Chapter 6 - starting to fill out

The predictable cycle of life on the farm was incredibly healthy for me. As I continued to fit into the family, time started to fly by. Although we all had work to contribute, Sunday was usually a day of rest. Most Sundays this meant sleeping in and reading books. Occasionally we would make a trip off the island, and explore the rest of the country. In early August Emma and Jan decided that it would be nice to head into town to see the Sunday market and perhaps have some ice cream. For the first time I took the helm of the boat, and Emma was impressed with how I was growing stronger. She said, "If you keep it up, someday soon you will be able to row as fast as me." Yes this was a little emasculating, but the large biceps on that farm girl did make a point. Landing ashore, I tied up the boat and then walked over to the shed where I had left my wooden shoes earlier that summer. To my surprise it was impossible to fit my feet in the clogs! Emma joked that it was not just my tummy that was growing. (Guess she had noticed my increasingly tight overalls.)

She had an extra pair of size 44 shoes, and let me use them for the ride to town. Her feet were still much larger than mine, but fortunately the shoes stayed on for the bike ride. When we arrived at the store, the Cobbler recognized me from my previous visit. She asked how I liked my new shoes, and I told her that apparently they no longer fit after just a few uses. She said I must be going through a growth spurt, and would be happy to exchange the shoes. Emma had thought that this might happen, and I traded my old 40s for a pair of men's 43. Apparently my feet had grown by several centimeters! Guess it must be from all the barefoot exercise outside.

We then walked to the street market. It was new to me and an incredible smorgasbord of food. I must have had three sausages, a big plate of fried fish and then finally an ice cream sundae. Emma poked me in the stomach and said that she bet I had room for a little more. Seeing as how my stomach was not yet hard, I followed her to the bakery. She suggested that I might like one of the traditional Dutch cakes, and we bought two pieces of incredible sweetness. She mentioned that they had cousins a few towns over who made even better cake. (Might be a fun trip!) We walked to the grass and took a nap to digest all the food. A while later, maybe an hour, Jan found us and teased us for being lazy nappers. He suggested that we might want to have another snack before heading home. We went to the diner, and I had a big milkshake with french fries. Jan had a giant Awful Awful burger, too. Emma teased me about my small appetite, so I managed to eat a hot dog. Emma asked if I was finally staring to put on some weight, I said that was rude. She went straight over to the scale by the bathroom and put in a coin. The dial swung all the way to 118 kg which she said was a healthy weight for the 6'2 woman. She said, "Didn't you weigh 113 pounds when you arrived? Looks like you've filled out a little, why don't you take a turn?" I followed her and was surprised to see a new number on the dial: at 77 kg I was almost sixty pounds heavier than when I arrived months earlier. Jan joked that I was just starting to look a little like a farm boy.

We all chuckled about how my body was changing, and Jan shot back that he was impressed my increasing strength. He joked that he was still a hundred pounds ahead of me, but that was ok because I was still short and barely filling out. We biked home together, and had yet another large dinner. Even if some of the weight was not muscle, I am pretty happy about how I look. Usually I'm pretty quick in the bathroom, but this evening decided to take a deeper look at myself. The scrawny boy who arrived early in the summer was slowly fading with my thicker shoulders and arms beginning to show strength. My legs were bigger, too. When I arrived my mid-section was tiny and soft. Although it clearly had filled out, I could also feel a six-pack starting to emerge. I liked the way I looked even if my pants were starting to strain again.

The next morning, Lena dropped off a pair of overalls a little before my first chores. I appreciated the extra space, and rewarded her by enjoying breakfast a short while later.