One pizza won’t hurt, thought Agnes as she crept down the stairs.
She was still waiting to see any results after joining the slimming club. She was racked with guilt when the pizza arrived. The weigh-in was on Friday, she still had time to lose a couple of pounds.
A couple of pieces won’t hurt.
***
Archie woke the next morning.
He found Agnes on the sofa. The pizza box lay open, half of it was left.
Archie helped himself to a piece of pizza. Since Agnes had started slimming club he had put on a stone. He didn’t like to see food go to waste.

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
This month I am taking part in the A to Z Challenge 2017 – a post each day based on the letters of the alphabet and a theme. You can visit my A TO Z CHALLENGE 2017 page here to read the story.
As this challenge will take up a lot of my blogging time I may not get round to commenting on everyone’s posts, but I hope to find time to read all your stories as usual, and still be able to participate in Friday Fictioneers each week.
80 responses to “BALANCING THE SCALES”
Until my wife decided to take charge of my food supply, I was the “garbage can” for all the leftover food she didn’t want to eat.
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I have been going through this myself, only it’s my children’s food I don’t let go to waste!
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Ha ha Iain, this is a great little story. The first I’ve read from this prompt which includes humour! 🙂
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Thanks Rebecca, glad you liked it 🙂
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Ah stop, that’s gas. Maisie is very partial to Hawaiian pizza. ‘I love the pineapple’ she says. ‘You love anything you can shove into your gob’ says I….she didn’t hear me :p
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Hee hee 🙂
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ha ha love it! oh and btw I love the name Agnes – she features in my second novel 🙂
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Thank you – she’s a regular along with Archie in some of my stories – whenever I need a humourous couple they come along 🙂
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Archie’s right. We shouldn’t let food go to waste!
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Especially pizza, right? Thanks for reading 🙂
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Oh yes. It was a pleasure to read! 🙂
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Ha ha – I love the ending!
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Based on real life 🙂
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Even funnier 😁
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Dead by pizza overdose, not bad, not bad at all. 🙂
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I hadn’t actually thought dead, just sleeping, but now I read it back, it could go either way. Not a bad way to go 🙂
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Oops I killed her.
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🙂
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Dear Iain,
The balancing act is never easy. I could so relate to your story. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yep, I’m an Archie – can never let food go to waste 🙂
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I’m that way too.
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Especially pizza, I mean come on, can’t let it go to waste.
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My husband’s always been an Archie, but with only one child left at home and a wife who only makes just enough, his powers as a human garbage disposal are weakening. 😀
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I feel a bit sorry for him 😉
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This is an interesting take on the prompt. However as someone who knew the effects of wartime rationing, I dislike seeing food wasted.
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I had a friend who went to a spa — $70 per day—- to fast, but then came jome a month later ordered an x-large pizza and ate the whole thing. Her newly purged system couldn”t handle the OD of salt. Plus she wiped out her weight loss goal. Poor lady.
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But was she happy? 🙂
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No. She came from a dysfunctional home and you could say she had a dysfunctional mind. But all that fasting weakened her bones and when she fell and broke her femur the doctor said, “Your bone has shattered like corn flakes.”
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First read ~ I read SWIMMING club. Then SLIMMING club. That alone made me laugh. Then the ending. What fun.
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Swimming or slimming, either one works, or not as the case may be! 🙂
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Indeed! But one must admit that call of pizza is strong. Loved your tale.
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Lol…. A nice turn round
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Thank you 🙂
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Such a good person to stop her eating more than she should.
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He’s doing it as an act of charity 🙂
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Archie, a man after my own heart 🙂
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What kind of man let’s a pizza go to waste? 🙂
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what a delectable story is this. All over a pizza. Nice touch of humour. Superbly written, Iain.
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Thanks Neel, always appreciated
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When my children left food when they were little, I used the ‘can’t let it go to waste’ excuse and piled on the pounds – very entertaining take on the prompt.
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I’m going through that process at the moment myself!
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I hated that I was the garbage can for my kids. What a stupid thing to do! We don’t want it to go to waist…. like that little play there? Hee hee…
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I see what you did there 🙂
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😆
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LOL! 🙂
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Glad it gave you a smile 🙂
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I understand her completely, one slice never hurts. That’s my mantra as I avoid those slimming clubs. Great take on the prompt, I enjoyed this one.
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Thank you, much appreciated 🙂
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“Waist” not want not:) well done Iain.
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Ha ha, I see what you did there! 🙂
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Ha ha, I see what you did there 🙂
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Agnes and I have much in common–we both lack willpower. Just say “No” to pizza sounds good, but is certainly hard advice to follow.
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Impossible to do.
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If I hadn’t just put supper in the oven I’d be ordering a pizza right now!
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It’s a dangerous prompt, I wonder how many Fictioneers have pizza this weekend?!
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i don’t blame him. with so many people not having much to eat in africa, wasting food is sacrilegious.
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Especially pizza 🙂
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That is a serious problem. I put on a load of weight once we had children, finishing off what they left.
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That’s where I am just now, need to exercise, or stop eating leftovers.
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He’s right, can’t let pizza go to waste! I do the same with my kids’ leftover food. Very humerous story!
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Thank you Amir, I’m with Archie too 🙂
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So funny and so true. It can be so difficult to let food go to waste when we’re eating together with the family. We know the consequences but we cram whatever is left in our mouths all the same! Great writing, Iain!
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Thank you Edith 🙂
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LOL. I need to go to fattening club and my husband needs to go to slimming club, but he never leaves any scraps for me!
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As an aggregate though, the two of you combined are fine! 🙂
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Sympathy weight gain; now there’s love! Seems we went in diverging directions with this, but both focused on diet. 😉 Nice job Lain!
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Thanks Dawn 🙂
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I can completely identify with this – very well penned 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Two excellent stories and well-defined characters for the price of one! Well told Iain, you portrayed them both perfectly
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Thank you.
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Haha, this made me laugh.
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Thanks Dawn 🙂
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Seems like a symbiotic relationship!
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Perfectly matched 🙂
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Haha! Very good. I know several mums who’ve put on weight, finishing off the food their kids won’t eat. Waste not want not 🙂
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I really need to get down to the gym…!
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🙂
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Lol! I love how food plays its part in the dynamics of marriages and other relationships.
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One of the most important things 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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