Chapter 1

Benny brushed crumbs and a stray piece of lettuce from his shirt, watching them tumble down his sizable belly and land on the car floor. He flipped down the visor mirror, wiping the corners of his mouth, making sure there were no telltale signs of his car feast. He had meant to drive straight home after work—it was Thursday, after all, and Jess, his wife, always whipped up something amazing for dinner on her work-from-home days. But as soon as he spotted those golden arches in the distance, his plans went out the window.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d order. A Big Mac, or maybe two, a couple of McChickens—his favorite. Nuggets, at least twenty, with fries, because you couldn’t skip the fries. And wasn’t there that new McFlurry flavor he wanted to try? Before he knew it, he was in the drive-thru, ordering enough to feed four people.

He had devoured it all in the parking lot, shoveling down the food as quickly as he could. The clock was ticking, and the last thing he needed was for Jess to start wondering why he was running late. Now, sitting in the driveway, he fidgeted with his belt, which felt uncomfortably tight after his fast-food binge. She’d be upset if she knew. She’d warned him plenty of times not to ruin his appetite for dinner, but how could he resist with all those places tempting him on his drive home?

He crumpled the empty wrappers into the paper bag and, with more effort than it should have taken, opened the car door. As he stood up, his stuffed belly shifted, almost knocking him off balance. After one final check of his reflection in the car window, he tossed the trash into the outdoor bin and headed inside.
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