[w_oo_t]

"Let's talk outside," Stephanie suggested after they both received their orders.

Her width was accommodated by the double doors of the ice cream parlor, but she took one look at the flimsy plastic lawn chairs strewn about on the patio and kept on walking towards the trail and the coast. She snuck a few timid spoonfuls of her frozen soy milk and halted suddenly, making a face and shaking her body. The styrofoam container braved this disruption like a dingy on the high seas, and remained wedged in her bosom.

"Brain freeze?" he guessed.

"Ugh, no. Have you ever had this before? It's terrible."

"Heh. Do you want to go back and get something else?"

Stephanie glanced over her shoulder at the store, now small in the distance, and her wistful expression changed to a look of determination. "That's sweet of you, but I'll survive. I don't want to compromise my diet since it's working so well already. I've lost seventy-five pounds! This is my treat for being able to fit into my old clothes again." There was a pause and she felt the need to confess: "minus the bra. And, well, I did sew an elastic panel to the front of my skirt. You can't tell, right?"

Whatever alterations she made to the garment were completely shrouded by the overhang of her mighty belly. "Right."

She smiled. They arrived at an overlook along the path. Stephanie eased her bulk onto a concrete bench with an unnecessary gingerness that spoke volumes of concern for the structural integrity of seats everywhere. She set the ice cream parody alongside her and gazed out at the ocean, chin nestled in the valley between her breasts. The walk had winded her, and it took some time before her breathing slowed to normal and she resumed talking.

"So yeah, Gary was a jerk. It took me so long to figure that out. I mistook all the presents and all the restaurant trips for genuine affection. As my metabolism slowed to a crawl and I started gaining weight he drove me further out of town to eat. You know why? Because he didn't want to run into anyone he knew. Gradually I noticed he never introduced me to any of his friends or relatives. He was embarrassed to be seen with me in public. But the feeding only sped up. The heavier I got the happier he became, and I wanted to make him happy so bad.

He made so many excuses to stay in, left me at home laying on the couch watching a movie countless nights. I found out he was cheating on me with some thin girl. He said it was just to keep up appearances, that nobody would understand what there was between us. He said he didn't love her." Her head slumped against her chest, muffling her words. "I broke it off. It was like waking up from an awful dream." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Stephanie looked up at him apologetically. "You're probably the last person that deserves to be burdened with all of this, but thanks for listening. Believe it or not, I've grown a lot since we we dated," she paused and got red faced, quickly amending: "emotionally!"

"I've had ample time to forgive and forget. I'm just glad you're out of that situation now." He walked around to her left and sat down beside her.

"Me too," she snuggled against him.