Chapter 16

Things slowed down a little after our get-together with Bill, Frank, Julie and Cynthia. I still worked from home, staying active but indulging enough that I was definitely growing rounder by the day. Shannon of course was thrilled every time I admitted to her that I needed to have my pants let out, or that I visited the second-hand store for a "new" pair of jeans that were more forgiving around the waist. Her parents had invited us and both her sisters over for dinner one night, and I made sure to wear my loosest pair of khakis.

"Did you ever think you'd be wearing pants with a 46" waist?" Shannon giggled as I got dressed.

I threaded my belt through the loops, noting as I buckled it that I only had two more notches. Hopefully dinner wouldn't be too big.

"I have to admit," she continued. "When we got married I never realistically thought that one day you'd be over 250 pounds, and wearing pants so big that two of me could fit in them."

I glanced at her narrow waist and grunted. She might have been right. I pulled on my shirt and started buttoning it. The three buttons around the apex of my midsection were slightly straining, and I hadn't eaten in several hours.

"This isn't going to be some huge meal, right?" I asked Shannon. "I mean, I know your family is laid back and everything, but we should really keep this whole feeding thing to ourselves, right? I mean, except for those other people like us."

"All I said was that you had a slightly . . . bigger appetite nowadays," Shannon replied. "Don't worry, it's not like I orchestrated some secret feeding extravaganza. Beth and Naomi are both bringing a dish or two, so just have a little taste of everything so no one has their feelings hurt. Ok?"

"Ok, I can do that. I just don't want to end up sprawled out in the guest bedroom like a beached whale."

Shannon turned to walk out of the bedroom, but not before I saw her lips curl into a grin. I pushed my stomach out experimentally, trying to make sure that the buttons on my shirt wouldn't burst off. I suspected that tonight's meal might be rather large.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Large was the understatement of the year. Shannon's mother, Grace, had made pork tenderloin and honey-glazed ham. She also made stuffed peppers and mushrooms, potatoes supreme, and sauteed green beans. Shannon's older sister, Beth, brought her famous Fettuccine Alfredo and corn fritters. Naomi, her younger sister, brought chicken parmesan casserole and zucchini bread.

"Shannon told us it took a bit more now to fill you up," Grace told me as we sat down. "We wanted to make sure you didn't go hungry."

"These women love an excuse to cook," chuckled Charles, my father-in-law. "So don't be shy, eat up!"

I ended up sitting between Naomi and Beth, directly across from Shannon. She smiled at me as I struggled to find room on my plate for each dish that was passed around. Even thought the mix of foods was quite eclectic, every bite was delicious and I found myself eager to load up on seconds. Both Naomi and Beth seemed more than happy to pass me each dish for seconds and thirds. They must have shared the feeding gene with their middle sister. I felt nicely stuffed but there was still quite a bit of food left.