Meghan's Misadventures (Chapter 10): "The Plot(belly) Thickens" (Patreon)

Had Meghan still lived in Southern California, Monday's alarming weight-related developments likely would have awakened her to the need for change. Unfortunately for the plumpening blonde, the schemers in her sleepy hometown kept hitting the snooze button.

Zeke dismissed Alice's dressing-down of his girlfriend as jealousy and surprised her with a shopping spree for a new wardrobe.  Filled with praise and freed from the confines of outgrown clothes, Meghan, who had refused dinner earlier in the evening, suddenly got her appetite back.  On their way home, the couple made pitstops at the local candy shop and ice cream parlor.

Meanwhile, Meghan's mother, who didn't like that she was losing her daughter to sinful shack-ups with Zeke, began doing whatever she could to keep her at home, including spoiling her with her favorite foods--chicken fried steak, french toast, and especially her famous pumpkin cake, which was now in-season and had recently defended its "Best Dessert" title at the Delmore County Fair.  If the end result was a bigger booty but fewer calls for it, so be it.

Her plan worked.  Most nights, Meghan waddled away from the dinner table intending to meet Zeke for a late-night tryst only to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV.

That other mother, nature, also seemed to conspire against her.  The unseasonably cold weather kept Meghan's class inside, so instead of chasing children at recess, the teacher's aide spent most of her time picking at sugary potlucks provided for a seemingly endless stream of seasonal holidays and festivals.   Heck, the class even brought cupcakes for Veteran's Day!

After a few weeks, Meghan's new dresses were beginning to show the strain...

But it was Christmas that would really turn the tidings!