You know how older brothers and sisters will tease the youngest one about not being part of the family. My sibs were always telling me that mom found me in a basket on the doorstep and I believed them. It seemed obvious to me when I'd compare myself to the rest of the family, all of them dad, mom and both my brother and sister were slim and athletic. Not me I'm fat, I've always been fat and I felt I didn't belong to my family. Mom and dad were always encouraging me to lose weight but I took it as harping and their refusal to accept me for what I was. It seemed the only solace I could find was with food, which only made me get fatter.
Somehow, I made it through my childhood although lonely without friends or love. In my mid twenties, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and see if I could turn my life around. I joined a diet club and a health club and tried to stick to both regimens. I won't tell you how I weighed but I will tell you I had already lost forty pounds. I was so happy with my success I went out and bought the largest leotard they made, I knew I looked silly in it but I thought it would give me encouragement to make myself look better.
I was at the gym late and it was crowded so I had to use a machine that was unfamiliar to me. I couldn't seem to get it set right and was getting frustrated. This nice man next to me stopped his machine and came over to help me get it going. We talked as we exercised together and it made the time fly by so fast I was surprised to see my time over. When I got off my machine, I was covered in sweat and breathing hard, I think I must have stood up too fast because I got dizzy. My new exercise partner again jumped off his machine and came to my aid. I told him I would be all right but he insisted and he took me outside to get some fresh air. He said he was concerned that my blood sugar might be low and suggested we go next door to the Starbucks and get something. He was so nice I went without thinking of what I was wearing and how ridiculous I looked. We sat on the patio drinking our lattes and eating big scrumptious muffins. I commented on how long it had been since I had anything sweet like that. He put his hand on my arm, I looked up into his eyes, he said,
"Please you have such a beautiful body, don't go crazy with weight loss. It would be a crying shame if you turned into one of these skin and bones type."
I told him I was a long way from any bones showing, he smiled at me and I noticed his kept his hand on my arm. Right out of the blue he asked,
"Would you go out with me?"
I was insulted, I was ready to say what a cruel prank but then I looked at him and his eyes were sincere. I managed a yes but I was still in a state of denial.