chapter 6

Takeaways made my life so much easier. No trips to the shops, vast menus, minimal washing up and delicious food! What was there not to like? Locally, I had a choice of Italian, Chinese, Indian, fish n chips and kebabs. I had to overorder at all of them to be able to get the food delivered, but I had my story ready if anyone asked. Pete had come around to visit. I even shouted out to him as if he was there when the delivery man came, just to make it more convincing.
Every time the food came, I'd tell myself that I would have one portion today and the other tomorrow. The portions were generous anyway. It was often a struggle to get through it. Sometimes I even had to put it down for half an hour, then finish it later.
I would leave the lid on the second portion, put it aside. But several glasses of wine later, I was curious. What did it taste like? Maybe I'd just have a little bit. Then I'd find myself picking out the choicest pieces with my fingers and leaving the rest. I was beyond full by the time I was finished. My belly was stretched and swollen to the point of pain. I felt like a pregnant woman walking around with her swollen belly in front of her.
In the morning, I woke slightly hungover, still feeling bloated and sluggish. The congealed leftovers from the night before was my hangover cure. It made a convenient breakfast when I could not be bothered to go into the kitchen and the trays were still out on the coffee table from the night before.
By ten o'clock I was feeling as full as I had last night. Too full to be bothered to go in the shower and get dressed. I'd dose on the settee until lunchtime, skip my lunch and eventually go in the shower in the late afternoon.
Then I'd have an hour or so clearing up, putting the takeaway trays in the bin, wiping the coffee table, washing my plate, before I sat down again, but only with the menus to decide what I was going to order that night.

After a week of indulgent takeaways, I had out patient appointment. I was so slow that morning that I'd nearly forgotten about it! I had to get dressed hurriedly, then run out for the bus. All this sitting around was making me so unfit. I couldn't believe how much I was huffing and puffing!
After a wait of two hours, I finally saw the surgeon. I listen my tee shirt for him to check my wound. I really should have left more time for getting ready. The tee shirt was marginally tight. It had probably shrunk in the wash. I'd worn it on Tuesday and forgotten to put it in the dirty clothes basket. I noticed a small curry stain down the front. I was embarrassed. I tried to hide the stain with my jacket as I lifted my shirt.
At first the surgeon didn't say anything. He laid a hand on my belly, checking around the wound. He hmmed. He had the nurse weigh me. Then he told me what he thought.
I was putting on weight, which was good because I'd been so slight before, but I was putting on too much, too quickly. I had to be very careful. My wound was still knitting together. It might look all right on the outside, but scar tissue did not stretch as well as skin, especially new scar tissue.
On my way home, the reality of it hit hard. What had I expected? I'd been stupid! I'd eaten far too much in this last week. I'd thought I'd be invincible. Did I think my metabolism was so fast that I'd never put on weight? I unconsciously placed the palm of my hand on my belly. It was certainly rounder and softer than it used to be. The waistband on my trousers was tighter, I'd had to wear my belt on a looser hole this morning. Maybe my tee shirt had not shrunk. Who was I kidding? I had got bigger!
I was disgusted at myself! This had to change!
I stopped off at the interchange on my journey home. I called in to the nearby supermarket. I placed a few salad ingredients in my basket. I would go back to my previous regime. I knew where I was at with that. But as I wound myself around the aisles, a few other things sneaked into my basket. 'I'll start tomorrow' I told myself as I added a piece of cheese. I looked at the delicious store baked cakes at the back of the shop. Mmm, the small sweet strawberry tart looked nice. I had to have some reward for going to the hospital. I'd been a good boy! Unfortunately the tarts came in packs of two. I could not just buy one. I put them down.
Temptation struck again in the crisp aisle. I wondered what those new bubbly crisps tasted like. I put a packet in my basket, just to try. Maybe I would have one last blow out before I started afresh tomorrow. Well, if I was going to binge, one small packet of crisps was never going to be enough! I put the single pack back and picked up a multipack instead. And if I was going to indulge in the crisps, I might as well indulge in the tart as well. I went back to the cake section and picked up the two tarts. They would taste a little better with a little bit of cream on them. That pushed me into the dairy aisle.
I got to the tills and saw the woman in front pick up a packet of sweets from the array of tiny temptations there. My attention was drawn to where she had got it from. My strawberry tart would taste even better with a sprinkling of chocolate. Maybe a Cadbury's Flake. I looked up and down, forgetting I'd already picked up the cream to make my treat more indulgent. Unfortunately I couldn't buy just one flake I had to buy three. They all went in my basket. I didn't have to eat them all did I?
I could smell the aroma of last night's curry in the air as I opened the front door. I'd left all the discarded trays out from the night before in my haste to get out that morning. I dumped my bags on the bench in the kitchen and started to clear up. The bhuna tray was empty and clean. The tikka masala tray had all the chicken missing, but there was loads of sauce left. It seemed such a shame to waste it. Look there was some Nan bread left. I sat down. The sauce was cold and didn't look that appetising. The Nan bread had gone slightly crisp and stale. I broke a a piece off. It wouldn't matter how stale it was if I dipped it in the leftover sauce.
I put a piece of sauce covered Nan bread in my mouth. Yes, it was still delicious! The spices were so sweet! Mmmmmm! Before I knew it, I'd eaten all the leftovers from the night before for a late lunch. I swung my legs up onto the sofa to be more comfortable. I loosened my tight belt and the flies of my trousers. I took a thirsty swig of Coke from the bottle I'd received free with my order last night, but not touched. I put the telly on and leaned back. I was worn out from my busy morning. I felt a slight breeze on my exposed belly as my tee shirt rose up slightly. It did not matter. I pulled the throw from the back of my sofa over me and closed my eyes for what I thought was a well deserved nap!