Excerpt from Chapter 8

‘Why the hell am I gaining weight and where’s Pam got to then?’ Gina grumbled as she pushed the Plump WAG’s Club weight diary to the middle of the coffee table.

The group had agreed to meet at Gina’s and they were now comfortably nestled against cushions in her spacious front room. A gentle breeze wafted the nets away from the window but did little to disperse the heat in the room.

‘Not sure, I offered her a lift the last time we talked but she said Dave would drop her here as he was off out with his mates.’ Trish frownd.

Pam could be quite scatty and it wasn’t unusual for her to be a few minutes late but this was getting onto more than half an hour late now and usually she’d phone if….oh shit! Trish remembered that she’d put her new phone on silent when she’d gone to the Doctor with Lou and hadn’t yet put the ring tone back on. She dug her phone out of her voluminous bag and saw the icon that meant she had a missed phone call.

‘Well as soon as Pam gets here we can settle in the garden, want to help me carry the nibbles out? Gina said to Janey who nodded and began the laborious process of removing herself from the comfort of the soft couch.

‘Are you about to come on? That might be why you’ve put on a bit…oooof there!’ Janey had finally managed to stand up.

‘Yeah I am due on any day now, they’ve been a bit erratic since I started to lose weight, longer in between than before.’

Gina grinned at Janey gratefully, bloody periods, nothing but angst in more ways than one. Each time she got her period she was disappointed to have confirmation that she wasn’t pregnant though it was nice to be able to use her impending menses as the reason for her weight gain.

She had been so sensible about her eating lately, not dieting exactly as she had been feeling too hungry to eat less but Gina knew she had been careful to make sure that she got her extra calories in the form of healthier options like veg sticks dipped in low fat houmous. In fact, she’d realised that she had been enjoying this new way of eating, it was becoming an instinctive choice instead of a forced change in eating habits. Sometimes I really amaze myself she thought as she lifted the weight diary off the table.

‘Listen out for the door wud’ja and come on out and join us in the garden if Pam gets here before we come back in.’ Gina said to Trish, who was too busy fiddling with her phone and cursing herself for leaving the house without the instruction manual to respond.