Based on the introduction to this particular story, I feel like the narrator (who we never learn the real name of, only a fake name that he provides later in the story, which also adds to the idea that he is also a liar, like in many previous stories) is speaking due to his experience that became the “beginning of bad luck” (Ford, 108) at the end. The introduction briefly states that his wife left with the car and his plan to go to Florida, but moves quickly to when Bonnie and Phyllis, two hunters dragging a deer behind them, came to his place and stay awhile. However, I can also see how this could be a story of the narrator trying to figure out what he wants from his life moving forward.
There also seems heavy emphasis on the narrator references to both women’s sizes and the general idea of “fatness”. In general, he seems to fixate on their body types. At first, I thought this was supposed to mean distaste or unattractiveness, however I was surprised to see him almost fondly care and caress Bonnie’s body, embracing her presence and her size. He even compares Bonnie to his thin, slender wife who wore children’s size clothing. This makes me question whether he really prefers heavier-set people or whether it’s due to the fact that it the polar opposite to his wife’s body. It could also be due to pure loneliness and being so touch starved, since he enjoys seeing the space filled with people.
On another note, it seems like Bonnie and Phyllis had planned out coming to the narrator’s house and have one conveniently distract him while the other “tidies” the house. They moved like a well oiled machine and the narrator didn’t have a clue something was amiss until they were gone. On top of that, they seem too knew that the narrator was alone (“‘It needs a woman’s touch,’ Bon said and winked at me,” Ford, 103) and likely touched starved.
I think they definitely planned it all along. To have him distracted, I shall call it, while the other snoops through his house. It had been leading to the idea of that as they mentioned that it needs cleaning up and needs a woman’s touch. You mentioned they seem to have known the narrator was alone, and that really makes me think that it makes sense, but how did they know? I mean, when I think about it, there’d only been one car which his wife took; on the outside, wouldn’t it look like the entire house is gone then if the car’s gone? How would they know he’s alone. I think it’s also interesting how you compare the bodies of the women as he did. I had really thought he simply liked small, maybe submissive seeming women, but could it be possible that he actually was coming to like the opposite or just another body for the bed? Really makes me wonder after he wanted to let them stay too, maybe he did take a liking to the women a little too much as they could give him more life than his wife ever had.