chapter 8 - sunday part iv

Hayley was sitting in the booth, shaping the mashed potatoes on one of the plates into a mountain. "Here," she slid the other plate piled with potatoes toward me. "For old times sake!"
Every year since we were kids we'd had mashed potato-volcano contests. The grownups would judge, and the winner of the best eruption was given the biggest slice of pumpkin pie with an extra dollop of whipped cream.
"You're on!" I began shaping my mashed potatoes into a volcano, but my parents had left the table again to get dessert by the time I'd finished, so I turned my attention back to my plate. "These ribs are so good!" I exclaimed, sucking the fat off the bone of a particularly thick and juicy one.
"I *urrrrp* know!" When she belched, the button on Hayley's denim shorts popped open. She looked down and tried to fasten it, but her zipper slid down past her belly button instead. No longer contained, her stomach spilled onto her lap. "Oh god." She scooched out of the booth and stood up. A few patrons turned their heads and whispered to each other as she sucked in her stomach and struggled to zip her shorts back up. Finally, she got it done, pushing the button back through its hole with all her might. They were fastened, but it was no telling how long that would last. She plopped back down in the booth, laughing. "Well, that's embarrassing." All I could do was laugh along. I knew that would be me if I continued to eat like I had this weekend, but again--fuck it! I deserved to let go, so I would.
We finished our plates, the creamy mac n' cheese coating my mouth and tongue with a buttery film that made everything taste juicier, more fattening. I was feeling floaty and light again, contradicting how full and weighted down I was. My belly was pulsing, but numb. I was loosening my belt buckle again when my parents sat down, my dad with a plate full of little cakes in front of him, and my mom with a modest ice cream sundae.
"Oh good! Now you can judge our mashed potato volcano contest!" Hayley tightened up the structure of her volcano and I did the same, ensuring that the hole in the center was deep and wide enough to create the perfect eruption.
"One," my dad counted down in between mouthfuls of cake, "Two, *hic* excuse me! Three!" We poured the gravy into the tops of our volcanoes, watching them explode. I felt like that volcano. I'd been slowly filled up all day and now I was on the brink of explosion.
"I think it's a tie!" My mom clapped her hands in excitement. Hayley and I rolled our eyes and began scooping forkfuls of gravy-soaked potatoes into our mouths, destroying our creations one bite at a time. I glanced over at Hayley, who was eating with focus, taking methodical bites and rubbing her belly under the table. I probably wouldn't get stuck in the booth--the distance between the bench and the table was big enough that somebody of my frame could eat and eat and still get out, but Hayley was a different story. Her stomach was pushing against the table as she leaned over her plate to eat, massaging her sides in slow circles. She was wearing a short sleeved shirt that had ridden halfway up her belly, clearly exposing how tight her shorts had become. She certainly hadn't considered what she was wearing that night, or had she?
I was almost done with my potatoes when I had to loosen my belt again. My belly ached and protested as I pushed against its fullness, trying to get the buckle undone. Finally, I got it, and slid it to the last notch on the belt. What was I going to do if it got too tight now? Hayley's fork clinked onto her empty plate. She let out a huge burp and held her belly on both sides. "Oooooh! My god. You are a tough competitor." I looked up, hopeful that my cousin had pigged herself all the way out.
"Oh? Are you surrendering?" Hayley laughed a deep belly laugh, and then moaned in pain from the shaking it caused.
"You wish! I've still got room for dessert." She patted her belly and sauntered off toward the dessert line. My parents were losing steam. They had stuffed themselves enough and were ready to get away from the madness between Hayley and I.
"Alright, but after this, we are leaving!" My mom said leaving slowly, like it was three words instead of one.
"Okay, okay." I sighed, and scooped the last bit of potatoes with gravy from my plate into my mouth. My only chance to beat Hayley was now. We'd eaten the same number of plates, it was all down to this, one last plate, just like Thanksgiving.
Hayley was making herself an ice cream sundae in the largest bowl available when I approached the dessert line. I grabbed myself
the same sized bowl and stood next to her, holding it in her face, "Winner takes all?" I beamed.
"Fuck yeah!" Hayley and I did a goofy high five and our bellies shook. Like it was second nature, we bumped them together, giggling. I built myself a sundae that put hers to shame and she ended up going back to add more toppings to match it.
The first bite was like heaven. I hadn't had ice cream in ages. It was so creamy, rich, and icy cold. It felt soothing going down my throat and chilling my belly, which was so hot from trying to digest the loads of food I'd forced into it all day...all weekend. I ate, and ate, and ate, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Hayley do the same. We both had chocolate sauce and whipped cream all over our faces. Hayley's t-shirt was smudged with barbecue sauce from the ribs, we looked like complete slobs.
"Alright girls, hurry it up now." My parents must have been getting embarrassed. Hayley was moving much faster than me and I didn't want to lose. I picked up the pace, more, and more, and more. I heard Hayley scraping the bottom of her bowl and my parents began putting on their coats. "Ha! Ha! I win!" Hayley taunted me, but I wasn't going to let up that easy. Most of my ice cream was melted by now. I lifted the bowl to my lips and, toppings and all, allowed the ice cream to flow into my mouth. I opened my throat as much as I could, feeling the steady stream of thick, sweetness flow into me, filling me up. Hayley had stopped making her way out of the booth (she was having trouble anyway) and was watching me perform this act of gluttony.
"Gotdamn. That was wild, girl." She laughed and squeezed her way out of the booth, after much effort and grunting, and a little push from me.
Outside of the buffet the sky was completely dark. The moon was full, and had risen high into the sky. "See that moon out there?" My dad pointed up, "That's how I feel right now." He punched me playfully in the stomach and I doubled over.
"Oof, Dad!!!" I was so stuffed I thought I would puke when he did that, but I managed to collect myself, hug him and my mother, and walk my cousin to her car.
"That was really fun. I hope I get to see you again before Thanksgiving!" We squeezed each other and both burped in response, laughing like crazy. We always had the best time when we got together.
"You will," I said smiling, "we're gonna have to have a rematch after that tie!"
"That's right! We'll make it happen."
We hugged again, bumped our full bellies, and got into our separate cars.

Once in my car, I let myself feel the effects of my day. My belt came off immediately, and I let my belly hang out as far as it wanted to. For a moment, I just sat there, massaging it deeply with my eyes closed. I could almost feel the food packed inside, and not just from the buffet. The past 48 hours of binging—fast food, my big breakfast, Cheyenne's potluck, the dessert I'd pigged out on afterwards, when I was already bursting with goodies, and then the even bigger breakfast this morning, and now, this. Mountains upon mountains of decadent morsels crammed inside my gut, and then drenched in melted ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I felt like a pig sitting there in the drivers seat, moaning in ecstasy as my insides churned, forcing me to burp and pass gas. I looked in the mirror and wiped the chocolate sauce off from my face, licking my lips and as far around my mouth as my tongue would extend.
The taste of chocolate made me want more, which frightened me. I couldn't possibly push myself any further. This was my limit.
After a long time of ooh-ing and many *urrps* and *pffts*, I was able to muster enough energy to drive myself home.
When I arrived, there was a box on my doormat with a little pink tag in the shape of a heart on it. I brought it inside and placed it on the coffee table, removing the note. In perfect cursive it read, "Too many leftovers! —Cheyenne" with a little heart drawn next to her name. Inside the box were the tea cakes and cookies we hadn't finished after breakfast, along with another note which read, "Just want to keep you satisfied..."

I stared at the box filled with treats, horrified because I already knew what I was about to do. There were dozens of them. Way more than I remembered leaving behind on the tea tray, but I left so delirious that I couldn't trust my memory of that whole experience. No matter, I thought, and removed my dress, settling into my arm chair naked with the box in my lap. My belly pushed against the cardboard as I leaned forward to retrieve the remote from the coffee table, and I had to move quick to catch it before it slid off of my lap.
I tuned in to the show I'd been watching. My life had become somewhat less depressing since I'd started watching it, and I was beginning to find it boring. I no longer felt the need to escape into another world because I was feeling more hopeful about my own. But I'd gotten so far along that I figured I'd might as well finish it. I allowed myself to slip into a trance, sinking into the storyline and sinking my teeth into bite after bite of rich, gooey sweetness. At some point, my mouth began to glue shut and I found myself stumbling into the kitchen. I stood in front of the fridge with one hand on my bursting belly and one hand pouring milk into my mouth directly out of the carton. I felt unstoppable.