Chapter 6

****

Gordon had to go shopping for clothes in the boxing week sales, as his pants were tight and his shirts would barely button any more. He continued to eat like a hungry, hungry hippo as New Year’s Eve approached. Some friends had invited them to come along to a swanky dinner and dance at a hotel overlooking the spot where the municipal fireworks were set off at midnight. Gordon and Katy were pleased to discover it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Gordon had a plate in front of him all night long, except when Katy dragged him up to dance to the swing band. His belly filled and crept outward. At midnight, they kissed as fireworks exploded outside the windows. Then the party ended abruptly, as New Year’s parties tend to do, and everyone spilled out into the cold to look for a cab. Katy and Gordon got lucky and flagged one down without too much trouble, after only a fifteen minute wait. A tipsy Katy snuggled up to Gordon in the back seat.

“Mmmm, is my big man cold?” she asked, rubbing his love handles. “Let me warm him up.”

At home, they staggered up the stairs to the bedroom. Katy started to unzip her dress, but then muttered “scale” and went out of the room. She returned carrying the bathroom scale.

Gordon stepped onto it with trepidation. There was a hush. He bent forward to look at the number.

“233,” he said. “233 pounds!”

Katy whooped and hugged him, jumping on the scale with him, causing the number on the scale to zoom up and then read ERROR. They collapsed onto the bed. Slowly, gently, they explored each others bodies.

“Happy New Year, my love,” said Katy.

“Happy New Year. I love you,” said Gordon.

****

One morning in February, Katy came into the bathroom while Gordon was shaving. She wrinkled her nose.

“Are you growing that goatee-beard thing?” she said. “Because I hate it.”

“It keeps my face warm,” Gordon protested. “And it hides my double chin.”

“Exactly,” said Katy. “Since when is that a good thing? I know it’s a popular choice for fat guys, like you-” she poked him in the belly, “but I can’t help thinking it makes you look like Evil You from an alternate universe.”

“But I’m- wait, was that a Star Trek reference?”

“Evil, but still bright, I see.”

He spread more lather on his face.

“Fine, I’ll shave it off.”

She slid her arms around him and rested her cheek against his back.

“Are you okay, Gordon? You’re not feeling ashamed of how you look?”

He was silent. She let him be.

“It’s just - my boss has been making these little remarks about me at work!” he burst out. “Like, hey, everybody take a donut before Gordon eats them all! It’s humiliating!”

“It’s unprofessional, that’s what it is,” she said. “It isn’t your boss’ place to comment on your body.” She took a deep breath. “But if you want to stop-”

“Stop!” said Gordon, spinning around. “I don’t want to stop. I love eating and I love being full. I love driving you crazy with my gluttony and I love my expanding body. But I don’t love being thought less of because of it.”

“Whatever you want to do,” said Katy.

“Well, maybe this is big enough, for now. I’m at 240. That’s pretty big for a guy my height.”

“Obese, for a man who’s 5’ 9”,” she said in a small voice.

“Um, yeah,” he said. “Don’t you think there’s enough of me?

She hugged him again, hard.

“I can never get enough of you,” she said.

****



The winter dragged on. Gordon forced himself to eat smaller portions at meals and to cut down on snacking. He lost ten pounds. He felt hungry all the time, and miserable.

Katy didn’t seem happy, either. She was quiet and moody and Gordon caught her crying more than once. She refused to say why. Their apartment was littered with wedding magazines. Back in January, she’d been constantly asking him what he thought of this dress or that cake or whatever, but now she barely looked at them. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

Did his weight loss make her that unhappy? He wondered. It was certainly making him unhappy. He watched one morning as Katy struggled to button her jeans. Had she gained weight?

“Hey, you don’t have to compensate for my loss,” he said., as he lazed in bed. It was a Saturday morning.

She glared at him.

“What? I can see you’ve put on a few pounds. But I like it. You know I do. Besides, you‘ve still got a long way to go before your belly is as big as mine.”

He patted his diminished but still substantial gut.

“I’m not fat, I’m pregnant,” snarled Katy.

He sat up in bed like a shot.

“What?!”

She started to cry, gulping for air as she spoke.

“I know you said you weren’t ready for kids, but I - I didn’t do it on purpose- I just was so busy at Christmas - I missed my pills for a couple of days-”

“Shhh, shhh,” said Gordon, pulling her towards him. She folded to her knees and rested her head against his belly, still crying.

“Let me get this straight,” he said. “You’ve been pregnant since Christmas?”

She nodded, not looking up.

“That’s nearly three months! And you didn’t tell me!”

“Yul fawful lef meee,” she said, into his t-shirt.