Katherine felt a little surge of adrenaline shoot through her body in response to Charles’s question.  It wasn’t at all unpleasant either — Katherine was used to people trying and failing to act normally around her huge body, and it was actually rather refreshing to have an adult man (and her ex-boyfriend’s father, no less!) shamelessly ask her questions about her work-out routine.   

The rest of the table reacted to the question from the man of the house.  Raymond put his pizza down and tried to pretend that he wasn’t interested in the answer.  Clara looked over at Katherine with wide eyes and a big smile on her face, expecting an impressive response.  Tracy choked on her water, coughing a couple of times before she spoke up to chastise her husband.   

“Charles!” she said indignantly, “What a thing to ask the girl!  And at dinner!” 

“Yeah,” said Raymond, trying to ride on the coattails of his mother’s ire, “I—I don’t think anyone here cares what Katherine benches, dad.”  

“I do!” piped up Clara energetically.  “I wanna know how much she lifts!”  She looked over at her older brother and her eyes narrowed perceptively.  “Besides,” she added, “you’re a big liar Raymond — you wanna know.  You’re just jealous of her big muscles!”  

“Am not!” he shot back unconvincingly.   

“Well I’m a little jealous, I’ve gotta admit,” said Charles, turning back to Katherine.  “I’m sorry, Katherine,” he said contritely, “I don’t mean to embarrass you or anything — I just…I’m curious what your workout regimen is.  I go to the gym sometimes but I can never really seem to get any traction, you know?  It’s hard for me to build up muscle — so if you have any tips for me I’d love to hear them!” 

Katherine laughed, feeling herself blush a little due to the attention on her body.  But she liked it — it wasn’t like the attention she was used to getting…the side stares and little whispered comments.  Here, everything was out in the open.  She laughed appreciatively.   

“Oh don’t worry Mr. Pierce!  I’m happy to talk about it!  It’s actually really refreshing, you know…to just address it openly like this.”   

“Well I like to think we’re a pretty relaxed bunch here,” said Charles, looking straight at his wife and smiling ironically.  She rolled her eyes.   

“Well,” she said, “if Katherine’s ok with talking about it, then I don’t see anything wrong with it.  You just shouldn’t hoist these kinds of conversations on people though, Charles.” 

Katherine giggled a little to lighten to mood, and Tracy saw that everything was apparently ok.  She shrugged her shoulders a little and gave Katherine a kind smile.  Deep down, she was actually pretty interested to in what Katherine was doing with herself.  She just looked so good…so strong and vigorous and put-together.  She wished her son would get with the program — maybe seeing his old girlfriend like this would somehow spur him into action.  She glanced over at him sitting next to Katherine.  His shoulders were slumped forward, his head was inclined down, and he seemed to be closely studying the food on his plate.  Katherine looked positively enormous next to him.  Her shoulders and body looked one and a half, or even almost twice wide as wide as his, and sitting down, the top of his head only came up to the bottom of her neck.  Tracy felt a little something drop in her — he certainly didn’t seem to be reacting well to Katherine’s growth.  But more than anything, Tracy felt a kind of fascination, almost a kind of thrill, in how big Katherine had grown.  She couldn’t feel too bad about the situation because…well, Katherine had just done so well for herself.  Katherine looked over at her and met her eyes — the two women smile warmly at each other.   

“So, what does it look like, Katherine?” asked Charles, holding a piece of pizza up to his mouth.  “Do you work out like three days a week?  Four?” 

“Well, four, usually,” said Katherine, grinning as she forked herself up some salad.  “Two leg days and two for upper body.” 

“Aha,” said Charles.  “Is that better for you than just having a full-body workout?”   

“I think so,” said Katherine, spearing a tomato.  “They’ve done all kinds of studies, and there isn’t any super-conclusive evidence about which is better, but to me, focusing on lower or upper body really lets me hone each workout more specifically.  There’s less overall I have to cover each time, and that leaves me with the ability to focus closer on each muscle group.” 

“That makes sense,” said Charles, chewing his food.  “Now do you do machines or free weights or what?” 

“Oh, definitely free weights,” said Katherine, cutting her pizza up into bite-sized slices.   

“And why is that, Katherine?” asked Tracy.  “I’ve wondered which was better before, and I always heard this or that answer, but I never knew who was right.” 

“Free weights are better because it’s a more even workout,” explained Katherine.  “So you know on those machines how you pull or push with both arms or both legs?” 

“Yeah?” said Tracy.  

“Well, almost all of us have one arm stronger than the other, or one leg that’s stronger…you know, we have dominant limbs and everything?  Weight machines allow dominant limbs to do way more than their fair share of the work, so you actually end up working one arm or one leg a lot more than the other one.” 

“How about that,” said Tracy, fascinated.   

“And what’s more,” continued Katherine, “free weights really force you to work on your body’s balance.  If you’re unbalanced using free weights, you’ll just fall down and it’s really dangerous.  But using a machine, it’s all contained and you might even get into the habit of using bad techniques while lifting.  If you’re using free weights, you’re forced to lift slower and with better form, and all that work you put in balancing your technique really pays off.” 

“Clearly,” said Charles, gesturing to Katherine’s body.  “I’ve gotta say, Katherine, this is all just so cool.  And it’s amazing to see the results…I mean — you just look great!” 

“I wanna lift weights like Katherine!” chimed in Clara, who had already devoured two pieces of her pizza.   

“Well now hold your horses young lady,” said Charles, putting up his hand.  “Katherine looks like she does now because she put in years of hard work, you know.  You can’t just lift a few weights and look like this overnight.” 

“I know, dad!” said Clara impatiently.  “I know it’ll take some time, but I wanna get started now!”  

“What about that, Katherine?” asked Tracy.  “Would it be advisable for Clara to start lifting weights now?  I mean, she’s 14 years old…is that too early?” 

“No, it’s actually not too early,” said Katherine, looking across the table at Clara and smiling.  “She’s an adolescent now, so she could absolutely start lifting tomorrow if she wanted to.” 

“Yessss!” cried Clara, shooting her fists up in the air.  “Yesss I want to, I want to!” 

“The only thing is,” continued Katherine, “that you would need someone to help get you started.  Someone to make sure that you’re using the proper techniques, that you’re not lifting too heavy to start off with, that you’re doing the right warm-ups, you know, all that kind of stuff.   

“Could you teach me?” asked Clara immediately. 

“Well, now, Clara,” said Tracy, putting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, “I’m sure Katherine has a full schedule, and lots of people to see, since she’s back on summer vacation — she probably doesn’t have to time.” 

“You know, actually,” said Katherine thoughtfully, and her eyes shifted downward and sideways to Raymond, who was looking up at her pleadingly, silently imploring her not to proceed.  She smiled down at him, thoroughly enjoying the trajectory of this conversation.  ‘Come on Raymond,’ she thought, ‘don’t be such a little wuss — I’m gonna bring you too!’   

“Actually,” she continued out loud, “I don’t have too much planned right now.  I’ve been so busy at Stanford that I was actually looking forward to taking a little break from all my work when I was back here.  Of course, that break doesn’t include a break in my work-out routine…and…well, I’d see no problem with Clara coming along one day.  I’d be happy to teach her!”  

“Oh my god oh my god yessss!” said Clara, continuing to pump her fists in the air.   

“Cool it, young lady,” warned Charles, “We’re still at the dinner table.”  She quieted down, still smiling from ear to ear.   

“Well, that’s definitely very sweet of you Katherine,” said Tracy.  “Now I guess I’m wondering — will weight training help Clara with soccer?” 

“Oh for sure!” said Katherine enthusiastically.  “Soccer is a very physical sport, and if Clara makes herself stronger she’ll be able to run faster, jump higher, kick harder, and you know…muscle other people off the ball.”   

“Seriously, it’ll make me a better soccer player too?” asked Clara incredulously. 

“Definitely!” said Katherine, “you know, provided that you keep practicing with the ball.”  

“Oh wow,” said Clara, “I was just excited to get stronger so I could beat Raymond in wrestling.”   

“See?” Raymond whined at Katherine, “see what you’re encouraging in her?  I told you, Katherine!”   

“Oh whatever Raymond,” laughed Katherine, “don’t be such a baby!  I’m gonna teach you how to lift weights too!” 

“You’re…you’re what?” he asked, open-mouthed.   

“Aw come on, you heard me,” she said, playfully reaching over and shaking him by the shoulder.  Even this simple touch sent his body into a series of uncontrollable paroxysms — he was so small and easy to manipulate.  Katherine removed her hand quickly, not wanting to shake him too hard. 

“Jesus, Raymond,” said Charles pointing with his fork, “look how Katherine barely touches you and you just…wow…yeah, I think it’s high time you bulk up a little, son.” 

Katherine raised her eyebrow down at Raymond, shooting him a wry little grin.  “Dad, come on!” complained Raymond.  “Not you too!  You’re encouraging her!” 

“To what, help drag you out of the house and get in shape?” remarked Charles drily as he forked another piece of pizza into his mouth.  “Uh, I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that I think it’s a fabulous idea.” 

“Yeah, come on Raymond!” encouraged Katherine, laughing.  “It’ll be fun!  I mean, you won’t look like me right away…but…well, yeah, it’ll help give you some good energy!” 

“He’ll never look like you,” said Clara flatly, polishing off her last piece of pizza.   

“Yeah, I gotta say, I think you’re right about that one Clara,” laughed Charles.  “I mean, I’m sorry Raymond, but I’m your dad and…yeah, I think 5’8 is all you can really hope for.” 

“Can lifting weights make you taller?” asked Clara.  “Oh, please say yes!” 

“Well, you’re still growing, I take it?” asked Katherine.   

“Sure am,” said Clara, sitting up as tall as she could in her chair.   

“Now, there’s no evidence that lifting weights makes you taller per se,” said Katherine, “but it definitely makes your bones and tendons stronger, and…well, if you’re still growing that might help you get a little taller.” 

“I knew there was a way!” said Clara excitedly, “I knew it, I knew it!”  Another warning look from her father told her ‘don’t make me tell you again to keep it down,’ and Clara once again, with effort, calmed herself down.   

“Uh…what…what about me?” asked Raymond uneasily.  “Will — will it help me get taller too?”   

Katherine looked down at him and couldn’t help but smile a little as she shook her head.  “No, sorry Raymond — I don’t think so,” she said.  “I mean, you’ve been what, 5’8 for a few years now, right?  No, I’m sorry, but I think that’s all tall as you’re gonna get.”   

“I can’t wait till I’m taller than you!” said Clara, sticking her tongue out at her brother from across the table. 

“Now, don’t speak too soon, Clara,” said Katherine, making eye contact with her parents and giving them a little wink, “you’ve gotta put in the work, you know.” 

“Oh I will,” said Clara determinedly, looking straight at her brother. 

“Fine, I will too,” said Raymond, matching his younger sister’s tone as he stared straight back at her.  “And we’ll just see what happens.” 

“That’s the spirit, Raymond!” laughed Katherine, clapping him on the back.  “Oooo, sorry,” she said added quickly, seeing how even her gentle little back slap had made his body lurch forward a little into the table.   

“Well, this is exciting,” said Tracy, smiling happily.  “Katherine, it looks like you’ve managed to get Raymond invested in something — and that’s no easy task, I have to say.”   

“Whatever mom,” he said, pushing his food around on his plate with his fork (he was the only one with food still left).  “I’m not just gonna sit back and do nothing while Katherine teaches Clara how to be a bodybuilder.”   

“Haha oh my god,” laughed Katherine, “I’m not a bodybuilder Raymond — have you seen those women?  They’re much bigger than me…well…maybe not in total weight, since I’m so tall, but their muscles are huuuugggeee.” 

“How much do you weigh, Katherine?” asked Clara bluntly.  “I weigh 143 pounds.” 

“Clara, that is not a polite question to ask!” said Tracy. 

“What?” asked Clara innocently, “I told her my weight — what’s wrong with asking hers?”  She gave Katherine a devious smile.  “Raymond only weighs 130, you know.”   

“Not for long,” he said, crossing his thin arms in front of his chest.  “You just wait, Clara.”   

Katherine laughed at Clara’s spunkiness.  She liked it, she really did.  And there was something about the way Clara was teasing Raymond about his weight and his size…something about the realness of her taunts, that made Katherine feel…a little turned on.  She knew this was a little weird to be admitting to herself, but there was no denying it.  And somewhere in her brain she knew that it related to how she had felt when she got goosebumps comparing her arm to Raymond’s, seeing how much bigger hers was than his.  She privately filed all this away in her mind…she’d definitely ruminate on it later..   

“You know, your mom’s right, Clara,” said Katherine, smiling.  “It’s usually a good idea not to ask people directly about their weight.  Some people are really self-conscious about that kind of thing.”  

“Oh…s-sorry,” said Clara, looking genuinely apologetic.   

“But I don’t mind you asking me,” said Katherine brightly, “I don’t feel self-conscious about how much I weigh — I know I’m a big girl, and I’m proud of it!  Last time I checked I weighed just over 190 pounds.” 

“Wooowww,” said Clara in awe, “that’s so nice and bigggg.” 

“Well, I like it, anyway,” chuckled Katherine, reaching up her arms in a stretch.  Tracy looked on, almost entranced by how much bigger Katherine looked this way next to her frail son.  “But you know, Clara,” said Katherine, lowering her arms, “the most important thing about working out, eating well, getting good sleep…the most important part about all of that stuff is having a healthy body that you like.  That’s the most important thing of all: self-respect.  Don’t do it for anyone else except yourself.”   

“Solid advice, Katherine,” said Charles, nodding.  “Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say how happy we are that you came over today — it’s just so nice seeing you doing well and thriving, you know?” 

“Thanks, Mr. Pierce,” said Katherine through a smile.  “Well, it’s just been so nice coming back here and seeing ya’ll again,” and she turned and flicked Raymond a little on the shoulder, “even if I had to twist an arm or two.”   

“Well, he can certainly use the physical activity,” said Tracy, standing up and starting to clear away the plates.  “Who knows, Raymond?” she added, “maybe Katherine will get you into the habit of exercising.” 

“He’ll have to, if he wants to keep up with me,” said Clara, “although I doubt he’s got what it takes.” 

“Just watch, Clara, just watch,” said Raymond, standing up to help clear away the plates.  Katherine stood up to help as well, feeling huge as she loomed over everyone.  She realized that Raymond couldn’t even stand next to her without literally getting swallowed her shadow cast against the dining room lights.  She caught him glancing at her big boobs, and then up at her face.  She smiled down at him.  He looked away.  Her pussy twitched a little — there it was again…that same feeling as before.  It was definitely related to how much bigger she was than him — that much was clear at this point.  What was going on with all that?  She’d have to think more about it… 

Half an hour later she said goodbye and left through the front door, with a weight training date scheduled with Clara and Raymond for the weekend.  She was excited for so many reasons, some of which she did not fully understand.   

“Well!” said Charles, shutting the front door and leaning on it a little.  He made eye contact with his wife and shook his head a little, grinning.  “That Katherine Lloyd is quite something, isn’t she?”

“I’ll say,” said Tracy.   

“She’s my hero,” said Clara, practicing flexing her muscles in the living room mirror. 

“What about her, Raymond?  Raymond?” called Charles.  But Raymond had already gone upstairs.  It had all just been a little too much for him.