Chapter 13

As I took my first trip through the buffet I mostly perused what was offered and tried to come up with a game plan.  My mouth was watering as I inhaled the delicious aromas, this was a rare buffet where the quality of the food actually matched the quantity.  My first plateful was piled up quite high with Caesar salad, potato salad, fruit salad, and a couple rolls.  Next I had a bowl of stew, a bowl of soup, and a bowl of gumbo.  Then I worked my way through the meats, choosing sides of pasta, potato and vegetable.  I had piled up a pretty impressive stack of plates before my pants started feeling uncomfortably tight.  I sat for a moment, trying to decide my next step.

"You're not done already?" the red-head asked, suddenly appearing next to my table.

I looked at her name tag.  "I dunno Stephanie, these pants are getting pretty tight."

I tossed the line out casually, trying to gauge her reaction.  She just giggled.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone unbuttoned their pants in a buffet," she said.  "Did you try that pork yet?"

"Yup, just as good as advertised."

"Then you must want another portion.  Let me go grab you something, you can unbutton and no one will have to know."

Ok, this girl was definitely a feeder.  It still felt weird to be on the other side, but she was cute and enthusiastic, so I let her get me a plate.  She actually came back with two, both piled high with pork, fried chicken, ribs, chili cheese fries, and more.  

"Clean these like a good girl and I'll get you some dessert," she said as she placed them before me.

This time I definitely didn't imagine the wink.  I made a show of reaching below the table and popping open the button on my slacks.  She was clearly reluctant to return to the front, looking back at me several times over her shoulder as she walked away.  Over the past couple months I had definitely stretched out my stomach's capacity a bit, but I was pretty well stuffed when I finally finished off both plates.

Stephanie reappeared like a genie.  "Ready for dessert now?  We have some wonderful pies, plus a full make-your-own sundae bar."

"I dunno," I replied, leaning back in the booth and resting my hand atop my protruding middle.  "I'm pretty *hic* stuffed."

"Nonsense, you can't stop before dessert.  You wait here and I'll get you a little something sweet to end the meal."

Before I could respond she was off in a flash.  Five minutes later she was back and I couldn't believe my eyes.  One large plate held a slice of lemon meringue pie, a slice of key lime pie, a slice of coconut cream pie, and a slice of cheesecake.  There was also a large bowl that contained a banana split, complete with five scoops of ice cream, hot fudge sauce, sprinkles, whipped cream, and even chunks of brownie.  

"Oh wow," I said as she put it in front of me.

"I'm sure you can handle this, you look like a good eater," Stephanie giggled.  "I gotta go back up front, but my shift ends in thirty minutes, just if . . . y'know . . . "

I heard the implied suggestion, but didn't respond.  I still wasn't sure how far I wanted to take this.  With determination I applied myself to the food in front of me, sampling here and there.  After ten minutes on constantly eating I felt like I had barely made a dent.  I paused for a moment to lower the zipper on my slacks.  There were a few filled tables around me, and I had caught most of them glancing over at me once or twice.  As I continued eating, I imagined their whispered conversations - 

"Did you see that girl over there?  Look at all those plates.  No wonder she's so fat."

"What a cow, gorging herself like that in public."

"I think she actually unzipped her pants.  How much do you have to eat so that you can't even zip up your pants."

"Is she pregnant or just really fat?  Either way, I can't believe how much she's eating."

"And now dessert?  They'll have to roll her out of here."