Chapter 5

Laura pushed her chair away from her desk and leaned backward, staring up at the ceiling and sighing briefly. The Smell of the cinnamon rolls on the table outside her cubicle had been tempting her for the past half hour. She looked around her cubicle. She had put up a few photos, brought a cute coffee mug, and placed a small succulent plant on her desk to try and make it a bit cozier. She looked at one of the photos of her and Lexi from college she had put up. They were standing side by side, arms linked together and laughing. Lexi wore a crop top that displayed a slim and toned midriff, and Laura wore a pair of low-rise jeans that left little to the imagination. While reminiscing, Laura’s stomach let out a low moan, her body betraying her efforts to resist the snack bar that she had visited more times this week than she would admit to herself. “Ugh, just on, but then it’s only some quinoa and greens for dinner.” She said as she stood up and made her way over to the table.

Laura grabbed a napkin and one of the cinnamon rolls off the table, its scent now even more, inciting up closer than it had been farther away. Laura had been doing an excellent job at learning her new job and getting into the grove of things at the office. She had already pointed out several potential scheduling and deadline conflicts that could impact deliverable deadlines and had Sofia stop by to congratulate her. What was surprising was just how much larger the scope of the work was compared to what she had expected. After she had been spun up, she stayed late at the office for three nights in her second week at work, trying to ensure that everything in the new clothing line would continue developing smoothly. She had also never spent this much time sitting and being sedentary; it was apparent to see how the women here packed on the pounds. Laura sat back down and took a bite of the cinnamon roll. The sugary icing and aromatic cinnamon made her mouth water and instantly go in for a second bite.

“Hey Laura, why don’t you come join us for some coffee and take a break?” It was Sarah, she standing outside Laura’s cubicle holding a large iced coffee and pastry of her own.

Laura looked up at her monitor, quickly scanning the screen for any new updates or messages. “Okay, a little caffeine sounds nice.” She said, getting back up and following Sarah out.

They made their way over to where the coffee machine was, finding several large iced coffees in front of the machine, all labeled with their various flavors. “What would you like, Laura, the caramel macchiato or the mocha?”

“I think I’ll try the mocha.”

Sarah handed over a large plastic cup; the top of the light brown liquid inside was covered in a thick layer of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. “Laura, this is Kayla; she just started here recently, too.” Sarah gestured towards the other woman who had already been standing near the coffee.
The women shook hands and greeted each other as they took sips of the calorie bomb drinks that had been provided. “So, Kayla, what department do you work in?” Laura asked.

“I’m over in the QA department; I started a little less than a month ago.”

Laura had at first been happy to see another woman working here who was not overweight, but now that she was closer to Kayla, she noticed things that she hadn’t picked up on at first glance. Kayla’s shirt looked uncomfortably tight, and several buttons were undone in the front, showing the edge of her bra. The bra itself looked like it was straining, containing Kayla’s large breasts. There was just the slightest amount of pudge sticking out of the bottom of the shirt, where there was a gap between the bottom of the sweater and Kayla’s pants.

“Good afternoon, ladies! I hope you’re enjoying the snacks this week.” It was Ben; he was pushing a cart with a fresh batch of iced coffee and a new tray of cinnamon rolls.

“Amazing as always, Ben.” Sarah smiled at him while he restocked the snacks, while Laura kept her distance.

“Laura, do you have any plans this evening?” Sarah asked, turning away from Ben. “A few of the girls and I were thinking about ordering a few pies, grabbing some beers, and playing some Mario Kart over at my place.

“That sounds fun, but I’ve got a planned session with my trainer at the gym,” Laura responded.

“We usually go pretty late, so don’t be afraid to drop by afterwards, I’ll text you the address.”

“Okay, thanks for the invite. I’ve gotta run, or I’ll be here all night at my desk making sure things are on track!” Laura said as she started back towards her desk.

Laura saw a new batch of emails had come in while she had been away. The first one she opened had some of the photos the company planned to use for ads. It featured several women of various backgrounds wearing the new jeans and bras while barefoot. The models were smiling and laughing, not caring about the top of their tummies pooching over the jeans, blubbery love handles overhanging the sides. Their smiles seemed so genuine and happy. Laura forwarded the photos on to the ad department, satisfied. She continued coordinating messages and making approvals between the departments when a new email pinged in her inbox.

“Oh no…” She said, taking a bite stressfully out of her cinnamon roll in stress, leaving just a touch of icing on her lips. One of the suppliers in Malaysia was unable to provide enough factory space or material to meet production. She would have to see about switching production to the factory in India they had passed over due to higher costs. She would be here for another three hours getting everything switched over and set.

“Shit, I’m going to have to message Jerry and cancel my session at the gym.” Laura sighed. Laura sent a message on her phone to cancel the training session she had planned at the gym with Alan’s boyfriend.

Laura plunged headfirst back into work after putting her phone back down, researching alternatives, and sending the required communications between departments and companies to get things changed over. She finished off the cinnamon roll and emptied her coffee as she found her groove, integrating sips and bites between keystrokes. She went back to the snack bar and grabbed another coffee to help her stay focused, sipping away as she worked, not noticing as she became more bloated and her pants began to gently dig into her skin.