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Sam and Sarah


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I know this isn't exactly the place for requests, but there was once an incredible story here entitled "Sam and Sarah" which has since vanished once Curvage went down.

Did anyone manage to save the story/ know how to contact the author who wrote the story?  I adored this story and would appreciate any news.

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Sam and Sarah

“Oh my gawd this diet is killing me!”

I couldn’t help it.  I blushed.

Her words were like music to my ears. 

The apple of my eye, sweet Sarah, the angel in the next cube had been withering away for months now.  It seems like only yesterday when we returned from Thanksgiving break and my sugar plum nearly waddled to her cubical bursting at the seams like the overstuffed turkey served days before.

She was my angel.

Well, I say she’s my angel; I haven’t actually talked to her yet, not in any meaningful way, just hearing the melody of her precious voice makes me nervous.  No, I haven’t even introduced myself, really, but I’m pretty sure she knows I exist.

I first noticed her when she worked in the mail room two years ago.  They can wear jeans down there and hers were painted on.  There’s a lot of hustle and bustle down there and it made me wonder how she could move around so well in those tight pants.  She was fairly thin back then, not skinny . . . you know, shapely.  One day after taking the Metro to L’Enfant Plaza for lunch I was on my way back to my cubical and saw her smiling.  The door by the mail room was my new exit and entrance.  I never left or entered by another door since.

Then she transferred.  I don’t blame her; the pay is a little higher up here.  Now she’s in the cube next to me.  I haven’t called in sick for two years for fear I’ll miss her smiling face.  I’m love struck I guess you could say.  I want to talk to her but if it goes awkwardly I’d be stuck next to her.  For months I promised myself I’d strike up a conversation, but I’m not exactly a master of that sort of thing.

Anyway, for a year I watched her butt get wider, her thighs thicken, her cute tummy bulge and her pretty face turn cherubic.  And after all those weeks I could have set my watch by her.  At the 10 AM break I’d watch her from the corner of my eye, she’d pass my cube on the way to the vending machines.  I’d hear the clink of change and then the drop of a candy bar, a few more clinks followed by the heavy thud of a Mountain Dew quick slam dropping to the trap door at the bottom of the machine.  I’d look up to watch her bend over to pluck them out and quickly divert my eyes before she turned around.  Wouldn’t want to get caught after all.

How I would look on in admiration at her blossoming body; sturdy, voluptuous, curvy, thick. . . perfect.  A little bottom heavy, but she had to be at least a D maybe DD, well I’m not sure about that, I know she’s more than a C though.

That’s all gone now.  She shrank.  Her diet.  She exercised.  She’s back to the beginning.  Probably 5’5” by my guess, probably 140 lbs. and shapely.  Not plush and jiggly anymore.

I should be happy for her, and I am I guess, she’s doing very good from her perspective.  From mine of course it’s a disaster.  In fact, I was despairing about it, I was picturing her as a toothpick all skin and bones; bony and angular, then she spoke those words.

And I blushed.  I was excited.  I couldn’t help it.  I almost spoke to her.  Almost.  I will one of these days.  She’s so pretty, so perfect, I just don’t want to ruin it.  That is, ruin the great thing we have going here.  She keeps coming to work and I get to watch her caboose and smell her perfume.  If I ask her out she might say no and quit, or worse, be weirded out and I’d have to spend all day, every day, knowing she doesn’t like me.

Who am I kidding?  We’re both government employees, she’s not going to quit.  Even getting another transfer to a different department takes ages.  Moving from the mailroom is one thing, but from here . . . somebody has to die from old age first, just to create an open position.

She giggled, obviously she was talking to one of her girlfriends on the phone.  What a laugh she has; warm, infectious, comforting . . . makes my heart melt.

“Yeah, I’m almost in a bikini.”  She said.  “No, I don’t think I’m going to quite make it.  It’s going to be a one piece after all.”

Losing weight for a beach trip I suppose.

“Darn love handles.”  She giggled.  “I don’t know why they call them that.”

Because I love them, sweet Sarah.  Because I love them.

“Yeah, come over to my cube, we’ll talk.”  She said and hung up.

Must have been talking to her friend Amy from the mailroom.  Amy is cute too, brunette, brown eyes, about the same height, maybe a little taller.  Pretty thick as well, must be on a diet too from the sound of it.  She’ll bring Lori (another cutie) with her and they’ll whisper and giggle in Sarah’s cube for a half hour and then they’ll all go to lunch.

Like I said, we work for the government, we process invoices for General Services.  It’s pretty boring, but it’s a living.  Me, well, my name is Sam, I’d like to think I’m pretty good looking, I’m on the short side, like 5’7”, I’m kinda muscular, not as muscular as I used to be, well that’s not true, I am, but since I’ve discovered the Food Network, I’ve been a foodie and life behind a desk as added a few pounds to me.  Let’s just say I’ve got muscles; I just keep them well hidden under a fair a mount of chub.  I’m probably pushing 170 pounds.  I’d probably be hotter around 150 but I don think about it too much.

I’m a little older than Sarah, I’m 28, and she’s 23.  I think she went to school with the two girls she hangs out with at lunch.  Neither one of us went to college, not sure why she didn’t, I didn’t go because I didn’t want to start my life off with a mortgage in the form of student loans.  Oh sure, I’ve taken some classes here and there, nothing that would give me a degree or any direction in my life, but like I said we work for the government.

I hear a ding off in the distance and look at my watch with a smile.  That must be her friends getting out of the elevator at 11:30 AM.  I chuckle to myself as I hear the two talking as they walk down the hall in our direction.  It’s Amy and Lori of course, right on time.

Lori is the chunkiest of the three.  She has long wavy light brown hair and blue eyes.  She’s a big hourglass, must be at least 225 pounds at 5’4” and as she rounds the corner past the vending machines I see that she is the only one not on a diet.  Amy does look slimmer, not a bikini body she would claim, I would bed to differ, but no one asked me.

With a better look at Amy I can see she’s a bit taller than the others, she’s probably about 5’6”, evenly proportioned and must be wearing color contacts because I know she has brown eyes, not violet.  Any of them could fit perfectly into the girl next-door category.

There are usually ten of us stuck back in this storage area that’s been converted into a workspace.  Sarah and I are the only two here today.  Who knows where the rest are?  Norm hasn’t been here for about two weeks and he’s our supervisor.  Four others are out sick and the other three are taking personal days or just didn’t bother to show up.  It’s a Friday, they may as well be somewhere enjoying the sun, since it’s been so cold until recently.

At least we have a window.

“Hi Sarah!”  Amy said with a smile and a hug.

“Hey guys!”  Sarah replied with a hug to the two.

“Hi Sarah!”  Lori added.  “Three more days to Cozumel!”

“I know, I can’t believe it.”  Sarah said.

“You look awesome!”  Amy said.  “Are you sure you’re not going to get a bikini?”

She grunted.  “Ugh, I don’t think so.”

“How much have you lost?”  Lori asked.

“Fifty-two pounds.”  Sarah said proudly.

“Wow!”  Lori said.  “I know I should have gone on a diet too, but I didn’t think I could lose enough to get into a bikini.  I’d still be wearing a one piece with or without a skirt.”

“You look great, Sarah.”  Amy repeated.  “You lost more than I have.”

“Thanks!”  Sarah said happily.  “How much did you lose?”

“Thirty-five pounds.”  Amy replied.  “At least I won’t need a skirt.”

“Well, neither of you lost any boobage.”  Lori giggled and covered her mouth, there were some whispers and then the other two fell silent blushing.

“Uh, are we bothering you?”  Amy asked leaning into my cube.

“Huh?”  I said, she caught me off guard, I heard, but I wasn’t really listening.  “Oh, no you guys are fine.”

“I’m Amy.”  She said extending her hand and her friend Lori waved.

“Hi, I’m Lori.”  She said.

I introduced myself to the two of them, they were both goofy and I liked them.  What’s not to like about goofy cuties?

They popped back into Sarah’s cube just as quick and returned to their conversation, though this time not as loudly.  I really didn’t mind, I wasn’t doing anything that required any thought.

“Are you two the only one’s back here today?”  Amy asked.

“Yeah.”  Sarah said.  “And Sam doesn’t talk much.”

Hey wow, she does know I exist!

“He must be a hard worker.”  Amy said.  “Unlike you apparently.”  She laughed pointing to the enormous stack of work in Sarah’s “In” pile.

She laughed heartily and it was like listening to joy itself and I couldn’t help smiling when she laughed.  True, I had it bad, it’s not like I’ve never dated before, quite the contrary, I’ve dated plenty.  It’s just that there’s something about sweet Sarah that makes me feel like I’m in high school and too chicken to ask the cute girl who’s sitting by herself to dance.

“You should ask him to come to lunch with us.”  Amy said quietly.

“That’s a good idea.”  Sarah said just as quietly though I was still able to overhear them.  “Sam.”  She said much louder.  “Would you like to come to lunch with us?”

I could tell she was smiling when she asked.

“Sure.”  I said mustering every bit of control I had.  “Where are you going?”  I asked as though there were even the slightest chance in the world that I would pass this up.

“Olive Garden.”  Sarah said.  “We’re getting the bread and salad, but you can get whatever you want, we won’t get mad at you.”

“That sounds good.”  I said.  “Thanks for the offer.”  I can’t tell you how nice it was to actually talk to her and have her talk back.  My heart was pounding.  Yep, just like high school.

It was a fun trip to Olive Garden.  I had to sit in the back with Lori who jabbered and giggled constantly.  She was nice enough and fairly cute, but there was no mystery as to why she was single.

Knowing two out of three of the girls were on a diet, I probably should have gone with the bread and salad to accommodate them and not be a temptation.  However, my devious side got the best of me and I ordered the dinner size portion of spaghetti and meatballs.  Upon placing my order, Lori immediately changed her order to the stuffed chicken parmesan and asked me if I wanted to split an appetizer, which I couldn’t say no to, that would have been rude.  The other two stayed strong and stuck with their orders with only minor grumbling.

“So you guys are going to Mexico?”  I asked, I figured if I talked the group as a whole I wouldn’t get tongue-tied.

“Oh yeah.”  Sarah said, her radiant smile absolutely glowed; her blue eyes gleamed behind her black rectangular-framed glasses.  She brushed her blond spirals out of her face.  “We’re leaving Monday morning.”

“It’s after spring break and my cousin said there’s a lull right now.”  Amy said.

“Have you ever been to Mexico?”  Sarah asked.

“No.”  I replied.  “I went to Canada back before you needed a passport, but that’s all the international traveling I’ve done.”

“You should go sometime.”  Lori said.

“Have you guys been there before?”  I asked and they all answered with a no.  This was the first time any of them had been out of the country; they all had fresh passports and new luggage, new swimsuits and a vacation package.

“So, do you have a girlfriend?”  Amy asked and I didn’t have one.  They went on to explain that they were all single and had been for a while.

“Um, no I don’t have a girlfriend.”  I said and we made small talk for a few minutes, I mostly listened and Lori was practically drooling over the pimply face kid who was our waiter.  I don’t know, maybe they were the same age.  I’m a horrible judge of those things.

I’d almost forgotten how large the dinner portion was.  I didn’t often get out to Olive Garden for dinner.  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t disappointed, I can really put it away sometimes.

“Aw, that looks good.”  Sarah said.

Something about her voice made my heart race.  Well, it was something about her talking to me I suppose.  I suddenly felt emboldened.  “Do you want some?”  I asked.  It was so much easier to interact with her in a group.  It was a dumb question, I knew she was dieting.

“I shouldn’t.”  She frowned and her friend Amy was frowning right along with her.

“Amy, would you like some?”  I asked.

“No.”  She replied sadly.  “I guess not.”

“Lori?”  I asked, feeling stupid now that everybody was declining my offer.

“Sure!”  She said.  “Just a little though.”

I happily obliged her by moving a heap of pasta and a hunk of meatball from my plate to hers, and to my happy surprise she responded by sharing some of her stuffed chicken parmesan with me.

It took me a while, but I finally got through my spaghetti, it wasn’t easy when I could feel them watch me eat and look at their own pitiful plates.  I managed to finish mine, just after Lori finished hers, which was also a dinner sized portion. 

I wasn’t going to order dessert, but since Lori did, I assumed they all would.  After the waiter took her order he turned to me next, so I asked for the tiramisu.  Well, you know what they say about assuming?  Yeah, the other two didn’t order anything, so I was starting to feel like a jerk because I know I’m tempting them.

It didn’t seem to affect Lori.  She got a giant slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

Dare I?  In for a penny, in for a pound.

“Do you guys want a bite of this?”  I asked and I looked at Sarah.  It was the first time I actually made direct eye contact with her.  I must admit it scared me as much as it thrilled me in that first split second.  And then I felt the warmth of her being.  Her eyes were blue and sparkling and so alive, yet so peaceful and kind.  I felt something and it might be my overactive imagination, but I felt like she did, too.

Well, Amy said no right away, but sweet Sarah hesitated.  I looked back to her; she was still looking in my eyes.  I wasn’t scared this time, I felt completely at ease.  I took a forkful, as much as I could balance on my fork and held it up.

“Sarah?”  I asked and to my surprise she nodded.

And then she smiled.

She came around to my chair and knelt and opened her mouth.

I gently put the tiramisu in her mouth. I think I savored that as much as she did.  I’m sure I was experiencing heart palpitations. 

Smiling, she sat back down.  I would have to say she might have even been giddy.  She was blushing and from the way I was steaming up my glasses, I would have to say that I was, too.

“Thank you, Sam.”  She said, still smiling.

“You’re welcome.”  I replied and I knew I was red as a beet.  Maybe I should have offered her more, but honestly that moment was perfect.  It was the perfect moment.  Any more or less would have ruined it.

We took a little more than our allotted sixty minutes.  It wasn’t a big deal, most people did it and Sarah and I were the only two working in the storage closet this week anyway.  As for Amy and Lori, I think they spent more time away from their desks than they did working.

During the trip back to the office, in the back of Amy’s car, I realized how much I over ate.  I felt like I was going to pop.  It was right about then I happened to notice how much weight I’d been gaining.  I know I just upgraded my pants from 32 and 34 for some reason I hadn’t thought much of it.  Now, that my stomach was completely full, in fact overly full, it was hard to deny.  Especially after my hand bumped into my stomach.  I couldn’t help my surprised expression when I looked down to inspect the obstruction to find it was me blocking my hand.

I wasn’t the only one looking.

“It’s okay, Sam.”  Sarah whispered, still smiling.  “I know the feeling.”

I just turned red.  Smiling like an idiot.

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Needless to say, I didn’t get much work done that afternoon.  Sarah and I talked on and off about nothing in particular.  I was feeling just a hint of self-consciousness about my growing waistline.  Even though my dream girl said it was okay, she might have just meant that it was something she could relate to, since she’d been dieting for months.

The more she talked the more of a delight she was to me.  It escaped my imagination as to how this wonderful girl could still be single.  By our afternoon break the ton of food I ate for lunch was taking its toll on me.  All the energy I had was being used by my digestion system and I was close to nodding off.  I needed a boost, so I headed to the vending machine, which I rarely did.

“Sarah, I’m going to get a Mountain Dew.  Do you want one?”  It felt so good just to say her name.

“Sam, you read my mind.”  It felt even better to hear her say mine.

Between the Pepsi and Coke machines there were two snack machines.  Candy was something I hardly ever indulged in.  My weight gain was from too much dining, not from too much snacking.  Today however, even though I had such a large lunch, the candy caught my eye.

There were two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups hanging right on the edge.  Well, I can’t pass on a deal like that, so I put the money into the slot and claimed them both.

“I got an extra pack of Reese’s from the machine, Sarah.  Do you want one?”  I asked.

“I’m on a diet, Sam.”  She replied.  “I only have two more days of diet and exercise to go before we leave for Mexico and I want to be able to wear a bikini once we get there.”

“Okay.”  I said.  “I think you can wear one.”

“You’re sweet.”  She said.  “I want to wear one and look good though.  That’s what I meant.”

“I’m sure you’ll look great.”  I said.  “Hey, these have caramel in them.”

“Caramel?”  She asked.  “They’re the ones with caramel?”

“Yeah.”  I said.  “Are they good?”

“They’re so awesome!”  She said.

“Oh, I never tried them before.”  I said.  “Are you sure you don’t one the extra one?”

“I shouldn’t.”  She said.

“You’ll be fine.”  I said.  “If you want it you should say so.  Otherwise, I’m going to eat it.”

“Okay.”  She sighed.  “I’ll take it.”

“Do you want a Mountain Dew?”  I asked.  Okay, yes I was kissing her ass hoping that she would like me.

“You know what?”  She said.  “This day is dragging and I think I need one.  Thank you, Sam.”

Grinning like a fool I went back to the vending machine to get a bottle for Sarah.  I still don’t understand the power women have over us that make us want to give them stuff.  When I got there, something caught my eye.  There were two more Peanut Butter Cups with caramel stuck together at the edge of the row in the machine again.  Thankfully, the vending machine guy wasn’t very good at loading the candy.

“Sarah, there are two more Reese’s Cups stuck together in the machine.”  I said with a chuckle.  “Do you want another one?”

“No, Sam.”  She said.  “The diet.  Thanks though.  You’re sweet.”

“Okay.”  I replied and thought it was too good of a deal to pass on.  So I put my change in the slot and scored again.

I guess the sound of the two thumps on the trap combined with the sound of the package being unwrapped was too much for her.  She must have been getting uncomfortable because I could hear her fidget in her chair and continually open her bottle of soda, pick it up and put it down.

“I have this second one if you change your mind.”  I said.  It took about a minute and she came into my cube, the first time she’d ever been in my cube, and snatched it from my desk top with a giggle.

“Don’t go back to the vending machine, Sam.”  She laughed.  “No more today, or I won’t be able to fit into anything I’m wearing on vacation.”

I laughed too and fought the temptation to empty both my wallet and the snack machine, hoping for that very thing.

But, alas the day had to end.  I wished Sarah good luck and a good time in Mexico.  I was afraid to tell her I was going to miss her while she was gone, so I just told her I’d see her when she got back.

I felt energized after finally speaking to Sarah.  The monkey was off my back and giddiness took over.  In fact, giddiness kept me up all night that chilly Friday.  It was a good thing I didn’t have her number or I might have called her and made an ass of myself.  Wouldn’t be the first time I shot myself in the foot over a girl.

The Food Network kept me company that weekend and I decided instead of trying to corral my friends to try new restaurants, which was difficult because they weren’t really into it like I was, this time I’d take the advice of all the TV hosts and try cooking, I mean really cook.

Some day I might have Sarah over for dinner and she’s going to have to be impressed by my culinary skills.  I have a bunch of cookbooks and the internet is a treasure trove of goodies just waiting to be made.  I had a few ideas in mind, might be a good idea to get a feel for what kind of food she likes before I try to dazzle her with my tasty delights.  I’m a pretty good cook, that is to say I can follow a recipe.  Can’t really say I’m all that inventive, although I could sign up for some classes at the local community college.  Something to think about.  I know one thing.  It’s going to be a long week without hearing her voice and smelling her perfume. 

I’m still jazzed over talking to Sarah.  Excited.  Giddy, like I don’t have any sense.  I want to use this energy and I feel like cooking something.  Maybe I’ll call my friend Tracy and see if she wants to sample my concoctions.  Yeah, that’s a good idea.

“You need a guinea pig?”  She asked laughing.

“I do.”  I told her.  “So, I thought of you and that punk of a freeloader you call a boyfriend.  Why don’t you guys could come over tomorrow?”

“Freeloader, huh?”  She said and I could tell she was smiling.  “He’s your best friend you know?”

“Yes, I do recall that, now that you mention it.”  I said also smiling.  And I called Tracy instead of Tom because he’s a guy and I thought she might be more open to the idea.  Besides, I need to test these dishes on a female.

“Okay, Sam.”  She sighed.  “I guess we can come over.”

“Don’t mean to put you out with free food or anything, Tracy.”  I said just as sarcastically.  “I guess I can just eat it all myself, but I’m already fat enough.”

“Sam, I told you before, girls love big guys.”  She said.  “Tom doesn’t diet for a reason, you know.  I like a man with meat on his bones.”

“Okay.”  I said rolling my eyes.  “You don’t count though, you’re from West Virginia.  See you tomorrow.”

Now, what should I make?

Sarah is in the tropics, so I should make something tropical, like something from the Caribbean.  Maybe, fruity.  No not fruity.  I got it.  Jerk chicken.  Not sure how they came up with the name jerk chicken, but that sounds like a good choice.  Now, what can I make with it?  Sweet potatoes are from the Caribbean I think, so I’ll make those.  Seems like I should have something else too.  How about rice pilaf?  I don’t even know if they go together, maybe Tracy can clue me in.  Tom won’t know and he won’t care.  Another reason I called Tracy.

I made a grocery list and I was off.  Even though I sat on the beltway for an hour and a half after work, I ventured out again to get my goodies.  It was getting late and I hoped that that would deter some people from doing any late night shopping.   

It didn’t.

I finally dragged myself into my overly priced Fairfax apartment around eleven.  I tossed everything into the fridge and plopped myself on the sofa with a carton of Edy’s ice cream.  I couldn’t decide on cookies and cream or moose tracks, so I got them both.  My choice for this evening would be moose tracks.

Nothing like a late night indulgence of ice cream and a movie in my DVD player, the move of the night is Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan.  I couldn’t help but wonder if Sarah liked Star Trek.  Probably not.

Dessert!  I forgot about dessert. 

“No biggie.”  I said to myself.  “It’s only Tom and Tracy.  I can run out in the morning and get something I guess.”

Of course, Saturday evening rolled around and I was nowhere close to ready.  I had no idea sweet potatoes took that long to bake.  I resolved not to use the microwave at all for this experiment.  They made themselves at home while I slaved away in the kitchen.  I had Star Trek VI playing while I cooked, they could watch while I finished up.

Tracy was right about Tom.  I hadn’t really noticed, but he wasn’t a small guy.  I wasn’t either and I’m not the type of guy to tease others about their weight.  Especially since they could do the same to me.  He probably refrained for exactly the same reason.  I noticed she wasn’t any thinner either.  In fact, her jeans were practically painted on.  I hoped she would be able to eat wearing pants that tight. 

She had long brown hair that she almost always wore in a ponytail.  It was straight and dark with occasional highlights that could be anything from blond, to red or blue to purple.  She could really pull off any color.  She had dark brown eyes and she was always very tanned, her skin was naturally darker pigmented than pasty Tom, or me for that matter.  Tonight, she was sporting a double chin, which looked really good on her.

At last dinner was served.

“It’s hot.”  Tom said.

“It’s supposed to be hot.”  I told him.

“No, I mean it’s hot, spicy hot.”  He said.

“I know that, Tom.”  I said.  “It’s supposed to be.”

“I think it’s great.”  Tracy said.  “Like, really good.”

“Thank you, Tracy.”  I said smiling.  “See that Tom.  That’s how a polite person talks to people.  Take note.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  He said.  “So, what the occasion for all this?”

“What do you think?”  I said.

“Are you practicing for a girl?”  Tracy asked.

“I just might be.”  I said.  Tracy was always trying to hook me up with people.

“Who?”  Tom asked.

“I talked to Sarah yesterday.”  I said, and dammit if I wasn’t blushing again.

“You talked to her?”  He said.

“Yep.”  I replied.

“That’s a big step for you, loser.”  He said and he couldn’t help but smile too.  “So, when are you going out?”

“I didn’t ask her out yet.”  I said.

“I knew that.”  Tom replied.  “How silly of me.”

“She’s going on vacation.”  I said, and that was my excuse for being chicken.  “She’s going to be gone for a while, I might ask her out when she gets back.”  Careful, can’t be too committal.

“Maybe?”  Tracy said. 

“Chicken.”  Tom said.  He was always a little blunt.

“I’ll ask her out.”  I said trying to reassure them, and maybe myself, but hoping they’d get off the subject.

“He’ll ask her.”  Tracy said.  “Because if he doesn’t I’m going to show up at his work and tell this girl that he’s in love with her.”

“Nice.”  Tom said.  “She knows where you work, dude.”

“Yeah, like you’re going to drive around DC for no reason.”  I said.  “Anyway, what did you guys think of the dinner?”

“What about dessert?”  Tracy asked.  “You can’t serve your sweetheart dinner without sweets to finish it off.  Might want to have some wine when you have her over, too.”

“Wine.”  I said.  “Hadn’t even thought of that.”

“Dessert?”  Tracy asked.

“Yeah, I didn’t make it, but I picked up some mango, strawberry, banana gelato.”  I said.  “I don’t have an ice cream maker, but I’m planning on getting one this week sometime.”

I served up the gelato, which was also a big hit.  Of course, who wouldn’t love a good pile of gelato?

“So.”  I said.  “Thoughts?”

“It sucked and you’re a loser.”  Tom said.

“Nice, Tom.”  I said.  “I never should have rescued you from the asylum.”

“It was very good, Sam.”  Tracy said, even gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek.  “Maybe you can teach Tom how to cook some day.”

“Nice.”  I said, appreciative of the zinger flung Tom’s way.  “Do you think everything went together?”

“Sure.”  Tracy said.  “It was great.  Just have some wine next time.”

“What kind of wine goes with Caribbean food?”  I asked.

“I don’t know.”  Tracy laughed.  “You can ask the guy at the stand in the grocery store.  Or just look it up online.”

“Skip the wine.”  Tom said.  “You should serve her some Romulan Ale!”

“Tracy, please take your boyfriend home and medicate him.”  I said.  “But before you do that, anybody for seconds?”

“Oh, me!”  Tracy said.  “Score!”

I served up another round, minus the sweet potato, because they take an hour to bake.  We all dug in with gusto, despite the fact we were all full from dinner and dessert.  After finishing the remaining chicken, Tracy asked for another serving of gelato and I was all too happy to oblige. 

Afterwards, Tom leaned back in his chair patting his stomach. 

“Damn, dude.”  He said.  “You’re going to make Sarah a good wife some day.”

“I can’t move.”  Tracy said giggling.  “So full.  Sam, that was so good.  We should do this every weekend.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”  I said.  “I just might do that.”

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Part II

I suspected it would be a long week without Sarah here and I was right.  The day began to drag at exactly 10 AM.  Our first break of the day and time to walk to the vending machine, but there was no clinking of coins, no thumping of dropping candy or soda and no grumbling about being on a diet.  Sarah wasn’t here.  For some reason, neither was anyone else. 

“Guys, I can’t believe we’re still at the airport.”  Sarah said exasperated.  They’d been at Dulles for four hours.  Bad weather grounded the plane and they were supposed to have left at seven. 

“I know, it took us forever to get through security, I thought for sure we were going to miss our flight.”  Amy said half falling asleep in her chair.

“Anybody want more Starbucks?”  Lori asked.  “I’m going to fall over from sleep deprivation soon.  I was going to sleep on the plane.”

“Sure, just get me whatever you’re having.”  Sarah said.  “It’s all good.”

“Yeah, me too.”  Amy replied sighing.

Always the thoughtful one, Lori returned with not only three venti drinks, but also three pastries for her friends. 

“What did you get?”  Amy asked.

“Um, three venti white chocolate frappuccinos with whipped cream.”  Lori said with a smile.  “These are to die for!  And I figured, since we’re on vacation I may as well get the big size, right?”

“Good thinking, Lori.”  Amy said.  “And pastries too!  Yum!”

By 11 they were in the air and headed for their first layover in Charlotte, NC.  When their travel agent booked the tickets it was only a 54-minute wait.  Since the delay, there would now be a three-hour layover.  Naturally there was a delay for that too.

I checked my watch for about the twelfth time in the last 10 minutes. 

“It’s really only noon.”  I said to nobody.  Why?  Because nobody showed up for work today.  It’s the usual situation here.  Some call off sick, others take vacation or personal time, or just can’t drag themselves in here.  Norm doesn’t keep track, so why should we?  I don’t abuse the system, I’d just be home and bored anyway.

For some reason I keep looking out the window.  There’s nothing there but another building.  I can’t even see the Potomac from here.

Norm usually gives me my work for the week, but Norm’s not here.  So, I finished up what I didn’t finish last week and then started surfing the net getting recipes together.  Tracy had a great idea about having them over on Saturdays, I think I’m actually going to do that. 

I wonder what Sarah’s up to right now.  I’m sure she just got to the beach and she’s already having a great time sipping margaritas and enjoying the local cuisine in beautiful sunny Cozumel.  Or so I’ve heard it’s beautiful and sunny.  I’ve actually never been there.

Sarah checked her watch. 

“It’s now five and we’re still in Charlotte.”  Amy complained.

“It’s okay, Amy.”  Sarah said miserable but trying to stay upbeat and positive.  “We’re going to get there just in time for the nightlife.”

“Margaritas!”  Lori said.  “Margaritas!”

At least Amy laughed.

“I wonder what Sam’s up to right now.”  Sarah muttered.

“I love gridlock!”  Sam shouted enthusiastically.  “I love 495!  Woohoo!”  He looked around at his fellow commuters, all with an angry yet zombie like look to them.  The beltway could be 100 lanes and it would still be backed up.

After boarding and spending a half an hour on the tarmac waiting to take off, the three girls finally found themselves in the air and headed for Mexico.  As irritated as they had been waiting on their flight, their spirits were lifted when they were finally airborne. 

Their plans of sleeping on the flight were short lived as turbulence kept them awake for the whole flight.  The food on the flight wasn’t very good and they charged for everything.  So much for flying the friendly skies.

They finally touched down at Cozumel International around 1 AM local time.  A taxi would take them to their hotel fortunately, which was good because all three were much too tired to drive a rental car.

“Is it just me or is everyone starving?”  Lori asked.

“We’re starving.”  Amy said.

“Let’s grab something to eat before we get to the hotel.”  Sarah suggested and they settled on an all night burger place.  They ordered six burgers, a compliment of fries for each and to each a shake and a soda.

Finally around two they lugged their tired bodies to their room.

“I’m so tired.”  Sarah said.  “Let’s eat and go to bed.”

“I swear I’m falling asleep while I chew.”  Amy giggled.

“These are good burgers.”  Lori said smiling.

“Lori, you have grease dribbling down your chin.”  Amy said.

“Oops.”  She replied blushing.

“This isn’t diet food.”  Sarah laughed.

Six burger wrappers, three empty fry holders and six empty or nearly empty beverage containers later, the three girls were nearly asleep at the table.

“Okay.”  Amy said.  “Now sleep.  I swear if anybody wakes me up before noon tomorrow, I’ll kill you.”

There was no disagreement.  The girls slept.

“Let’s go people, let’s go!”  I chanted and pounded the steering wheel as though I were at a sporting event.  “Let’s go people, let’s go!”

I looked around at the zombies in the cars beside me.  Behind me.  In front of me.

“Going to be late again people!”  I shouted.  “You don’t want that do you?  Come on!  Let’s win one for ole’ Sam!  Yeah!  Move those cars!  Move those cars!”

Fifteen minutes after my usual start time I quietly shuffled to my cubical in the renovated storage closet.  Of course, today it didn’t much matter how late I was, nobody else showed up again. 

“Anybody here?”  I asked and there was no reply.  I took a quick jaunt around the set of cubicles to make see if I was really alone or if there was someone sleeping at their desk or worse, a cobweb covered body like in Indiana Jones.

I began to hum “Just Another Day” by Paul McCartney when I walked by Sarah cube and caught the slightest scent of her perfume lingering from last week.  Must be on her chair.  Still it was nice.

“Good morning, Sarah.”  I said happily.  “How are you today?  Isn’t it a wonderful Tuesday?”

Yeah, she’s not here.

She’s probably already having a blast.

I am too if you think about it.  If you’re from Bizarro World, that is.

Naturally, I checked my watch at 10.  No trip to the vending machine.  No grumbling.  No soda.

One by one the girls began to stir and awake in their hotel beds and rub the sleep from their eyes.  Lori was the first to take to the balcony and check out the view.  She could see the water, but the weather limited visibility and she couldn’t see very far.

“Oh, it’s raining.”  Lori whined.

“It’s okay.”  Sarah said.  “I’m sure it won’t last all day.  Let’s get some room service and get ready to do stuff.  I’m sure it will clear up later.”

“Yeah, let’s get some room service.”  Amy said.  “That sounds great.”

“Here’s the menu.”  Lori said.  “What’s menudo?”

“You don’t want to know.”  Amy told her.

“Oh, wait.”  Lori said.  “They don’t have room service.  This is for the restaurant down on the ground floor.”

“Let’s go.”  Sarah said with a smile.  “I’m starving.”

They all threw on baseball caps to avoid having to fix their hair and quickly made their way to the lobby for some food.  The place wasn’t very busy as most people had either already eaten or had gone for the morning.  It was almost noon and people would be filtering in soon for lunch. 

“This place is called Billy’s American Grill.”  Sarah said.  “Nice.”

“I’m getting breakfast.” Lori said.  “Oh yeah.  The big breakfast.”

“What’s that?”  Amy asked.

“It’s a three egg omelet with cheese and ham, then you get bacon, sausage, biscuits and five buttermilk pancakes.”  Lori said salivating.

“Me too.”  Amy said. 

“Make that three.”  Sarah said.  “I’m beat.  That flight took a lot out of me.”

“Well, let’s eat, then we’ll all get showers and decide what to do.”  Amy told her.  “You can rest up until then.”

Their food arrived and the portions were much bigger than they expected.  The omelet was huge, it was bursting with cheese and ham with a heaping dollop of sour cream on top and an accompanying bowl of salsa on the side.  There were six links of sausage and six long strips of bacon.  The pancakes came on their own plate, which was even larger than the first plate.

“Oh, my!”  Amy said.  “How are we going to eat all this food?”

“Are you kidding?”  Sarah said.  “I’ve been on a diet for months.  I’ve been dying for something like this.”

“You can do it, Amy.”  Lori giggled.  “One bite at a time.”

Their plates became emptier and emptier while the restaurant got fuller and fuller with the lunch crowd.  The place was about halfway full by the time they cleaned their plates and washed it down with all the chocolate milk they could handle.

“Oh, I’m so full.”  Sarah said.  “I can’t move.”

“Me too.”  Amy said. 

The waitress and older woman with a perpetual smile on her face wheeled the dessert cart past their table to a group of waiting suit-wearing men occupying a table in the corner by the exit.

“Let’s get some cheesecake to go.”  Lori said.  “For later, you know?”

“If by later you mean next month maybe.”  Sarah said rubbing her stuffed tummy.

Lori giggled.  “My treat.”  She said and got three slices in ‘to go’ boxes.

I jumped when my phone rang.  My phone doesn’t usually ring.  In fact, it has dust on it.  I brushed it off and answered.

“Um, this is Sam.”  I said.

“Dude, let’s do lunch.”  Tom said.

“Dude, I didn’t even know you had this number.”  I said laughing.  “I don’t think I even know what the number is here, now that I think about it.”

“I didn’t either, I was going through my contacts and saw it.”  He said.  “So, I just figured, what the hell, I’ll call you.”

“I already had lunch, it’s like 2 PM.”  I said.

“Oh, yeah, I know.”  He said.  “But, I usually don’t go until after everybody else did.  So, you wanna go or what?”

“Sure.”  I said.  “There’s nobody here anyway.”

So I got a sticky note and stuck it to my desk with a message reading, took a late lunch, be back later.  Just in case someone got lost and ended up in the storage room by mistake, they could read my note.

We pulled into the Chili’s and found some spots at the bar.  I just ate a short while ago, but it’s not like that ever stopped me from eating again.  I flipped a coin over what to order.  It came up heads, so I ordered the southwestern egg rolls.

“Dude, you going to have us over again this Saturday night?”  He asked taking a long swallow of beer.

I laughed.  “I don’t know.”  I said. 

“What are you making?”  He asked.

“I hadn’t thought about it yet.”  I said.

“Tracy’s been bugging me about it.”  He said.  “Make something, man.”

“I’ll put some thought into it.”  I told him.  I wanted to make something new, but I had no idea what to make.  My cooking imagination needed work.

“So you going to say something to that girl today or what?”  Tom asked finishing his mug already and held it up to get another.

“She’s in Mexico.”  I told him.  “Are you going to get loaded before you go back to work?”

“Nope.”  He said.  “I wish I could.  What’s she doing in Mexico?”

“Vacation.”  I told him.

“What part?”  He asked.

“Cozumel.”  I said.  “She’d been looking forward to it for months.”

“So, you still haven’t talked to her?”  He asked grinning like an idiot.

“I told you I talked to her on Friday.”  I said.  “We went to the Olive Garden.”

“You’re full of it.”  He said taking a swig of his fresh cold one.  “You wouldn’t even ask the girl at Pizza Hut for her phone number and you see her all the time!”

“I’m serious.”  I protested.

“Uh huh.”  He replied, not even looking at me.

“Her friends came by the office.”  I said, and yes, I was a little embarrassed that they were the ones who initiated the conversation.  “They invited me.  We talked.”

“What did you say to her?”  He asked.

“I asked her to marry me.”  I said.

“You probably did, knucklehead.”  He said shaking his head.  “So you really talked?”

“Yeah.”  I said.  “We really talked.”

“It’s about time.”  He said.  “Is she coming on Saturday?”

“No, she’ll still be in Mexico.”  I said.

“Well, you’re going to ask her out when she gets back right?”  He asked.

“Maybe.”  I said.  “I don’t know if she likes me or not.  You know she sits in the next cube.  How awkward would that be if she said no?”

“Yeah.”  He said.  “Besides, she’s probably getting in on right now anyway, with some slimy local guy who preys on tourists.”

I laughed.  “You’re such a jerk!” 

He laughed too. 

“She’s probably swimming in the ocean or something.”  I said.  “The beach is nice there, so I’ve heard.  Maybe she’s having margaritas.”

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Sarah napped on the recliner in their room in a nice hotel just off the beach on the beautiful island of Cozumel.  The rain hadn’t let up at all.  Even with a late breakfast and each girl taking about two hours to get ready for the day, it was getting to be the evening hours and it still poured.

“Well, guys.”  Amy said shrugging.  “Are we going to do something or what?”

“It’s still raining.”  Lori said.  “What can we do?  We can’t go to the beach.”

“We can go shopping or something.”  Amy replied.

“There’s a shop in the lobby.”  Sarah said.  “We should at least go down for a look.  Maybe the weather will break soon.”

“Yeah.”  Lori said.  “I can get post cards for people back home.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”  Amy said and they returned to the lobby.

The first thing they did was make their way to the glass panes to get a look outside.  Not only had it not stopped, but now the storm was at full force and the rain was falling in sheets and the wind looked like it might take the tops off the palm trees.

They browsed the gift shop and picked up a few trinkets like all tourists did. 

“Well, I guess today is shot.”  Sarah said.  “I doubt we can even go to a club with the weather like this.”

“The clubs are inside.”  Amy said.

“I know, but I’m beat.”  Sarah said.  “Is it just me?”

The other two girls assured her she was not the only one, they were all beat from the long flight, lack of sleep and now the weather.

“The Grill smells good.”  Lori said.  “It’s like five, as long as we’re here, we may as well eat.”

“I feel like we just ate.”  Sarah said.

“Well, that was like five hours ago.”  Amy said.  “We slept through most of the day or lazed around waiting for the weather.”

“Yeah.”  Lori said.  “I’m hungry.  Aren’t you, Sarah?”

“Actually, yeah I am.”  Sarah said.  “Hard to believe after that giant breakfast.  Or lunch whatever you want to call it.”

“It was breakfast.”  Lori said.  “Technically, this is lunch, so we can eat later if anybody wants to.”

“I have to know what that smell is.”  Amy said.

The three girls walked to the entrance of Billy’s American Grill where they found a sign that informed them of the Tuesday night buffet.  It smelled like pure heaven coming from the dinning area.

A broadly smiling hostess asked them if they wanted to be seated and they did not hesitate.  The place was fairly empty at this hour, the dinner crowd had not yet fully rolled in and the buffet was still overflowing with delectable cuisine.

“Is any of it authentic, like Mexican food?”  Lori asked.

“Tomorrow.”  The hostess said in a thick accent.

“Mexican food tomorrow?”  Lori asked.

“Yes.”  The hostess replied.  “Nightly buffet.  Tomorrow Mexican.”

They smiled at the good news and grabbed their plates and began filling them with the many different choices they had available.  Mashed potatoes.  Beef Roast.  BBQ.  The selections went on and on.

Sarah loaded up her plate with fried chicken, fries, pasta, creamed corn, and rolls and enthusiastically dug in.  She looked up just in time to see Amy return to the table with a plate loaded a least as high as hers and in her free hand were three bottles of Mountain Dew, in a glass bottle, not plastic, with bits of slushy ice slowly making their melting slide down to the bottom of the bottle.

“Oh yeah!”  Sarah exclaimed.  “I haven’t had a real Mountain Dew since I started this diet.”

“Neither have I!”  Amy said.  “I saw them in the barrel over there and I had to get one for each of us.”

“Oh, wait.”  Sarah said.  “I did have one.  Sam gave it to me.  He gave me one Friday afternoon.”

“He did?”  Lori said.  “He’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he’s a nice guy.”  Sarah said.  “I’ve been waiting for forever for him to say something to me.  Some guys can be so shy.”

“Yeah.”  Amy said.  “Well you two are talking now right?”

“Have you guys tried this corn?”  Lori said.  “It’s like creamy, yet not too creamy and a little spicy.  It’s so good.”

“Next trip to the line.”  Sarah giggled.  “Remind me.”

Outside the rain was pouring in a torrential deluge.  There wouldn’t be any beach today that was for sure.

Lori was correct about the creamy corn concoction it was quite good.  Sarah dropped a large scoop of the stuff between a half dozen chicken strips and ranch flavored potato wedges. 

“Oh, look guys.”  Amy said pointing to a sign near the door.  “They have a different buffet every night.  Monday is the Grill’s special, whatever that is.  Tonight is American food.  Tomorrow is authentic Mexican and Caribbean.  Thursday is South Asian night.  Friday is all you can eat burger night.  Saturday is seafood and Sunday is breakfast buffet all day.”

“It’s cheap, too.”  Sarah said.

“I’m okay eating here every night.”  Lori said.  “This place is great.”

“I hope the weather’s nice tomorrow.”  Amy said.  “I want to get to the beach.”

“Me too.”  Sarah said.  “We’ve been dieting for months to look good in a swimming suit.  I want to actually use it.”

“There was a list of local night clubs in the lobby I picked up a copy.”  Lori said.  “Anybody want to see it?”

“Yeah, let’s take a look.”  Amy said.  “It doesn’t give directions.”

“The taxi cab driver should know where they are.”  Lori said.

“Guys, I’m not really up for a club tonight.”  Sarah said.  “I mean, look at the weather.  Even if we did get a cab we’d still be drenched by the time we got there.  Am I alone here?”

“No.”  Amy said.  “You’re right.  The weather kinda zapped my energy.” 

“Yeah, and look at how it’s blowing out there.”  Lori said.

The wind had picked up and the rain did not diminish in the slightest.  No amount of hair spray and make-up would leave their clubbing preparations intact by the time they got inside a club.

“I think I have to make one more trip to the buffet.”  Amy said.  “This food is too good.  It’s a comfort food smorgasbord on a rainy night.  Can’t beat it.”

One more trip sounded like a great idea to Sarah and Lori.  Since the crowd was coming in, the chef was putting out a few new items they were eager to pile up their plates with more goodies and Lori, always thinking ahead, grabbed a second plate and filled it with hot rolls so no one would have to sacrifice any space for bread.

Amy walked carefully, trying to balance her plate to keep anything from dripping on the floor, she loaded her plate with so much meatloaf and mashed potatoes that the load of gravy she poured across everything had nowhere to go and was in danger of spilling from her dish.

Lori chose pasta.  Pasta of all kinds spaghetti, angel hair and fettuccini with red sauce, white sauce and a sauce with cheese and broccoli which may or may not have been meant for pasta.

Sarah got a little of everything including more chicken strips and breaded shrimp with plenty of fries and another heap of the creamy spicy corn mixture.  In her other hand she had a small bowl filled with gravy to dip her fries.  A novel idea.

Even as they cleaned their third plates the storm had not let up, but they did receive good news that the weather was on the verge of breaking and they would have sunny skies tomorrow by around noon.  With collective smiles they planned a trip to the beach.

Lori held her stomach and sighed.  “Okay, one more trip for dessert.”

“Me too, then I think I might explode.”  Sarah said.

“Let’s not over do it too much, ladies.”  Amy said.  “We still have to look good on the beach.  And don’t forget how much we suffered to lose the weight, Sarah.”

“I’m not forgetting.”  Sarah said.  “That’s why I’m not restricting myself tonight.  I’m ready to eat!”  She laughed.  “And it’s not like we’re going to keep eating like this, right?”

“You’re right.”  Amy smiled.  “Let’s see what they have for dessert.”

“I can’t believe this freakin’ traffic.”  I said.  “I should have my head examined for living here.”

Day in and day out.  It didn’t even have to be a work day to have a traffic jam.  We have traffic jams on Sunday afternoons. 

The week was dragging on without Sarah in the office.  Even though I hadn’t even spoken to her before a couple days ago, she still made the mundane place more enjoyable.  I can still smell her perfume sometimes.  I just hope that she’s over that diet thing so she can start looking more normal when she gets back.  She sounded like that might be a possibility before she left.

I still need a nap from lunch.  Strangely, though I had two lunches, but just like every day once I hit the beltway I start to get hungry.  Speaking of hungry, I wonder what I’m going to make this weekend.

I ran through a few things in my head.  As I passed the locale Chipotle on my way to my apartment in Fairfax a thought came to mind.  I remembered seeing something with chipotle in it in the Rachael Ray cookbook. 

“Ah, yes.”  I said with a smile.  “Southwestern Pasta Bake with the smoky chipotle add ons.”

That will be a hit.

“Maybe I’ll add some corn bread on the side or something.”  I decided.  “At least it’s sunny today.  A sunny day in traffic.  My favorite.”

“So full.”  Lori groaned.  “But it was so good.” 

Amy giggled and then winced from the pain in her overly stuffed tummy.

“Me too.”  Sarah said. 

“I guess we’re not going to a club, huh?”  Lori said popping the button of her jeans with her fingers.  Being the heaviest of the three girls, she’d given up being self conscious around her friends a long time ago and didn’t think twice about letting her distended belly hang out.  She rested her hand gingerly on top as she leaned back as far as she could in the inviting recliner.

“Not unless the weather changes.”  Sarah said. 

“I’ll see how bad it is.”  Amy said and opened the sliding door of their balcony.  She got her answer instantly as a blast of cool air laced with about a gallon of water sprayed her face the front of her body.

“I guess you found out.”  Lori giggled.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”  Amy frowned.

“I need a nap after that dinner.”  Sarah laughed.  “Another nap.”

Lori picked up the remote to find something on TV and they settled for a movie, while Amy went for a towel and a dry shirt, Sarah nodded off.

When I got to the office Wednesday morning I was almost surprised to find Norm already at his desk.  I wasn’t sure what to say to him other than good morning, which I usually did, sometimes he responded and sometimes he didn’t.  I took my customary walk around the cubes to see who else made it that day to find that almost all the seats were occupied except for one, well, one besides mine, and that was Sarah’s.

“Sam do you know the whereabouts of Sarah?”  Norm asked.

“She said she was on vacation this week.”  I replied.

“Oh, yeah.”  Norm said.  “I forgot.  Here’s a stack of invoices.  Go to it.”

I took them and went to my cube to muddle through the day in the exciting adventures of invoices and accounts payable. 

At ten everybody shuffled out for their breaks.  A fifteen minute smoke break for the smokers would end up being about a half hour or so, if they came back at all.  It wasn’t completely unheard of for someone to take their ten AM break and not come back until after lunch.

No smoke for Ted, though, not yet anyway.  No, Ted would shuffle across the street to the pub for a couple shots of Jack.  Then he’d grab a smoke and then he’d come back at his desk glassy-eyed and hum for a little while.

I leaned back as if I were watching for Sarah to make her way to the snack machine.  It was habit.  No Sarah today, she was having fun in Mexico.  Probably already lounging on the beach enjoying a margarita.

My pants felt particularly tight for some reason today.

“Come on, Lori are you going to get up or what?”  Amy said.  “We’re up and ready to go already.”

“Huh?”  The groggy girl said.  “I thought it was supposed to rain until noon.”

“It is raining.”  Amy said.  “We want to go for breakfast.”

“Oh.”  Lori said sitting up yawning.  Her oversized t-shirt that she’d been sleeping in wasn’t looking quite as oversized as it used to, the other two girls noted.  “Where do you want to go?”  She asked.

“We’re going to Billy’s.”  Sarah said.

A late breakfast was just what they needed.  There wasn’t much of a crowd and the girls ate and joked and laughed and planned their day.  The sun was going to be out soon, according to the weather reports and they were going to hit the beach! 

Noon rolled around and the sun still hadn’t made its appearance, but at least the rain looked as though it was going to stop soon.  They checked the weather on TV and the weather people still insisted the sun was going to break through, although now they weren’t saying noon, they were saying mid afternoon.

By mid afternoon they were snoozing to the gentle sound of rain outside their balcony door. 

Finally, as the sun began to set the clouds broke and a red setting sun shone through their windows.

“Look, the sun!”  Lori shouted

“Yeah, it’s about time.”  Amy said.  “What are we going to do now, guys?”

“It’s a little late in the day for the beach.”  Sarah said.

“A club?”  Lori asked smiling.

“Yeah, let’s go to a club.”  Amy said and Sarah agreed.  After spending a couple hours trying on different sets of ‘club wear’ and donning their war paint, primping and styling so everything was as perfect as it was going to get, they were ready to hit the clubs.

They stopped at Billy’s again for the dinner buffet before taking to a night of drinking and dancing.  After all, one needs to eat.

Lori grabbed the club list from her purse and they were off.

The cab took them to the first place on the list.  It happened to be within looking distance of their hotel, so they decided to stay with it.  The place was called the Flamingo.  The weekday crowd was small and it was a little disappointing, but it didn’t stop the girls from drinking and dancing the night away.

By midnight they were tired and drunk and ready for the cab to take them back to their hotels.  Standing was difficult, walking back to their hotel would have been impossible.  They got a cab and headed back toward their hotel.

“I’m hungry guys, let’s get some food.”  Amy said.

“Yeah, me too.”  Lori agreed.

“Hey let’s go to that burger place we stopped at the night we got here.”  Sarah suggested and the others agreed, so they were off to the burger place getting a big bag of burgers and extra fries, much the same way they did when they got off the plane.  She took right to the fries and almost through both of her fry orders by the time they got to the room.  An old feeling started to creep back into her mind.  She was drifting down the same old road again.  A long diet of healthy options never quelled what was inside her.  Now the food was just too good to pass up.  There was a slight bulge to her tummy already, it was exhilarating and frightening at the same time. 

As she lay in bed she felt her soft stomach.  She lost a lot of weight.  It was still soft and pliable and at the moment was stuffed and a little round.  So much food.  Why did she want more?  Why did she wish her cheeseburgers were double cheeseburgers?  In the pit of her stomach she knew she was going to get fat again.  The feeling of inevitability was overwhelming.  She didn’t want that.  Letting herself go before still embarrassed her and she worked hard to shed pounds.  Why then was food of all kinds running through her head?  It was 2 AM and all she could think about was eating.  It’s the booze talking, she convinced herself and drifted off to sleep.

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Thanks, I appreciate it.  I'll try to get more up tonight.  Does anybody remember where I left off last time?  I'm still writing the story so it'll continue for a while yet.

I believe it went through Sam weighing himself at Memorial Day.  The last line I have is:

“You’re not the only one who likes to eat.” She smiled and kissed the head. “And I think I need an appetizer.”

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Thanks, I appreciate it.  I'll try to get more up tonight.  Does anybody remember where I left off last time?  I'm still writing the story so it'll continue for a while yet.

I believe it went through Sam weighing himself at Memorial Day.  The last line I have is:

“You’re not the only one who likes to eat.” She smiled and kissed the head. “And I think I need an appetizer.”

Okay thanks, that's part 9.  I'll try to get caught up in posting them as soon as I can.  Here's part 3.  I'm almost finished with part 11 so I'm enjoying it as much as you guys are.

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Part III

I don’t know why I kept checking my watch.

“It’s only Thursday.”  I kept telling myself.  Even after I get to work, I still have to work all day long, then go home and sleep and then come back again before the weekend gets here.

No “I love traffic” songs today.  Traffic sucked.  I was going to be late again.  Not that anyone would notice or care.  Maybe I’d do something outrageous tomorrow, like leave home earlier and arrive at work on time.

Probably not.

“I’m sure Sarah’s having a good time.”  I mumbled.  “It’s too freakin’ cold for April.”

Amy and Lori slept until late morning.  Alcohol always gave Sarah fits in her sleep.  A night of drinking left her exhausted, but after a few hours of shuteye she started stirring, sleeping on and off.  Her head pounded and around five her stomach started growling.  With her friends out like a light she made her way to the lobby’s gift shop for aspirin and washed it down with a breakfast at Billy’s. 

She knew better, but that nagging feeling driving her to eat was still with her when she woke up.  Oddly enough, she was almost happy to be hungry even with her stomach upset by whatever those drinks were.  It was like she had two minds.  One mind saying, stop your stomach can’t take this and the other saying it’s so good, just a little more, and besides you’re on vacation.

A couple stacks of pancakes disappeared from her plate into her belly, followed by more sausage and bacon than she had any business eating.  Whoever said a Bloody Mary helped with a hangover didn’t know what they were talking about.  A half dozen breakfast burritos certainly didn’t help either.

When the room started spinning and her eyelids had become almost too heavy to keep open she decided to haul herself back to bed.  She downed a double caramel latte on the way to her room and the caffeine did nothing; she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

By the time the others started stirring after sleeping off their share of alcohol from the night before it was late morning.  What finally woke them was the knocking on the door from housekeeping.

“Ugh.”  Sarah said.  “I think I’m going to puke.”

“Me too.”  Lori said.

Amy groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.

Their hangovers kept them bedbound for most of the day, which was okay because it rained sporadically until evening.  By mid afternoon, there were finally a few pangs of hunger in their tummies rather than pains of a stomach set to churning from too many delightful looking drinks that came complete with umbrellas.  Of course Sarah had already eaten breakfast, but didn’t see the point in bringing it up.  It was time to eat again and she was as ready as her friends.

After cleaning themselves up and showering off the smell of booze and cigarettes that clung to their hair and bodies from the club, they stumbled to the lobby in time for the nightly buffet to start.  A little caffeine and they started to feel better, at least well enough to start laughing and joking again.

“Are we going to a club again tonight?”  Lori asked.

“Sure, why not.”  Amy said.  “It’ll be like we’re 21 again!”

“I’m such a wimp, my legs are sore from dancing last night.”  Sarah groaned.  “I’m up for it if you guys are.”

“Totally up for it.”  Lori said.  “Let’s eat!”

They loaded up on the South Asian buffet and returned to their room to find another outfit for another night of dancing and drinking.

Sarah wasn’t really looking forward to it; she never really recovered from the night before, but didn’t want to be a downer.  She felt sluggish and tired and her head still ached a little bit, as did her stomach, but that might have been from eating way too much.  However, by the time they were ready to go a couple hours later, she could hear her stomach growling.

“Guys, I’m like really starving for some reason.”  Sarah said.

“I am, too.”  Lori said.  “I guess that food we ate wasn’t very filling.”

“Let’s find a club that has food.”  Amy said.  Of the three girls, she was most eager to get back out into the night for another round of good quality vacation fun with drink and dance.

I hate shopping, but I don’t so much mind grocery shopping for some reason.  I walked through the produce section of Shopper’s Food Warehouse picking and choosing one brand over another as though I had a clue or cared which one was better.  I usually went with the package that looked nicer.

I prefer doing my grocery shopping later at night when there aren’t as many people here.  I don’t like crowded stores at all, least of all grocery stores.  Who wants to spend all night in line behind a bunch of unruly kids and people who are paying by check?  I mean, people please.  This is the 21st freakin’ century.  You’re still paying by check?  What the hell?  Keep the line moving!

I was loading up this trip.  Restocking stuff I’d recently run out of and loading up for the weekend fun with Tom and Tracy.  I was looking forward to it as much as they were according to my phone conversation with her.  Tracy just bought Avatar on DVD, since I hadn’t seen it yet, they agreed to bring it over to watch after dinner.

I really hoped that in the future Sarah would be able to join us.  She’s such a sweet girl.  I hope I don’t lose my nerve before I can ask her out.  I have to come up with a grand scheme for asking her out.  It must be a super duper profound plan.  The mother of all plans.  A sure fire means of winning her over with my wit and dashing good looks.  I need the perfect words, words that no girl in the world could say no to.

I’ll probably just lose my nerve and tell everybody she’s a lesbian.

I hope she’s having fun tonight.

“Sarah, are you okay?”  Amy asked tapping lightly on the door of the stall Sarah was in, her head in the toilet.  A few hours of drinking and she was over her limit and now throwing up in the bowl.

“This is embarrassing.”  Sarah croaked.

“Do you want to go home?”  Lori slurred.  “I mean the hotel.”

“Yeah.”  Sarah said.

“It’s Friday!”  I shouted in the parking lot of my apartment complex. 

Somebody shouted a distant ‘woohoo’.  I could see them waving their arms across the way.  I waved and laughed.

“What is it about Fridays?”  I muttered.  “I should call off.”

It’s another cool spring morning in Northern Virginia, the sun is peaking over the horizon and there isn’t a cloud in sight.  What a great day for sitting in rush hour traffic, first on 66 and then on the beltway.  It’s supposed to be a little warmer today and the sun is shining, the birds are singing, a perfect day to spend at work in a tiny little room in the back of a brick building that looks like all the brick buildings around it.

“No time for the drive through if I want to make it on time.”  I said to myself.  “Since there is no reason to arrive on time, I’ll have to swing by McDonalds today.  Lots of goodies to be found at the golden arches don’tcha know?”

Just before noon they dragged themselves out of bed again, showered and crawled to Billy’s for breakfast.

“How do you feel, Sarah?”  Lori asked.

“I’m okay.”  Sarah said.  “I actually don’t feel that bad.  Just tired.”

“Yeah.  Me too.”  Amy said, she’d done a little throwing up of her own the night before after they got back to their room.

“Are we going to the beach today?”  Lori said.  “It’s sunny.”

“Hell, yeah!”  Sarah said smiling.  “We are going to the beach.”

“Okay, I have to get some sun block.”  Lori said.  Her skin was quite fair and wouldn’t have any trouble burning to a crisp if she wasn’t very careful. 

“I think I need the ‘big breakfast’ today.”  Sarah said.  “Famished.”

“Make that three.”  Amy said, knowing Lori would get it regardless if the others did.  The waitress smiled as she always did, took their order and disappeared into the back.

Their usual laughing and joking was a little lessened today.  After drinking and dancing all night for the last two nights, they were much more tired than they thought they would be. 

“Boy are we lame.”  Amy laughed.  “Can’t even take two nights of clubbing.”

“We’re wimps.”  Sarah laughed along with her.  “I think I’m clubbed out for this trip.  Just the beach and the food are all I want.”  Her friends laughed with her, but she immediately felt embarrassed.  There was something about simply saying the word ‘food’ that made her flush . . . with what exactly?  Shame?  Not exactly.  Nervousness?  Maybe.  Excitement?  Or all three?  She tried to seem like she wasn’t distracted by the butterflies in the pit of her stomach and paid as close attention as she could to whatever they were talking about.

When their meals came they ate with the gusto that can only be brought on by a night of drinking.  Finally after days of crappy luck they were going to the beach.

With bellies bulging from being over stuffed once again, the three girls sluggishly made their way back to their room for some swimwear, a small cooler, towels and sun block.  Sarah already felt like she’d been out all day and was ready for a nap, two nights of drinking sapped her energy, always a trooper, she did not complain and headed to the white sands and lapping surf with her friends.

It was mid afternoon and the beach was a little more crowded than they’d hoped.  They made their way across the sand wearing their swimsuits under their sarongs and loose fitting tops.  Sarah as a little more self-conscious than she promised herself she would be, even after all her dieting, she still had to stuff herself into a bikini, it barely fit and she had a noticeable amount of love handles and about two inches of pudge around her belly button hanging over the waistband.  She considered not getting into the water until she saw scores of others in their bikinis and they were much larger than her or even Lori.

“Hey look guys, it’s a bar on the beach.”  Lori said.  “Let’s check it out.”

“Okay.”  Amy said.  She was in a one piece and even though she didn’t have a skirt, she did wear a sarong like the other two, perhaps she was feeling a little less self conscious, but if so, not by much, she also had to stuff herself into her suit.  All that dieting and torture and they both missed their goals.  Oh well, no reason to let it ruin the fun.

They stopped by the bar and tried a few snacks, and threw some beer into their coolers and trudged off to find a spot to set up their umbrella and towels.  A spot fairly close to the water looked good to them and just enough people cleared out before they arrived making the spot as perfect as it could get.

Lori seemed to be the one who was least self-conscious; she peeled off her sarong and shirt and waddled and jiggled in her one piece into the water to splash around. 

“She didn’t put her sun block on.”  Sarah said.  “She’s going to burn.”

“She’ll be back in a second.”  Amy said.  “I’m going to enjoy one of these beers.  Do you want one?”

“Sure.”  Sarah said.  “I need something.”

“Something wrong?”  Amy asked.

“I shouldn’t have gotten a bikini.”  Sarah said.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”  Amy said.  “You worked hard to get into it.”

“I know, but now it doesn’t really fit.”  Sarah said.  “I’m kinda busting out of it.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”  Amy said.  “I’m stuffed into this suit, too.  I guess we’ve been over doing it at the buffet every night.”

“Yeah.”  Sarah said taking a long swallow of cold beer.  “Ooh, this is nice.  I’m so glad I’m not in the office.”

“Me too.”  Amy said and slipped off her outerwear as well.  Her tummy bulge was apparent.  She looked like she could have gained five or six pounds this week.  When her bottoms came off, the size of her butt was profound.  Dimpled and wobbly she jiggled the whole way to the water, not as big as Lori, but no less jiggly.

Sarah didn’t feel as though she needed as much sun block because she tanned so easily.  And after all, she was under the umbrella.  She finished her beer and took off her sarong and top and laid back on her towel absentmindedly feeling the flab around her middle and on her legs.  Clearly, she gained some of the lost weight back, but couldn’t tell how much.  So she vowed not to worry about it while she was on vacation.

“I wonder how Sam is making out in that office all alone?”  She smiled.  “If he only knew I could see him in the reflection of the vending machine watching me get my soda and snacks.”

Pulling her towel out from the shade she laid in the sun to catch a few rays.

And promptly fell asleep.

Three PM break.  Can’t stop looking at my watch, I’m so ready to get out of here.

Can’t wait to leave and then go sit in traffic for an hour or two just trying to get to across the river to Fairfax.  If I didn’t have a government job I swear I’d pack up and move to Idaho or something just to get away from traffic jams.  Well, I guess I wouldn’t have to go all the way to Idaho.  I could probably get away with going to West Virginia.  Maybe Pennsylvania.  Or hell, even Tennessee. 

“Sam I’m going to leave early today.”  Norm said.  Not sure why he was telling me this, he wasn’t here half the time anyway.

“Ok.”  I said as if I cared.

“Just letting you know in case anyone asks.”

“Anyone?”  I said.  “Like who?”

He didn’t answer, he was already out the door and down the hall.

“Guess that’s my cue to leave.”  Ted said.  “No sense waiting until five.”

“Ok.”  I said, equally as disinterested in Ted as Norm.

Ted was really a mess and he looked it.  In my heart I hoped that he would get some help.  He didn’t look well.  His eyes were always a yellowy bloodshot.  His clothing didn’t exactly look clean and his hygiene left a lot to be desired.  I couldn’t smell him on the other side of the cubicle, but if I had the misfortune of being close enough to him he smelled like cigarettes and whiskey.

“No sense me waiting either.”  Said Heidi, she’d been a chain smoker since she was three I think, that means she’s been smoking like a chimney for about ninety years at least by the looks of her.  “You should go, too, Sam.”

“I just might.”  I said, and I didn’t know she even knew my name.

“You know, I think you and Sarah would make a cute couple.”  Heidi said stopping at my cube.

“You do?”  I asked and couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Sure.”  She said smiling, half her teeth were spotted with black flecks, the tell tale sign of a person who’d spent a lifetime smoking.  “She likes hefty guys I think.”  She said and patted my shoulder before leaving.

“Hefty?”  I said.  “I’m not sure how to take that.”

I looked down at my stomach.  There was a good bit there.  I probably added a little bit this week cooking all my experiments.  I was going to do a fair share of eating tonight too.  I just had that feeling, since I was making my special spaghetti tonight.  Nothing special about the spaghetti, just the additives I like to employ.  Meatballs, sausage, hunks of pepperoni, a little green pepper, some onions and of course mushrooms.  I like to top it off with a goodly amount of parmesan cheese, too.

“Am I hefty?”  I though out loud and heard a giggle.  That was Louise, she seemed to be the normal one of the bunch.  She was a nice older black lady, and to her everyone was ‘honey’, ‘sweetie’, or ‘child’.

“Nothing wrong with being a little hefty, child.”  She chuckled.  “We all a little hefty.  Think she’s right about Sarah, though.”

“Why is that?”  I had a little embarrassed laugh in my voice, didn’t realize anyone else was in the room with me, since they usually weren’t.

“We talk.”  She said.  “You should try talking to her, too.”

Okay, yes now I was embarrassed.  Seems everybody knows I’m afraid to talk to Sarah.

“I am going to make it a point to talk to her.”  I said, didn’t want to be too committal in case I lost my nerve.

She chuckled again.

“Where is that girl at anyway?”  She asked.

“Cozumel.”  I said.  “She’ll be back on Monday.”

“She on vacation?”  She asked.

“Yes, went with a couple of her friends.”  I said.

“You talked to her?”  She asked and did nothing to hide the surprise in her voice.

I’m not as much of a wimp as people seem to think.  I’m just intimidated by Sarah, that’s all.  “Her friends came by last Friday for lunch, it’s all they talked about.”  I said sheepishly.  “We all went to lunch.”

“You did?”  She practically exclaimed.

“Sure did.”  I said triumphantly.

And?”  She asked.

And, we had a nice time.”  I said, back to sheepish.

“Oh.”  She said.  “Well, sugar with everybody leaving, I’m going to go, too.  Hell, it’s close enough to five for me anyway.”

I looked at my watch, it wasn’t even four yet.

“Okay, have a good weekend.”  I said.

“You too, Sam sugar.”  She said.  “Bye bye now.”

“Bye.”  I said.  I hit the vending machine and did my customary walk around to make sure I was alone this time, just in case I started talking to myself again, I wouldn’t embarrass myself further.

“Oops.”  Louise said hustling back in as fast as she could move her very large body.  “Forgot my car keys.”

“Won’t get far without those.”  I said.

“You said Sarah’s in Cozumel?”  She asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”  I replied politely.  “She sure is.”

“She’s such a nice girl.”  Louise said.  “I hope she’s having a good time.”

“I’m sure she is.”  I said.  “I’m sure right now she’s swimming in the ocean or enjoying a margarita at one of those tiki stands on the beach.”

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“Sarah, you’re as red as a beet!”  Lori said.  “You fell asleep in the sun.”

“It’s not that bad, it doesn’t even hurt.”  Sarah said and indeed she was as red as a beet.

“Better get you inside and put some lotion on your skin.”  Amy said and they all made their way back into the hotel. 

As soon as they entered the lobby the smell hit them.

“Oh my.”  Lori said.

“Oh my is right.”  Sarah said.  “What is that wonderful smell?”

“It’s coming from Billy’s.”  Amy said.

“It’s the buffet.”  Sarah said.  “It’s Friday.  Friday is the all you can eat burger night.”

“Oh, let’s change and come back and eat!”  Lori said and sounded more enthusiastic about dinner than anything they had done throughout this entire vacation.  It was a good idea and the others agreed, returning to their rooms for quick showers to wash off the salt, then changing and rushed back to the lobby and into the restaurant.

“I felt that hot water.”  Sarah said looking tired and completely red about the face, arms, and upper chest, not to mention certain parts of her body now covered.

“I bet you did.”  Amy said.  “I have aloe in my bag.  You should rub it on tonight.”

“Thank you, Amy I will.”  Sarah said.  “Let’s eat!”

They had every kind of burger imaginable.  Fortunately they were small, only a little larger than a slider, that way a person could enjoy sampling the many different kinds – and they did.  There were regular burgers, chiliburgers, bacon burgers, Holstein burgers (which was a burger with an egg on top), blue cheese burgers, BBQ burgers, the list went on and on.  There were also other selections like grilled or breaded chicken breasts, breaded fish filets, etc.

Lori returned first with four burgers on her plate, a bacon double cheeseburger, a chiliburger, a BBQ burger and regular cheeseburger with everything on it.  They also had plenty of fries and other side dishes like potato salad and a variety of other items.

Amy came second with a plate full of burgers and pickles, four was about as many as you could fit on the plate unless you stacked them and there was really no need to do that since you could return as often as you liked.  Her burgers consisted of two bacon double cheeseburgers, a BBQ burger and a buffalo chicken burger.

Sarah on the other hand, decided to stack her burgers and returned with five.  The four on the bottom were smaller ones like the others and the one on top was a larger burger, it was at least a quarter pound burger, could have been a third pound she wasn’t really sure.  The burgers on the bottom were first a fish filet, then a bacon cheeseburger, a blue cheese burger with bacon and lastly a pizza burger.  The large burger on the top was something called a garbage can burger which had a ton of toppings including five different cheeses, bacon, guacamole and who knows what else.

“Wow, Sarah.”  Amy said.  “Are you hungry?”

Sarah laughed, covering her full mouth.  “Um.  Yeah.”

I piled a heap of spaghetti, and all the goodies I threw into it, not on a plate but in a big bowl.  It was a grimace proportion.  I should have felt embarrassed about it, but I really wasn’t.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the movie of the night is Mystery Men, staring Ben Stiller and Pee Wee Herman.”  I said to no one, sitting down with my big bowl and a hunk of garlic bread.  For some reason thinking about Sarah made it go down easier.

Of course by the time the movie was over I was so full I felt like I could have barfed.  It was a close call, for a while there I didn’t know if was going to be able to finish that bowl, but I persevered no matter how stuffed I was or how much pain I was in.  It was a good pain.

The feeling of my shirt tight around my middle was strangely arousing.  I guess I’m just weird.  There’s no way I could find any room in there for some ice cream.  But, I feel obligated to try.

“Wonder how Sarah is making out tonight?”  I said out loud to no one.  Since I live alone, I find myself doing that a lot.

“Goodness, Sarah!”  Amy said looking at her friend’s belly.

Lori laughed.  “You look pregnant.”  She laughed some more.

“Oh, my gawd.”  She groaned.  “I can hardly move.”

“I believe it.”  Amy said.  “You had plates for burgers and plates for fries and onion rings.”

“Oh, I feel awful.”  Sarah said.  “Sleep.  Must sleep.”

“No club tonight I guess.”  Lori said. 

“No, you two go if you want.”  Sarah said.  “I don’t feel up to it.  Stuffed or not.  You guys go.”

Amy and Lori looked at each other and shrugged.  “Why not?”

“Good morning, Rachael Ray, you’re looking lovely this morning in your skin tight jeans.  Wish you’d quit starving yourself though.”  I said as I turned on the TV already set to the Food Network.  It was nice waking up to 30-minute meals early on a Saturday morning.  “I’m making one of your dishes tonight, Rachael.  I hope you’re happy about that.”

Then an idea hit me.

“You know what, Rachael?  I bet flan would go with that dish of yours.  I should look into figuring out how to make it.”  I said sitting down at my computer to search out a recipe.  I found one by her colleague Paula Dean.  Suddenly glad that I was alone, if anybody heard me talking to myself like this they’d probably this I was nuts.  Anyway, the recipe.

It seemed simple enough.

“However Ms. Dean, there will be no coconut in my flan.”  I said shaking my head.  “No coconut, sorry.”

After breakfast and a goodly amount of television, I did my inventory, made my list and headed out to the grocery store again, with a quick stop at Wal-Mart for a movie.  I always enjoy raiding their $5 bin for a good flick.  It didn’t take long to find one, I settled on ‘Joe Dirt’.  Then I remembered I was going to pick up an ice cream maker this week and I still hadn’t done that.  I guess I’d be off to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a good model.  Might have to go to the dreaded mall for that.

It was taking much longer than I’d anticipated, because naturally, here in Northern Virginia, there was a traffic jam, even late Saturday morning. 

“I’m sure Sarah is having a blast.”  I said.  “Cramming every bit of fun into her trip as possible.”

Lori was standing on the balcony enjoying the morning sun and gazing at the rolling waves coming in off the Caribbean Sea.  It was the perfect day for the beach, not too hot and no rain.  There would be lots of delights waiting for them.  Margaritas, snacks, frozen treats and frolic in the water, were just a few minutes away.  What a great way to spend their last day in Mexico.

Beside her was Amy, she leaned against the rail letting the breeze blow her dark hair around.  Her t-shirt was just a little small for her frame and the slightest touch of well tanned belly stuck out from underneath, the occasional gust of wind blew it up past her belly button.

Sarah gingerly staggered out to join them.  She was red as a lobster, perhaps even redder than the night before.  She had just finished her painful shower and her curly blond hair hung wet about her shoulders.  The breeze mixed with the wetness gave her some welcomed cooling relief.  She wore a silk outfit she’d bought in Hawaii some years before, it was yellow and flowery and it was fitting a lot tighter than she planned.  As she recalled she was much thinner when she bought it and assumed it would be much looser on her than it was.

She knew a few more pounds of her would go home with her than she arrived with, but didn’t want to think too much about it since she was on vacation.  However, for all the beauty around her, food was predominately on her mind.  All week they’d been over eating and she’d gone to bed bloated and by morning the bloat had been mostly gone.  This morning however, she was starting to suspect it was catching up with her, not only was there some bloat but new pounds of softness around her seemingly everywhere.  As always there was more in the hips and thighs, but it was everywhere and adding up.

“Are you okay, Sarah?”  Lori asked.  “You don’t look so good.”

“I’ll be okay.”  She said and forced a smile.  “It stings.”

“I bet it does.”  Amy said, truly concerned.  “Why don’t we go downstairs and eat and afterwards we’ll see how you feel, okay?”

“That sounds good.”  Sarah said.

They were in the habit of taking a seat close to Billy’s large outside window and near the palm trees by the indoor mini-fountain that was crafted to look like a waterfall.  The water was calming and the trickle was soft enough to add a nice background to their conversation without drowning it out. 

Another other thing they were in the habit of doing was ordering three of the “Big Breakfast”.  They never even considered getting anything else.  Why bother when the big breakfast was so perfect?  It had everything and plenty of it.  Not to mention free chocolate milk refills.

Sarah cleaned both plates while the other two talked about going back to the beach, she on the other hand had no desire to go back in the sun and she was very tired for some reason.  Amy and Lori had cleaned their plates as well, or mostly cleaned them and were busy laughing and chattering about various things that had nothing in particular to do with anything.

The waitress came back to clear their plates away and refill their glasses with more chocolate milk.  Not wanting to disrupt her friends’ conversation she quietly asked the waitress for a “small” order of sausage and biscuits.  If the others heard, they didn’t say anything.  When the order arrived it wasn’t exactly “small”.  In fact it was the regular size.

Her friends did take notice to that.

“Hungry, Sarah?”  Amy asked smiling.

Sarah smiled wide.  “I guess I have a craving for it.” 

“Do you feel up to coming to the beach with us, Sarah?”  Lori asked.

“I’m sorry guys, I don’t think I can.  I’m too burned.”  She said pouting.  “But, I want you guys to go.”

“Oh, we can’t go without you.”  Amy said.  “It was awkward at the club last night without you.”

“No.”  Sarah said.  “I am not going to have you guys give up a day on the beach because I was dumb enough to fall asleep in the sun yesterday.  I’d feel horrible.  No, you guys had better go.”

“What are you going to do?”  Amy asked.

“I think I’m going to rub down with that green aloe gel and lay in front of the air conditioning.”  Sarah said.  “Why don’t you guys go to the beach and maybe tonight after the sun goes down we can go back to the shore and walk around or something?”

The other two agreed and went back to chattering while Sarah cleaned another plate.  She was so stuffed it hurt.  Still in the back of her mind she wouldn’t have minded having a little bit more.  Crossing the lobby to the elevators, she saw something she missed before.  In the gift shop’s cooler in the corner were liter bottles of Mountain Dew.  All those bubbles would give her aching stomach relief.

“Oh, look.”  She said.  “I’m going to grab a soda, do you guys want one?”

The other two passed on it, not wanting to go to the beach only ending up having to pee all the time.  Besides, there would be plenty of margaritas consumed on this day, if something was going to lead to excessive peeing it was going to have to be worth it, like alcohol.

Lori and Amy headed to the beach and Sarah cranked up the air conditioning and slathered her burned areas with a thick coat of cold aloe gel.  The feeling was heavenly.  She relaxed on the bed, channel surfed and sipped at her liter of bubbly soda.  By mid afternoon, she was thinking she felt good enough to hit the beach.  However, after tugging and pulling on her bikini bottoms, her swimsuit barely fit.  New bulges and rolls and generous softness was coming back to her body.  She was a little disappointed at gaining back a few pounds, but didn’t want it to effect her last day to swim in the crystal clear waters.

She stuffed herself into her suit and grabbed her sarong and was off.  Leaving the lobby a gust of wind blew her sarong open enough for the sun to hit her skin.  It hurt.  Maybe going back out into the sun wasn’t a good idea.  Shoulders slumped she headed back inside.  Maybe they’d go to a club tonight.

“Don’t walk by Billy’s.”  She muttered to herself, even though the smells coming from the kitchen were like a magnet.  “Still full from breakfast.”

It was too late.  She didn’t walk by and an elderly couple, seated by the big panes of glass, was enjoying cheesecake.

She had to have some.

She walked up to the register.

“I think I want some cheesecake.”  She said quietly, not intending to be overheard by the attendant.

“You want three?”  The attendant asked.

“Three?”  Sarah said. 

Si.”  The attendant replied.  “You and your friends.”

“Oh.”  Sarah said.  Yes, that was a good idea.  She could get some for her friends, that would be a nice surprise for them.  “Three.”  She replied holding up three fingers, then she checked her watch, a minute ago she was full from breakfast, now she was starting to feel hungry.  She decided to get a burger and fries to take with her.  It had been almost three hours since she had that big breakfast and it was almost time for some lunch.  “Better make it a double order of fries.  Maybe with a side of ranch dressing, too.”  Once she was back in her room, she probably wouldn’t want to come back again, so it was best to get lunch now.

She put two slices in the refrigerator and sat on the balcony to have her lunch.  The breeze did feel nice and she was shaded this time of day, as the sun had moved to the other side of the building.  The burgers and fries went down easy and the cheesecake was so smooth and rich she finished it with her eyes closed and smiling.  Too bad the slices were so small because another one would have been perfect.

Her bright red skin started to sting again, so she rubbed more aloe on herself and decided to watch a little television to pass the time.  As much as her sunburn bothered her, it felt nice to be so delightfully stuffed, she relaxed on the recliner gently cradling her tummy with a satisfied smile on her face.  More food would be nice.  No sooner had the thought come to mind than did that surge of adrenalin.  What was with her?  She thought those feelings were suppressed after she went on that long three month diet.

Thoughts of that cheesecake keep forcing their way into her mind.  It wasn’t meant for her and she told herself so many times.  She couldn’t eat it, she was too full.  Amy and Lori would be back soon and be happy to see she bought them each a slice of cheesecake.  However, checking her watch laying on the nightstand she realized that not much time at all had passed and it wasn’t likely they would be back soon.

Boredom was beginning to take over.  If only she hadn’t fallen asleep on the beach she wouldn’t have gotten so burned and she could go back out today without being in so much pain!  Then she wouldn’t be harassed by these food cravings.  Well, Billy’s had margaritas and a few other drinks, maybe that’s what she needed.

She changed clothes and headed back to the lobby and went into Billy’s again and took a seat at the bar, deciding not on margarita, but on a horchata instead.  It was something she never heard of before and certainly never tried and couldn’t help herself, she ordered another slice of cheesecake and when that disappeared ordered key lime pie with tequila.

“Something to go?”  The bartender asked as she was getting up to leave and pay the tab.

“I shouldn’t.”  She said.  “Maybe just one more slice of the key lime pie to go.”

A few drinks left her warm and fuzzy and with fewer inhibitions.  Upon getting back to her room she first looked toward the beach from her balcony and watched to see if either of her friends were walking toward the hotel and couldn’t see them at all.

She made herself comfortable on the recliner once again and finished first her key lime pie, then the other two slices of cheesecake that she’d been saving for her friends.  Her belly was so full it stuck out just as it had the night before when she gorged herself on burgers and fries.  It came as a shock to her own eyes when she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

“I better put on a shirt.”  She said and couldn’t tell whether she was blushing from embarrassment at herself or whether her face was red from the sunburn.  Probably both.

Normally, she slept in oversized t-shirts and she’d packed a few sized XXL for just that reason.  She grabbed a black one from her back and threw it on, just in case her friends came back.  She didn’t want them to know that she’d basically done nothing all day except lay around and stuff herself with desserts.

Even with an oversized shirt, standing back in front of the mirror she could tell she was getting fat again.  In only one week’s time of being off her diet, the pounds, which had come back in a trickle at first, were now piling up quickly. 

“Okay, Sarah.”  She said to herself.  “I know you’re on vacation, but let’s get a grip.  I’m just going to go back to Billy’s for that chocolate cinnamon pie they had in the case, but then that has to be it!”

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Part IV

I kept checking my watch, it was getting closer to the time when Tom and Tracy were due to stop by.  Dinner was almost ready.  It smelled completely awesome and with a smell like that, there’s no way it wouldn’t taste incredible.  No need for salad, not with this dish.  I made a few adjustments to it; this wasn’t going to be a light dinner in any way shape or form.  It was cold today and this afternoon it started to rain and rain hard.  The perfect day for heavy filling and delicious comfort food and that’s exactly what this was.

There was cornbread, chipotle pasta, and flan.  Not to mention, I decided at the last minute to skip the wine and I got a couple six packs of Dos Equis and put a few in the freezer so they’d be really cold when it came time to serve which was now only minutes away.  That’s one six pack in the freezer, the other one I was saving for later, tonight wasn’t about getting hammered.

And then came the knock on the door.

“Hi Sam!”  Tracy said with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Hello to you.”  I said and shook Tom’s hand as I always did.

“Dude that smells good.”  Tom said.

“I know.”  I said.  “I’m glad you guys are here, I thought I was going to have to start without you.”

“You better not start without us.”  Tracy said faking anger.  “That smells too good!”

While I was taking her jacket I couldn’t help but notice her jeans were much baggier than they were last Saturday night and it wasn’t because she was thinner.  They looked brand new and they appeared to be a bigger size.  But, I didn’t want to spend too much time dwelling on it, I had dinner to serve.

Tracy took the initiative to give the table a good look and give me tips and advice about table setting.  She asked about wine and I explained that I thought a good Mexican beer might go better with the dinner and she agreed and placed a couple mugs in the freezer for me.

She had other ideas as well, like special plates for different meals and offered to go with me the next time I went shopping for stuff like that and she could help me pick things out.  Then she suggested she bring Tom along to keep me company while she spent my money.

I told her I’d let her know, I didn’t know about all that.  Getting a bunch of different plates and table settings for different dinner ideas sounded nice, but I live in a one-bedroom apartment and there’s only so much space.  Maybe someday, I liked her line of thinking.  I just didn’t know anything about decorating. 

“Sam, next week you should make something Asian and I’ll go with you to the mall to pick some nice settings out.”  She said.

“Asian?”  I said.  “Like Thai?  Or Chinese or what?”

“That’s up to you.”  She said.  “As long as we’re invited.”

As soon as the bell rung on the oven and the cornbread was finished I popped the pasta under the broiler to brown the cheese a little bit and started loading everything on the table. 

I waited until the last possible minute to get the mugs out of the freezer so they could get as chilled as possible.  I wished I had thought of that, I’d planned on drinking right from the bottle, but I guess it’s better table manners to pour it into a glass first.  At least the bottles were well chilled.

“So, this Sarah girl is coming back to the office on Monday, huh?”  Tracy asked.  “Is she coming next weekend?”

I know I turned red again.  “I don’t know.”  I smiled sheepishly.  I talked boldly about asking her out when it was a week away, but now it was only a couple days away and I could feel my nerve slipping.

“Do you want me to call her for you?”  Tracy said smiling.

“No.”  I said.  I knew she was joking, but just think how awkward that would be.

I placed the tray of pasta on the table and Tom placed the cornbread beside it for me while Tracy grabbed a towel from the drawer and placed it over top of the cornbread to keep it warm while we ate.

I could not have been happier with how everything turned out.  It was perfect.  It was full of flavor and just spicy enough, the beer and cornbread were the perfect compliment.  I thought for a moment that perhaps a mojito would have been even better, but I wasn’t sure how to make one and didn’t want to give anybody any ideas.  I’d have to practice that one first.

“Another hit, Sam.”  Tracy said now on her second helping.  “This is like really good.”

“Yeah.  Did you get this out of a box, or what?”  Tom asked.

“No.”  I said, my eyes narrowed.  “I didn’t get it out of a box.  I actually cooked it.  I didn’t just open a box, mix the contents and heat it up.”

“I suggested that Sam make something Asian for next weekend.”  Tracy said.

“Oh like noodles or something?”  Tom asked.  He knew how to fake being dumb just enough to get a rise out of Tracy and make her laugh.  It still puzzled me how a goob like him managed to land someone like her, she was way out of his league.

“Rice.”  Tracy said.  “And octopus.  Right, Sam?”

“Yeah, something like that.”  I said.  “I’ll have to put some thought into it.  I don’t really know what to make, Thai was the first thing that came to mind.”

“What movie did you get?”  Tom asked.

“Joe Dirt.”  I said with a smile and the others laughed.

“Good choice.”  Tom replied.  “And she forgot to bring Avatar.”

“Is it good?”  Tracy said.  “I didn’t see that one.”

“It’s pretty good.”  I said.  “Funny.”

Three or four servings didn’t surprise me about Tom, he was a fairly large guy.  Larger than me, although I don’t see myself as all that large, being 5’7” and 170 pounds give or take.  Three then four servings for Tracy did surprise me.  She was like a machine, the beer probably helped, she had two of them.  Being 5’3” and maybe 135 lbs. a couple beers and she’s buzzing.

The pan was mostly empty, the recipe said it made four servings so I tripled the amount of ingredients, not because I thought we’d make quick work of it, but because I wanted to have enough leftovers for lunch, hopefully at least four days so I could save money instead of eating out.  DC is expensive.

Instead, we made quick work of it.  I couldn’t help but watch Tracy eat.  Her chewing got slower and slower as she worked through her third and fourth helping, I could tell she was really savoring it.  Even the cornbread was disappearing, mostly due to Tracy’s appetite.  She would absentmindedly take a piece and then realized what she had done and she’d push the pan away as if to keep herself from taking yet another square.  As we talked, she’d absentmindedly pull the pan back and take another square, realize what she did and push it away again.  Soon it was gone.

We talked a little while longer at the table about nothing in particular and Tom brought up dessert, said I’d made some, but suggested we watch the movie first and digest for a little while and they agreed.  We were all sporting a good sized tummy bulge when we stretched from the table, Tracy the shortest of all three had the most pronounced bulge since she ate as much as we did and had a shorter frame to pack it into.

She snuggled close into Tom and smiled warmly rubbing his belly.  I must admit I was jealous.  How nice that must be.  On with the show.  It was time for Joe Dirt.  Still, I wondered if Sarah would do that for me.

It wasn’t quite twilight when the girls came back to the room.  Sarah had thought about going to a club, but apparently her two friends had spent a good deal of the afternoon drinking at the beach bars since they were both pretty well hammered.  They were too drunk to notice the cheesecake containers or the wrappings for the burgers and fries she had earlier, or anything else for that matter.  It looked like a going to a club was out of the question.

She wasn’t too disappointed.  Her sunburn still stung and she was pretty tired from a day of doing pretty much nothing but watching television, snoozing and feeding her face.  By the time the sun was setting the other two girls headed to bed and passed out even though it was early.  Sarah thought of doing the same thing since she was so tired, but opted to watch a little more TV instead.

The sound of her stomach growling caught her off guard.  As much as she’d eaten today, she couldn’t believe she was hungry again.  It wasn’t just the pangs, it was the burning desire to eat; eat whatever they had at the buffet and eat as much as she could.  The feeling of shame and exhilaration came over her again.  She closed her eyes and practiced some deep breathing exercises she learned years ago to reduce her anxiety until she calmed down.

“Should I wake the girls and see if they want to eat?”  She said quietly.

She decided it would be rude to just leave them and eat without them, so she tried to wake both of them in turn but they were dead to the world from too much alcohol, tequila was her guess, and lots of it.  The way they were staggering and slurring she was surprised they even found the room . . . or the hotel for that matter.

A quick note stuck on the refrigerator would let them know where she was if they happened to wake up and came looking for her.  She had a feeling they wouldn’t and she was only going to Billy’s in the lobby anyway for the nightly buffet.  And since it was something different every night, she was perfectly happy that they didn’t go to some place exotic for dinner.  Adventurous eating was nice, but being in a foreign land she didn’t know about strange ingredients and didn’t want to bring up her fear of slimy things, like snails.  She shivered at the thought.

They had just placed the seafood dishes out in the buffet line.  They served the buffet all day but at five they brought out the nightly theme and she’d gotten there just in time for the fresh dishes.  As tired as she was, that brought a smile to her face and the smells were fantastic.

She started with a generous serving of pasta and white sauce with small chunks of white fish and shrimp with the occasional scallop.  Then she got shrimp scampi and penne.  After that she carried two plates, one with large portions of garlic bread and the other with either pasta or something breaded.  There was no way she’s pass up the crab legs, that was another trip and again returning with a plate in each hand.  The garlic bread was extraordinary.

A belch escaped her and she giggled looking around.  It appeared no one heard her, she was embarrassed just the same.  She rubbed her rounded belly, she was so stuffed if she could have passed for pregnant before, it was doubly so now.  Light headed she almost passed on dessert until she saw them bringing fresh dessert to the line.  Well, seeing that, she couldn’t quit now.

A little out of breath she made one more trip sampling many different sweet morsels.  Some of the dishes she had no idea what they were, so taking several with her she sampled them all.  One was flan, that she could tell.  Another tasted like it was made with sweet potatoes, she have to get another round of that.  Another was almost like a gelato with coconut and rum.  There was even ice cream. 

The ride back in the elevator was long and the slightest jar of movement hurt her gorged belly.  She cradled it with her arm vowing that once the vacation was over she wasn’t going to eat like this anymore.  This was how she got fat in the first place, she reminded herself, and she wasn’t going to go down this road again.  This was the last time. 

The girls were still sleeping when she returned over an hour later.  She quietly packed her things other than tomorrow’s outfit and plopped down in front of the television with the large piña colada shake she brought with her from Billy’s.

About halfway through the movie I suggested I serve the flan.  Either it didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped, or it wasn’t as good as I thought flan was, probably the latter since I couldn’t remember the last time I’d tried it. 

With the movie over and the weather turning colder and drizzly again, it was time to wrap things up for the night and the three of us said our goodbyes.  I gave Tom’s hand a good shake and he gave me a look of approval, which was enough to show me he thought I’d done a good job tonight.

Tracy gave me good encouragement to talk to Sarah on Monday morning, making me promise to invite her for next week and she was anxious to meet such a wonderful girl.  Then she gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek and a big smile telling me how proud of me she was for making such a great dinner and liked these new changes in me.  She felt very soft and bloated and larger, not only than last week, but larger than she’d felt when she got here this evening.

I bid them goodnight and proceeded to stress over asking Sarah out on Monday.  A pint of ice cream helped me through.

“Sarah, are you going to get up?”  Amy asked giving her a gentle shake.

“Huh?”  Sarah replied groggily.

“We’re going to have to get ready and get going pretty soon.”  Amy said.  We only have a couple hours before we have to catch our flight.”

“Oh.”  Sarah said.  “What time is it?”

“Like nine.”  Lori said as she entered the room with nothing but a towel struggling to hide the girl’s generous curves.  “I’m finished in there, you can go next.”

She dutifully dragged herself to the bathroom knowing she was going to have to get moving if they were going to make one last stop at Billy’s before going to the airport.  If today was going to be anything like the flight down, she’d better get a good meal in because a week ago they were starving while they waited for the plane.

The steam was clearing from the mirror after Lori’s shower and Sarah got a good look at her naked physique.  Her body was looking very soft.  She was still bloated from the night before, at least she was hoping it was bloat and not a new layer of fat.  Turning on the water she had to look again.  It wasn’t just bloat.  She felt not only soft, but heavy.  She felt very heavy.  Still hoping it was at least mostly bloat she got showered and readied herself to go home.

“No more eating like that.”  She said quietly and blew a long slow breath through her plump lips as though letting go of that behavior for good.

Amy and Lori were packed and waiting.

Sarah threw on some sweat pants and a white “Cozumel” souvenir t-shirt.  They would have just enough time to eat and come back for their bags, as their flight didn’t leave until noon, so they made one last trip to Billy’s and Sunday was the all day breakfast buffet.  She recalled what she said in the elevator the night before about not eating like that anymore and her reminder to herself during her shower; she didn’t plan on being such a glutton today, but she wanted to be sure she got her fill of pancakes, sausage and bacon.

She ate with gusto, but her friends only picked at their plates.  They were forcing food down and sipped ice water and a little Coke while they filled Sarah in on what they did at the beach the day before and explained they were still too hung over to eat very much.  Each trip Sarah made to the buffet line her friend’s eyes were on her belly although she didn’t take notice. 

They stopped at one plate and talked quietly while Sarah filled a second, third, fourth and fifth plate, all the while her belly bulged further and further out.  Feeling bloated again she took a hearty chug of Coke so the bubbles would sooth her distended belly.  Stifling a belch, she decided to make one last trip.  This trip would include a large stack of pancakes topped with strawberry compote and plenty of whipped cream.  She looked around, but the only people watching were her friends, they seemed to be smiling about something, so Sarah put her plate under the soft serve machine and drew a small heap of vanilla ice cream right on top of her pancakes.

She sat down hard in her seat and dug in.

“Mmm.”  She moaned.  “This is so good.”

“Um . . . Sarah.”  Amy said.  “Don’t you think you’re over doing it just a little?”

“Yeah.”  Lori, of all people, said.  “You don’t want to undo your diet all in one week do you?”

“Today is our last day of vacation.”  Sarah said.  “I’m not going to over do it anymore after this.”  She was embarrassed having already broken her promise to herself, but finished her plate anyway. 

Their flight left as planned.  She and her friends were in their seats and snoozing even before take off.  She felt warm and stuffed and happy.  The smile on her face showed as much, as she drifted off resting her hand on top of her growing belly.  They were lucky enough to get a deal on a direct flight back to Dulles and she slept the whole way, as did her friends.  Sarah drove the three to the airport and parked her car in the long term parking before the flight, now upon arriving back home, she dropped off her friends at their apartments and headed home to her apartment in Centreville. 

After dropping Amy off at her apartment near Fair Oaks Mall, she cruised through the parking lot thinking she’d stop at Starbuck for a pick me up before heading in for the night.  Instead, on the way, she saw the sign for the Cheesecake Factory.  Inside she kept telling herself no, then at least decided, why not?

“Technically, I’m still on vacation.”  She said doing her best to justify stopping.  “I have to eat something and I don’t think I have anything at home I can make quickly and there’s no way I’m cooking tonight.”

She pulled into the ‘curbside to go’ and walked in.

“Let’s see.”  She said looking over the menu.  “I’ll get an order of the Southern Fried Chicken Sliders, the Pasta DaVinci and the Red Velvet Cheesecake to go.”

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I was so nervous that morning that the usual Monday gridlock didn’t even faze me.  As far as I was concerned, traffic was moving much too fast.  I was anxious to see Sarah but so nervous at the same time because I wanted to ask her out, but now I felt like I was being cornered into it and I didn’t even know what to say.

She was going to look hot, I knew that.  Tanned, well rested, cheerful, all the things I loved about her she would be today times ten.  Plus it would be even better because I hadn’t seen her for a week.  I’d been thinking about her the whole time and she’d have no way of knowing that.

I’ll just play it by ear, I kept telling myself.  We’ll have to see how it goes.

I walked into the storage closet, past Norm’s desk, which was empty and to my cube.  I stood there for a second listening to see if I could hear whether or not Sarah was there and it didn’t sound like it.  I leaned over to take a peek and she was not in her seat.

I sat for a second trying to compose myself, there was work in my box, so at least Norm had something for me to do today.  I saw the pile on his desk when I walked by, looked like enough for the week.  That always puzzled me, with all the money the government spent, I didn’t understand why there weren’t more invoices to process.

I suddenly felt tired.  Maybe it was my nerves and now I was crashing from the adrenalin that had been pumping through my veins all morning.  I hadn’t even started working and I needed a pick-me-up.  I did my customary walk around to find that I was alone again, everybody was late as usual.  I was late too, but only by five minutes that is how it usually was.

I put some change into the soda machine and got a Mountain Dew to start my day.  I checked the Reese’s slot in the snack machine, it had been refilled and two hung on the end just as it had before.

I smiled as they both plunked against the trap door down below.  I put one on Sarah’s desk and sat down to start my day.  Not start my day by working, mind you.  I wouldn’t want to start off on a bad foot.  No, first I checked my email, my Facebook and my Myspace.  Then I checked the news and the weather.

Her phone rang and no one answered.

It was half past eight and I was starting to wonder whether or not she was coming in.  It’s not all that unheard of to call off sick the day after a vacation. 

I thought I heard her huffing and puffing as she came into the room, she sat down heavily on her chair and sighed.

“Whew.”  She said panting.

“Is that you, Sarah?”  I asked.

“Hi Sam.”  She gasped.  She was out of breath.

“Are you okay?”  I asked.

“Yeah.”  She panted.  “Elevator is out.  Had to use the stairs.”

“Oh.”  I said.  I usually took the stairs anyway, it was quicker than waiting on the elevator that had last been inspected sometime after the building was built in the 1930s. 

“Is anybody here?”  She asked.

“Just us.”  I said.  “How was your vacation?”  I asked.  “Must have been great, huh?”

“Well.”  She hesitated.  “It was okay I guess.”

“Okay?”  I said.  “Didn’t you go to Cozumel?”

“Yeah.”  She said unenthusiastically.

“Tell me what you did?”  I said.  “Margaritas on the beach everyday?”

“Um. . . no.”  She said.  “In fact I only went to the beach once, and. . . “

“And what?”  I asked. 

“Well, look.”  She said and I spun around in my chair to see her red RED skin that had just begun to start pealing.

“Ouch.”  I said.  She was so sunburned.  Not to mention she looked very puffy.  Like puffy like she gained a good bit of weight over her vacation.  She looked magnificent.  Keep your composure.

“We spent all of Monday at the airport.”  She said.  “Didn’t even get there until late Monday night.  Tuesday it rained.  Wednesday it rained most of the day, finally got out to go to a club.  Thursday we were so hung over we didn’t do anything until late, then we went to a club again.  Friday I was hung over again and so tired I fell asleep on the beach and got burned.  Saturday I was too burned to do anything and we flew home yesterday.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time.”  I said.  “That sucks.”

“It’s okay, Sam.”  She said.  “At least I wasn’t here at work.”

“True.  So, you went dancing and what else?”  I asked.  “How was the food?  Was it exotic?”  I had to ask, being a foodie.

“Oh, the food was great!”  She said.  “There was this restaurant right in the lobby of the hotel, it was called Billy’s American Grill.  They had great food.  We ate there just about every night.”

“Well, that’s good.”  I said.  “I’m kind of a foodie myself, I’m always interested in exotic cuisine.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”  She said.  “It wasn’t very exotic, but it was good.  Oh, did you leave me this Reese’s cup?”

“Oh, yeah.”  I said, I almost forgot about it.  “There were two hanging again.”

“Thanks, Sam.”  She said and I heard the wrapper open.  “I shouldn’t eat this though, I was pretty bad while I was on vacation.  My diet was out the door.”

I laughed.  “Well, you shouldn’t worry about that stuff while you’re on vacation.”

“That’s what I thought.”  She said.  “You’re a smart guy, Sam.”

“Thanks.”  Do not let your head inflate!

Our morning stretched on and we made small talk from time to time, I must admit it was wonderful to be able to talk to her.  I was already kicking myself for being chicken so long.  Conversation with her was the easiest thing in the world.  Her voice was so melodic and her perfume was intoxicating.  She was stunning even with the sunburn and her figure was fuller than when she left.  I don’t know what she ate while she was gone, but I was grateful for it, because her shape was nothing short of fantastic.  I just love the way her hips and thighs sway when she walks, almost a waddle and her chest and face look fuller, too.  So cute it’s distracting.  Fortunately, my work doesn’t require me to be very attentive or dedicated.

Ten rolled around and things were back to normal.  She got up from her cube and went right to the vending machines.  First it was a soda hitting the trap door.  Then it was a candy bar, then two candy bars.  Imagine my delight when she plopped one on my desk with a giggle.

“Thanks, Sarah.”  I said and I was truly touched by the gesture.

“You’re welcome.”  She said and giggled again.

About eleven her phone rang and I could guess who that was.

“Oh, you guys aren’t going?”  She said frustrated.  “You’re swamped?”

I guess her friends couldn’t go to lunch.

“No, it’s okay.”  She said sadly.  “I’ll just run out and grab something then.” 

And she hung up.

“Friends can’t go to lunch?”  I asked.

“Yeah.”  She said.  “That stinks.  We were going to go this place on the Rockville Pike.”

I’m sure I turned red just then, as red as she was from being sunburned, and I’m sure I started sweating bullets, but my time had arrived.  Right now I could ask her to go to lunch.

The time had come.  It was now or never.

I cleared my throat and squared my jaw.

“Well, Sarah, we should go to lunch.”  I said. 

There it was.  My heart was pounding and I knew if she said no I’d never be able to ask her again.  It took everything in my heart and soul to take this risk to begin with.  I don’t think I have it in me to do it again.  If she says no, I’ll have to move on, might even have to get a new job.  No, I’d have to move to some place in the Aleutian Islands.  Change my name and everything, maybe get a job on a fishing boat.

“Okay, Sam.”  She said.  “Let’s go to Olive Garden.” 

“Okay.”  I said and I couldn’t contain my smile.  If I died right now, I’d be okay with it.  “Sounds good to me.”

“But you can’t order what you did last time.”  She said.  “The girls are back on a diet today, so I guess I better get back on it, too.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just said okay.  It sucked though.

I drove us to the Olive Garden, I asked her why her friends didn’t want to go, she said that Lori called off and Amy had gained five pounds while on vacation, plus she was swamped, but she suspected it was the weight and not the work, because she ordered out and got a salad. 

“Five pounds isn’t that much.”  I said.

“As much as we ate, I’m surprised she only gained five pounds.”  Sarah said and I think she was blushing, but I wasn’t sure given her sunburn and all.  “I wonder if Lori gained any.”

“Did she look like it?”  I asked.

“I’m not sure.”  Sarah said.  “She’s already a big girl, I didn’t notice her looking any bigger, but like I said, she’s so chubby it’s hard to tell.  I know I gained some weight, because I had trouble finding something that fit this morning.  But, I don’t know how much.”

“Well, like I said.  You were on vacation, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”  I told her.

“Yeah.”  She said.  “You’re right.  You’re so understanding, Sam.”

I know I blushed.  Have to work on that.  How does one keep from bushing?

We must have beaten the crowd to the restaurant because there weren’t many people there.  It was a lazy Monday, overcast and cool.  It was supposed to be in the 70s today, but it didn’t quite make it.  The sun kept threatening to come out, but so far we haven’t seen it.

The hostess seated us right away and the waiter was there within a minute, he must have been bored.  He was young and his face was full of pimples.  I figured he was working his way through college.  Good for him.  Actually, it was probably the same guy as before.

We looked over the menu and I had no idea what I was going to get.  I asked Sarah for suggestions. 

“Um, I think I’m going to get the soup and salad.”  She said.  “Skip the bread probably.”

“Okay.”  I said.  That sounded like a horrible idea. 

“What are you going to get?”  She asked.

“I have no idea.”  I said.  “I don’t usually get salad here.  Not really in a salad mood to be honest.”

She sighed.  “I’m not either.”

Just then the waiter showed up with a wine sample.  I didn’t know they did that during the week, I thought that was a weekend thing.  But it was nice, so I got drank my sample, and I didn’t know anything about what wine goes with what food, I just thought it tasted good.

He came back to take our order and I still didn’t know what I was going to get, I just figured I’d order whatever she did and then raid the snack machine all afternoon. 

“Oh, I think I’ll have. . . .”  She paused and looked up at me.  She looked me right in the eye and squinted in thought.  “I’m going to have the chicken alfredo.”

“Lunch or dinner portion?”  The waiter asked.

“Dinner.”  She replied.

I smiled and ordered the dinner portion of spaghetti and Italian sausages, thankful that she left me off the hook, salad is a nice side dish, but it’s not a meal.

We chatted and laughed until the big salad bowl and bread arrived and for the life of me I couldn’t understand why I’d been so afraid to talk to her before.  Everything she said and the way she said everything was delightful.  If she was worried about going back on a diet, she didn’t show any signs of it.  I had half a loaf of bread while she finished the rest.  I had a little salad as did she and when the entrée arrived she didn’t complain about what she should and shouldn’t eat.  I went out on a limb when the waiter returned and ordered dessert and passed the menu to Sarah who quickly said tiramisu without even glancing at her options.

We’d already been at the restaurant for an hour before we considered going back to the office.  She told me all the details about her vacation, how pretty the scenery was once she actually got out to see it and how great the food was.  She spent a lot of time on the details of the food and I took that occasion to bring up my weekend projects and how this weekend was an Asian theme.

She thought it was a great idea and gladly accepted my invitation even knowing there would be two other people there, people she didn’t know. 

“I had no idea you did that sort of thing.”  She said.  “You’ve been holding out on me all this time.”

I shrugged my shoulders.  “I’m shy I guess.”

“Me too.”  She admitted.

She smiled and I felt so foolish for never having the nerve to speak to her.  She was one of the warmest, sweetest, most approachable people I’ve ever spent time with and we really connected.  I checked my watch and felt bad that we were going to have to go back to the office.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later.”  She laughed.  “Back to the grind.”

“I know.”  I said.  “Hey, do you want a Blizzard?”

“Sure.”  She said and I pulled into a Dairy Queen, it was on the way and the craving struck me even though I’d already had dessert.  I got Oreo and she got Snickers for our second dessert and headed back to the office, which was still empty.

“Oh, I love the Oreo Blizzard.”  She said eyeing my cup.

“Do you want a taste?”  I asked.

“Sure.”  She said, but I was not prepared in any way for what came next.  Nor was she apparently.  I lifted a spoonful and placed it right in her mouth.  It was even better than before.  This time it wasn’t just hot, it was electric.  She grinned and blushed.

“Um . . .w-would you like to, ah, try mine?”  She stuttered.

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