"Dhanwaad, Uncle Ji!" Harpinder thanked the 40-something year old Punjabi man who set their entrees on their table. He and Gurpreet were trying a new Punjabi restaurant, though it didn't look new. It was one of those places you could tell was family owned and operated, and thus had the most authentic food. It was small and simple, the aged interior showing they had not renovated since the previous owners, and a small TV was playing a YouTube playlist of Bollywood hits. "How do you like the food, Sudara?"
Gurpreet smiled with his cheeks full and swallowed, "Among the best places we've tried together. Though nothing compares to your cooking, Richa."
"You still have that pot I cooked in your apartment. Start treating yourself to seconds and you might get close to my size" Harpinder grinned before sinking his bear fangs into another bite.
"I love having a boyfriend that wants me to get even bigger" Gurpreet patted his more than ample gut. "You know, I think I saw a help wanted sign. Imagine if you started working here as a chef and got to fatten more people up into big bears like us.
Harpinder bricked up at the thought. He fantasized putting on a chef's cap which transformed into a turban, and in turn transformed him into the perfect chef for this restaurant. He knew that was impossible. Right now, he wanted to focus on his amazing boyfriend. Still, he had always been taught that sikhs help those in need. Maybe he could consider the job, or keep an eye out for another qualified candidate. A beeping notification took him out of his daydream.
"Do you need to get that?"
Harpinder checked his phone. "It's a text from Mandeep. Uh oh, he sounds pretty mad that I missed International Business. He wants me to send him what I've done on our group project so far, as soon as possible."
Gurpreet placed a sympathetic hand around Harpinder's fat fingers. "I'm sorry, Richa. Do you need me to tell Mandeep that I told you to skip class?"
Harpinder chuckled deeply, "No, that's okay. You know how your president is. If you work with him, he thinks he owns your ass."
"Oh?" Gurpreet smirked, "You make it sound like you two are more than just business partners."
"You know you're the only one that owns this fat ass. Mandeep wouldn't have a chance with me, unless he gained a hundred pounds or two." He teased.
Gurpreet squeezed Harpinder's hand playfully, "You're going to make me jealous! It's bad enough you're living with your ex."
"My ex?" He chewed silently while recollecting. "You mean Harri?" The memories of his relationship with Harri at once felt as far away as months ago, and as recent as if they were together that morning. "If it makes you feel better, things are still awkward between us since the break-up." Harpinder sighed. "I wish I was living in your apartment instead." He gave his boyfriend a loving smile.
Gurpreet returned that smile, "You know I would love that, but you can't abandon Harri like that. We would lose him as a friend, and the gay Sikh community is already so small."
"You're right" Harpinder finished his meal and rubbed his stuffed gut with a hearty belch. "I'd better head home anyway since I have plans with Randy."
"Text me when you get home?" Gurpreet burped back and giggled. The two Sikh lovers shared a kiss, scratching each other's beards as they did, before Harpinder left.
***
(Harpinder still hasn't come back from class?) Harri thought when he entered his dorm. (I can't believe he ditched me all day. He better have a good excuse when he gets home- hang on...) Harri noticed their bed frames had separated again, each with their own mattress. (He must have changed back to Harvey? But then...) There were still things different about their dorm. Even though they had separate beds, desks, and dressers again, Harvey's laptop was still displaying an assignment about marketing to LGBTQ youth. And there were new changes, Harvey's bed frame was made from a thicker, reinforced metal than what was standard. Then the creak of his door opening caught his attention. He saw a giant floating ball enter his dorm, then realized it was the stomach of a massive bear waddling in. The man would be completely foreign to Randy, if it weren't for the bear's magic. "Harpinder?"
"Hey Roomie" Harpinder greeted and took his shoes off near the entrance so he could lie down on his bed. Even with the reinforcements, the frame creaked under his weight. His horizontal position made his shirt ride up, giving Harri a window of his hairy underbelly.
Harri felt his eyes dawn to it. "Good thing you're here, our dorm felt empty without you taking half the space." He jibed playfully, though there was a hint of concern in his voice. (Harpinder is so FAT! Harvey's notes said different fabrics had different results, but I didn't think they would be this different. And I was so looking forward to spending the night with my hunky boyfriend. It probably goes without saying we aren't dating in this reality.) Harri looked at his dresser. One of the items that remained was a photo of him kissing Harpinder, except it was the current version of Harpinder! In the photo, Harri was standing on his tiptoes, pressed against Harpinder's yoga ball belly and clinging onto the larger man's love handles. At Harpinder's impressive height, he had to hunch down to reach Harri's lips, which made his rear globes stick out further. (Harpinder is my ex now!?) He couldn't help the tears that came when memories of their relationship in this reality flooded in. (I was so in love with Harpinder this morning! To think now we haven't been together in months, and he's moved on with Gurpreet).
A loud sniff from Harri caught Harpinder's attention. "Harri, what's wrong?" He heaved himself up into a sitting position. He noticed Harri was facing their old couple photo and connected the dots. "Oh Harri, I know our breakup has been rough."
"But why? Why did we have to break things off?"
"Truth is, I could tell I wasn't the right fit for you. I felt like you wanted me to become some muscular, cut jock. But that isn't me. I needed someone like Gurpreet, who loves every sexy pound on me."
(He's right, I do want a jock. Wait what am I crying for? I can get him back. All I need is to transform him with the pride flag again.) Harri wiped his eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't appreciate you enough, but that changes now. Let's relax, let our hair down." He unraveled his morni pagg and untied his topknot, letting his black curls float down.
"Haha, why not. I have a little time before my plans with Randy." Harpinder unraveled the turban he got from Gurpreet and untied his patka and joora. His straight hair had a silky sheen and great volume like a lion's mane.
"I have to admit, you do take good care of your hair." (One of the things he must carry over from Harvey, who he should be reverting to any second.)
"You know it, I need to look my best in the streets and in the sheets" Harpinder winked. "We should get some product for your curls too."
Minutes passed with no changes. (I thought he was supposed to change back as soon as his turban came off. Unless... he took his patka off too, I don't think he's been able to do that voluntarily before. Is he stuck like this!?)
Then there was a knock at their door. "Who is it?" Harpinder called out.
"It's Gursewak." Normally Harpinder would cover his head before allowing company in, but he was comfortable enough to make an exception for a familiar sardar, and so let him in. "Sat sri akaal ji." Gursewak greeted, Harpinder and Harri repeating in turn. "I just came to drop off your bag of turbans and fill you in on my chat with Sat-" Gursewak dropped the bag and noticed what was missing from Harpinder's head. "Your patka's gone!"
"Oh, yeah sorry. Is that okay?"
"Okay?" Gursewak again lost his calm demeanor. "It's fantastic! But then, why aren't you back to being Harvey?"
"Gursewak!" Harri interjected, "can we talk outside?"
"Harvey?" Harpinder asked.
"No... he said Haley" Harri awkwardly laughed at his lie, "Like Harley Davidson, the motorcycle. Letting your hair down gives you that biker look." Harri quickly tied a patka to cover his hair and pushed Gurwak out into the hall.
Alone in the dorm, Harpinder admired himself in the mirror, with his long hair, wide beard, and bear paw tattoo. "I really do have that sexy biker look."
***
"Why are you pushing me?"
"Because you were about to talk to Harpinder about your transformations when he's forgotten about them." Harri closed the door behind them.
"You know about the transformations!?"
"Shh! Do you want the whole floor to hear us?"
Gursewak took a deep breath and returned to his calm voice. "I am just surprised since Harpinder told me you didn't know."
"That's because I found out on my own through some notes he wrote. Then you basically confirmed it when you came to our dorm last night saying he turned you into this."
"Whatever" Gursewak rolled his eyes, "the point is, you know, which means the three of us can work together to get back to normal."
"The three of us...?"
"Don't you get it?" Gursewak scoffed, "You aren't a real sardar."
"Hold on." Harri glared "I may not be the most 'traditional' Sikh, but that doesn't mean-"
"I mean you weren't born some turban headed Indian!" Gursewak cut him off in a hushed voice.
"Wha- but that's" Harris stammered, "No I remember always being who I am."
Gursewak shook his head, amused to contradict him. "That's not what Harvey told me last night. You must have lost your memories just like I did at first. Do you remember a time Harpinder tied a turban on you?"
(He did tie a turban on me, it was a few days ago when I asked him for fashion advice!) "You mean before then I was someone else?" He took a step back, feeling like reality had just collapsed under him.
Seeing Harri so distraught made the instincts from Gursewak's other personality kick in. "Do not worry, Veer ji." He reassured with his thick hand on the Sikh twink's shoulder. "God wills that we return to the bodies were blessed with at birth. I know we'll find a way if we work together, so why don't we remind Harpinder of the truth?"
Harri took a deep breath to regain his composure. "No, I know my roommate. He can be thick headed at times. If we tell him something this outlandish, he'll think we're trying to prank him, and then he won't cooperate with us at all. We should be discreet. (Besides, I would rather turn him into my hunky boyfriend than back to normal. Question is if I want to get back to normal or not?).
Just then Randy jogged up to the pair, dressed in athleisure as usual. "Hey Harri, who's your date?"
"Ew!" Gursewak grimaced, "I don't swing that way, Bud."
"Ew?" Harri raised an eyebrow, "You would be so lucky." He turned to Randy. "We're just chatting. You're here to hang out with Harpinder? Don't mind us, feel free to go inside." He opened the door to his dorm for Randy and closed it behind him. "Now we need to figure out how we can change Harpinder again. Usually when he takes turban off he changes back to Harvey, but he took his patka off too and still nothing changed. I'm afraid he might be like this permanently."
"I've been talking to this guy, Satvinder, who's into transformation stories in comics and stuff. I explained our situation as if it was a TV show, changing a lot of the details. Basically he said magical items usually only change the user, not others. He thinks the magic stems from something more powerful, like a magical contract."
"So you're saying it isn't the patka, but Harpinder himself who has the magic?"
"Think about it, it's not just the patka. Even in his Harvey form he grew his beard out a little. I think the magic from whatever contract is what was forcing him keep both of them."
"I guess. But if it's a contract, why does he keep flipping back and forth?"
"Satvinder thinks it has to do with how much the old you can accept becoming the new you. I quickly snapped out of my mental changes because this is so different from who I am, but I'm guessing you stayed in your trance because you're pretty similar to who you were."
"Sure, but then how do you explain Harpinder? That whale is pretty different from the original Harvey."
Gursewak shrugged, "he must be accepting it for a different reason then."
"If I follow your logic, Harpinder's changes and ours will probably be permanent when he completes the terms of that magical contract, if they aren't already."
Gursewak nodded, "Him staying in Punjabi form without his turban probably means he's progressing through the contract already. We better find that contract because I refuse to be stuck like this.."
"But how? We wouldn't know where to look, or what it even looked like. Wait... If the magic has been inside Harpinder all this time, doesn't that mean he could still change people?" He gasped at the realization, "Randy!"
***
"What's up, Harp?"
"Randy!" Harpinder raised his hands to cover as much of his naked head as he could. "I didn't realize you were already here!"
"Yeah, Harri let me in. Is something wrong?"
"It's just weird to have you see me without my turban. Can you hand me that bag?" Harpinder pointed at the bag of turbans on the floor.
"Sure Man." Randy grabbed the bag and passed it over. "Why is it weird for me to see you like this?"
"First of all, you know I always gotta look my best" he grinned. "And second, as a sikh my turban is part of my uniform. It feels incomplete when I'm not wearing it. Imagine how you would feel if you were wearing your soccer uniform but you forgot your shorts or something."
"Uh, I think not wearing shorts is a little different, but I get your point Harp." Randy observed Harpinder looking through the many colors and patterns in the bag. "Woah Dude, those fabrics look pretty cool."
"Haha you think so? It's a side hustle I'm running with another Sikh, Mandeep. He designed them."
"I bet you'll sell out. I didn't think turbans could look this cool." Randy seemed excited, yet hesitant about what he was going to ask, "Listen... I don't know if this is a weird question, but do you think I could try one on?"