Antacid

Jennifer Claire eats antacid tablets when she is sad. Not stressed or angry or upset, but when she is lonely and sad and maybe a little depressed. In the old days she used to eat food when she was sad. Fabulous mashed potatoes and gravy, chocolate mousse piled with whipping cream. McDonald's French fries, or a handful of M&M's that always sat on the receptionist's desk at her office. (Back when she used to be the receptionist, now she strides by without a second glance).

Jennifer Claire used to be fat, not horribly so, but just enough. She used to eat antacids then too, but back then it was for the heartburn and indigestion caused by so much food.

Now that she is thin she eats antacids instead of food. It is not so much the act of chewing on a minty disk that cheers her up. It is the chalky aftertaste that comforts her and gives her hope that everything bad can be neutralized into bland perfection.