chapter 8 effects

George came in from work late. He’d been stuck in traffic. He was tired, and grouchy. He was glad of the warm welcome Fiona gave him at the door, kissed her briefly, then headed upstairs to change out of his working day suit. It always felt good to relax into some old jogging bottoms and a tee shirt. He tugged his tee shirt down and took a look at himself before he headed downstairs. His tee shirt looked ever so short! He pulled it down again, but he knew it was useless. He knew his tee shirt had not shrunk in the wash. His was getting fatter! He tried another tee shirt on and that kept riding up too. He really HAD to do something about his weight. Maybe he could start cycling to work. He poked himself in the belly. The flesh was soft and pliable. He could pick up a good two inches on the side of his waist, at both sides! He didn’t want to go on another diet. The last one hadn’t worked at all.
He didn’t have time to ponder and more. Fiona called him down. She’d made some coffee for him because dinner was not quite ready. He sat down in his usual spot in front of the telly. He never had to venture into the kitchen for anything because Fiona always brought his food to him and then cleared it away afterwards.
He drank his coffee, then fell asleep in front of the news.
He woke up about an hour later feeling ravenous! He thought it was because it was so late. He usually ate his dinner as soon as he came in, now it was well after seven!
He dived into the dinner that Fiona provided for him enthusiastically. Did he want a pudding? Of course! He loved Fiona’s desserts. He was such a lucky man! He loved her so much!
After dessert, he got up from the dining table and returned to his spot on the sofa. He’d eaten everything on his plate, yet he still did not feel satisfied. He did not say anything. He did not want to appear ungrateful.
Then around nine o’clock he was ravenous again. “Was there anything left over after dinner?” He asked. He could do with something else to eat.
Fiona got up from her chair with a secret half smile. It appeared the supplements were already starting to work!
She put another dinner plate out on the bench and filled it up with leftovers. She popped the full plate into the microwave to heat up. She was a bit nervous. He might think a second dinner was too much, in which case he may suspect that she was trying to fatten him up!
She needn’t have worried. When she took the plate in for him on a tray, he almost grabbed it off her. ‘This is just what I needed!’ He exclaimed, loading his fork up and pushing it into his mouth. ‘It’s like having a second dinner!’ He told her, with his mouth full as he wolfed the meal down.
It was all gone in a matter of minutes.
“Is there any biscuits?’ He asked.

As George lay in bed that night, he could not believe he’d eaten so much! He put his hands on his enlarged belly. He HAD to stop overeating!
The only trouble was, he enjoyed it so much. He tried to think of how he could regain control and lose weight. Maybe if he only ate half of what was on his plate. Maybe he could cut out the puddings, desserts and cakes.
He drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, all thoughts of curtailing his appetite were gone. He was running late! He swigged his coffee and a quick slice of toast and was out of the house before Fiona realised he had gone.
On his half hour journey to work in peak traffic, his stomach started to rumble. He was hungry. He tried to ignore the feeling, but it got worse not better.
He parked his car in his usual spot. His office was just off the high street. He was so hungry! Maybe he’d call in to that greasy spoon caff to see what was on offer. He could sit down and have a proper breakfast. He was already late. He ought to go straight to the office. Then again, if he couldn’t think properly because he was so hungry, he would not have a very productive day!
The caff was not the most celebubrious of places. From the outside it was difficult to see in beyond the window grill. There looked to be half an inch of grease stuck to the window.
Looking at the menu just made him hungrier. He went in. Inside, the walls were stained with grease from the deep fat fryer. The tables were clean though, and there was plenty of customers. He stepped up to the servery. He glanced at the menu. After he saw ‘full English’ on the board, he didn’t need to look at anything else.
The waitress gave him a mug of strong dark tea to take to a table while he waited for his meal. He did not particularly like ‘builder’s tea’, but he had no reason to complain. He looked over to the other tables. He felt very much out of place in his suit and tie. Most of the other customers were market vendors, taking a break before the stalls opened. He didn’t belong here, but then again, he was soooo hungry!
His breakfast arrived on an large oval plate. There was so much food on it that it stretched onto the plate rim. He shouldn’t eat it. It was a heart attack on a plate. He should leave now! His hands ignored the words going through his head and started slicing the bacon and loading up his fork.
Once he took his first mouthful, he forgot about being late. It didn’t matter that everyone else in the caff were from a different social class. All that mattered was the food and eating.
He ate three of four slices of thick back bacon, four thick sausages, baked beans, scrambled egg, fried egg, hash browns, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding and fried bread with lots of tomato ketchup and a doorstep of white bread, thickly spread with lurpak butter.
It did not take him long to finish. He drank the last of his builder’s tea. He could feel the waistband on his trousers was tighter than ever! He rubbed his belly and rubbed a giant grease stain onto his shirt from his fingers. Did he have and clients coming into the office today? If he did, he would have to keep his jacket on to hide the stains.
Talking about the office! He had better get a move on! He was over half an hour late now!

No one commented on George being late. They knew he often stayed behind after they had all left. It was unusual for him to be this late though.
George sat at his desk. He heaved his belly up with one hand and loosened his trousers with the other. Once the button was loose, the zip ran down on it’s own. His belly lurched forwards to fill the gap that the loosened flies had made.
Oh that felt better! He had eaten far too much! He would not be revisiting the caff any time soon. He’d been so greedy! He was so full that leaning forwards in his chair was no easy feat.
He got out his pen and picked up a file from the ‘pending’ tray. Someone was applying to extend the deeds on their property. With a sigh, he switched on his computer and typed in his password.
It was going to be another long day.

He opened his eyes with a start! What time was it, where was he? Slowly he realised he must have dropped off to sleep at his desk. It was nearly eleven. He still had the file open about extending the deeds. He rubbed his face, trying to wake up some more. He’d faced some boring tasks, in this office, but he’d never actually fallen asleep. He blamed his big breakfast. He shouldn’t have done it. He ought to curtail his appetite in the future.
He had a big stretch in his chair. He wiggled his computer mouse to get rid of the screen saver. The morning was nearly over and he’d done hardly any work yet. He stood up. Why was he so tired? He walked around his office hoping that would bring him back to life. He gave his assistant a call in the other office. He could do with some coffee. That would help too. His stomach rumbled. What? How could he possibly be hungry only two hours after such a huge meal? That meal should be substantial enough to see him through until dinner time, not just until lunch!
The coffee arrived. Thankfully, a pack of biscuits came with it. That could be all he needed. A cup of coffee and a biscuit. Once his assistant had gone, he opened the biscuits. He stopped himself after devouring half a dozen, then chastised himself for once again being so greedy.
He tried to get back to work, but he simply could not concentrate. His hunger was overpowering. It was still only half past eleven. Lunchtime was only half an our away. He would have to have his packed lunch early. Once he was satisfied, he might settle down a bit.
Fiona had prepared him some sandwiches. There’re were two, made with thick bread and stuffed full of filling. Maybe if he ate one now it would take the edge off, then he could eat the second one over lunch. He picked up the first sandwich and took a big bite. Mmm that was good! The next thing he knew, his lunchbox was empty. He’d eaten the whole thing! Thankfully he did feel less hungry, but now he had nothing to eat for lunch! Well, he would just have to make do! After eating so much already today, he’d go for a walk in the park. He could do with some exercise. He put his empty lunchbox away and picked up the deeds file again. He would have to do without eating anything at lunchtime. He ought to have enough calories on board until tonight.
When lunchtime came, he left the office, heading for the park. To get there he was to pass the high street. He hesitated at the greasy spoon where he had eaten that morning. He forced himself to walk passed. He hesitated again at the bakers. He could not stop himself going in. He bought a cheese pasty, a bag of crisps and a cupcake. That should do it.
He took his little bag of bakery goods to the park. Luckily, the sun was out. He sat down on a bench and ate his second lunch, then lay down for a little nap before heading back to the office.