chapter 5: thanksgiving

The effects of my friendly encouragement and his surprising fondness of eating were showing slowly, but every week he seemed just a little bit less fit, a little bit more out of shape. We were nearing Halloween, and Mikes gut was now constantly showing when he was wearing tight clothes, and his face seemed to be less chiseled than it used to be. Of course, no one would call him fat, or even chubby, and I was still the only one to notice a difference at all, mainly because I looked at him the closest, but it was now undeniable that he had put on weight.

During Halloween, I managed to convince Tom that going trick-or-treating would be a fun idea, even if we were a bit old, but my ulterior motive was, naturally, to let Mike eat most of my candy (hey, I still like candy myself, you know) So, later that evening, I "accidently" forgot my bag of sweets and Mikes place, knowing that he would eat first, and ask no questions later.

Soon after followed thanksgiving, a holiday I was looking forward to, as it meant that Mike would eat a whole lot. My family and Toms (well, him and Mike) family celebrated thanksgiving together, like every year, and this time my family had the honors of cooking the feast, as we knew that Mike would be hopeless without his wife. My parents didn't care about how much time I always spent over at Tom's, but I suppose they would have been bothered if they knew that I also went there for Mike.

Me and Mike were waiting in our living room, having a heated conversation over which Harry Potter book was the best (he preferred Deathly Hallows, whilst I insisted that Order of the Phoenix was pretty good as well), when my parents called that the food was ready.

"Snape's backstory though" Mike whispered into my ear as we stood up, Tom joining us, back from the bathroom.

"Yeah but the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore was pretty impressive" I hastily answer, changing my mind about which book I thought was best mid-sentence.

I made sure to pick a seat across from Mike, and beckoned Tom, who was looking like he was wondering why on earth his Father was talking about Harry Potter, to sit next to me.

Mike just gazed longingly at the many dishes my own parents had whipped up, and I was pretty impressed as well. My parents seemed to have given their best, as basically the whole table was full of different kinds of Meats, Fries, Salads and Sauces. The crowning part of the table was a large Turkey, that looked absolutely amazing.

As the meal began, Mike started by adding various Steaks and Sausages, Potatoes and Salads to his plate, before smothering it all with a generous amount of gravy. The rest of us all had a fair share of the food around us, but I don't think anyone ate as much as Mike. I was halfway done with my first plate, when Mike started on a second, and by the time I was done with my second, and was feeling pretty full, Mike had finished his third.

He'd never eaten that much, at least not in front of me, and I was baffled when I watched Mike undo his pants button, pat his belly, and give a small belch.

Tom seemed a bit embarrassed at his dad, but I think my parents were glad that someone enjoyed their cooking so much and asked him if he wanted another helping. Maybe they just hadn't noticed that Mike had eaten three plates already, but I was astonished when Mike responded with "a bit more of that turkey wouldn't hurt"

He saw me staring at him and gave me a smile and a friendly wink, before tucking into the last of his food.

I don't think I have to tell you how much I came that night.