Sneakers

Chapter 5 - a little bigger now

About a week later, Claire had to stay late at work, finishing some legal reports in her office. She stared out the window near her desk, tapping a pencil's eraser on her calendar as she got lost in scheduling. All of a sudden, a loud noise snapped her out of her worker bee's daze- Claire's stomach was so loud the water in her coffee mug bubbled up like it were carbonated. 'Oh man, 8:30, no WONDER I'm hungry!' she thought to herself as she picked up the phone at her desk & dialed for pizza. "Yes, I'd like a large super deluxe supreme pizza with extra cheese... uh huh- stuffed crust... no onions, oh! And a Caesar salad aaand... a diet pepsi, please... fantastic... I'm sorry? Oh, right- I'm on the 9th floor of The Firm- 321 Bigger Way. Uh huh- yes, thank you!"

Once she'd paid for her meal & the delivery guy disappeared down the elevator, Claire absentmindedly tore into the pizza, taking a few moments to savor the juicy meats sitting on top, the melted cheese that strung up into heaven, & the hearty tomato sauce that dripped onto her crisp egg-white blouse, a little surprised as she giggled from the mess she was making. By the time she'd finished her work, less than half the pizza remained, a small amount of the salad included. Claire sat back at her desk, rubbing her underbelly involuntarily, having unbuttoned the top of her size 10 suit's slacks- 'It'd be a waste to dump the rest of this out, & I know there wouldn't be any left if I kept this in the communal fridge...' she thought, still rubbing her underbelly until it vibrated against her hand, signalling to her that she was still hungry.

Finishing off her 20oz bottle of diet Pepsi, hoping the bubbles would calm her stomach down, Claire let out a little belch that shook her fresh pudge- alas, it continued to gurgle for more. 'That settles it,' she thought, reaching for another slice of pizza, cradling the slightly less greasy piece in both hands like it were a newborn puppy, 'I'm finishing it off!' Licking her lips of the extra sauce still on her cheek, she worked slowly to devour the rest of the pizza, stopping to check on her progress halfway through & at the end of every slice, the zipper to her slacks sliding further & further down her distending belly. By the time she'd polished off every leafy green & inhaled every last crumb from the box, Claire's tummy was stuffed to the brim, pushing out & pulsing with a pretty convincing food baby- she even had a little waddle down when she went to use the bathroom before walking home, unable to do up her pants before getting to the elevator. As soon as she got home, Claire thunked her shoes off her aching feet & set down her purse- she found Roger already asleep in bed as she worked her tight suit off, worked on a pair of breathable pajamas, & slumped into bed, exhausted from how much eating she'd done a couple hours before. With one more belch- that stirred Roger enough to roll over & snuggle his now pudgy princess- she drifted off to sleep.