Chapter 13.1 – Emma
He was sitting with Jenny in the cafetaria when he saw her walking in, looking around to see if there was someone she wanted to sit by. With his mouth full he waved at her and mentioned that she could join them, which she did after she had noticed him.
"Hey Emma," Jenny greeted her, which returned her a blank look from Vincent.
"You guys already know each other?" he asked.
"We're in the same class, moron, of course we know each other," she replied, flicking his forehead with a grin.
Emma nodded to confirm. She opened up her bag and produced a pink lunchbox which she put in front of her. It contained two sandwiches packed in a plastic bag and she pulled them out of it.
"The plastic helps in keeping it fresh," Emma explained, though nobody had actually asked why. "I feel the box itself doesn't do much for the freshness of the bread, it merely protects it from not getting squashed together."
This time Vincent nodded. "Uhuh." He had never even thought of that and it kind of gnawed at him for not realizing it. Then again, he usually bought his lunch in the cafetaria anyway – which was more expensive but he liked the food. Nicole had scrutinized him for that as that was just another way of wasting money – which was funny, because she always criticized him for being such a cheapskate. And he was, well, sort of. He didn't like to waste money and while shopping he always tried to get the best deal for the lowest price unless quality or taste was the requirement; then he would splurge the money as if he was the protagonist from that old movie
Brewster's Millions
.
"So, how are you today?" he asked. "Haven't seen you around for a few days."
"Oh, I'm fine. Just trying out a few new things."
"Like what?" Jenny inquired.
Emma seemed to cringe for a little bit. Apparently Jenny's direct question was a little too direct for her taste.
"Well ... I'm trying to see if going to the gym is something for me. I could use some exercise."
Jenny took the last bite from her sandwich and said with her mouth full: "Thaf's neber a bah idea." She swallowed and continued. "Going to the gym does help in giving you a feeling of doing something. You just have to make it a steady routine and that's pretty much all it takes."
Vincent snorted. "As if you've ever been to a gym."
"I did," Jenny defended. "I've met up with someone who went to a gym and needed a ride back. So I can definitely say I've been to a gym."
Vincent snickered, but noticed Emma not laughing.
"It must be nice," Emma said. "You have such a slim body."
Jenny looked at her. "I ... guess? But it's mostly due to my metabolism which breaks down stuff so fast I can't even gain weight much. I mean, look at me; I will never get bigger breasts than what I have now – well, unless I get pregnant perhaps – and although I don't aim to put a double-D frame on, I would prefer to have a C-cup size like you have. I think it would compliment my figure more than what it sprouts now."
Emma looked at her increduously. "You actually want to
gain
weight?"
"Yes, I do. Not too much, but 5 kg would be sufficient. I've been trying a lot of things but I never manage to do so."
Emma looked at the table in front of her. "I would like to
lose
weight. I've been overweight for years and people look at me with disdain due to that. It makes me insecure about how I look."
Jenny looked at her and Vincent saw a hint of compassion in her eyes. "Losing weight isn't the biggest problem; you need to be able to maintain a particular lifestyle in order to sustain your weight. If you lose 10 kg in a short time your body will try to compensate for that and it will actually eat at other parts which is unhealthy. And even with a diet you can't try to keep that up for your entire life; a diet is supposed to have short-term effects, not long-term. So if you want to lose weight, you'll have to do so gradually. Bit by bit, otherwise you'll become unhealthy."
She looked to weigh something to follow up with and eventually said: "For starters, going to the gym is not a bad idea. Do it once or twice a week for now. Half an hour to an hour, but definitely not longer than an hour. Your body needs to get used to the excercise first. It'll take a while until you get to see results, because for instance your body fat gets converted to muscle mass which oftentime does not reduce your weight. It'll just mean you're getting more healthy and slightly differently shaped – which is not a bad thing in itself. But don't beat yourself up if you're not losing a few kg after doing this for a month or so. That's not how it works, but you'll be losing fat nevertheless."
"She's been doing sports back when she was younger, so she generally knows what effects a workout have on your body," Vincent added to that. "But you might want to consult the instructor at the gym to see which schedule should fit you best. Not everything you do helps with losing weight, some just help you to get into shape while others help you in getting stronger in some body parts."
Emma nodded, a slight twinkle showing in her eyes for hearing new ways and new methods for getting where she wanted to be.
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you both for telling me what my options are and what to keep an eye on." She stood up and walked around her chair. "I might give your advice a try for the time being and see what happens."
"Remember," Jenny warned. "It's not a fast way to lose weight. Don't get discouraged. But it'll help you feeling better about yourself even if you don't lose the weight you want. Working out has a way of getting into your brain and making you
feel
healthier, but it's no magic way to get where you want to be. But if you feel
healthier
, you might be able to find what you need to do besides working out to lose the weight you want to lose."
Emma smiled and it struck both Jenny and Vincent how brilliant that smile was when it was genuine rather than obligatory.
"Thanks," she repeated. "I'm going to figure out a schedule how to be able to go to the gym on a bi-weekly basis, so I don't skip out of it." She looked at the clock. "Just one more class, then I can go home working on it. I'll let you guys know how it works out. Thanks again."
They waved and Emma retreated from the cafetaria.
"Now that's a surprise," Jenny remarked. "I never realized she was struggling with her weight that much. I mean, she's not exactly [ifat either, just a bit ... chubby. And as far as I know nobody made any remarks about that either. She might be only 9, 10 kg overweight, but there are a lot of people doing that."
"I suppose she's just insecure. It might be in her nature to feel that way about herself."