Chapter 5

The fateful day of the picnic arrived. Kim smiled in malicious glee as Julie, Collen, Cynthia, and Roberta sat down at the first table. They wore sweat pants and special company t-shirts. Kim made sure they each got a shirt that was a size too small so that every extra pound of flesh was on display.



Rick wore a pair of jeans buttoned beneath the mound of his swollen gut and a polo shirt that barely reached the waistband of his jeans. The gun went off and the eating commenced. All five made it through the first three tables fine (although four other contestants dropped out). Julie gave up on the eighth pie, clutching her bloated middle with a pained groan. Cynthia faltered on the walk to the fifth table, pausing every few steps to stifle a belch. Only ten yards away from the table, she finally stopped and gingerly lowered herself to the ground. Laying on her back she rubbed her stomach and whimpered. Roberta somehow made it through pies 10 and 12. At the seventh table she sat down and stared at the pies in front of her. She pushed her sweats beneath her bloated gut and finally picked up her fork. After only one bite she looked decidedly green around the gills and pushed the pies away in defeat.



Rick slowly waddled down to the final table. He pulled out the chair, braced his hands against his back, and slowly lowered his bulk into it. He was the only one left, but still had to officially finish the race to win. He unbuttoned his jeans and leaned forward, his ball gut hanging between his legs. Kim was almost breathless with anticipation as he ate one pie, then the other. Puffing, he paused for a moment. Cheers rose from the sideline as the employees urged their corpulent boss to finish. With an audible grunt he rose, waddling slowly forward.



He moved at a ponderous pace, leaning backward to offset the weight of his gravely overstuffed stomach. He got about halfway there before stopping, trying to catch his breath. Kim snickered when she saw that his polo had ridden up enough to show his pale underbelly. Once again he started moving forward, but after another 10 or 15 yards he stumbled and fell. His blubbery middle was totally revealed as his polo shirt surrendered to his girth, sliding up beneath his man boobs. Rick tried to sit up once......then twice........before sprawling out in defeat.



Most of the crowd dispersed to other activities, but Kim walked over to her boss. He lay on his back like a beached whale, his titanic gut rising and falling as he panted for breath.



"Well, you got farther than I did," Kim said, poking his midsection with her shoe.



Rick just belched in response.



"Don't worry," Kim leaned down to look him in the eye. "There's always next year."