Sheila returned to the flat where she resided with Jose, a couple of his henchman lugging in the clothes and take home food Elena and Rosa had given her.
Acknowledging the candles and mood music, the goons shuffled off post haste, Jose making his entrance from the kitchen.
“Hey hot stuff, I really missed you”, Jose said while embracing his main squeeze who bestowed him a smooch.
“What’s all this?” Sheila quaintly inquired, “The candles and music?”
“I missed you so much, I thought you’d appreciate a romantic evening”, Jose smiled, giving Sheila’s belly a gentle rub.
Sheila softly massaged the side of Jose’s face, her whopper of a belly aligned with Jose’s barrel shaped gut, “I’m too big to be romantic…”
Jose wagged his head, circling his hands over Sheila’s belly, “You’ll never be too big, honey.”
“Now relax, put on something sexy if you want…” Jose began to say but was interrupted by Sheila’s laughter, “Something sexy! You’re a madman!”
Jose blithely continued, “In any case, I’m making roast duck with rice, beans and carrots on the side. Should be ready in a half hour…”
Sheila placed her hands over her broad hips, “What did I do to deserve you!”
From there Jose returned to the kitchen, Sheila waddled off to the bedroom where she struggled out of her clothes to put on something sexy. In her body’s current condition, sexy meant comfortable, and thus she put on a colorful Mexican style nightgown.
Sheila couldn’t resist a peek in the mirror, her fingertips trailing over her double chin that was bulbous enough to look like it belonged to a bull frog.
Biting her lip while surveying her round figure, Sheila couldn’t believe she was well within 300-pounds! It was indeed outside pure logic that her svelte athletic form would become so implausibly fat!
Sheila cradled her protruding orb, massaging it affectionately while her mind harkened back to her school days when she was Sheila Marcus. It was always open season to tease students with fat moms; she never considered it rude back then or even hurtful, merely comical shenanigans in order to express some sort of superiority.
“Ay, I hope in the Mexican culture it’s different”, Sheila pondered.
Majority of breeding age women in the Spanish slums were portly. If not, her child would be continuously mocked, Sheila confidently construed she’d be among the fattest of them all.
___________
Jose served Sheila first, ample portions that made her pretty doe eyes bug out but she happily welcomed all that he allotted on her plate.
Sheila began talking about their business, what she missed in gang activity and to be brought up to speed on recent developments.
Jose shun such talk, naturally he was civil expressing his view, “We’ll deal with that tomorrow, let tonight only be about us.”
Sheila concurred, Jose asking about her visit with her friends, Elena, Rosa and Yolanda.
Sheila spoke while nibbling, the food having such an intoxicating flavor, she couldn’t pause for a moment.
Giddily she described a few details; hanging out at the park with the kids, Rosa teaching her how to make ox tail soup, playing a feminine style of Mexican poker with some of the neighbors, and having a late night feast on cornbread and muffins.
Eventually Yolanda was brought up into the mix, “Elena was a little upset at me because she thinks I’m too harsh on her. Maybe I was but it‘s her own fault, being a stupid pathetic wimp. But Elena talked sense into me; I should be a better friend….”
Jose sipped his beer, conveying after wiping his lips, “Yolie has really changed, I still can’t believe she’s the same girl who was tough, sassy and beautiful.”
Sheila lowered her eyes, peeping a humorous squeal, “She done gone blimp!”
Jose reeled back his head, Sheila gesturing with a roll of her eyes, “Okay, so I love it she’s fatter than me! I’ll still work harder on our friendship.”
Jose resumed his meal, “I hope so”, he firmly remarked.
“I’ll drop by to see her soon”, Sheila nodded, “Make up for neglecting her, bring her a gift. We have any top of the line muumuus in stock? “
Jose didn’t dignify the question with a reply, Sheila titled her head, gobbling up her food, “She’s bigger than me, I got to get some fun out of it. Remember, I’m female!”
“Well, I can understand that”, Jose replied, “But people like us have few real true friends, keep her close to your heart and show her respect.”
“Shit!” Sheila exclaimed in authentic surprise, “You’re an old softy, some gang banger you are!”
Jose fidgeted in his chair, “Eat your food before it gets cold..”
Sheila’s nibbling slowed, sighing a couple times before relating to Jose, “Elena is worried, she lectured me a few times about raising our child in the gang background.”
Sheila’s expression became pensive, her shoulders rolling over, “Elena is right you know. Being in the gang is bad, we’re bad people and we risk losing our child from the authorities or by gang retaliation.”
Sheila cupped her gigantic swollen belly, “Jose, am I a horrible woman because I feel the gang is our only escape from poverty? I know Elena lives a good proper life, but I can’t see myself making a day out of doing laundry and cooking, and being excited about it.”
Jose paused from his meal to reflect, finally he answered, “What do you want us to do? I have a shipment of weed and pills coming in from Mexico which will be a big score for us, I have a warehouse full of stolen property that Hector wants sold on the streets as soon as possible. This is bad timing, in order for me to quit, I have to reckon with Hector and honey, maybe he’s in Mexico but it wouldn’t go well for me if I just packed up and moved away. It would be dangerous for both of us.”
Sheila clenched her fist, lightly tapping the table, “That’s why I feel horrible. I don’t want to leave the gang. I like the power, the influence we have in the neighborhood, the money.”
Sheila stared straight on at Jose, “I only hope we can protect our child.”
Jose nodded, “I gotta take a crap, leave the dishes, I’ll get to them later.”
Jose ambled over to Sheila, running his fingers through her hair, giving her a brief kiss.
“There’s chocolates in the fridge, imported from Belgium, I think it’s an island near Europe”, Jose warmly smiled.
As Jose vacated the kitchen for the bathroom, Sheila sighed, then broke down in tears.
_________
A while later, Jose approached Sheila as she sat with her feet up in the recliner, half the box of Belgium chocolates having already disappeared between her lips.
Jose placed his hands in his pockets, swerving back and forth at his pudgy waist, his eyes locking on Sheila.
“This is a good movie! All about Bruce Willis fighting bad guys in a skyscraper.”
A quizzical expression pounced unto Jose’s face, “You never saw ’Die Hard’?”
Sheila brought her eyes back to screen, “No, but they should make a sequel, I mean, this is a cool movie!”
Shelia popped another chocolate into her mouth, noticing Jose remaining put in his spot, nasally sighed, “Okay, what’s on your mind?”
Jose tilted his head, his voice soaked with empathy, “I agree with Elena too. Although I hate the idea of doing a nine to five job and being, well, typical…you know what I mean. I promised you a while back to get out of this business, I’ll keep my promise.”
“Easy for you to say, we got a warehouse of stolen property we got to push”, Sheila half-smiled, “And we got to get on the Addison Park boys, they’re slacking off. They haven’t broken into a truck or shop in almost two weeks, what we paying those bums for, huh?”
Jose comically gestured with his hands, “Hey, I can’t shoot them! I can have their ass kicked though.”
Jose maneuvered closer to Sheila, telling her with a funky smile, “Want to cuddle up with your old man on the coach and watch ’Die Hard’?”
Sheila sweetly hummed back, “You wanna get your arms around me?”
“Absolutely”, Jose replied.
Sheila frivolously smirked, “Oh like that’s going to happen!”
Sheila adjusted the recliner, Jose helping her upward.
“I might have a little too much waist for your arms to wrap around but I’m willing to give it a try!” Sheila melodiously peeped.
Jose gently cupped Sheila’s face, “Me too”, he softly uttered as he moved in for a kiss.
____________