Chapter 1 - branching out

“I’m not working from home. This is insane!”
“It’s nothing personal. You’ve tested positive for Corona. You shouldn’t even be here right now.”
“What have I done? I’m a good employee.”
“Ash no one is questioning your commitment, especially not me. You’re practically addicted to this job and if it were my choice I’d love to keep you around the office. You have to go home, skinny. It’s government orders so stop complaining.”
“But there’s nothing for me at home.”
“Don’t be a child, Ash. Work doesn’t stop just because you’re at home and if you get bored find a hobby. Get into cooking or something. It’s not my problem. Now get that slender ass home before you infect anyone.”
That was my boss, Mindy. She was bossy as hell and a total bitch, constantly teasing me for being such a workaholic gym bunny. She was flirty by nature but it was no secret she had a thing for me. I had to admit she was very attractive but I found her comments really embarrassing. Authority always made me feel weird.
I sighed. That job was my life. I worked 60 hours a week. I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t have any passions. What the fuck was I going to do cooped up in my apartment for months on end. It was bullshit. I dumped everything on my desk into a box and went home.
For all the hype, Corona passed pretty quickly for me. It felt like the flu. I can’t believe people were dying from this stupid virus. The government was hell bent on slowing the spread so I was basically under house arrest until further notice. It wasn’t a strict quarantine, people could still leave the house if they really wanted, but a lot of places were closing shop for the foreseeable future. My first work from home assignment came in a few days after I was sent home. It was easy. I had it done in a few hours. I asked them for more work but they said that was all they had for me. I worked for a big consulting firm and most of my work was client facing, so of course when all of your clients get infected as well, everyone is suddenly working remotely. I found myself getting extremely antsy and bored as the day went on. I decided to hit the gym but it was closed. Because of the virus. That was the only thing I did outside of work and I didn’t have any workout equipment at home. I went for a very dissatisfying run. I was starting to get worried. I really cared about my figure and I went through extreme lengths to keep it in shape. I was a borderline crossfit girl with a tight body and noticeable abs. My arms actually had definition and my legs were powerful. I could probably beat most women in a fight and I wasn’t going to let a fucking virus ruin my hard work.
I conceded I would have to buy some food if I wanted to beat the rush of panic buying that was sweeping the nation. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. I just barely managed to buy bread, eggs and the essentials. Fuck. I realised I should probably stock up as much as I could for the next few weeks. Fortunately most of the snack foods hadn’t been raided and I felt like I deserved a treat after a bad couple of days. I piled my cart high with muffins, cookies and candy so I could get something tasty before it was all gone. By the end I probably had enough there to last me a few months. When I got home I had my shelves stacked to the brim with delicious food and I was starting to feel prepared for the coming months.
The next day started more or less the same. I woke up early, went running and worked out for a few hours. I had my work done soon after. I realised I was going to need something to do if I didn’t want to die of boredom. I decided to get a subscription to Netflix. I was totally out of touch with tv and movies and I figured this was a good time to get a little cultured. Honestly it was much more fun than I was expecting. The hours flew by binging sit coms and rom coms. I would snack happily as I watched, nibbling on brownies and chocolate chip cookies. For the first time in my life I felt truly at peace, completely switched off and not thinking about work. It was very freeing. After a few days this was starting to become routine. I decided to shave an hour off my workout so I’d could have more time to watch tv and hang out. I also had a bit of a daunting realisation that most of the snacks I’d bought expired in 2 weeks. It seemed wrong wasting all this good food I’d stockpiled, especially because the snack aisle was barren every time I went to the supermarket. There was nothing for it. I was going to have to eat it all before expiration.
I got to work stuffing myself while I laid around and watched tv. Each night I went to sleep with a bloated tummy as evidence of my shameful indulgence. I’d never felt been so lazy in my life. I remember finishing When Harry Met Sally and being shocked I’d managed to eat a whole box of Twinkies. On the last few days I even skipped my workout entirely just to make sure I had chance to finish everything. The results were unsurprising. I gained weight. Turns out Meg Ryan movies and candy go very well together. I first noticed when I had to really struggle to get my gym clothes on. My once defined tummy was poking out of the gap between my fitted tank top and yoga pants. It had a slight curve at the belly button and delicate plushness to it. My arms had an extra fluffiness which I felt a little bad about. They used to be so toned and strong and now they were just pudgy. My thighs were packed in tight against my yoga pants and my thigh gap was starting to disappear. My ass had really filled out. It was a bona fide bubble butt now, with a slight jiggle as a moved. My boobs were definitely heftier and they were bulging out at the sides of my tank top. It was hard to place but there was a slight roundness to my face and my jawline seemed a little less defined. I stepped on the scale with a sense of dread. 132lbs. Fuck. I’d packed on 22lbs in the last 2 months. I was well on me way to being outright chubby. Right now I looked…soft. I wasn’t toned anymore. I didn’t look like a gym girl. I looked I was letting myself go, and I was. I knew I would have to work it off but I had to admit, letting go was kind of fun. Watching movies and indulging all day was so relaxing. I could see why so many of my friends filled out after college.
I heard my door bell ring. It was my boss Mindy.
“Well well, looks like someone’s been enjoying their isolation.” She barged in, patting my tummy as she went.
I blushed. “What are you doing here? We’re supposed to be isolating.”
“Oh who cares about that? We’ve both been infected anyway. I just wanted to check you’re doing okay and clearly you are. Better than okay.”
“What are you doing?”
She paused behind me and poked my plump behind. “Wow. Your ass is big now. Your yoga pants are torn at the back by the way.”
I went beet red and tried to cover the tear. “This is so-”
“You know I never pictured you as a chubby girl. I always thought you were one of the skinny ones, you know. Skinny for life. But look at you now. Soft.”
My face was burning up. “I guess I have been indulging a little.”
“And what have you been indulging on exactly?”
I felt like I was at a tribunal. “Um, cookies, brownies, chocolate…you know.”
“Mmm very good. No wonder you’ve filled out. Well it’s nothing to worry about, chubby. You carry it very well you know.”
“T-thank you,” was all I could manage. Pathetic.
She quickly shifted into a more formal tone. “Ok well I’m glad everything is going well. Enjoy quarantine. I’ll see you again soon.” She paused on her way out. “And I’ll be sure to bring snacks next time.” She winked at me and left as suddenly as she’d arrived. The whole thing was utterly surreal. I’d never felt shame like that. I’d been so no bullshit at work. I couldn’t believe I let her humiliate me like that. But for some reason I wasn’t angry. I was fine with it.