chapter 2- 10 years later (the present)

Alana couldn’t wait for this damn weekend to end. And it was only Friday...

The newly upholstered couch in the living room was by far the comfiest spot in her parent’s house, it was the main reason she’d parked her cushy tushy their since getting dressed for the gym earlier in the afternoon. The only problem with her warm and cozy spot was that she could hear her parents getting ready upstairs. Did they have to be so loud about it? Ugh.. All she wanted was to do was tune the world out this weekend. Was that too much to ask for?? Apparently. Feeling frustrated, Alana found her own way to passive-aggressively retaliate. She raised her voice even louder while continuing to chatter away on the phone.

“I know, I KNOW… By the way, did I mention I ran into your parent’s yesterday? … No. Not at McDonalds! I told you I’m on a diet! … Yeah, they did ask about you! They also asked about Jenn… Haha, that’s what I said… Umm-hmm…” Alana prattled on, as she heard her parents noisily walking down the steps behind her.

It had been a few weeks since their precious only daughter had moved back in with them, and while they had readjusted to her familiar tendencies, she’d picked up a few new ones that they were still getting used too. For instance, seeing Alana, dressed in her gym clothes, lounging in the living room and watching TV while she chatted with her friends on the phone, was a familiar sight. However, in high school such a scene normally played out after Alana got back from the gym, not before.

In fact, despite paying full price for a new gym membership, their daughter hardly managed to go twice a week. They’d always spoiled Alana, after all, she was their only child, but she’d never been this lazy before. It certainly explained how she’d come to look the way she did. Well, at least partly.

Her new eating habits explained the rest the rest of it. In high school, their daughter only ate when meals were being served. She always had a bit of a sweet tooth, but her young metabolism always seemed to keep everything in check. However, now Alana had a snacking problem and it was something they had to adjust too. Despite claiming to be on a diet, their daughter liked munching on something while she watched TV.. or when reading a book.. or just because she was bored.

If Alana’s corpulent figure wasn’t currently wrapped under a blanket, the price she paid for her indulgent new lifestyle would be more easily visible. There were dozens of ways you could quantify the profound changes that had taken place around the young women’s body. For instance, you could count how many chunky rolls of fat her beer gut formed when she hunched over in a seated position. If you wanted a more difficult task, you could tally the dimpling of Alana’s skin that now appeared across her thickened thighs and bodacious buttocks. Like most overweight women, Alana was not spared the ‘cottage cheese’ effect that cellulite produced on fat that concentrated in the problem areas of pear-shaped ladies. Regardless, however you wanted to measure it, the effects of Alana’s overeating were on display across her softened body.

“Honey, we are heading to the rehearsal dinner, do you need us to pick anything up for you on our way back?” Alana’s father warmly asked, as he watched his daughter’s cherubic face tilt toward him.

“Hold on one second.” Alana said to her friend, as she put the receiver of the phone against her shoulder. In a slow motion, her eyes leered directly at her father while she grunted, “No. I’m good. Have fun.”

“You okay darling?” Her mother softly questioned. She hated seeing her daughter look so visibly distressed.

“Never better. Have fun.” Alana grumbled, as her gaze shifted, and her arm snuck out from under the blanket she was hiding under. She attempted to reach the bowl of peanut butter M&M’s on the coffee table in front of her, but even with a grunt of exertion, she couldn’t lean herself forward enough to reach. Her mother just watched.

It was evident their daughter had lost a considerably amount of her youthful flexibility. It was almost embarrassing to see how such an athletic young girl had grown into such a sluggish young woman. Alana had only recently turned 28 and yet her mother, a woman of 52, was probably physically fitter than her in every measurable way. Then again, her mother went to yoga three times a week, was committed to jogging half-marathons as least twice a year and maintained a healthy weight. The only commitment Alana had seemed to be to the refrigerator and the couch.

“If you want we could..” Her dad began to offer, as Alana’s eyes snapped back at her parents.

“Can’t you see I’m on the phone??” Alana muttered in an exacerbated fashion. She didn’t want to have this conversation with her parents. She just wanted this weekend to end. And furthermore, she desperately wanted to munch on some M&M’s, but her mother always freaking place them out of easy reach!

“Okay.” Her dad responded in an understanding way.

“Enjoy your night.” Her mom softly said, as she opened up the front door.

“We love you kid.” Her dad said, as they started out the door.

“Love you too!” Alana called after them just before the door closed shut.

Her parents were sweethearts. She didn’t mean to get so snappy with them, but she just couldn’t help it. She felt a little guilty. After all, her parents were letting her stay here while she figured her life out. And they took such good care of her.

Although, her mom was playing hell for her diet. She insisted on leaving bowls of candy throughout the house for ‘guests,’ but Alana could hardly resist snacking on them whenever she felt hungry. Speaking of which, Alana was feeling it in the pit of her stomach.

*growl*

“Stupid M&M’s.. Making me hungry. I’ll show you who’s boss around here.” Alana muttered, as she made eye contact with the devilishly delicious candy once more. She recognized the gym might have to wait until after she ordered something for dinner, but for now, the M&M’s would hold her over. She reluctantly shimmied forward from her comfortable position on the couch and finally grabbed the damn bowl. As she did it, she heard a noise coming from her shoulder? Oh right! The phone!