Chapter 2 - getting to work

One day I ordered 5 serves of pancakes topped with whipped cream, maple syrup and deep fried banana bits. It was one of the best flavours I had ever tasted. My stomach had expanded each day but this was definitely more than I could eat. Each bite was so tasty though, the fuller I got, the more I wanted to eat and eat. It was a strange and new sensation. Eventually my belly became that bloated basketball shape again and I tried to move from the couch to bed to sleep it off but I couldn't move. I was so full I was in a hazy state, surrounded by food packaging. I decided to smoke a joint and then fell asleep on the couch.

The next thing I knew, my doorbell rang. My eyes opened to a bright, sun filled room filled with food rubbish. ‘God I've become a slob’, I thought. I tried to get up but struggled a bit. I looked down to find significant pudge. I gave it a squeeze and felt accomplished. I tiredly opened the door. It was Luke, I had forgotten that he was due to visit. I was so embarrassed I had food stains all over my tank top and my belly was sticking out. I probably looked like a mess.
"Hey fatty." Luke teased as he poked the little bit of fat sticking out between my tank top and my pajama pants.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry. The place is a mess, I'm a mess..." I said before Luke interrupted, "Don't worry, I brought food. Lets just watch a movie."
"Oh yeah that sounds great, I'm starving."
We ate and ate and then smoked a joint. Eventually we became kind of silly and I was so tired from all the buttery food he had brought me. There was still so much more and I didn't want to let it go to waste. "I'm too sleepy to eat. My arms are tired from shoving so much food in my mouth." I said.
"That's okay, let me help you." Luke said as he came in close and held me. I snuggled in sleepily as he brought bite after bite to my mouth.
"This is the life." I laughed. I caught a glimpse of Luke's boner and embarrassed, he covered up with a pillow. I didn't want to make him nervous so I didn't mention it. Men's bodies do weird things. Maybe it was something in the movie. We continued watching as he continued feeding me until I said, "I think I'm full to the max."
"Let me see. I'll be the judge of that." He teased dramatically. I begrudgingly lifted my top up to just under my breasts. "God you're putting it on so fast." He said as he gave my belly a little squeeze. "You must be eating non stop."
"Yeah, well I have to gain the weight as soon as I can."
"Are you enjoying it?" He asked and he began to rub my swollen belly. I was a bit taken aback by all the touching but we had become very close so I was comfortable with it, plus it kind of relieved the ache.
"It is nice to eat whatever I want and as much as I want."
"You're a natural."
"Ugh shut up." I smiled, "I do feel gross though. I don't even want to go out, I feel so embarrassed."
"You look really good. Plus you'll have to go out to get some new clothes soon."
"Yeah you're right, these are the last clothes I have that fit."
Luke continued massaging my swollen belly as I fell asleep again. When I woke up I was surrounded by food.
"As you can see I've taken it upon myself to help you gain this weight." Luke called out from the kitchen when he realised I had woken up. He was cooking something that smelled amazing.
"What time is it?" I yawned.
"It's 6, you've been asleep for a few hours. You're taking very well to the fat girl lifestyle."
"Oh hahah yeah I've been so tired. Probably just all the food."
When he finished cooking a beautiful meal, he placed plates of fragrant food with the others already on my coffee table.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"Yeah, I love to cook."
Even though my arms were no longer sore and I had just woken up somewhat refreshed, he continued to hand feed me. I lay back and let my belly fill in front of me. He tenderly patted it until it filled up. "I'm full now, Luke. Thank you, that was delicious."
"Not quite yet, Miya, I can feel some room in here. Come on, you need to get to 165 pounds"
I looked him in the eyes, "why are you being so helpful?"
"Oh you know, I just want to get shooting again as soon as possible."
I was slightly suspicious then but thought it would be silly to ruin a good thing, he really was helping and it was nice having a friend around. The last few years had been pretty lonely.

For the next few weeks Luke started to come over more and more. And when I was with him, he always pushed me to my limits and beyond. I was gaining around 10 pounds a week just sitting there on the couch eating all day. I looked in the mirror and saw a round belly sitting upon wide hips full of stretch marks. My thighs were getting bigger and my face was getting chubby as I started to grow a double chin. My breasts grew, which Luke seemed to like. He traced my body with his fingers, always taking care to note my growth. I felt heavy all of the time, and lethargic. I just wanted to sleep but my body was always screaming for food. It was getting used to being constantly full. Finally I had gained the weight and become a little bit chubby. It had taken less time than the studio expected and they were all very pleased to have saved money. We began again with a meeting which would be our last day in the U.S. Celeste again asked to see me in my dressing room. She closed the blinds and stared at me up and down before saying, "Marvellous, Miya. You have done a fantastic job." She continued to inspect me as I felt proud to learn that I had pleased her. "You are looking much bigger. Did you enjoy the eating?"
"It was nice to let go a bit."
"A bit?" She laughed. "More than a bit it seams."
I smiled.
"I just need to weight you for the books now. Would you step on this scale?" She asked.
I stepped upon the scale a little nervous, what if I had lost weight and wasn't 165 pounds anymore. It had been at least two weeks since I weighed myself. The scale calibrated and read '178lbs'. I was shocked and then nervous for a different reason. I had gained too much. I would delay the filming!
"Oh my. 178 pounds, Miya. You have been eating even more than you should."
I think she saw the surprise and fear in my eyes because she then reassured, "It's fine, perfect really. These scenes are set some time after our U.S scenes so it won't be any trouble really. You really have packed it on. I did not know if a thin stick could do this for me."
I sighed of relief but also felt shame bubble inside me. I couldn't believe I surpassed the weight I needed to reach. 'I'm not supposed to enjoy this. I'm turning into a fat pig.' I thought.

We had filmed all of the U.S scenes and hotel scenes in the first round of filming so it was then time to travel to Portugal to film the first travel scenes. These scenes were set shortly after my character Mia had met Alfonso during her travels with her boyfriend Jimmy. She loved Jimmy but Alfonso had struck up a thrilling sexual relationship with her. He was attractive in a traditional sense and she was excited by his different culture and attitude to life. She was a bit immature and overwhelmed by her new lifestyle so her mental health begins to deteriorate and as a result she starts to gain weight.

It was my first time out of the country and I was very excited. My whole family and all my friends from my hometown were rooting for me. I kept them updated with phone calls but could never manage to bring up the weight gain situation. I figured by the time the film came out I would have lost all the weight anyway and so it wouldn't be so embarrassing.
The flight was scary. It was very long and I was in a lot of pain from hunger. They only gave us a few biscuits and a tiny meal. When we landed I headed straight to my hotel room and ordered room service.

We filmed on a beautiful beach and in a stunning small town in the North. I found myself eating a lot of the catered food on set as I was used to eating a lot. Luke was still spending a lot of time with me and even though I wasn't supposed to gain weight for at least another week, he did keep encouraging me to eat more and more. "You have to keep in the swing of it because you'll have to do it again soon." He would say.
One day on the set, Celeste approached me, nervously, saying "Miya, we are continuing with the same scene as yesterday and you actually look bigger today. It is a continuity issue unfortunately. It will look as though we filmed weeks apart and detach our audience from the plot."
My face went red and I froze up, I was so ashamed. I felt so heavy and fat and couldn't believe I was now unintentionally gaining weight. I felt out of control.
"I am very pleased that you are enjoying the weight gain aspect of the role, Miya. Please wait until next week and then you will be able to eat much more whilst we are shooting." She continued.
I knew she was trying to comfort me but she made out like I was some food crazed fatty.
That night I cried to Luke, "I didn't even want to gain the weight. I just said yes because this is my only opportunity to break into the industry. I hate being chubby, I feel so ugly and I can't believe I've actually gained weight when I wasn't even supposed to."
He looked pitiful and consolidated me. "You're beautiful. If anything you're more beautiful. This is all just good practice for you because you'll have to gain so much more soon. You're doing a great job and your performance is amazing." I didn't even notice him putting the spoon in my hand and ice cream in my lap before I mindlessly reached the bottom of the tub and then began to cry more. Luke gave me a warm and nurturing hug and said, "Don't worry, Miya. Here, eat this, you'll feel better."
I trusted him so much and had so much going through my mind that I did continue eating. I ate all night again. The next day the whole crew looked at me in shock and awe.