chapter 1--- fit for a queen

A joyful voice rang out from the kitchen. 'Kimberly, your dinner is served.' and of course I took that as my official invitation to go to the dining room. John was there, his one hand on a chair and the other reaching for my hand. He lead me to the chair and I sat. The table setting was amazing. I inherited nice china and silverware from my grandmother when she died but had never once used any of it but John saw it in the hutch. He sat the table beautifully with all of the 4 star restaurant quality settings. I was impressed to say the least.

There was the giant ham sliced with sweet potatoes, garlic bread and a vegetable medley that was steamed in real butter. On a crystal cake plate was a large red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and cherries on top. It looked delightful. Clearly enough for 6 people but this was just for us. This was a meal like my mother used to make after Sunday church. I was both impressed and now very hungry.

John hadn't sat down yet. I felt a little awkward because I wasn't sure if I should start piling all this on my plate or if if he were the type of person to say grace. I just sat there staring at my empty wine glass wondering what if any move I should make. Just then John took my plate and very neatly, almost like a chef at a nice restaurant would, beautifully arranged the different dishes on my plate. It was almost like a sampler platter of pure decadence and gluttony but tonight I didn't worry about calories. This man just made me a meal fit for a Queen and I was going to enjoy it come hell or high water.

Once my plate was full, John poured white wine in my glass. He then put a much smaller serving on his plate and sat across from me. This is when I should have realized I was in trouble.. but was it really trouble?

"Dig in Kim. I hope everything is as good as it looks."

I took a bite of a little bit of everything on the plate enjoying the flavors but John wasn't eating. He was just staring at me. Watching me eat the food he'd prepared. His eyes would follow my fork from plate to mouth. Almost like he was in a trance. It felt odd and I was a little uncomfortable.

"John, aren't you going to eat? The way you're looking at me eat makes me feel self consious. You know chubby women like me don't like to be stared at while we eat. Not to mention I hate to eat alone."

"Oh I'm sorry Kim. I just got lost in your beauty and you eat so elegantly. I love to see the reaction your face makes when you taste the different flavors. So far every bite seems to be a hit. Going by your expressions you like my chef skills."

I shot him a shy smile as I watched him start to eat the small amount of food he'd dished out for himself. Most of the meal we didn't talk. We just enjoyed the meal in a sweet silence of gluttony and cheerful wine created glee. I was truly enjoying this pampering.

At this point I was stuffed. Literally. I could almost feel the food pushing back up because there was no room for it all to settle. I was feeling mixed emotions. I loved the attention and the food but my tummy was so tight that it was to the point of uncomfortable. My pants were cutting into my belly button.

"John I loved everything. I can't eat another bite but that cake is calling my name. I do want to at least taste it. Would you cut me a tiny slice?"

John got a devilish smile on his face and quickly stood up. With desert plate in hand he cut me a slice of cake that had to weigh half a pound then sat it in front of me. I gave him a look that clearly said 'you're crazy' but just then John extended his hand out to my arm. He calmly asked me to stand up so of course I did.

"Just come with me Kimberly. Let's walk to the kitchen a few times. It will achieve a couple of things. One you will see that I clean as I go and that the kitchen is cleaner than when I got here, and two it will settle some of that meal down and allow your stomach to stretch. It will make room for the cake. I know you don't want just a tiny sliver of cake. It's cream cheese icing!"

I got up and did as he requested. After a few trips to the kitchen and back I was ready for that big slice of red velvet cake and I ate every crumb. I did notice though that while he wasn't trying to make it obvious, he was still watching me eat. I didn't know what to think about it but it did make me uncomfortable. I just talked myself into thinking I was imagining it. Society is so hateful to fat people that I reasoned that I am just over sensitive, and continued eating the delicious cake.