Clothing must be purchased at a Walmart a few towns away, in a city an hour away, or online. Just another of the 4,724 reasons I want to escape this town.

It’s March, and I’m gigantic. I spend most of the day horizontal on the sofa before turning in early to bed. I slide from the sofa with the grace of an elephant. Slowly, I waddle towards the restroom. The urge to pee grows with each step.

“Alma!” I call. When she peeks into the hallway from the kitchen where she is ...