chapter 13

“Yeah, me too.” Kimmie hummed in support, while she used her fork to play with her unsatisfying salad.

“Come on, there is no shame in being honest.” Chloe chastised both of them, pointing a fried chicken wing at them as she did. Chloe knew that each hefty woman in front of her had once been quite slim. She’d seen photos of Kimmie when she was a senior in high school, and she’d seen Claire’s graduation pictures. What Chloe didn’t know was how each of them had fallen down the path to obesity. Deciding to press the issue, Chloe bluntly revealed what was on her mind, “So how did you two get so fat? I know it wasn’t by eating salads.”

“I’m not fat!” Kimmie immediately protested, as Chloe found the girl’s denial rather amusing.

“Fine. How’d you get so tubby Kimmie?” Chloe rephrased to appease the plump ex-athlete sitting across from her. Before Kimmie could respond, Chloe offered up some of her own personal theories, “Didn’t you used to be a college athlete? What happened? Was it an injury? Boredom after you graduated?”

Blushing something fierce, Kimmie replied, “Ugh! It’s not like I swapped dumbbells for Big Macs! I got heavy before I graduated! I’m not exactly sure how or when it happened… I kinda feel like I just woke up one day and I was bigger, you know?”

“No. That’s not how fat works.” Chloe promptly responded. She was seeking a real answer, not Kimmie’s usual excuses.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t realize I was gaining weight until after I’d put on a few too many pounds... It took me a long time to notice I was getting a little tubby because, at first, it all went to my backside… I think I inherited my mom’s metabolism.” Kimmie regretfully admitted, as she dropped her fork, and her hands braced the sides of her soft hips. Her chunky butt was so thick with fat that when she sat on a chair, like the one she was on now, her fat jutted off the sides of the chair.

“I have the same problem Kimmie.” Claire mentioned, while putting a conciliatory hand on Kimmie’s shoulder for a moment to make her feel better.

“Yeah,” Kimmie sent Claire a smile, as she turned her focus back to answering Chloe. Taking a breath, Kimmie continued, “The first time I remember realizing I was bigger than I used to be, was when my roommate was trying to hook me up with this guy I had a crush on. I overheard her telling him, ‘she’s kind of heavy, but really nice, though!’ and it made me realize that I’d gotten heavier...”

“Oh my god, that’s awful!” Claire commented knowing that her own friends were not shy about mentioning her weight during conversation as if it was necessary for describing her.

“But how’d you get tubby?” Chloe demanded to know. She didn’t want Kimmie dancing around a real answer.

“I mean, I started drinking a lot of beer, and partying freshman year… And Mimi loves junk food even more than I do so…” Kimmie droned off, as both Claire and Chloe tilted their heads in confusion.

“Who’s Mimi? Your friend?” Claire asked.

“A bad influence?” Chloe sought to clarify.

“Mimi’s me when I’m drunk. My team gave me that nickname freshman year and she kinda took on a life of her own.” Kimmie admitted shamefully, “Mimi was friends with everyone. She was a lot more popular around campus than I was...”

Loving Kimmie’s innate weirdness, Chloe nearly laughed, “You’re such an adorable goofball. Don’t ever change.”

“Thank you?” Kimmie scrunched her lip unsure of what exactly Chloe meant by that.

“I kinda wanna meet this Mimi. Don’t you Claire?” Chloe giggled, while she delved into yet another piece of chicken.

“Kimmie’s given up drinking, but otherwise I’d love to.” Claire smiled unable to keep herself composed around her hilarious intern. Kimmie wasn’t funny when she tried too be, but when she was just being herself she was hysterical!

“I still drink on special occasions. Mimi loves holidays.” Kimmie added, as if she and this Mimi character weren’t the same person.

Chloe and Claire couldn’t handle it, in unison they both erupted, “Hahahaha!”

“You really are the best Kimmie!” Claire laughed trying to compose herself.

“No way! You’re the best! You’ve never even lost a trial!” Kimmie nudged Claire despite her embarrassment.

“Is that true Claire! That’s insane!” Chloe exclaimed, as she paused her praise to resume her massive consumption of fried chicken.

“Well, I’ve gotten lucky so far. 95% of the cases I’ve worked on have settled before trial. So, I’m not usually in court all that often.” Claire begrudgingly admitted, while she forked another piece of flimsy lettuce into her mouth.

“You’re too modest! You’re the best lawyer I know! You’re a big deal!” Kimmie happily added trying to boost her humble boss’s ego.

Shrugging her shoulders, and using her napkin to wipe her mouth, Claire didn’t know how to take such a complement. She was proud of her success at work, but she didn’t feel very proud of herself right now. She couldn’t get her mind off of the numbers she’d read on the scale this morning. Or the way Chloe was gobbling down that fried chicken so gleefully. Claire didn’t just feel fat and hungry, she felt jealous that she couldn’t indulge like Chloe… Replying in a depressed tone Claire sighed, “I’m certainly big.”

“Will you stop shaming yourself?” Chloe snapped at Claire, “So what if you’re fat! Own that sh*t! You’re big, you’re beautiful, and you’re great at what you do!”

Unable to take Chloe’s continued complements about her overfed figure, Claire argued, “Yeah, but I’ve gained a lot of weight lately and now I’m the biggest I’ve ever been. I can’t be happy with myself if I eat like cr*p and sit on my big butt all day.”

“Is that how you got fat? Getting lazy after your husband put a ring on it?” Chloe wondered raising an eyebrow and trying to get the conversation back on track.

Unable to contain her insecurities, Claire barked, “No! The only reason I’ve gotten so fat is because of my husband! He is a great cook and he’s always spoiling me with food that’s irresistibly delicious, but horrible for my waistline. I didn’t get lazy! I have a husband that’s hellbent on doing everything in his power to make sure I never have to lift a finger around the house. I mean, on the one hand it’s great because he’s very attentive and thoughtful, but on the other hand he’s the reason I’m getting so fat and deep down I know he loves it.”

“He loves that you’ve gotten fat?” Chloe coughed momentarily choking on her piece of chicken. She’d only ever met two people besides her husband that really had a thing for fattened female figures.

“He’s a weirdo. Look,” Claire brushed aside Chloe’s question, as she tried to change the subject, “How about you tell us how you got so fat? I mean it’s only fair since we’ve all been sharing.”

“Well, I didn’t get fat because of my husband.” Chloe calmly explained, while she chose her next words very carefully. She normally wouldn’t get into it, but judging by what Claire had just shared, she figured the truth might just be fruitful. Taking another bite of her chicken and gulping it down, Chloe admitted, “I got fat FOR my husband.”

“Huh?” Kimmie burst like she’d just blown a circuit.

“Your husband wanted you to gain weight?” Claire leaned forward in surprise wanting Chloe to elaborate.

“You bet, *Buurrp!*” Chloe belched, while she pounded her chest with her forearm and tried to excuse herself, “Pardon me, that was not very ladylike.”

“You’re fine. We’re all friends here. Please go on.” Claire uttered from behind a faltering smile. She wanted to know what Chloe was talking about.