Three weeks after winning her prize, Fanny was beginning to notice the effects of supplementing a few healthy meals per week with fast food. As she lay on her bed trying to button her shorts, Fanny began to think that she might have to cut back on the use of her newly acquired Queen Card.
Fanny worked at a scrapbooking store, which just happened to have a Burger Queen right next door. This meant that a free lunch was always within walking distance for Fanny, and since she had only been able to afford a few groceries with her last paycheck, this meant that many of her lunch breaks consisted of a burger combo meal.
"Well, I know where my next paycheck is going," Fanny mused as she finally got her shorts to button. "I need a new wardrobe!"
When she weighed herself on her bathroom scale that morning, Fanny was shocked to see that she now weighed 119 pounds. Strangely, the pounds didn't bother her as much as the thought of not being able to afford new clothes as she outgrew her old ones.
"I guess groceries are out of the question until the next paycheck," she thought to herself as she pulled out of the driveway and began her workday commute.
On her way to work, Fanny drove through the Burger Queen where she originally won her prize and ordered breakfast. The manager happened to be working the drive through window that morning and greeted her cheerfully.
"Good morning, Ms. Fulbright. And how is our queen doing this morning?" He inquired.
"Fine, thanks." Fanny tried to sound upbeat, but it was early in the morning and she really wished all of the employees would stop using royalty terms when they talked to her, so it came out a little forced.
The manager sensed her irritation and asked if there was something wrong.
"No, I'm fine," Fanny apologized. "It's just that I can't keep eating like this. I can barely even afford new clothes and I'm already about to pop out of these!" Fanny instantly felt embarrassed for admitting this to someone whose name she didn't even know.
"Hmm, well that isn't a problem that a queen should be faced with. Tell you what, stop by later today and I should have something for you that will eliminate that stress." The manager was still smiling broadly.
"O-okay," Fanny was too sleepy to know how to take that statement.
As she sat in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic, Fanny munched on her sausage breakfast biscuit and wondered what the manager could possibly have for her that would take care of her wardrobe situation.
The workday passed quickly, and Fanny had ordered a milkshake with her lunch combo instead of her usual soda. She wished she hadn't, as her shorts were now uncomfortably tight after the rich, creamy beverage made her tummy bloat and press against her already straining waistband.
The rest of the day was a blur as Fanny's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of what might become of her if she no longer had to worry about clothing anymore. It excited her a bit.
After work, Fanny stopped by her local BQ as instructed and was greeted by the manager as she entered. He waved her over to the "Employees Only" door, and Fanny immediately became nervous as to the manager's intentions. Luckily, once she entered, she was relieved to see what appeared to be two business executives in suits and ties that were sitting at a small conference table.
"Please, have a seat," the manager motioned to one of the empty chairs across from the executives.
"I'm Nigel, by the way," the manager said as he shook Fanny's hand and took a seat next to her.
Finally, the older looking, though still radiant executive finally spoke up. "Hi, Ms. Fulbright. My name is Rachel McKenzie, and this is my brother Harvey. Our friends call us H and R, so feel free to use whichever you'd like. After all, you're part of the royal family now. We're the founders of Burger Queen, and we'd both like to congratulate you on being the millionth customer. This is the first location to have hit a million, so this is kind of a big deal. My brother-in-law here told us that you are quite satisfied with the product, but mentioned that you are having trouble keeping up with your home bills, is this correct?"
Fanny was a little annoyed that Nigel had shared this information with the corporate big wigs, but she finally responded, "Well, yes, occasionally. I usually have to pick and choose where my paychecks will end up each month."
"Well, as an official member of the BQ family, we can't have that, can we, Harvey?" Rachel said as she glanced over to her brother.
"Absolutely not," Replied her younger brother, cracking a sheepish smile to Fanny in the process.
"We are prepared to offer you a weekly stipend, in addition to your current arrangement, of course, if you would contribute a bit more to the company." Rachel continued.
Harvey took over, "Every few weeks, we have a few new items that we test in different markets to gauge the public's reaction. We would like you to partake in our taste-testing program and let us know what you like and what needs tweaking. It won't take long, roughly 2 hours of your time every 3-4 weeks, but we will certainly make it worth your while."
With that, Rachel slid a slip of paper across the table with two fingers, and gestured for Fanny to take a look. The number astounded her.
"Two THOUSAND dollars? Is this for each tasting session?" Fanny gasped.
"Oh, no no no." Rachel shook her head. "That would be daily."
Fanny was hyperventilating as she panted, "I'll do it!" and shook everyone's hand.
