Yolanda had remained in bed for majority of the week, overtly tired and somewhat cloudy in the head. The women were pleased though, Yolanda’s disposition was much more tolerant than normal and she was beginning to consume larger meals.
The only time Yolanda seemed upset to the extreme of full blown aggravation was when they supplied her with a few crossword puzzles for her amusement.
The puzzle books were squarely high school reading level but Yolanda had difficulty completing them.
This was the day of the barbecue; Olivia’s mother visited Rosaria and Marta earlier that week and invited them as well. Diligently explaining that it was a comfortable gathering of neighbors as well as Olivia’s friends.
Yolanda tightly clung to the bed sheet she wore after taking her first shower in a week, a much needed shower as she was starting to develop an obnoxious odor.
Rosaria supplied Yolanda with a fresh pair of undergarments, well fresh to her since they were purchased at a flea market that specialized in used apparel.
“Slip into these and then we’ll set your hair, okay?” Rosaria pleasantly smiled.
Yolanda rubbed her nose, an oafish timbre to her once eloquent voice, “Yes, Rosaria. These are nice, thank you.”
The bra was ridiculously cheap and mundane in design while the panties were ugly hip-huggers and ultra matronly in style.
Rosaria delicately swatted Yolanda’s buttock, “That’s a girl! You obey and you’ll get rewarded!”
“I’m getting rewarded enough”, Yolanda cringed in her thoughts as she glimpsed over her strikingly pronounced belly bulge.
“I can‘t handle being like this….” she whimpered to herself once Rosaria left the cell like room.
“All this weight, I‘m not the same woman anymore…” Yolanda struggled with her self-esteem, “I can‘t be.”
Rosaria joined Marta in the kitchen while she was wrapping up homemade sweets for the festivities.
“I so think Yolanda’s wearing the largest undergarment thus far.”
Marta conceded with a smile, “Thus far, you’re right. Soon though she’ll be in the jumbo league.”
“Oh Hector will be pleased and so will Marco”, Rosaria replied, “The mushrooms are doing their trick.”
“Well we got to keep manipulating her so when she‘s carted off to work at the hotel she‘s a docile jelly of a woman. Just yesterday when I gave her those magazines, she stared at the pictures without much of an expression.”
Rosaria convincingly rattled off, “That’s because she’s reflecting on who she used to be, she knows there’s no comparison between her and those models anymore. Just imagine how Yolanda is going to feel around Olivia and some of her friends?”
“And the getup we got Yolanda to wear”, Marta excitedly giggled, “She’ll look more natural to the farmland than most native women.”
“So get the magazine so you can fix her hair appropriately”, Rosaria encouraged Marta, “Tubby be out in a minute.”
Yolanda made her entrance into the kitchen, hobbling in a lackluster stride. She knew not to complain about her prosaic bra and panties set, instead she politely thanked them for buying them for her.
“Quite alright, they look suitable given your figure”, Rosaria calculatingly set out to humiliate Yolanda.
“All those expensive designer stuff isn’t practical anymore, you’ll grow into realizing this, comfort is the ticket for girls like you.”
Marta skipped merrily back into the kitchen once retrieving the magazine from the front room.
“Ready to have your hair done?”
Yolanda pulled out a chair, her big thighs brushing together as she sat down.
Marta walked around Yolanda, elevating her chin, cherishing the excess fat that was providing her a domestic housewife look in aces.
“Now you’re love this new look”, Marta crisply remarked, “I swear no other girl at the barbecue will have this style.”
Yolanda puffed up cheeks and squinted in thought, “It won’t make any difference.”
Rosaria handed Marta a couple combs and then a handful of bobbie-pins, making a short trek to the stove to pour herself a cup of coffee, subsequently taking a seat to observe the spectacle under way.
Marta cupped Yolanda’s forehead, delicately running her fingers up and down her mane, “Your hair is getting a might curly, did you have curly hair before?”
Yolanda felt calm and relaxed as Marta began combing her locks, “Yes, you should have seen me in high school during my big hair days.”
“Used to have an afro, wore a lot of makeup too”, Yolanda continued reflecting on her youth, “I was so rebellious, almost booted out of high school for talking back. I was so tough…” Yolanda’s voice cracking at the conclusion. A tear running down her check.
“We all change after high school, chica”, Rosaria flashed a smile, “I used to be a size 4!”
Marta used the bobbie-pins, sporadically using the comb on Yolanda’s bangs.
The finished results were to Marta’s and Rosaria’s penchant, Yolanda’s black locks now set in an old-fashion bun style.
Yolanda’s eyes grew heavy with stilted lips while she gazed at her reflection in the small hand mirror Marta positioned into her fingers.
The hairstyle more than emphasized the roundness of her face but inexplicably illustrated the facial appearance of any nondescript rural Mexican native.
Yolanda rubbed her cheek as she studied her appearance, who would ever believe she was born and raised in America.
“Very nice, don’t you think?” Marta inquired.
Yolanda closed her eyes briefly, summoning up the guts to capitulate to what the women wanted to hear but likewise yielding to her developing status.
“It’s perfect, I love it”, Yolanda forged a big smile, returning the mirror to Marta’s hand.
“We’ll get you a glass of buttermilk and then you can get dress”, Rosaria told Yolanda.
Yolanda rubbed her belly from side to side, rolling her tongue over her lips, “Oh buttermilk, yummy!”
Naturally Rosaria added some of their serum into the milk, providing Yolanda with the glass within a minute.
Marta went directly to her room to get Yolanda’s outfit while she nourished on the milk.
__
Yolanda remained seated on the chair while inspecting the garments they had specifically bought her for the barbecue. A sheer low-cut top of a subtle burgundy hue with short puffy sleeves and a long light brown skirt which settled just above her ankles.
Pseudo peasant attire, much more of a costume rather then the traditional garb but Yolanda knew they selected the garments to humiliate her.
However, instead of protesting or complaining, Yolanda happily told the women, “This is really nice, nothing like I ever wore in Los Angeles but I’m not in Los Angeles anymore. Right.”
Rosaria and Martha didn’t expect Yolanda to be this agreeable concerning the duds; they had hoped she would have been at least somewhat put off by pedestrian looking garments.
Yolanda’s belly sprang out forward and jiggled as she clumsily stood up.
“I think these clothes will help me embrace my Mexican heritage, in America I was too spoiled with their culture.”
Needlessly to say the women were disappointed by Yolanda’s gusto at the attire and her happy attitude toward her Mexican roots. How would they continue humiliating Yolanda if she was willingly on board with the program?
The women watched as Yolanda anxiously put on the clothes.
The blouse certainly flaunted Yolanda’s buxomness, her jugs as wide as they were stout, and highlighted the pudginess of her waist. The getup predominantly emphasized Yolanda’s belly and posterior, the corpulence seemingly natural as if destiny finally caught up with her.
Yolanda laid her hands over the sides of her belly, turning around so the women could get a shot of her from behind. Yolanda’s butt-cheeks held a mushy appearance, ballooning outward over her fat thighs.
“Well, what do you think?” Yolanda gushed.
“What do we think?” Rosaria questioned, hoping for Yolanda to criticize her figure or the attire, “What do you think?”
Yolanda tilted her head and smiled, “You couldn’t have bought me a better set of clothes.”
Yolanda hugged the women, thanking them again.
The women were in minor shock that Yolanda didn’t complain at all about how the garment made her look especially portly.
Much of the fun in fattening up Yolanda was watching her struggle with the weight and her overblown defiance. Thus they tried to make her feel awkward and uncomfortable about her appearance.
“Well for a girl who supposed to be a poor peasant you’re eating good!” Rosaria pointed at Yolanda, “That’s some big belly you’re touting!”
Marta joined in, “Don’t worry, tubby, the peasant look works for you.”
Yolanda giggled, “I know you’re just teasing me. It’s cool, I don’t mind.”
Yolanda grabbed the empty glass and excitedly buzzed on route to the ice box, “Let me have more buttermilk and then you can weigh me!”
Rosaria and Marta were stupefied, just like when at the carnival Yolanda behaved in a similar manner.
Yolanda guzzled away the glass of milk, her burp echoing through the kitchen.
“Remember what you said at the carnival, I’m too give your friends the impression I’ve always been a fatty”, Yolanda boldly smirked, her rump squished against the ice box, “And I’m going to play it up and good! Just don’t forget you said you’d get me ice cream, chocolate and walnut flavor…”
Yolanda finished her thoughts in a melodramatic mode, “…PPP--L-EE-A-SS-EE! Tubby wants ICE CREAM!”
“I’m afraid the best we can do is vanilla, maybe chocolate”, Rosaira slightly giggled at Yolanda’s antics.
Yolanda put a little extra wiggle in her wobble as she walked over to the women, “Now where’s that scale?”
Marta sighed and walked to the bedroom.
“What’s gotten into you, Yolanda?” Rosaria squinted, “At the carnival and now here. Are you playing around or is this for real?”
Yolanda’s double chin inflated as a vexed expression harden over her sweet face, “I’m confused, really. I cannot possibly be thrilled at how heavy I got but its better for me to pretend I don’t care.”
Yolanda grabbed Rosaria’s blouse, her voice cracking as she sniffled, “I’m not the same girl anymore, I need to allow myself some time to get used to being fat, I was so beautiful, I had a reputation in the neighborhood. People will now treat me like a nobody, a loser, a bottom feeder.”
Yolanda let loose of Rosaria’s blouse, and she spontaneously chuckled, “But as angry as this makes me, I sense I’ll adapt overtime. So do your worse, the heavier I become, the sooner I’ll come to terms with being a pathetic fat woman.”
Rosaria grinned and playfully tapped Yolanda’s belly, “Oh yes, you’ll get fatter. You won’t be able to fit into this outfit by the time you’re cleaning bathrooms at Hector’s hotel.”
Marta walked back into kitchen, “What did I miss?”
Rosaria turned to her sister in law, “Yolanda has agreed to be more cooperative, she’s resigned to getting fat….well, fatter!”
Marta diligently scrutinized Yolanda‘s face then the width of her hips, “You know your change of heart only pushes us into getting you jumbo size.”
Yolanda released an apathetic sigh, “Just put down the scale, please.”
Marta steadily placed the scale on the floor, Yolanda immediately stepping upon it.
Yolanda took a relaxed stance, both hands over her belly while the women checked where the needle rested on the scale.
Rosaria applauded, “Very nice, honey!”
Marta concurred, “Wow, you’re getting heavy!”
Yolanda stepped off the scale, “Just tell me how much I weigh”, she obnoxiously retorted.
Marta elatedly smiled, running her fingertips over the slope of Yolanda’s belly, “209-pounds, can you believe it!”
Yolanda’s belly mildly jiggled, she felt Marta’s fingertips converging with her flab.
The realization of her girth did have a negative impact on Yolanda but the sheer amusement the women enjoyed prompted her to ignore her vulnerable emotions and instead contribute to their gaiety.
“I’m turning into a big ol butterball!” Yolanda giggled, “I’m really starting to get round!”
“This is no fairy-tale, Yolanda!” Marta halted the jollity, sneering at her, “You think this is a game?”
Yolanda recoiled, surprised at the change in their mood.
Rosaria firmly addressed Yolanda, “So you fancy being a heavy damsel, well talk is cheap. At the barbecue make a big slob of yourself, and be not ashamed about it neither!”
Yolanda rolled her hips and excitedly chirped, “Oh you have nothing to worry about! From now on I’m an uncivilized fatty!”
________
On route to the truck Yolanda made the request to use the outhouse for a minute.
“Okay, don’t be too long”, Marta told her.
Once inside the outhouse Yolanda broke down, crying for a solid couple minutes, acknowledging the fact her potential and her advantages gone for good, her reputation in the community forever altered.
____________________
Yolanda managed to cheer up slightly on their way to the barbecue.
The women played traditional Mexican folk music over the radio which Yolanda was really starting to cherish, and even she had to admit, bitterly of course, that she would be able to entertain her appetite on all types of food.
---- Comfort from eating woven deep within Yolanda’s subconscious ----
Yolanda was quite impressed with the festivities.
Olivia’s family rather poor yet really pulled no stops in the range of food and merrymaking.
Neighbors all around contributed something, there was even a four piece band providing music.
Their home was no bigger than a 2 car garage in America but the party extended over their entire property including the barn where the food was prepared in vast proportions.
Olivia looked the stunning vixen in a figure hugging dress, and Ruby’s appearance was quite cute in an attractive top and slacks. Majority of the females that were Yolanda’s age were fat housewives with children in tow, Oliva’s friends were mainly slender or marginally plump.
Yolanda was greeted favorably, being introduced as the girl from America and the women’s cousin.
Yolanda sensed that Olivia and Ruby weren’t exactly overjoyed at her getup, simply saying she looked nice. The guys in attendance were pleasant to a degree but she was an outsider, and a chubby one at that. They would say hello but despite Yolanda’s attempt at making small talk, they soon moved on to whatever prettier girl caught their fancy. After a while Yolanda felt sincerely jaded and resigned herself to a lonely chair while the young people surrounding her pitched woo.
She remembered how the guys used to swoon over her; she had been the belle of the ball with her untarnished beauty and cute figure.
Yolanda handled the rejection by reminding herself that she was now a different woman, it proved futile at this juncture, it hurt being sidestepped for other females who couldn’t compare to her in her prime. The only logically method in dealing with this meant fully accepting the changes to her appearance, her behavior and personality likewise needed to change.
Yolanda ever so ardently conceded to this fact.
Yolanda put her words into action with the food, capturing a few repugnant looks while she messily devoured one plate of food after another. Even Ruby kept her distance away from Yolanda upon observing her crudely gnawing on chicken legs.
While the younger folks, those who were among Olivia’s posse, engaged in some dancing and harmless flirting, Yolanda relinquished her self-respect and greedily consumed most of the chocolate cake which the women brought to the party.
Olivia noticed Yolanda seated alone and slowly advanced over to her.
“You okay? You don’t seem like you’re having fun?” Olivia questioned, then suggested, “Join us; I know somebody will ask you to dance.”
Yolanda stood up and scratched her belly, “Nah, that’s okay. I’m going to see if there’s any more chicken left.”
Olivia glanced at Yolanda as if she was crazy, “But there’s so many nice guys here.”
Before Yolanda could make an excuse, Olivia grabbed her by the arm and tugged her toward the dance area.
There too was an obviously shy young man standing alone.
Olivia made the introductions upon reaching him.
A moderately chubby guy, about 19 years of age, he looked the classic wallflower.
Olvia backed away to join a very handsome dude on the dance floor, hoping the sparks would fly between Yolanda and this would be suitor.
They stood quietly for a few minutes, sporadically looking each other over.
This was the type of guy Yolanda would have failed to acknowledge months ago, now she was hard up for attention. Besides that, she was peculiarly nervous.
“Don’t be a dim-wit, Yolanda”, she castigated herself in her mind, “I use to walk over guys like this all the time.”
Finally she muttered, “Nice party…huh?”
The young man nodded, “Yes.”
Another awkward moment of silence.
Yolanda heaved a long sigh and she began flirting with him - at least it kind of resembled flirting.
For whatever reason Yolanda’s nervousness intensified, everything she said came out backwards.
“Lots of people today here….”
“Having fun on the dancing aren’t there..they?”
Yolanda’s body language was all thumbs as well. She tried directing her lovely breasts into his direction but she somehow managed to thrust out her belly, and she held her hands to her waist in a klutzy mode which made her look especially portly.
The guy nodded, placing his hands in his pockets.
“You know”, he said softly, “You remind me of my sister, she’s big boned too.”
Nice meeting you…” Yolanda uttered, the guy again nodded and walked away before she could.
______
Yolanda retreated to the area where the older women held conference so to speak.
Thinking how much the guy was a loser, and what it meant about her status if she couldn’t snare his attention.
Yolanda sat off to the side, barely noticed, nibbling on chocolate and pastries as the older women casually socialized.
After a while Rosaria volunteered Yolanda to wash dishes and clean up, which she did.
Olivia and her friends were still enjoying the evening as she scrubbed pots and picked up garbage.
Yolanda became all the wiser in terms of her place and class separation.
Attractive females owned the privileges of leisure, chubby women cleaned up after them.
Hours later Rosaria encouraged Yolanda to say goodbye to Olivia and thank her for such a nice evening and having invited her.
Olivia invited Yolanda to join her anytime and advise her not to be so shy.
Ruby was friendly but with reservations, standing at distance when she said goodbye.
_____________________
Yolanda couldn’t wait to get out of her attire as soon as they arrived home.
Tossing the garments into a corner of her room, she proceeded to change into a nightgown before entertaining her appetite on the various leftovers Rosaria and Marta were given to take home.
“Fat girls eat around the clock”, Yolanda starkly mused, more of an excuse to eat since she had developed such an unruly appetite rather then conceding to her new personality.
Yolanda painstakingly removed the bobbie pins, dropping them aimlessly unto the floor, letting her dark thick mane tumbled downward. She gently and for some outlandish reason messed up her locks before wobbling into the kitchen.
Rosaria and Marta were seated at the table conversing about the festivities as Yolanda ambled to the ice box.
Yolanda eventually dropped her luxurious size duff unto a chair, placing a glass of buttermilk with a bowl of leftover chili on the table.
“Olivia’s so pretty”, Yolanda said, her eyes welling up, choking on her words, “I used to be such a prize.”
“No doubt about that”, Marta replied.
Yolanda painfully sighed, gripping her spoon tightly, she began eating the chili.
“The clothes she wears….her figure…. everything about Olivia is perfect”, Yolanda spoke while chewing, her jealousy and torture seeping through her voice.
The women sat expressionless as Yolanda sipped her milk and then continued.
“She’s going to school, she’s making a big deal about it too but I can’t blame her. Olivia’s beauty shouldn’t be wasted here in this horrible farm land.”
“Oh yes, Olivia is special, I agree”, Rosaria smiled, “But so navie.”
“What do you mean?” Yolanda momentarily averting her vision on Rosaria to gobble up the next spoonful of chili, “In Los Angeles, the neighborhood I come from she’d be treated like royalty, she’s all that beautiful.”
Yolanda’s voice darkening, surplus chili flowing over her lips unto her chin, “….I envy her so much…”
Rosaria and Marta chuckled in tandem.
“But…?” Yolanda crinkled her nose at their arcane gaiety.
Rosaria looked over to Marta who signaled with a nod that sharing this piece of news with Yolanda was okay.
“At the barbecue Olivia’s mom told us that Olivia’s been promised to this farmer whose a close friend of her husband. She said they would get a bull out of the arrangement and some property.
So you see, Olivia won’t be going to school or leaving this horrible farm land you called it after all.”
“Really!” Yolanda exclaimed, “Does this sort of thing still go on?”
“Most definitely!” Rosaria chirped.
“Olivia due to wed next year, she doesn’t know it yet. It’s our secret, right?”
Yolanda dropped the spoon into the empty bowl, indifferently gazing at Rosaria.
“What do I care. I’m nothing to brag about, I have no consideration for pretty girls.”
“Well take it from me, Yolie, give Olivia a few years at being a housewife and she’ll be nothing to brag about either”, Rosaria boldly stated. “Those sweet slim hips of hers will spread with every child and that lovely flat tummy will never be the same.”
Yolanda puffed up her cheeks and snorted, “At least she’ll have a man.”
“Seems the young man Olivia’s been promised to likes his women a little curvier than what she got going on”, Marta chimed in, “So her mother has arranged for us to see that it gets done.”
“You’re going to fatten her up like you did to me?” Yolanda wheezed, “You women are crazy despicable.”
“Don’t be silly!” Rosaria giggled, “We won’t get her that fat, just some extra padding, scarcely chubby.”
Marta teasingly smiled at Yolanda, “We don’t want to discourage the poor boy, if Olivia got as heavy as you, he would flee to the hills and the wedding would be off.”
Marta’s taunts no longer ruffled Yolanda’s nerves in the same way, causing her to nod in agreement, “Ain’t that the truth.”
Yolanda really no longer cared; she had a new perspective on matters based squarely on the protocol of her status. Yolanda’s desires had changed as much as her appearance.
Yolanda stood up from the table, making another raid on the fridge, this time it was a Mexican form of cheesecake.
“There’s only two slices left, can I finish it?” Yolanda’s tone somewhat whiny.
Rosaria agreed, Yolanda slowly maneuvered to her room without another word said.
_______
At daybreak Rosaria called out to Marta, anxiously and excitedly, “Take a look at this!”
Marta joined her sister in law in the kitchen to check on what the commotion was all about.
Rosaria stood with the ice box door wide open, “Seems Yolie couldn’t resist a midnight snack. The entire jug of buttermilk is gone and so is the cheese and beans.”
Marta smiled cheerfully, “I think we can lay off the formula a bit. Yolanda’s now a good old fashion over eater!”
“If that’s the case”, Rosaria snickered, “I think she deserves a gallon tub or two of ice cream to show our gratitude. She’ll really start packing on the pounds now!”
____________