MsCezanne's Odyssey

Ellen was alive again. When Ryan had told her that he'd like to see her gain weight, it was like waking from some awful nightmare. No longer did she have to torture herself to fit into some sort of brutal socially ideal size. Gone were the days of carefully planning to ensure she got exactly the nutrients and calories she needed without a bit more.

Ellen was going to live the life she was meant to live, and it was all thanks to Ryan.

When she woke up in the morning, she ate. She had a big breakfast with toast, eggs, bacon, fruit, yogurt. She took along bagels with cream cheese, maybe some danishes or muffins, to snack on during the ride to work.

At lunch she would hit the food court and get the supersized value meal from which ever place suited her fancy that day. Sometimes she'd order an extra side to go along with it.

She kept a supply of snacks and treats at her desk. They were set out for all to enjoy, but it was Ellen who ate most of them.

Dinners were more complicated. If she could plan ahead, she'd ensure there was a meal prepped for her to cook when she got home. If she didn't have the time, she wasn't above having some frozen dinners, picking something up on the way home or calling for delivery. As she became accustomed to her new eating habits, it wasn't uncommon for Ellen to pick something up, cook something and then call for a late delivery.

She became a familiar face at the market, butcher and bakery she used to visit regularly. A few staff still recognised her, and she was very happy to get back in touch with people she hadn't realised had been her good friends. Before long it was as though she'd never stopped visiting.

People around Ellen noticed the change immediately. At first they assumed she was just in love. They weren't far off the mark, she was very fond of Ryan, but it was her love of food that had turned her back into the bright, engaging and focused woman they used to know.

Ellen did notice that few people seemed to put together the fact that she was happy and had stopped dieting. She was used to people seeing the world through their own prisms, and it had never occurred to them that losing weight was the cause of sadness, and that gaining weight would be the source of rejoicing. It was okay with her. She was happy.

***

If Ellen had left it up to Ryan, they'd be seeing each other every waking second of every waking day. She appreciated his excitement of finding a woman to gain weight, she was very happy to find a guy who liked her to gain weight. She wasn't ready for that kind of commitment yet. She was taking her time getting her own life sorted out, she wasn't quite ready to share it with Ryan completely.

She still dated Ryan, of course. They would run into each other on the subway in the mornings, and he'd often track her down at lunch. He was very sweet, he would be happy to just sit quietly and watch her eat, or crowd into the seat next to her on the subway so no one else would.

For one date he had challenged her to eat through the entire menu of appetizers at a family restaurant. Another date saw her facing down a stack of pizzas. They spent one night at an all you can eat buffet, with Ryan making numerous trips for her until the place finally closed.

This time they were at a restaurant renowned for its cheesecakes. Ryan had ordered a slice of every flavour for Ellen and she was doing her best to eat them all. She knew that he loved to see that, and she really did like the idea of pushing her appetite and surprising herself.

As she took a break to let the piece she'd just finished settled she finally asked Ryan, "Just how big do you think I should get?"

"Oh, I don't really know. 500 pounds seems like a nice, round number, doesn't it?"

"500 pounds?" She replied, thinking about it. "I've never even been 400 pounds, that's going to be pretty big, I think."

Ryan smiled, "Sure, it's big, but that's what you want, isn't it?"

Ellen smiled back, "no, it's what YOU want, isn't it?"

"I'm pretty sure you want it too." Ryan pushed a slice of wildberry cheesecake in front of her.

She quickly finished off the cake before moving on to the next slice. She paused and said, "You know, I've already gained 20 pounds. It's not really going to take me all that long to reach 500 pounds. Maybe 600 is more realistic?"

Labels: Ellen, FA, fiction, Ryan, weight gain