~BBW, ~SWG, Stuffing - Sarah takes a food-centric road trip with a few friends, resulting in a slight weight gain. Her girlfriend's reaction surprises both of them.
So are you ready for your trip? Laura asked.
I looked up from my mostly packed suitcase. Yeah, I think I have everything.
What time are you leaving tomorrow?
Early, the girls will be here at seven.
Im going to miss you, Sarah.
Aw, Ill miss you too, I told Laura as I walked over to hug her.
As we silently held each other, I thanked my lucky stars again that I had found such an amazing, wonderful woman. We had met through mutual friends about three years ago and clicked right away. Laura was a little shy, but had a wonderfully silly side that emerged often enough to be quite endearing. We had moved in together a little over a year ago and our relationship had only gotten stronger.
I have to admit I felt quite protective about her still. She came from a very conservative family that pretty much disowned her once they found out she was attracted to other women. About two years ago we had started going to therapy together to help her get over a lot of the rejection she had suffered and it made me so happy that she was starting to come out of her shell.
One some level, I felt guilty about leaving her home while I went on a 3 week road trip with some friends from college, but I also knew that it would be really good for her to have some time to be more independent. She often followed my lead on things and I thought this would be a good opportunity for her to start taking the initiative herself.
It was actually a bit of a miracle that this worked out at all. Back in college, I was really close with three other girls - Jill, Bren, and Marcy. We all called ourselves foodies, but truthfully we were probably just fat girls at heart. We dreamed about taking a trip one day to explore all our favorite restaurants but I never really thought anything would come of it.
As it turned out, though, we all ended up having a chunk of time off this summer. All four of us had jobs connected to locals schools or colleges, and for the first time in the 6 years since we graduated college, we each had some time off that overlapped enough to take a trip.
The four of us had gone to college in Santa Fe, New Mexico and we settled there after graduation. This road trip we planned consisted of a drive east to Oklahoma City, then on to Little Rock and Memphis. From there wed turn north to St. Louis before heading back west to Kansas City and finally to Denver.
The idea was that wed spend about three days in each place, sampling from a wide array of local eateries. Now that we were doing it for real, we spent a good month or so scoping out all the most renowned places in each city, everything from five star restaurants to greasy spoons and food trucks. We scheduled at least three places for each day, sometimes more when there were places that specialized in snacks or desserts.
Its true that seems like a lot of food for four young women. While being self-professed foodies, we didnt actually indulge that often and for the most part remained quite active. This was going to be our big splurge, and I told myself that it wasnt like 3 weeks of heavy eating could really have that big an impact on my waistline. If I needed to diet and up my gym time when I got back to drop 5 or so pounds, that was no big deal.
So have you been saving up your appetite for this? Laura asked me as I finished putting one or two more things in my suitcase.
You know it, I chuckled, patting my flat stomach. Ive been practically starving myself for this trip so I can pig out without guilt for the next couple weeks.
Laura giggled. What if you came back really fat?
I laughed out loud. That would be funny, huh? Could you imagine it if I came back so fat and was just waddling around like this.
I pantomimed waddling around, holding my arms way out in front of me. Laura joined me in laughter, almost with over-exaggerated enthusiasm.
I am going to miss you, though, Laura repeated when we the giggles died down. Its going to be so quiet here without you.
Then I guess youll just have to liven up the place, I told her, wrapping her in another hug. Ill be thinking about you every night, wishing you were in my arms. Well make sure that we have a special night together when I get back, just the two of us.
Sounds nice, Laura agreed, her head resting on my shoulder.
For a few more quiet moments we held each other, enjoying the warmth and closeness that was so important to our relationship. I almost had second thoughts for a moment and I may have changed my mind if I wasnt so sure that this would be really good for both of us.
The next morning we kissed before I headed out the door, tossing my suitcase into the back before joining the other girls up front. Fortunately Marcy drove a pretty large SUV so there was actually room for 4 women with all their luggage. Its not easy packing for three weeks, even for a rather low maintenance girl like myself.
You bitches ready to ride?! Jill hollered as we drove off.
She was always a bit of a party girl. A pretty blonde who was a cheerleader in high school, from a distance she could seem fairly vain and stuck up. As soon as you met her, though, you realized what a kind and generous woman she really was. Jill was always going out of her way to bring other people into the group and make them feel welcome.
Eight hours to OKC! Marcy cried. Hope you gals brought your fat pants, were about to EAT!
Marcy was a natural beauty with dusky skin and dark hair, a byproduct of her Native American blood. Many in the Southwest claimed that they were part Native, but Marcys mother was actually full-blooded. As much as she looked like she belonged on a runway somewhere, she was much more comfortable working in her garden or tinkering with her motorcycle. Married early out of college, she and her husband had two gorgeous children, but youd never know it looking at her trim form.
Are you excited, Sarah? Bren asked me.
Absolutely! Weve been talking about this so long, Im so happy we finally get a chance to actually do it.
Tell me about, Bren replied. My mouth has been drooling for like the past month thinking of all this super yummy food.
Bren is probably the last person youd expect to be excited about a trip like this. Barely over five feet tall and very petite, she seems like she should be a vegan yoga instructor or something. The girl can eat, though, thats for sure. I remember once watching her take down a whole pizza by herself on a dare. How she stays so skinny Im not sure, but I know its not by starving herself.
So I was thinking wed get an hour out before having breakfast, then well stop a little before Oklahoma City for lunch, Marcy informed us.
We all replied that it sounded good, I knew I was hungry.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Our first stop of the trip was a modest one. We found a small diner an hour or so east of Santa Fe and I dont think any of us expected too much. I ordered an omelet while Bren went with french toast and both Marcy and Jill opted for pancakes.
I think all our jaws dropped when the food came out. It may not have been fancy fare, but they sure didnt skimp on portions! They must have used at least half a dozen eggs to construct the monstrosity they set before me. I even got a separate plate with hash browns and toast.
Brens french toast looked like they fried up half a loaf before sprinkling powdered sugar on it and drowning it in syrup. Jill and Marcy could barely see over their stacks of pancakes, there had to be at least five or six in each stack.
To great friends and lots of good food! Marcy cheered, holding up her glass of OJ.
To eating until we cant move! Jill joined in.
To popping buttons and splitting seams! Bren cried.
To stuffing our faces and clogging our arteries! I finished, laughing with everyone else at the absurdity of it all.
We liked to joke about it, but we all knew three weeks really couldnt have that much effect.
Forty-five minutes later we had all given up without being able to clean our plates. We did make an impressive dent, however, none of us had more than a few scraps left. Laughingly groaning about how full we were, we slid out from the booth and got back in the car. The heavy meal definitely made us a bit drowsy, though, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open as we drove on.
When we were about an hour outside of Oklahoma City and feeling a bit less bloated from breakfast, we stopped at a local burger joint for lunch. Four big, greasy burgers with four large servings of fries and four milkshakes later, the four of us piled back into the car for the last leg of our trip.
I was beginning to regret opting for jeans over sweats as the waistband felt uncomfortably tight after our greasy, salty lunch. I told myself Id have some time to walk around before dinner and hopefully work a bit of it off.
The hotel waiting for us in downtown Oklahoma City was pretty nice, but of course we were hoping to spend most of our time out and about. After getting unpacked, Jill suggested going for a stroll which I thought was a wonderful idea.
Ooh, look, frozen yogurt! Bren pointed as we were walking away from the hotel.
Of course we couldnt pass that up. It was one of the places where you served yourself and picked out all your own toppings, which inevitably leads to getting way more than you planned. It all went down quite easy as we were walking around the city.
Later that evening, our feet a little sore from all the walking and our stomachs still a bit full, we all got ready for our first real meal out to kick off our trip. We had gotten reservations at a very nice restaurant, one of our few splurges.
After we were seated at the restaurant, we perused the menus over a bottle of wine.
I may have a salad, I mused out loud before being hit in the face with a rolled up napkin.
Salad?! Salad?! Jill scolded. What kind of trip do you think were on? There will be no salads eaten here. You can have as much rabbit food as you want when we get home, but until we do you will be ordering off the big girl menu!
Fine, Ill get a real meal, I laughed as I passed her napkin back over to her.
Good, she said. Now what should we do about an appetizer?
It turns out that lobster ravioli, bruschetta, and caprese salad go down well with a bottle of wine. Then it was time for the main course. I went with a roast pork loin, which came with scalloped potatoes and brussel sprouts. Another bottle of wine accompanied our meals, which in turn led to us thinking that dessert would be a great idea, even after we all somehow cleaned our plates.
After dessert (and a third bottle of wine), we sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Fully replete, we sank back into our chairs with glazed eyes and smiles on our lips. The wine was doing a fantastic job of disguising exactly how much I had just eaten, but I knew I was at capacity. Finally, we settled the check and began the process of transitioning to a vertical state.
Giggling and weaving a little, we made it out of the restaurant with no major faux pas. However, as soon as we got out to the sidewalk, Bren unleashed a belch that seemed to echo down the street.
Mmm, much better, she commented.
Oof, Im so full, Marcy groaned. How far to the hotel?
About three *hic* blocks, Jill told her.
I dont think I can make it, Marcy said, Im carrying a massive food baby here.
She pulled up her shirt to display a very rounded midsection. We all patted and poked it and teased her as we walked back, each of us aware of our pregnancies. Back in the hotel I flopped onto one of the beds and wrestled open the button on my jeans.
Ah, thats good, I sighed.
Cmon, show us what you got, Jill teased, pointing her phone at me.
I pulled up my shirt and tried to push out my stomach, but it was already as distended as it could be. She took a couple pictures while I showed off my bump, and then we all took turns posing and taking photos. We pulled our shirts up and arched our backs and played up the whole ridiculous thing while laughing and poking each other.
Later that evening as I laid in bed I went through my phone and looked at some of the pictures. I chose one to send to Laura, it was a side picture of me standing up with one hand on my lower back and one resting on top of my bare, swollen belly.
Obv im eating well, wish you were here xoxo I wrote.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning I still wasnt that hungry, but we all went out to eat breakfast just the same. Too full afterward to do much walking, we decided to spend an hour or so hanging out by the pool while we digested.
By the time we finally felt like we could start moving around again, it was nearly lunch time so of course we walked straight to a restaurant which boasted huge burritos and the best margaritas this side of the Rio Grande.
Stuffed and tipsy, the four of us staggered out of the restaurant almost two hours later, giggling and bumping into each other as we made our way back to the hotel for a siesta. As I drifted off to sleep, I imagined that I could feel Lauras hands gently massaging my overfull stomach as she teased me for my gluttony.
Wakey wakey, a voice broke into my pleasant dreams, a hand shaking my shoulder to rouse me from slumber.
Wht time ist, I mumbled as I stretched, one hand resting on my rounded tummy.
The best time! Jill exclaimed, looking ridiculously fresh and perky. Its dinner time!
Alright, alright, I yawned as I rose. Just let me go freshen up a bit.
Jill slapped my ass as I walked to the bathroom, absently rubbing my stomach and wondering if I could possibly find room for another meal.
The answer, it turns out, was yes. There was supposed to be an excellent seafood restaurant that had really good prices. The place itself looked quite underwhelming, just a dingy place with a bunch of picnic tables inside. The laminated menus didnt have any pictures and the descriptions of the dishes were very simple.
I opted for the sampler platter which contained haddock, shrimp, scallops, and hush puppies. As soon as our food came out my treacherous stomach began to growl, insisting for some absurd reason that it had not been fed enough that day.
Of course I shared it with others, but I also sampled Brens lobster, Jills chowder and salmon, and Marcys calamari.
I dont think I can do it, I groaned, staring at the last hush puppy.
Dont stop now, Marcy cheered me on. You can do it!
“You can do it! Jill and Bren echoed.
Do it! Do it! Do it!
Silently apologizing to my overtaxed waistband that was struggling to contain my very distended middle, I popped it in my mouth. After swallowing, I waited a moment to see if I would actually burst, but thankfully I somehow stayed in one piece.
She did it! Jill cried, grabbing my right arm and holding it in the air.
I just closed my eyes and breathed through my mouth for a few minutes until I felt a bit better. Fortunately we had driven to this restaurant, so I didnt have to endure a long walk back.
I could tell I wasnt the only one who had overindulged though. Around nine oclock that evening Jill half-heartedly suggested going out for drinks, but at the point we were all in our sweats and feeling too puffy and bloated to get all dolled up. That didnt stop us, however, from visiting the frozen yogurt stand again an hour later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It could have been my imagination, but I felt like the waistband of my jeans was pinching a bit as we left Oklahoma City and drove out to Little Rock. I had no doubt that a few days of eating Southern comfort food would only cause it to get worse.
It turns out that I was quite correct. We ate our way through the city with barely a pause for digestion. I became quite an expert at surreptitiously adjusting my clothes as I ate - pushing down the waistband below the swell of my overfull stomach, loosening my belt a notch to make room as yet another heavy platter was set before me, or even using a hair tie to keep my pants on after I was forced to unbutton.
I do declare I am about to pop! Bren said in a horrible southern accent as we were leaving a restaurant on our last night in Little Rock.
We were all stuffed to the gills after overindulging in the richest Southern comfort food that Arkansas had to offer. While I had grown used to feeling bloated after a large, heavy meal, I felt as though I was lugging around a bowling ball on this occasion.
Yeah, that was really *brrp* a ton of food, Jill agreed, one hand resting on a belly that was jutting out far enough that her shirt no longer completely covered it.
No kidding, Marcy moaned, swaying slightly on her feet.
Poor Marcy looked like a wreck. Her belt was sticking up out of her purse, she had to take it off before she attempted a ridiculously large dessert of Bananas Foster. She was definitely in rough shape, waddling slowly along with her engorged stomach sticking out in front like the bow of a ship. With glazed eyes and hair matted to her forehead, I worried that we may have an ugly incident on the return to the hotel.
Fortunately, she managed to keep it all down. Once back in the hotel, she unfastened her bra and laid down immediately. Jill got her a cool washcloth for her forehead and Bren and I helped her out of her restrictive pants.
Marcy spent the rest of the evening comatose, occasionally groaning or belching softly. The rest of us werent much better off, changing into sweat pants and laying around listlessly.
This has been harder than I thought it would be, Bren admitted.
It really has, I agreed. I mean, all the food has been fantastic, but I just feel bloated all the time. Maybe we should take it easy tomorrow.
That may not be a bad idea, Jill nodded. Well be traveling some of the day anyway, and maybe we can do a bit of walking around the city once we get in. We didnt have any big places planned for tomorrow anyway, and then we can start fresh the next day after our stomachs have recovered a little.
Does that sound good to you, Marcy? Bren asked.
We looked over at our friend, her eyes were closed and she was breathing shallowly. Her shirt had inched its way up and almost the entirety of her swollen stomach was bared.
I think shell be okay with that plan, I stated.
The next day we left Little Rock for Memphis, eating only a light breakfast before we left. We got to spend a good amount of time walking around Memphis taking in the sights. Even as all the wonderful smells of barbecue assaulted our noses, we remained resolute and had salads for dinner.
The next morning we woke up feeling refreshed and very, very hungry. We then set out to see exactly how much barbecued food four girls could eat in two days.
Quite a lot, it turns out. Im not sure exactly how much pork, beef, and chicken was consumed over those two days, but it was enough to transform four fit, energetic young women into four bloated messes. We were retaining so much water thanks to all that salt that even our faces looked puffy and the rings on our fingers felt snug.
It was probably almost comical from an outside perspective. We were four attractive young women in obviously good shape, but we spent our times between meals staggering around and groaning about how full we were like a bunch of truckers.
Our condition really became obvious to me on our last night there. It was a muggy evening, so when we returned to the hotel after a disgracefully large meal, I announced I was going to take a shower.
After I disrobed in the bathroom, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Audaciously round and swollen, my belly jutted out in front of me in a truly shocking manner. I was almost fascinated by the sight as I stood for a few moments in front of the mirror, my hands gently rubbing the sides of my sore, taut midsection.
I tried to reassure myself that I was just bloated from the salt and this wouldnt stick.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Road Trip
by snr6424
by snr6424
So are you ready for your trip? Laura asked.
I looked up from my mostly packed suitcase. Yeah, I think I have everything.
What time are you leaving tomorrow?
Early, the girls will be here at seven.
Im going to miss you, Sarah.
Aw, Ill miss you too, I told Laura as I walked over to hug her.
As we silently held each other, I thanked my lucky stars again that I had found such an amazing, wonderful woman. We had met through mutual friends about three years ago and clicked right away. Laura was a little shy, but had a wonderfully silly side that emerged often enough to be quite endearing. We had moved in together a little over a year ago and our relationship had only gotten stronger.
I have to admit I felt quite protective about her still. She came from a very conservative family that pretty much disowned her once they found out she was attracted to other women. About two years ago we had started going to therapy together to help her get over a lot of the rejection she had suffered and it made me so happy that she was starting to come out of her shell.
One some level, I felt guilty about leaving her home while I went on a 3 week road trip with some friends from college, but I also knew that it would be really good for her to have some time to be more independent. She often followed my lead on things and I thought this would be a good opportunity for her to start taking the initiative herself.
It was actually a bit of a miracle that this worked out at all. Back in college, I was really close with three other girls - Jill, Bren, and Marcy. We all called ourselves foodies, but truthfully we were probably just fat girls at heart. We dreamed about taking a trip one day to explore all our favorite restaurants but I never really thought anything would come of it.
As it turned out, though, we all ended up having a chunk of time off this summer. All four of us had jobs connected to locals schools or colleges, and for the first time in the 6 years since we graduated college, we each had some time off that overlapped enough to take a trip.
The four of us had gone to college in Santa Fe, New Mexico and we settled there after graduation. This road trip we planned consisted of a drive east to Oklahoma City, then on to Little Rock and Memphis. From there wed turn north to St. Louis before heading back west to Kansas City and finally to Denver.
The idea was that wed spend about three days in each place, sampling from a wide array of local eateries. Now that we were doing it for real, we spent a good month or so scoping out all the most renowned places in each city, everything from five star restaurants to greasy spoons and food trucks. We scheduled at least three places for each day, sometimes more when there were places that specialized in snacks or desserts.
Its true that seems like a lot of food for four young women. While being self-professed foodies, we didnt actually indulge that often and for the most part remained quite active. This was going to be our big splurge, and I told myself that it wasnt like 3 weeks of heavy eating could really have that big an impact on my waistline. If I needed to diet and up my gym time when I got back to drop 5 or so pounds, that was no big deal.
So have you been saving up your appetite for this? Laura asked me as I finished putting one or two more things in my suitcase.
You know it, I chuckled, patting my flat stomach. Ive been practically starving myself for this trip so I can pig out without guilt for the next couple weeks.
Laura giggled. What if you came back really fat?
I laughed out loud. That would be funny, huh? Could you imagine it if I came back so fat and was just waddling around like this.
I pantomimed waddling around, holding my arms way out in front of me. Laura joined me in laughter, almost with over-exaggerated enthusiasm.
I am going to miss you, though, Laura repeated when we the giggles died down. Its going to be so quiet here without you.
Then I guess youll just have to liven up the place, I told her, wrapping her in another hug. Ill be thinking about you every night, wishing you were in my arms. Well make sure that we have a special night together when I get back, just the two of us.
Sounds nice, Laura agreed, her head resting on my shoulder.
For a few more quiet moments we held each other, enjoying the warmth and closeness that was so important to our relationship. I almost had second thoughts for a moment and I may have changed my mind if I wasnt so sure that this would be really good for both of us.
The next morning we kissed before I headed out the door, tossing my suitcase into the back before joining the other girls up front. Fortunately Marcy drove a pretty large SUV so there was actually room for 4 women with all their luggage. Its not easy packing for three weeks, even for a rather low maintenance girl like myself.
You bitches ready to ride?! Jill hollered as we drove off.
She was always a bit of a party girl. A pretty blonde who was a cheerleader in high school, from a distance she could seem fairly vain and stuck up. As soon as you met her, though, you realized what a kind and generous woman she really was. Jill was always going out of her way to bring other people into the group and make them feel welcome.
Eight hours to OKC! Marcy cried. Hope you gals brought your fat pants, were about to EAT!
Marcy was a natural beauty with dusky skin and dark hair, a byproduct of her Native American blood. Many in the Southwest claimed that they were part Native, but Marcys mother was actually full-blooded. As much as she looked like she belonged on a runway somewhere, she was much more comfortable working in her garden or tinkering with her motorcycle. Married early out of college, she and her husband had two gorgeous children, but youd never know it looking at her trim form.
Are you excited, Sarah? Bren asked me.
Absolutely! Weve been talking about this so long, Im so happy we finally get a chance to actually do it.
Tell me about, Bren replied. My mouth has been drooling for like the past month thinking of all this super yummy food.
Bren is probably the last person youd expect to be excited about a trip like this. Barely over five feet tall and very petite, she seems like she should be a vegan yoga instructor or something. The girl can eat, though, thats for sure. I remember once watching her take down a whole pizza by herself on a dare. How she stays so skinny Im not sure, but I know its not by starving herself.
So I was thinking wed get an hour out before having breakfast, then well stop a little before Oklahoma City for lunch, Marcy informed us.
We all replied that it sounded good, I knew I was hungry.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Our first stop of the trip was a modest one. We found a small diner an hour or so east of Santa Fe and I dont think any of us expected too much. I ordered an omelet while Bren went with french toast and both Marcy and Jill opted for pancakes.
I think all our jaws dropped when the food came out. It may not have been fancy fare, but they sure didnt skimp on portions! They must have used at least half a dozen eggs to construct the monstrosity they set before me. I even got a separate plate with hash browns and toast.
Brens french toast looked like they fried up half a loaf before sprinkling powdered sugar on it and drowning it in syrup. Jill and Marcy could barely see over their stacks of pancakes, there had to be at least five or six in each stack.
To great friends and lots of good food! Marcy cheered, holding up her glass of OJ.
To eating until we cant move! Jill joined in.
To popping buttons and splitting seams! Bren cried.
To stuffing our faces and clogging our arteries! I finished, laughing with everyone else at the absurdity of it all.
We liked to joke about it, but we all knew three weeks really couldnt have that much effect.
Forty-five minutes later we had all given up without being able to clean our plates. We did make an impressive dent, however, none of us had more than a few scraps left. Laughingly groaning about how full we were, we slid out from the booth and got back in the car. The heavy meal definitely made us a bit drowsy, though, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open as we drove on.
When we were about an hour outside of Oklahoma City and feeling a bit less bloated from breakfast, we stopped at a local burger joint for lunch. Four big, greasy burgers with four large servings of fries and four milkshakes later, the four of us piled back into the car for the last leg of our trip.
I was beginning to regret opting for jeans over sweats as the waistband felt uncomfortably tight after our greasy, salty lunch. I told myself Id have some time to walk around before dinner and hopefully work a bit of it off.
The hotel waiting for us in downtown Oklahoma City was pretty nice, but of course we were hoping to spend most of our time out and about. After getting unpacked, Jill suggested going for a stroll which I thought was a wonderful idea.
Ooh, look, frozen yogurt! Bren pointed as we were walking away from the hotel.
Of course we couldnt pass that up. It was one of the places where you served yourself and picked out all your own toppings, which inevitably leads to getting way more than you planned. It all went down quite easy as we were walking around the city.
Later that evening, our feet a little sore from all the walking and our stomachs still a bit full, we all got ready for our first real meal out to kick off our trip. We had gotten reservations at a very nice restaurant, one of our few splurges.
After we were seated at the restaurant, we perused the menus over a bottle of wine.
I may have a salad, I mused out loud before being hit in the face with a rolled up napkin.
Salad?! Salad?! Jill scolded. What kind of trip do you think were on? There will be no salads eaten here. You can have as much rabbit food as you want when we get home, but until we do you will be ordering off the big girl menu!
Fine, Ill get a real meal, I laughed as I passed her napkin back over to her.
Good, she said. Now what should we do about an appetizer?
It turns out that lobster ravioli, bruschetta, and caprese salad go down well with a bottle of wine. Then it was time for the main course. I went with a roast pork loin, which came with scalloped potatoes and brussel sprouts. Another bottle of wine accompanied our meals, which in turn led to us thinking that dessert would be a great idea, even after we all somehow cleaned our plates.
After dessert (and a third bottle of wine), we sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Fully replete, we sank back into our chairs with glazed eyes and smiles on our lips. The wine was doing a fantastic job of disguising exactly how much I had just eaten, but I knew I was at capacity. Finally, we settled the check and began the process of transitioning to a vertical state.
Giggling and weaving a little, we made it out of the restaurant with no major faux pas. However, as soon as we got out to the sidewalk, Bren unleashed a belch that seemed to echo down the street.
Mmm, much better, she commented.
Oof, Im so full, Marcy groaned. How far to the hotel?
About three *hic* blocks, Jill told her.
I dont think I can make it, Marcy said, Im carrying a massive food baby here.
She pulled up her shirt to display a very rounded midsection. We all patted and poked it and teased her as we walked back, each of us aware of our pregnancies. Back in the hotel I flopped onto one of the beds and wrestled open the button on my jeans.
Ah, thats good, I sighed.
Cmon, show us what you got, Jill teased, pointing her phone at me.
I pulled up my shirt and tried to push out my stomach, but it was already as distended as it could be. She took a couple pictures while I showed off my bump, and then we all took turns posing and taking photos. We pulled our shirts up and arched our backs and played up the whole ridiculous thing while laughing and poking each other.
Later that evening as I laid in bed I went through my phone and looked at some of the pictures. I chose one to send to Laura, it was a side picture of me standing up with one hand on my lower back and one resting on top of my bare, swollen belly.
Obv im eating well, wish you were here xoxo I wrote.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning I still wasnt that hungry, but we all went out to eat breakfast just the same. Too full afterward to do much walking, we decided to spend an hour or so hanging out by the pool while we digested.
By the time we finally felt like we could start moving around again, it was nearly lunch time so of course we walked straight to a restaurant which boasted huge burritos and the best margaritas this side of the Rio Grande.
Stuffed and tipsy, the four of us staggered out of the restaurant almost two hours later, giggling and bumping into each other as we made our way back to the hotel for a siesta. As I drifted off to sleep, I imagined that I could feel Lauras hands gently massaging my overfull stomach as she teased me for my gluttony.
Wakey wakey, a voice broke into my pleasant dreams, a hand shaking my shoulder to rouse me from slumber.
Wht time ist, I mumbled as I stretched, one hand resting on my rounded tummy.
The best time! Jill exclaimed, looking ridiculously fresh and perky. Its dinner time!
Alright, alright, I yawned as I rose. Just let me go freshen up a bit.
Jill slapped my ass as I walked to the bathroom, absently rubbing my stomach and wondering if I could possibly find room for another meal.
The answer, it turns out, was yes. There was supposed to be an excellent seafood restaurant that had really good prices. The place itself looked quite underwhelming, just a dingy place with a bunch of picnic tables inside. The laminated menus didnt have any pictures and the descriptions of the dishes were very simple.
I opted for the sampler platter which contained haddock, shrimp, scallops, and hush puppies. As soon as our food came out my treacherous stomach began to growl, insisting for some absurd reason that it had not been fed enough that day.
Of course I shared it with others, but I also sampled Brens lobster, Jills chowder and salmon, and Marcys calamari.
I dont think I can do it, I groaned, staring at the last hush puppy.
Dont stop now, Marcy cheered me on. You can do it!
“You can do it! Jill and Bren echoed.
Do it! Do it! Do it!
Silently apologizing to my overtaxed waistband that was struggling to contain my very distended middle, I popped it in my mouth. After swallowing, I waited a moment to see if I would actually burst, but thankfully I somehow stayed in one piece.
She did it! Jill cried, grabbing my right arm and holding it in the air.
I just closed my eyes and breathed through my mouth for a few minutes until I felt a bit better. Fortunately we had driven to this restaurant, so I didnt have to endure a long walk back.
I could tell I wasnt the only one who had overindulged though. Around nine oclock that evening Jill half-heartedly suggested going out for drinks, but at the point we were all in our sweats and feeling too puffy and bloated to get all dolled up. That didnt stop us, however, from visiting the frozen yogurt stand again an hour later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It could have been my imagination, but I felt like the waistband of my jeans was pinching a bit as we left Oklahoma City and drove out to Little Rock. I had no doubt that a few days of eating Southern comfort food would only cause it to get worse.
It turns out that I was quite correct. We ate our way through the city with barely a pause for digestion. I became quite an expert at surreptitiously adjusting my clothes as I ate - pushing down the waistband below the swell of my overfull stomach, loosening my belt a notch to make room as yet another heavy platter was set before me, or even using a hair tie to keep my pants on after I was forced to unbutton.
I do declare I am about to pop! Bren said in a horrible southern accent as we were leaving a restaurant on our last night in Little Rock.
We were all stuffed to the gills after overindulging in the richest Southern comfort food that Arkansas had to offer. While I had grown used to feeling bloated after a large, heavy meal, I felt as though I was lugging around a bowling ball on this occasion.
Yeah, that was really *brrp* a ton of food, Jill agreed, one hand resting on a belly that was jutting out far enough that her shirt no longer completely covered it.
No kidding, Marcy moaned, swaying slightly on her feet.
Poor Marcy looked like a wreck. Her belt was sticking up out of her purse, she had to take it off before she attempted a ridiculously large dessert of Bananas Foster. She was definitely in rough shape, waddling slowly along with her engorged stomach sticking out in front like the bow of a ship. With glazed eyes and hair matted to her forehead, I worried that we may have an ugly incident on the return to the hotel.
Fortunately, she managed to keep it all down. Once back in the hotel, she unfastened her bra and laid down immediately. Jill got her a cool washcloth for her forehead and Bren and I helped her out of her restrictive pants.
Marcy spent the rest of the evening comatose, occasionally groaning or belching softly. The rest of us werent much better off, changing into sweat pants and laying around listlessly.
This has been harder than I thought it would be, Bren admitted.
It really has, I agreed. I mean, all the food has been fantastic, but I just feel bloated all the time. Maybe we should take it easy tomorrow.
That may not be a bad idea, Jill nodded. Well be traveling some of the day anyway, and maybe we can do a bit of walking around the city once we get in. We didnt have any big places planned for tomorrow anyway, and then we can start fresh the next day after our stomachs have recovered a little.
Does that sound good to you, Marcy? Bren asked.
We looked over at our friend, her eyes were closed and she was breathing shallowly. Her shirt had inched its way up and almost the entirety of her swollen stomach was bared.
I think shell be okay with that plan, I stated.
The next day we left Little Rock for Memphis, eating only a light breakfast before we left. We got to spend a good amount of time walking around Memphis taking in the sights. Even as all the wonderful smells of barbecue assaulted our noses, we remained resolute and had salads for dinner.
The next morning we woke up feeling refreshed and very, very hungry. We then set out to see exactly how much barbecued food four girls could eat in two days.
Quite a lot, it turns out. Im not sure exactly how much pork, beef, and chicken was consumed over those two days, but it was enough to transform four fit, energetic young women into four bloated messes. We were retaining so much water thanks to all that salt that even our faces looked puffy and the rings on our fingers felt snug.
It was probably almost comical from an outside perspective. We were four attractive young women in obviously good shape, but we spent our times between meals staggering around and groaning about how full we were like a bunch of truckers.
Our condition really became obvious to me on our last night there. It was a muggy evening, so when we returned to the hotel after a disgracefully large meal, I announced I was going to take a shower.
After I disrobed in the bathroom, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Audaciously round and swollen, my belly jutted out in front of me in a truly shocking manner. I was almost fascinated by the sight as I stood for a few moments in front of the mirror, my hands gently rubbing the sides of my sore, taut midsection.
I tried to reassure myself that I was just bloated from the salt and this wouldnt stick.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
