Mom called me at work. She was crying, "Dad left. He took 2 pieces of luggage and said he was leaving me. I asked him why, and his answer was, 'I do not want to spend the rest of my life with a fat cow.' I said I loved him, and we had you. His answer was, 'I know. All our wealth will be divided equally, and Danny can visit me whenever he wants as long as he notifies me in advance."
"Mom, I'll be home in an hour, and we'll talk."
We were swamped at work, but I managed to leave early. I entered the door and saw Mom crumbling on the large couch and crying loudly.
I hugged her, "Mom, Dad didn't tell me anything about leaving, but a friend of mine works as a tech at the hospital, and according to him, Dad was having an affair with a 19 year old chick for quite some time."
"So he left us to be with a mistress. You knew about the affair and never told me..."
"It was only a rumor. I didn't know for sure."
"Leaving his family for a floozy! A girl who could be his very young daughter."
"Mom, let's talk about us. The most important thing: I'll be here with you."
"Honey, I love you, but it's not the same."
"I know but that is what we start with. Let me have a couple of days to think about the future. In the meantime, since you were too distraught to prepare dinner, we can go to a restaurant nearby."
As she dressed to go, her tears continued to pour. I gazed at her before leaving the house. Her face was pretty, but she was significantly overweight.
We drove to the Cheesecake Factory. There, Mom ordered fried calamari, fettuccini alfredo, ultimate red velvet cake, and hot fudge sundae. I took fillet mignon and a ball of vanilla ice cream. As I was munching on my food, I looked at the huge meal Mom was eating. She was still in a bad mood because of Dad, so I said nothing, but a plan was cooking in my mind.
We returned home, and I asked her if she wanted to watch a movie on TV with me. I saw tears again, and she mumbled she preferred to go to sleep. I kissed her forehead good night and went to my room.
The next morning, Mom prepared breakfast for 2. We ate quietly. Before driving to work, I asked her if she was OK. She nodded her head 'yes.' I left and told everybody at work I needed to leave early again.
...
Arriving home, I saw Mom sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the wall before her.
I said, "Mom, we need to talk."
"Talk."
"Not like that. Look at me."
She forced herself to stare at me.
"I get it that you are still mourning Dad's betrayal and departure. However, the best way to confront the issue head-on is first to admit that certain things need to change.
"What do you mean?"
"I do not mean to sound cruel, but neither of your parents is overweight. I looked at your pictures, and 5 years ago, your figure was fantastic. I watched you eating yesterday, and you were eating for 3 people."
She mumbled, "I was upset."
"That's a common excuse. My suggestion is to change radically our eating habits and register you at the local health club for exercises at least 3 times a week."
She had a bitter smile, "Honey, I tried several diets before. It's not easy to keep it. And I never exercised before; I wouldn't know how to start."
"This time it will be different. First, you know that Dad left you because of your weight, so the incentive is to show him and yourself you can do it. Second, this house will not see ingredients like bread, cookies, potatoes, and ice cream. Both of us will eat healthier: Meets, fish, eggs, low fat cheese, vegetables, cereals, and soups."
"Aren't you going to miss eating good stuff?"
"Mom, the beginning will be tough for both of us, but with time, we'll get used to eating healthy. These days, there are many options. We need to look for them."
The next evening, I went with her to the health club, where I exercised 3 times a week and registered her.
I weighed her. She was 170 pounds. I told her our new lifestyle would start the following week.
...
By Monday, the house had only healthy foods. Mom and I ate cereal with yogurt. She had coffee, and I drank orange juice. I kissed her cheeks, and we drove to work.
When I returned, I saw Mom smiling for the first time since Dad left. I asked what was funny, and she replied, "I am simply happy to see my loving son."
Later in the evening, we had tomato-basil soup, salad with sliced almonds, low-fat cheese, and tea. I was still somewhat hungry, but I promised Mom to help, so I stuck to it.
The rest of the week, Mom improvised with our dinner, so each evening, the meal was slightly different but healthy. I was happy my plan was working.
By the end of the week, I lost 5 pounds. I checked Mom's weight - It was 172 pounds. She gained 2 pounds! I was puzzled. How could it be? I saw her dieting, and despite her going to the health club on different afternoons than mine, I knew she went there...
One morning, I forgot to bring an important document to work. At 10 am, I returned home. When I opened the door, I saw Mom eating a large cheesecake.
She stared at me, and her face turned pale. I blurted, "I need to hurry back to work, but we'll have a talk when I return."
I finished late, and at 7 pm I was at home.
Mom was sitting on the sofa watching TV. I kissed her forehead and said, "Mom, I love you, but we are going to make other changes. You'll exercise the days I go there. I want to see you working out for at least one hour every time. We'll continue eating healthy in the evenings, and you will never cheat again. I repeat: I love you. However, if you do not comply with these instructions, I'll leave you. Right now, you are still young, and with the right motivation, you can do it. I am not doing it for me. After all, I didn't need to lose weight. I did what we decided to do and lost weight. You cheated and actually gained some. Don't you get we need to do it for your own good and better self esteem?"
I saw tears in her eyes, "Honey, I tried, but it's hard."
I gave her a stern look, "It's very hard the first few days, but later, the body gets used to it, and it's much easier. Anyway, as I said. You either try it my way for at least 6 months or I leave this house. What do you choose?"
She started crying loudly. I hugged her, "You can do it. Every week, if I see you lost weight, you'll get a present."
She mumbled, "I'll try."