Chapter 4

He was pretty sure that he knew what she had almost said, but didn’t. You think I would have noticed someone as fat as you. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone slipped like that. He chose to ignore it like he usually did. His interest was fading, and he figured that the sooner he got rid of her the sooner he could return to the kitchen to continue filling his incessantly hungry stomach.

“I can make you up a dozen with a sampling of each flavor if you would like.”

“That sounds like it would work.”

He began filling a brown paper bag with bagels: plain, blueberry, onion, herb and sun-dried tomato, cheddar and apple cinnamon. He threw a tub of whipped cream cheese in with them and several napkins, handing the bag to her before ringing her up.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked, handing her change to her.

“No thanks. I just…I hope I didn’t offend you…” she paused tentatively. “I really did think that it was cute.” With that she exited, juggling the bag of bagels in her arm and pulling the weighty door shut behind her with her spare hand.

Peter’s jaw went slightly ajar. He was still unsure of what he had done that had appealed to this woman. Try as he might, he could not find a rational explanation. Surely she couldn’t have found his shameful display of gluttony appealing. He toyed with the thought. He couldn’t think of what else she could have meant. As if in response to his query, she came bursting back through the door wearing an apprehensive smile.

“I …” the syllable escaped her lips with a slight tremble. “I was wondering what you um…..”

He stared at her blankly, awaiting the remainder of her hesitant sentence.

“Would you want to have dinner with me some time?”

The question echoed through his brain like the fierce deluge of a waterfall pounding against the rocks at its base. Were his ears deceiving him? Was he still asleep and dreaming all of this? It was certainly weird enough to warrant him perceiving it as such.

“What?”

“Dinner,” she repeated, making hand gestures to mimic shoveling food into her mouth with a fork. “Would you like to eat it with me one night?”

“You mean like a date?”

She nodded in agreement. This was too good to be true. He felt sheer elation tingling from his head to his toes. He debated over his response, though. It was possible that he was falling victim to a cruel joke at his expense. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know this might seem kind of forward, but I’m not good at the whole pick-up line thing. I just think that you are so adorable, and I know we only talked for a minute but you seem like someone that I would like to get to know better. I thought maybe that we could have dinner and chat and… it would be lovely to listen to that sexy voice of yours over a nice romantic candlelit dinner….” She raised her hand to her temple in distress. “God, I must sound like a complete lunatic.”

He shook his head in disagreement with new found fervor. “No, that actually sounds wonderful. I’m just not used to being asked out by my customers, that’s all. It…it has been a long time since I have even been out with a woman.” Especially one that thought his deep baritone was sexy. He was still barely able to comprehend that she had actually said that. It gave him butterflies.

“Is that a yes?”

“You mean tonight?”



“Sure, why not?”

“I have to work until six, but after that would be alright I guess. Do you want me to come pick you up?”

“Just head on over to The Treasure Trove after work and we can leave from there. I discovered this delicious Italian place downtown that would be perfect. You do like Italian food, don’t you?”

“I like any kind of food,” he said, patting the sides of his extremely large, round gut.

“My kind of guy.”

“Can you please explain to me what I did that you thought was cute? I am confused and I would really like to know.”

“Let me put it this way, I like big guys. Really big guys. And a big man with a big appetite is even better.”

He was temporarily lost in the tranquil sea of her deep blue gaze. He saw something in her that he couldn’t quite explain, an addictive sparkle that shimmered behind her girlish laugh demanding that he hear it again and again. He hadn’t even been aware there were women out there who were attracted to men of his size, and this one had fallen right into his lap. He couldn’t believe his luck. And she was beautiful to boot. These blissful thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of several customers: an elderly gentleman leaning on a cane and two schoolgirls in obscenely short plaid uniforms.

“So I’ll see you around six then?”

“Of course. But there is one thing I have to know….”

“Yes…”

“What is your name?”

She cutely giggled again, with her hand covering her soft pink lips. “I’m such an airhead. I can’t believe I asked you out without even telling you my name. It’s Heather. Peter and Heather. That almost rhymes. Peter and Heather on a date together….” she laughed. “I forgot to tell you I was a poet. Well, I’ll see you tonight. Don’t work too hard.”

“Good bye, Heather,” he called to her as she left, thinking that the only thing that would be hard about this day would be trying to stave off the anticipation of his date that night.