Chapter 1

The brimming brightness of Manhattan Island's lights overspilled the horizon, forming a visible glow that could be picked out long before any of New York itself could be seen. At the very front of the boat, a woman stood staring towards the glow. She was dressed in a faded grey T-Shirt and blue-jeans, both of which were pressed so tight against the figure inside them, a figure too large to be contained by them, that they looked like they'd been painted onto her skin. She was eating a bag of fries (she had made the executive decision that they stopped being 'chips' when you crossed the halfway point between England and America) and sipping a cup of creamy, genteel coffee. A man in a battered suit wondered up behind her.

"Hey, Egress. How's tricks?" he said, putting an arm around her thick, well-padded waist and feeling the soft yield of flesh beneath the over-taxed T-Shirt.

"Hey Polygon- tricks is good. Want a fry?"

Polygon removed his arm from the woman's waist and took a step back to admire her. It had to be a quite a significant step, too: there was a lot to take in. Egress: the woman of his dreams. She must of weighed 450lb and moved with the heavy, voluptuous motions of a woman who was acutely aware of both her sensuality and the cumbersomeness of the body that came with it. It was because of her that the two of them had decided to go to America. They had travelled around Europe for a while with two other companions, but in the end, London had called them all home. But London had suffered a lot of damage since the so-called Supersize Riot, and Egress seemed far too glamorous to still be living in the city. So Polygon had suggested the move to America, and it had become a definite decision almost immediately.

"What are you thinking about?" Egress asked.

"A few things," Polygon said. "Your body; the time we went travelling in Europe with Bon Mot and Entré..."

"Have you seen them this evening, by the way?" Egress asked.

Polygon laughed- he'd been so absorbed in Egress that he'd almost forgotten that their move to America included their closest friends.

"No, I haven't seen them since last night when we discovered that Bon Mot got seasickness."

"Oh yeah- that was hilarious! You sure you don't want a fry? They're good."

"I wouldn't deprive you of the calories," he said, giving one of her love handles an affectionate squeeze.

***

Somewhere in one of the cramped cabins of the ship, a rather round man was lying on his back, staring very hard at the ceiling, trying not to be sick and turning slowly green with queasiness.

"How're you holding up?" asked a woman leaning over him. She was somewhat amply proportioned herself and was dressed in an expensive-looking suit that had probably fitted her better a few months ago.

"I'd offer you a beer, but I think that'd make matters worse," she said, taking a sip from one herself- a cheap Stella that contrasted sharply with her smart dress-sense.

"I'm doing okay, Entré... but if you read in a fortune cookie that your love interest was going to be proactive or even vertical in the foreseeable future- well, prepare to be disappointed."

"You probably shouldn't try to quip in your condition," she said. "It can't be good for you, Bon Mot."

"I'll be fine," Bon Mot protested. "I just need a lie down and maybe that beer you mentioned." Entré nodded and slid off towards the cabin's small refrigerator to fetch one.

***

The lights of Manhattan came into view properly at the same time as Egress finished the bag of fries, letting the last one fall into her mouth from her greasy fingers with an air of sumptuous satisfaction and allowing a few rogue streaks of chip-fat to slide down from her mouth and make another small dent in her T-shirt's viability as a wearable garment. As the city itself became visible, she slowly licked the grease off her fingers, extracting the maximum number of calories she could from each, allowing the sensuality of her movements to emphasise her curvaceous physique and decadent indulgence.

"It's kind of gorgeous," she said, gesturing at the New York skyline that was now hiving into view.

"It sort of reminds of you," Polygon mused, thoughtfully.

"You may have to explain that one, handsome ."

"It's so huge and over the top, shining with beauty and exaggerated in every way. It sprawls across the widest possible area, expanding across massive geographical swathes. It's the city equivalent of my Big Beautiful Woman."

"Oh, Polygon- I didn't know you could be so sensitive. Y'know, funnily enough, now that you mention it, though, you always put me in mind of London- all angular and visually striking, with lots of little hidden things about you."

"Thanks." Polygon kissed Egress full on the mouth, sliding his arms round her again. "You taste like grease and chips- you know that right?" he whispered in her ear.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No- I sort of like it. It reminds me of your delicious appetite," he slid his hand up inside her T-shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin, the imperceptible tremor that ran through her when she felt the slight coolness of his own touch- skin which had been exposed to the night air too long.

"Not here- someone will see," Egress laughed. "We'll have to take care of this when we get into the city."

"I can hardly wait," Polygon said, kissing her again and pressing his body into her unresistingly soft flesh as he did so to underscore the point.

"Me neither." She thought for a moment then said, "Crikey! It's the Statue of Liberty!" It was, too: a huge, looming structure of stone and steel, designed to evoke the more positive ideals of the American nation.

"Do you think she's heavier than me?" Egress asked.

"She's a giant statue made of metal and rock... so yeah, I'd say she's a bit heavier than you..." said Polygon, still drinking in the sight of the famous structure.

"Well fuck that," Egress said, laughing. "That's no excuse on my part. Go and get me another bag of fries and let's see if I can't close the gap a little!"

"I love you," Polygon said, and went in search of fresh chips, convinced now more than ever that the decision to move to New York had been the right one. Of course, had he known about the events that were to unfold when he and Egress reached the mainland, he might have had cause to see his decision in a different, if not actually less optimistic, light.