chapter 4

The next couple of days were a repeat of the first. A rich, heavy breakfast, a rich, heavy lunch, the cocktail hour, and a rich, heavy dinner. While exercise was out, Ted and Betty did stroll around the grounds. Slowly. They were too full to exercise even if it was allowed. But the grounds were beautiful. This was eastern Massachusetts, the weather was warm, but not too warm. Ted and Betty looked forward to strolling around the well-kept grounds and enjoying the early summer weather. That Friday, Betty asked the cook to make them a picnic lunch. She knew that it would be substantial, but perhaps not as heavy as the lunches with Dinah.

The cook, per Dinah's instructions, packed them a stout picnic basket. A liver pate, cold fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, and a bottle of white wine. Plus, brownies for dessert. Ted carried the basket, following Betty to a relatively secluded spot that they had found the day before. They spread a blanket, opened up the basket and looked over all the goodies in it. "Damn, Ted, there must be 5,000 calories in this basket. If we ate all of this, we'd burst."

"Well, we're out of sight, so we only have to eat as much as we feel like," replied Ted as he opened the wine. "It's our time to spend the afternoon by ourselves and relax." Betty smiled and opened the pate, and spread some onto a few crackers.

"We're only five days into this thing, and I feel like it's been forever," Betty said. "I feel bloated and lethargic. Good thing we're on our own for this picnic, so we can just nibble a little here and there."

"Darn right," answered Ted as he unwrapped the fried chicken. "We'll eat only what we want, and stop. Wow, this is the best chicken I think I've ever eaten."

"Oh, it's one of our cook's specialties. He was originally from somewhere down south before he became a Cordon Blue chef," said Betty as she dug into her chicken thigh. "The potato salad and slaw are southern specialties of his too, and as long as we don't eat too much it'll be okay." She scooped up some of each and put them on their plates.

Ted washed down a mouthful of slaw with the wine. "I've got to have one more piece of chicken. It's just too good," and added another helping of potato salad and cole slaw.

"Um, yeah, is there any white meat? Oh, there's a breast," said Betty putting it on her plate. "There's only a little more of the sides left, do you want them?" as she scooped them onto her plate. The wine helped it all go down smoothly.

When they'd both cleaned their plates, they looked at the picnic basket. "I guess there wasn't as much as I thought," said Betty.

"Yeah, and I could go for one of those brownies for dessert," answered Ted.

"One won't hurt us, they're small," said Betty.

"They're small, one more will be about right."

"They're so good, you're right we should have one more."

"Maybe just one more..."

"Just one..."

"Now there are two left. The cook would be hurt if we didn't finish them."

"Right! We don't want to hurt his feelings."

After finishing the brownies and the last of the wine, they were stuffed. Betty got a devilish look in her eyes. "You know, no one can see us here. We could take off our clothes and no one would know."

Ted hadn't wanted to admit that his belt felt uncomfortably tight, and this was a perfect excuse to take it off. And sex in the open sounded exciting. "I'm with you babe. Off with the clothes!"

They threw off their clothes and made love in the dappled sunlight of the little clearing. The adventure of being out in the open heightened their excitement, and the love-making was more passionate than it had ever been. When it was over, they lay back on the blanket and relaxed, buck naked. After a while they dozed off.
Ted woke to hear Betty's voice. "Ted, look at this." Ted slowly opened his eyes, and his beautiful bride was sitting up. She had her hand on her middle, holding a small roll. "Am I getting fat already?" she asked with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Of course not, babe. It's only been five days. No one gets fat in five days. Besides, everyone has a little roll when they sit down, no matter how trim they are."

"Sit up, Ted. I want to see yours." Ted, with a little difficulty, pulled himself up to a sitting position, and there was a small roll across his middle.

"See, Betty? I've got one too. Doesn't mean a thing."

Betty stared at his little roll thoughtfully, and then at hers again. "Maybe, Ted. Or maybe we're already gaining weight."