~BBW, SSBBW, Stuffing, Gluttony
Cinta Senese
(A successor, though not a direct sequel, to Peer Pressure)
by Benny Mon
Chapter 1
Carmen would never forget the first time she first saw Jahiba. She was out that night at the Comedy Cellar, watching her friend and roommate Natalie at an open mic. Natalie, if you asked Carmen, was really not that good at stand-up, and much better suited to the scripted comedy roles she was training for in college. So in an especially slow moment, when Natalie was in the middle of a long, complicated setup and Carmen’s drink was empty, she let her eyes drift over the audience. It was the usual crew on a Thursday night: not a totally empty house, but mostly college students avoiding their homework and some Brooklyn hipsters with nothing better to do, sneaking into Manhattan for a weeknight change of pace. Carmen imagined they’d each be opening at a coffee shop somewhere the next morning. She admired their audacity in staying out late before such an early morning.
In such a banal crowd, Jahiba stuck out all the more. Carmen’s eyes froze on this stunningly beautiful, absurdly fat young woman. She was stunned by how deep the girl’s belly was as it pushed out and down between her legs, how full the double chin that swallowed her neck and her jaw and flowed seamlessly into overblown cheeks, that spread wide as the girl broke into laughter at Natalie’s punchline. Her long, black hair was pulled into a ponytail that showed off those fat cheeks all the more. She wore a skin-tight, synthetic black top and flowy, high-waisted maroon pants, and her sleeves and pant legs ran all the way to her wrists and ankles. Even in profile, Carmen could see that this girl was wide enough to need two seats to sit on, two of the unsteady, old wooden chairs the Cellar paired at each table. Carmen couldn’t shake her surprise that they hadn’t shattered under this girl’s weight.
It was rude to stare, so Carmen yanked her gaze back to Natalie, who was basking in the laughter that had finally arrived near the end of her set. But Carmen couldn’t ignore the massive presence that sat across the room from her. She’d never seen anyone quite so fat, especially someone who looked her own age. Carmen was no stick herself, but she worked every day to keep her weight under 200 pounds. This girl didn’t seem to care at all, and on top of it she had such style and confidence. Carmen wasn’t the only one in the room sneaking glances at the enormous girl, but she didn’t seem to notice, let alone care. She was fully absorbed in Natalie’s routine and in the food at her table--now two empty baskets of wings and a half empty bottle of Dr. Pepper (her second). Carmen felt a pang of jealousy at how shamelessly gluttonous this girl was in public, and, what was worse, the girl’s eye seemed to catch her own as she looked up from the mostly consumed wings and soda. Again, Carmen’s eyes snapped back to the stage. She felt guilty for staring and for making the girl self-conscious.
Natalie wrapped up her set, and the MC thanked everyone and urged them to return tomorrow night. As the crowd began to filter out, Carmen stood up and ran her fingers through her long, dark brown hair as the long, thin Natalie walked over to greet her.
“So?” she asked her friend anxiously. “What’d you think?”
It was all Carmen could do not to stare at the massive girl, who was easing herself to her feet and reaching for her own coat. “It was good!” she told Natalie.
Natalie frowned. “You’re obviously lying.”
“No, I’m sorry, I’m distracted, just thinking about...work. Homework. It was good, really! You had the whole room laughing by the end.”
“It took me long enough,” sighed Natalie, pulling her curly blond hair into a ponytail.
“Standup is hard. You did better than I ever would.” That much was true. “And, you know, they say people only remember the beginning and the end of a thing. So you left them with a good impression!”
Natalie rolled her eyes and nodded reluctantly. “Maybe. Listen, I’m gonna go get my coat, I’ll be right back.” As she jogged backstage, Carmen looked again to the door, where the huge girl was ambling out. The girl turned back for a moment, giving the room one last glance and then locking eyes with Carmen. She smiled politely, even warmly. Carmen, panicked, half-smiled, too, and turned away abruptly. God, now she was forcing this girl to smile at her and be polite? She needed to get control of herself.
In spite of herself, she looked to the door again, but the girl was gone. Natalie returned, coat in hand, and they decided against a drink. It was too late, and they both had class the next day. As Natalie said good night to the MC, Carmen looked again at the empty front door, relieved to have the awkwardness lifted, confused that the girl had made such an impression on her. Whatever: it’s not like she would ever see this girl again.
* * *
Cinta Senese
(A successor, though not a direct sequel, to Peer Pressure)
by Benny Mon
Chapter 1
Carmen would never forget the first time she first saw Jahiba. She was out that night at the Comedy Cellar, watching her friend and roommate Natalie at an open mic. Natalie, if you asked Carmen, was really not that good at stand-up, and much better suited to the scripted comedy roles she was training for in college. So in an especially slow moment, when Natalie was in the middle of a long, complicated setup and Carmen’s drink was empty, she let her eyes drift over the audience. It was the usual crew on a Thursday night: not a totally empty house, but mostly college students avoiding their homework and some Brooklyn hipsters with nothing better to do, sneaking into Manhattan for a weeknight change of pace. Carmen imagined they’d each be opening at a coffee shop somewhere the next morning. She admired their audacity in staying out late before such an early morning.
In such a banal crowd, Jahiba stuck out all the more. Carmen’s eyes froze on this stunningly beautiful, absurdly fat young woman. She was stunned by how deep the girl’s belly was as it pushed out and down between her legs, how full the double chin that swallowed her neck and her jaw and flowed seamlessly into overblown cheeks, that spread wide as the girl broke into laughter at Natalie’s punchline. Her long, black hair was pulled into a ponytail that showed off those fat cheeks all the more. She wore a skin-tight, synthetic black top and flowy, high-waisted maroon pants, and her sleeves and pant legs ran all the way to her wrists and ankles. Even in profile, Carmen could see that this girl was wide enough to need two seats to sit on, two of the unsteady, old wooden chairs the Cellar paired at each table. Carmen couldn’t shake her surprise that they hadn’t shattered under this girl’s weight.
It was rude to stare, so Carmen yanked her gaze back to Natalie, who was basking in the laughter that had finally arrived near the end of her set. But Carmen couldn’t ignore the massive presence that sat across the room from her. She’d never seen anyone quite so fat, especially someone who looked her own age. Carmen was no stick herself, but she worked every day to keep her weight under 200 pounds. This girl didn’t seem to care at all, and on top of it she had such style and confidence. Carmen wasn’t the only one in the room sneaking glances at the enormous girl, but she didn’t seem to notice, let alone care. She was fully absorbed in Natalie’s routine and in the food at her table--now two empty baskets of wings and a half empty bottle of Dr. Pepper (her second). Carmen felt a pang of jealousy at how shamelessly gluttonous this girl was in public, and, what was worse, the girl’s eye seemed to catch her own as she looked up from the mostly consumed wings and soda. Again, Carmen’s eyes snapped back to the stage. She felt guilty for staring and for making the girl self-conscious.
Natalie wrapped up her set, and the MC thanked everyone and urged them to return tomorrow night. As the crowd began to filter out, Carmen stood up and ran her fingers through her long, dark brown hair as the long, thin Natalie walked over to greet her.
“So?” she asked her friend anxiously. “What’d you think?”
It was all Carmen could do not to stare at the massive girl, who was easing herself to her feet and reaching for her own coat. “It was good!” she told Natalie.
Natalie frowned. “You’re obviously lying.”
“No, I’m sorry, I’m distracted, just thinking about...work. Homework. It was good, really! You had the whole room laughing by the end.”
“It took me long enough,” sighed Natalie, pulling her curly blond hair into a ponytail.
“Standup is hard. You did better than I ever would.” That much was true. “And, you know, they say people only remember the beginning and the end of a thing. So you left them with a good impression!”
Natalie rolled her eyes and nodded reluctantly. “Maybe. Listen, I’m gonna go get my coat, I’ll be right back.” As she jogged backstage, Carmen looked again to the door, where the huge girl was ambling out. The girl turned back for a moment, giving the room one last glance and then locking eyes with Carmen. She smiled politely, even warmly. Carmen, panicked, half-smiled, too, and turned away abruptly. God, now she was forcing this girl to smile at her and be polite? She needed to get control of herself.
In spite of herself, she looked to the door again, but the girl was gone. Natalie returned, coat in hand, and they decided against a drink. It was too late, and they both had class the next day. As Natalie said good night to the MC, Carmen looked again at the empty front door, relieved to have the awkwardness lifted, confused that the girl had made such an impression on her. Whatever: it’s not like she would ever see this girl again.
* * *
