Chapter 3

I woke up early, still on East Coast time. Through the crack in the curtains, I saw the hint of pale light, and I quietly slid out of bed to catch the sunrise. I slipped on sweats and a hoodie and crept outside the bungalow door.

I still didn’t really know my way around the resort, but I followed the light to what I assumed was the east, hoping to find a clear vista of the red rock walls. The path took me past the amoeba-shaped pool, which had multiple curtained cabanas and a wide lounging deck. There was a long bar on the opposite side of the pool that wouldn’t look out of place in Las Vegas. This might be a place to relax and get a feel for the resort.

Shortly beyond the pool, the landscaped forest opened up and I saw the rosy morning sun kissing the tops of the striated hills around me. It truly was awesome, the colors changing on the rocks as the sun rose higher in the sky. After I had my fill, I started walking back to the lobby to see if the coffee shop was open. I nodded and smiled as I passed another couple, both larger folks who reminded me of Sophia’s parents. I guess they were in good company here.

I saw the resort restaurant for the first time as I came nearer to the lobby building. It was long and low, with warmly lit windows. I saw several tables already filled -- some with couples, some with single diners reading the newspaper or their phone. I walked into the lobby, found the open coffee shop, and ordered two. Almost as an afterthought, I asked for one of the cheese danishes behind the counter. I realized how large it was as the server had to fold the edges to put it into a cardboard box. I could feel the sticky icing on my fingers as I paid and put the box under my arm.

I carried the coffees over to the milk counter to fix up Sophia’s. She took milk and two sugars in a medium coffee, but as I put my hand on the small silver pitcher of milk I hesitated. First, I took sip of her coffee to make more space in the cardboard cup, then filled it with cream. Something about doing that made my heart race and I felt a bulge forming in my pants, so I quickly put the lid on the cups and awkwardly carried the two coffees and pastry box back to our room.

Opening the I heard the tv on and realized Sophia was awake. As walked down the hallway to the bedroom I saw the local weather on the tv and Soph sitting up in bed with all the pillows behind her. She blushed a little and smiled as well as a girl with a mouth full of food can. She held a fork in one hand and the huge plate of strawberry shortcake in her lap. Her morning snack was mostly gone.

“Hey,” she mumbled, before swallowing and licking whipped cream off her lips. “Where did you go?”

“I woke up early so I wanted to see sunrise. Tomorrow we should go together, I just didn’t want to wake you up today. And I got coffee,” placing hers on the nightstand next to her. “I got you something to eat too, but it looks like you already found something.”

“You have to try this, it’s amazing.” She held a forkful up to me, and I tasted it. Definitely good, but probably better last night.

“I could eat like three of these,” she said, taking another bite and then putting the plate next to her. “What did you get me?”

She took the pastry box before I could ask if she was actually hungry and opened it. “Oh, you know what I like.” She puckered up and I leaned down for a kiss, tasting the sugar on her lips. “This thing is huge!” She barely got the sentence finished before she had torn a large hunk off and tilted her head back to take two big bites. For the next ten minutes she alternated between bites of Danish, forkfuls of strawberry shortcake, Danish wiped in the melted strawberry juice and cream left on the plate after the shortcake was finished, and sips of her creamy coffee. Finally she finished, the empty box rising and falling on her belly as she breathed.

I watched her, for the millionth time in our relationship amazed at how cute she can look in the strangest situations. I mean, in most ways she was a hot mess – bed head, makeup half off from the night before, the glisten of sugar on her lips, stuffed looking – but there was something about her smile, the light in her eyes, the overall sense of pleasure.

“What are you looking at me for?” She said with a cocked smile.

“Nothing, you just look beautiful.”

She smiled at me, then slid her legs over the side of the bed and unsteadily stood up. Her pajama bottoms had come off during the night when she got hot, and she was just wearing her tank top and navy blue panties with small pink rosettes. Her tummy hung down under the tank top and partially covered her underwear. She was obviously stuffed. She put her hands on the top of her belly, leaning back slightly, exhaling. I took a few steps towards her and cupped the bottom of her belly with my hand. “195, huh?”

She smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. “I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed, honestly. I guess it’s just how much you’ve been working lately.” She tried to tug down her tank top, with little success.

“How do your clothes fit? You definitely look a little softer.” I spin her around, staring at the little peek of her butt crack I can see because of her overtaxed undies. I grab a handful of her ass and give it a squeeze.

“Um, I’ve bought a few new things,” she said with a chuckle. “Don’t check the credit card statement. I bought new things for this trip, but I think I thought it would be warmer here. I hope I didn’t mess up. Some of my looser clothes still fit though, like that dress I wore yesterday.”

I put my arms around her, cradling her soft belly. “I like that dress on you. I don’t know if I would call it loose, though.”

“No, probably not anymore. It still fits though.” She turned around and gave me a kiss. “I need to use the bathroom,” she said, stepping back and holding her tummy again. “But maybe after we can go exploring?”

I nodded and sat down on the couch with my coffee. I picked up the resort’s brochure, the cover showing a collage of the main building, local scenery, the pool, and a couple dining – all under the scrolling Desert Promise logo. All the people in the photo collage were attractive models, but also all overweight. Not huge, but larger. Curious, I flipped to the next page.

We welcome you to Desert Promise
The southwest’s premier plus-size resort

I could hear the shower running and I continued to browse through the brochure. Wider doorways. Reinforced beds and furniture. Accessible restrooms and showers. Mobility aids. Accepting and supportive staff. A community of like-minded, adventurous guests.

No shame.

No guilt.

No dieting, I thought to myself. Suddenly my reasonably trim physique made me feel uncomfortable in a way I’ve rarely felt before. I thought of the people I saw walking towards the dining room this morning. I even thought of my own wife, doing the math in my head about how much more she weighed than me versus how much taller I am than her. I’m an outsider here.