chapter 3 - set sail (part 2)

Eliza returned to her room where she curled up in a ball on her bed. Being so thin, her bloated belly really stuck out far on her petite frame. She looked five months pregnant. Eliza rubbed her full belly slowly for a a minute, moaning from the stomach ache she’d given herself before letting out a couple small burps, and finally dozing off.

The phone alarm woke Eliza up at 1pm. As she approached her mirror on the door, it was clear her full belly was still pushing outward on her dress. Being in a rush, she paid it no mind and headed out the door. She retraced her steps back across the boat to Lina's office where Jeremy was working.

"Hey you," Jeremy said. "Finding your way around alright?"

"Yeah for the most part," Eliza said, not admitting she'd only seen her room and the mess hall since the two had last spoke.

"How do you feel about seafood for lunch? It's kind of what we're known for."

Eliza put both her hands down on her belly, which was protruding quite a bit.

"I love seafood," she said.

Eliza was still full from her brunch binge, but she wanted to be as agreeable as possible with her supervisor. Granted, it was true that she did enjoy fresh seafood quite a lot. They walked down two flights of stairs to Zavo's, one of the ship's fancier restaurants on board. Jeremy ordered enough food for six people, wanting to give Eliza the chance to try a number of his favorites and also to impress his new employee. He didn't know, however, that Eliza wasn't used to having so many options to choose from.

She ate plate after plate, all while smiling and listening to Jeremy talk about his experiences on the ship and more of the duties involved. While she had very good table manners, the speed at which she consumed her food was far from lady-like. Eliza’s belly continued to test the seams on her New York fashion wear.

"Damn I'm glad I invited you to lunch," Jeremy said. "You must have been starving. Did you not eat breakfast?"

"Ha, no I didn't," she lied, stifling a burp. "I always forget to eat when I'm focused on something important I'm doing."

The opposite was actually true. Eliza had been known to snack unconsciously while plugging away on paperwork. This had never caused any issues for her back home, as the snacks she previously had access to would run out quickly. This sudden change in eating habits was sure to shock Eliza’s system, however. Her body wasn’t used to so many fatty calories. Having two massive meals separated only by a nap was putting immense pressure on her metabolism. Had she stepped on a scale right now, it’s doubtful the number would be a familiar one.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in Lina's office. Eliza sat behind Jeremy at his desk while he went over the various contracts and documents she'd be dealing with while on the job. Every 20 minutes or so, Eliza would mosey over to the snack table for some chips or a muffin, then sit back down to watch Jeremy some more. She was sure to offer him something every time she got up, to both be polite and also make herself not seem like the only one pigging out. By the end of the afternoon, she had put quite a dent in the snack table and her outfit was straining quite a bit. Still, she was so focused on learning that she paid no attention to her expanding figure.

"Okay it's about 5:30, we should get going soon and check on Russel," Jeremy said.

"Who?" Eliza asked.

"Russel Peters, he's the comedian performing this week."

Eliza tried to keep her cool. She knew she'd have to deal with celebrities, but wasn't expecting one of the world's most famous comedians to be on her ship, not to mention, during her first week. They walked over to the green room that was situated behind the main performance hall. In it sat Russel along with a few of his friends on the couch. Jeremy walked over to Russel and began speaking with him. Eliza was too star struck, so she hung back. She noticed, however, there was a completely untouched buffet table right next to the entrance. Despite the fact that she'd eaten heavily and consistently all day, Eliza's desperate eating style possessed her to grab a two glazed doughnuts and shove them in her mouth while Jeremy finished checking on Russel.

"So that looked pretty simple, right?" Jeremy said to Eliza.

"Yeah totally, sorry for staying back I just didn't wanna encroach on his space," Eliza said, finishing her last stolen bite.

"No worries, celebs are used to being hounded by staff. All we gotta do is ask if they need anything, which 95% of the time is a 'no,' which means we have the green light to turn up for the evening."

"Oh yeah? Where are we off to now?" she asked.

"You like French food?" he said.

Following a decadent five-course meal at Le Sucre, complete with a cheese plate, mousse, and espresso, Eliza was absolutely stuffed to the max. This was a feeling she rarely got to experience in New York, but it was so intoxicating. She felt so satisfied in such a complete way. Being stuffed sent a signal to her brain that she was okay and wouldn’t need to fend for food. A feeling of safety and warmth and well-being. A feeling she had been chasing for years, and now she was truly experiencing it. She’d come to the epicenter of excess, and her next meal was now never more than a few steps or moments away.

Eliza’s waistband clung tightly to her expanded gut, and actually made it difficult to take full breaths. She did her best to pull on the waist with her fingers to allow more space for her full belly, but it was still a struggle. She had actually shocked herself with how much she was able to fit in her stomach in one day. Though despite the discomfort, the warm glow of the food and the evening kept Eliza feeling happy with her 6,000 calorie day.

"Finish that espresso," Jeremy said. "You'll wanna be energized for tonight."

- - -

The club on the roof was pretty crowded, mainly filled with the ship's guests, but a corner of the floor had a few tables of fellow staff members. The warm night air was electric, and it was the most clear sky Eliza had seen in ages being far away from the city. She spotted multiple bottles sitting on the table when she arrived. All of her fantasies about the new and exciting life she wanted were being affirmed.

"Hey guys, this is Eliza," Jeremy shouted to the table.

Eliza and the table exchanged friendly waves.
A young woman named Lindsey handed a shot of tequila to Eliza.

"Welcome to the team," Lindsey smiled. "You're gonna love it here."

Eliza threw back the shot, happy to be accepted and also wanting to look fun. A waitress came by and asked Jeremy and Eliza if they wanted anything. Eliza much preferred cocktails to shots, so she ordered a whiskey sour. The night unfolded just as Eliza had hoped — drinks flowed and the group laughed and danced. The area was uncovered so no one cared that they passed around a few joints as well. Eliza was so utterly full that she needed to drink more than usual to get drunk, so one whiskey sour led to six or seven, adding more sugary calories to the long day of indulgence she had enjoyed. The booze caught up with her, however.

Eliza found herself standing alone behind one of the cabanas when one of the staff members she’d been chatting with approached her with another shot of tequila. In her cross-faded haze, Eliza took the shot, then as if by magnetic force, immediately locked lips with this young, cute dude with a beard and glasses. He reciprocated, as Eliza was unquestionably one of the prettiest young women on the ship. Her city aesthetic really caught the eye of her co-workers.
As he held Eliza close, she noticed her belly pressing up against his abs. This was surely a new feeling. One that gave her goosebumps.
In a moment of clarity, she pushed the young man away from her.

“I can’t,” she said. “I mean, this is my first day and I really need to make a good impression. Also I’m really drunk.”

“No worries at all,” he said reassuringly. “I totally respect that. I’m drunk too and got caught up in the moment. It won’t happen again. Hey I’m heading back to the table, please come back and join us. I’ll behave myself.”

“No you’re fine! It was me, I started it,” Eliza admitted. “I’m going to hang here for a second, I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute.”

The moon sat brightly on the horizon, and Eliza stood drunkenly by the railing staring out at it in total bliss, too caught up in the night’s events to notice her massive bloated belly protruding out in her party dress. She swayed with the boat’s motion and squinted her eyes. A flashing neon sign caught her attention on the floor below where she was standing:

"Julio's Tacos" the sign read...