Chapter 19 - fattened and back on the farm

Between grazing pizza all day, the more than occasional trip to Burger King with Hylke, and an attentive mother my days were a daze of eating and video games. Before I knew it, I had one last week before heading back to help on the farm. Now my primary exercise had been walking from my car to the pizza place, so it is not like I was working out much. I was a little curious if all those weeks of extra calories had done anything---honestly I did not think that my figure had changed much while in the US even if it was a little thicker. 287 pounds did seem more than I remembered, but it was still not too much keep Hylke from turning her attention elsewhere.

On the subject of Hylke---it was clear that America had gone well with her body, too. She had this permanent glow, and let's just say that her curves were far more prominent. The day before my last day working at Little Caesars, we shared a celebratory snack at Burger King. I had my usual (Triple Whopper, fries and a milkshake) while she just had a Double Whopper with cheese. She said, "I'm afraid that America has made me fat. A girl at the pool stepped on the scale, and weighed just 110 pounds. I'm over fifty percent larger. " I told her that this was ridiculous, she was beautiful when she arrived and more majestic now. Plus at 5'10 she should way more than a wee five footer. She said, true, but I am over 25 pounds heavier than when I arrived. My response? Of course, but those pounds went to just the right areas. We both laughed, and she asked if I'd put on any weight too. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I told her that all the pizza and hamburgers had an effect. Still maybe I was getting ready for a growth spurt? For some reason she laughed.

On my last day at Little Caesars they gave me a certificate for winning the pizza eating contest. I also felt fortunate that it was my last day, because their largest pants were starting to get tight. That night we celebrated with burgers, hot dogs, ice cream and more. Would miss all the junk food. Hopefully my Dutch friends would not notice much of a difference in my size. I just looked a little thicker around the middle. Right.

I left early the next day to head to the airport. The gate agent was a guy about my age. Although he was probably five inches shorter than me, I'd guess we were both almost 300 pounds. He had a large tub of soda, and it looked like he was sweating even in the early Spring weather. Before boarding he called me over, and asked if I liked my seat. My middle seat was not ideal but hey, you get what you pay for? Asked if I was over 18 (I told him 19), and whether I had missed beer since my last trip. I told him that usually older friends hooked us up, but that I looked forward to being in a more permissive culture. Anyways, he winked at me and handed a new boarding pass that said "2A." I looked at the ticket and said, "Really?" He said that us tall strapping men need to stick together, and that the middle seat might feel a little tight in any case.

My seat was the type that could lay flat, and came with hands-on-foot service. Shortly after take-off the flight attendant brought some wine followed by an appetizer. Before my glass was empty she refilled it, and delivered a large juicy steak with mashed potatoes. For dessert, she brought first a cheese plate and then some chocolate cake. Afterwards she asked if I wanted an after dinner nightcap? I professed to being more of a beer drinker. Well let's just say that one beer quickly became three, and before I knew it the flight was descending and I had a light headace.

Retracing my steps back to the farm, it was remarkable how much life had changed since I had arrived almost a year earlier. For starters, the seats on the train which seemed roomy were now a little tight. Plus moving from train to train to buy forced me to not only work up a sweat, but also quite an appetite despite the large meal on the plane. By the time my bus arrived, I was excited to see the family. I eagerly looked for Emma and Jan as my bus pulled up. They were waiting, and did not seem to notice me when I alighted the bus. With some effort, I grabbed the suitcase from the under-bus storage area and started walking towards them. They looked a little confused. When I got close I put my arms open to give Jan a hug; the look on his face changed and he said, "Welcome back home, sorry I did not recognize you." I was not quite sure what he meant, but then realized that there were an additional almost fifty pounds on my bulked up frame. The next thing I noticed was that Emma and I were about the same height. I was exhausted from the flight, so it was great that they brought the car. For the first time the back seat felt quite cramped.

I was just a little wobbly getting into the boat. Jan asked if I wanted to row given that I had sat all day. Although I got us away from the dock, my arms quickly grew tired as I grew out of breath. Emma said it must be "jet lag," and took over. When we reached the house, Lea gave me a big hug; this time instead of picking me up she squeezed my belly. She said that I must have really enjoyed the holidays. My only response, "You have no idea." For dinner she prepared yet another memorable spread. Emma and I both stood up to get seconds on dessert, and she realized she could look into my eyes. She asked Jan to measure us barefoot; he said we were exactly even. Emma looked at me and then said, last time we checked I was 120 kg and you were a wee 105 kg. Wonder if you've caught up. We walked all the way over to the barn, stopping once for me to catch my breath. She stepped on the scale, and the 6'2 farmgirl measured up at 115kg. Jan said, me next. At 145 kg and 6'5 he was still the largest...but everyone was surprised when I clocked in at just over 130 kg. I looked at Jan and said, "you next." He replied, "Hope you can keep up on the farm with your new chub." I knew that this might be a challenge.