up before & after, "But please stay out of sight as much a possible, my guests don't need to see your repulsive body, it would put a damper on their evening."

    further crushed the new M replies, "Yes, Miss Western"

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