Rosie laughed. “I’d like to have you as my foodie friend. But I’m not sure you fully understand what this would mean for you,” she said as she put one hand on her chubby belly, “you will inevitably gain some weight and become chubby. You do realize that, right?”
“I can handle it,” Constance replied without hesitation.
“Really?” Rosie asked and raised her eyebrows. “You should know that people will treat you differently once you become heavier. They will not consider you attractive anymore and look down on you. I regularly have to endure mean comments or hear them when people think I’m not listening. You’ll be known everywhere as the chubby girl, and people will respect you less because of it.”
Something about those words caused an explosion of excitement inside Constance. She didn’t know what caused her heart rate to accelerate. But she knew for sure that she wanted to try out living life as Rosie did.
Constance put on a determined look as she responded: “I would love to become your foodie friend.”
Rosie looked surprised by her quick and determined response. “Wow, that is amazing!” she said as she regained her smile, “I’ve always dreamed of finding a friend that goes on food adventures with me! Ok, to start, we have to try one of the desserts here.”
Constance groaned. “But I’m already stuffed from my steak. I’m not used to eating this much.”
“That’s why we need to start training you,” Rosie responded. “We need to get your stomach capacity up so you can keep up with me. If you want to be my foodie friend, then you have to be able to eat as much as I do. Otherwise, it won’t be any fun if we can’t try the same things.”
Constance still didn’t look convinced, so Rosie continued: “Look, just imagine that you’re not stuffed while reading the menu. You’re actually quite hungry. What would be something that you’d love to try? Just order it, and we can worry about how to get it inside your belly later.”
Trying to ignore her painfully stuffed stomach, Constance looked at the menu. Getting dessert was something she had never done before. She could only eat some fruit after a meal growing up. Once she read over the options, she had to admit that all of them sounded good.
After some thinking, Constance chose to go the classical route and order chocolate cake. Rosie was happy with her choice.
The desserts arrived, and Constance took a deep breath. Her body was telling her not to eat another bite, but she knew she had to ignore its pleading. Hesitantly, she took the fork and got her first mouthful.
Not being used to sugar, the sweetness overwhelmed her taste buds. It was so intense that Constance felt a rush through her body, and her painfully stuffed stomach was forgotten by the time she swallowed. The aftertaste of her high-calorie treat left her yearning for more.
Bite after bite, the cake disappeared into Constance’s mouth, each one making her happier. When she finished her piece, a wide smile lingered on her lips. Only one thing was on her mind.
How have I lived so long without this?
“You look like you have really enjoyed yourself,” Rosie remarked, “I told you that you just have to order it.”
Constance was slowly coming off her high. She groaned as she regained awareness of her now even fuller belly.
“You better get used to this feeling. We will need to get you to this point regularly if we want you to catch up to me.”
“I feel like I won’t be able to get up for the rest of the day,” Constance answered between heavy breaths, “How are you supposed to keep up with your workout if you’re eating like this?”
Rosie giggled. “You don’t, dummy. I haven’t worked out since I left High School, and I’d look ridiculous if I tried to run now. You will get out of shape with my lifestyle. That is inevitable. I get out of breath whenever I have to climb a long flight of stairs. From now on, the most important thing in your life is to try all the food and satisfy all your cravings. And you will pay by not being to exercise anymore. Try getting used to seeing yourself as an unfit girl, so you’ll be prepared when you get there eventually.”
Constance leaned back, still smiling. She tried imagining herself as out of shape and overweight. To her surprise, the thought didn’t scare her at all.
On the contrary: somehow, she was looking forward to it.