
A table of ass juts out from her backside. People call her the Lunch Lady because a person could put their tray of food right up on there, pull up a chair, and eat. She just needs to be still for a spell and not do anything nasty.
Shelby Grace works in the pharmacy of a hospital in Charlie Brown, Tennessee. Sheโs not very good at her job because she moves like a sloth high on grass. Sheโs single and lives alone in an apartment near her work with her dog Testicles. She likes to eat a lot as she watches My 600-Pound Life on Discovery Channel.
โHow you all doing?โ she says, mimicking Dr. Now. Food sprays out of her mouth as she does this. Testicles the dog runs away and hides. He thinks sheโs gross. He wishes he could live somewhere else.
Shelby Grace, (aka Dinner Plate, aka the Lunch Lady, aka Butt Restaurantโฆ) sits back for a moment and looks at the disgusting array of plates and bowls and cups in front of her on the coffee table. โI eat way too much,โ she confesses to herself. โI think I need help.โ There was a closeup of Dr. Now on the screen and Shelby Grace then realizes that he is talking to her through the television: โShelby Grace, your eating habits are out of control. Stop lying. Look at your body. I could have a sit-down meal on your rear end. You eat way too much food. If you want weight loss surgery, youโre going to have to show me you are motivated and invested in your own healthโฆDo you understand?โ
Shelby Grace haphazardly stands up. โThatโs it! Iโm going to go see Dr. Now. Heโll help me,โ she exclaims with a victory pump of her fist over her head. โYes, Dr. Now! I understand, and I promise you this. Iโm going to be the best patient you ever had.โ
Her cousin Lawrence helps her pack the car for the long trip to Houston. Heโs going to be her driver and personal life coach along the journey.
Shelby Grace comes out of the apartment with the last of her things. Testicles the dog will be looked after by a neighbor, and heโs so happy that he wags his tail ferociously as he watches from the living room window as her and Lawrence pull away. He barks with joy. Solitude at last!
โItโs going to be a long drive,โ Lawrence says to her once they are on the interstate.
โMmm hmm, says Shelby Grace. โHow about we stop for something to eat before we get too far along.”
โCome on now Shelby Grace, you got to stop eating so much. Dr. Now is going to be pissed off if you go waddling in there smelling like French fries.โ
She slaps his arm. โLawrence, I swear. Youโre supposed to be supporting me, not putting me down.โ
โAnd youโre supposed to be focusing on losing weight, not on fast food alley up in here.โ
Shelby Grace looks at her watch and sighs. โWell, I suppose that orange rapist ass clown is in the White House by now.โ
Lawrence wants to slam his head against the steering wheel until heโs unconscious. โFuck him, and weโre not going to talk about it anymore.โ
And they donโt.
Instead, Shelby Grace convinces Lawrence to go through a Wendyโs drive-thru. โI promise this will be the very last time,โ she says.
Lawrence shrugs her off. โYeah, right.โ He pulls up to the menu that talks. โHi, weโd like to get two double hamburgers with everything, two orders of large fries, two large Cokesโฆโ
She leans across him and yells into the menu speaker. โOh, oh, and a large Frosty, and um, you better add another burger, oh, a 20-piece Saucy Nuggs, and a parmesan Caesar salad.โ
โShelby Grace! Youโre the size of a Dumpster,โ Lawrence scolds. โDo you want to be the size of two Dumpstersโ
โIโm hungry!โ
โDr. Now is going to whoop your ass!โ
โLawrence! He is not. Heโs a nice little man. Just like that cat our neighbors have, Gumdrop.โ
โWell, Iโd rather pet a nice kitty named Gumdrop than a dog named Testicles.โ
โItโs cute.โ
โItโs gross.โ
They pull around and bags and cups are soon handed through the window. โThank you, thank you, thank youโ Lawrence says to the drive-thru girl.
And then, they are off again.
Shelby Grace is covered in food stains by the time they reach Memphis, and she wants to stop for the day. โI canโt take anymore of this. My big butt hurts.โ
โWhat the hell!? Weโve only gone but 200 and some miles, Shelby Grace. At this pace we wonโt get there until next week.โ
โI donโt care, Lawrence. Iโm tired. Find us a hotel.โ
He does what she says and pulls into the first decent place he sees, a Holiday Inn. Lawrence goes in to get a room lined up while Shelby Grace stays in the car and moans and groans. โOh, lordy, lordy, why did I think I could do this? Lawrence! Hurry up now. I got to lie down on a bed.โ
Lawrence returns and helps her hobble to the room. He goes back out to retrieve their things while Shelby Grace sprawls out on one of the beds like a beached whale.
When Lawrence returns with their bags, he finds Shelby Grace looking through her phone. โI want to order a pizza,โ she says to him.
Lawrence drops the bags to the floor. โA pizza! Shelby Grace, youโre going to gain 100 pounds before we even get there.โ
โOh, hush. Iโm cranky and hungry. Do you want one?โ
โA whole pizza!? Hell no, girl. Iโll just get something from the snack machine.โ With that, Lawrence walks out of the room and slams the door.
Lawrence stands outside the hotel drinking a 7-Up and smoking a Kool cigarette. Heโs trying to quit, but this trip is already proving to be too much for his fragile nerves. The Memphis air is stagnant. The stars above are mostly blotted out by the light pollution. He can hear the roar of traffic out on the interstate. For a moment he ponders just getting in the car and leaving her behind. Itโs a momentary thought, though. He knows his conscience could never handle the guilt. He is a good man deep down inside.
A while later he watches as the pizza delivery man gets out of his little car with the pizza delivery sign on top. He calls to him. โIโll take it,โ he says, and then pays him. Lawrence takes the pizza up to the room.
Shelby Grace immediately comes to life when she sees him. โPizza!โ she exclaims. He hands her the box, and she scrambles to open it and then begins feasting like a starving animal.
The next day they make it as far as Texarkana. Lawrence takes aspirin. They go through the same routine: Fast food for lunch, a cigarette and soda outside the hotel, a pizza in the room.
In the morning before heading out on their last leg to Houston, Shelby Grace is hugging the toilet and throwing up. Lawrence peeks his head in. โItโs your own fault for eating so much,โ he says.
โShut your mouth!โ she squawks. โIโm sick. Have some sympathy, Lawrence.โ
โWe got to get going if weโre ever going to make it to Houston today.โ
She vomits, then looks up at him, eyes watering, mouth gross. โNot today. I canโt travel today.โ
โWhat!? Then what are we going to do all day?โ
โPay for another night and let me rest.โ
โAnother night? Ah shit, Shelby Grace. Youโre driving me nuts and bankrupting me all at the same time.โ He watches as she struggles to get up from her place on the bathroom floor between the toilet and the tub.
โLawrence, help me. Iโm stuck.โ
โStuck?โ
โYes, stuck. Pull on my arm.โ
Lawrence grabs her arm and together they try to unwedge her. โAh, that hurts!โ Shelby Grace yells. โEasy, easy.โ
โHell, Shelby Grace, if you want me to help you I got to pull.โ
โAll right, all right,โ she huffs and puffs. โTry again.โ
He pulls on her arm once more, but her weight is just too much, her big tabletop butt is stuck. โI canโt do it. Youโre too heavy and your butt is too big. I told you not to eat all that god damn food. Now look at the situation youโre in. Iโm just going to have to leave you here until you lose some weight.โ
Shelby Grace screams in a panic. โShut your mouth! Shut your mouth! Save me, save me!โ
โJust hold on, Shelby Grace. Quit having a meltdown. Iโll go down to the front desk and see if a maintenance man or somebody can help me get you out.โ
โNo, no! Donโt do that. Itโs too embarrassing.โ
โSo, I should just leave you here?โ
She starts crying.
โMaybe I should. Teach you a lesson.โ
โGet my laptop, Lawrence.โ
โYour laptop. Why?โ
โI want to video call Dr. Now.โ
โWhat? Why?โ
โBecause I need someone to talk to who wonโt yell at me.โ
Lawrence releases a frustrating sigh. โFine.โ
Dr. Now appears on the screen of her laptop thatโs set up on the toilet cover. โHello. How are you doing?โ
โHi Dr. Now. Not very well, Iโm afraid.โ
โSo, whatโs going on with you, Shelby Grace? You were supposed to be here today for your appointment.โ
โIโm sorry Dr. Now. Weโve had some travel delays and Iโve been sick.โ
โSick how?โ
โStomach problems.โ
โWhat kind of stomach problems?โ
โThrowing up, nausea.โ
โWhat have your eating habits been like on the trip so far?โ
โNot very good. Fast food, mostly. Pizzas.โ
โOkay, now listen to me. You cannot eat all that horrible food if you want to be in my program. Do you understand?โ
โYes, sir.โ
โSo, when do you expect to get to Houston?โ
โIโm not sure. Iโve run into another snag.โ
โWhatโs the problem?โ
โIโm stuck between the toilet and the tub at our hotel room. I canโt get out.โ Shelby Grace starts crying.
โStuck?โ Dr. Now replies. โHow did you get stuck?โ
โIโve been sick like I said. I got down on the floor to vomit. Now, I canโt get back up.โ
โOkay, Shelby Grace. Listen to me. You need to do whatever it takes to get unstuck and then get down to Houston. This is your life we are talking about. Quit making excuses.โ
โYes, sir.โ
โOkay, let me know when you get to Houston. And in the meantime, if you need anything else, give me a call.โ
โThank you, Dr. Now. Goodbye.โ
He disappears from the screen and Shelby Grace shuts her laptop and throws it across the bathroom.
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