chapter 1

Ted and Betty had met their sophomore year of college. They had a lot in common. They were both fairly tall and slender. Slender because they both watched their diets and went to the gym at least twice a week, plus some running and bicycling. Ted's slim build could even be called wiry. Betty was slim, but she did have some gentle curves, with breasts that were either a B cup or a C cup depending on the brand of bra. Ted had blonde hair with blue eyes, and Betty was a brunet, with brown eyes.

Besides their common diet and exercise lifestyles, they also liked the same kind of music and movies. And they both wanted to be web designers. Which is why they met in a software development class.

By their senior year, they were engaged, and in May, they tied the knot. The wedding had been a compromise between Betty and her rather strong-willed mother, Dinah. Betty wanted a small wedding on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Dinah wanted her to have a big wedding in a big church. In the end, it was a moderate-sized wedding on the coast of Maine with the vows given by the priest in Dinah's church.

Dinah could certainly afford to pay for as big of a wedding as she could ever want. She came from old Boston money, and she had married a banker who had a gift for creating wealth. Her husband had died in a car crash unfortunately, but Dinah was left independently wealthy.

Ted got along with Dinah well enough. Ted was conventional enough for Dinah, no ear rings, no tattoos, and he had a good sense of humor to get him through the occasional episodes when she got a little overbearing. The one area that Dinah harped on though, was their weight. Or lack of it. The first time Ted met his future mother-in-law was the summer after he and Betty had started dating. When they were introduced, Dinah declared, "Look at how skinny you are! Betty, you've found a man who is as skinny as you are!"

Sarah was used to her mother nagging about her weight. Her whole life Dinah had been after Betty to eat more, telling her that women should have curves. Dinah certainly practiced what she preached. She believed in eating well, and she didn't like to exercise. At five feet five, she weighed a rotund 250 pounds. She carried her weight well. Her impressive bust helped to balance out a set of broad hips and a prominent butt. She had a definite belly, which didn't show much since the fabric of her tops were held out by those remarkable breasts.

At any rate, every time Ted and Betty had visited Dinah, they got their scolding for being so skinny. Dinah would ensure that every meal was lavish, and she would push the two youngsters to eat and eat some more. They would eat enough to be polite, then beg off about being too full. And in the morning go for an extra long run to be sure to burn off any excess calories.

Their wedding was held the week after graduation, so the newlyweds had brand new degrees to go with their brand new wedding license. Dinah paid for their honeymoon, which was a cruise, of course. She hoped they would pick up a few pounds with cruise food. The cruise ship had a gym, though, which the newlyweds used to keep the pounds at bay.

After the honeymoon, Ted and Betty stopped at Dinah's house to thank her for the honeymoon cruise. Actually, the house was closer to being a mansion. Dinah insisted on them spending the night and, of course, having dinner. Dinner was every bit as heavy as they expected. Dinah wasn't one to give up on her quest to fatten these kids up. In fact, after dinner they retired to the den and Dinah began to talk.

"You know, dears, you would both be so much happier if you weren't constantly punishing yourselves by eating rabbit food and sweating in the gym. You should at least try enjoying life for a change."

"We do enjoy life, mom. We like to exercise and we enjoy eating healthy."

"So you won't even try indulging for a while? Not even, oh, for a month? What could one month hurt?" Dinah asked.

"Sorry, mom. It just isn't for us." Ted wisely kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to get in between mother and daughter.

"I think you two just need to give it a try. In fact, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is." Ted and Betty didn't reply, and waited to see what she had in mind.

"Betty, you are my only child, but unless I put you in the will, you won't get any of my fortune. That's not a worry for you right now, since I plan to live for a very long time. But maybe I should pass on a little of what I have right now. You two are just starting out, so you don't yet have jobs, hardly any money and no place to live. I'd like to make your start a little easier."

"What do you have in mind, mom?" asked Betty, a little warily.

"You told me that you planned to live in Boston. That is an expensive town to live in. I can put you in a nice brownstone near the Commons. I can buy it outright."

Betty knew there had to be a catch. With Dinah, there always was.

"Now, I've been telling you two that you'd be happier if you'd eat some hearty meals and not do all that exercise. I want the chance to prove it to you. For one month." She had their rapt attention now, so she went on. "You stay here with me for a month. You have all your meals with me, and I'll fill your plates. No going to the gym, no running, no bicycling, no exercise at all."
Betty and Ted were both taken aback. They hadn't seen this coming. "Mom! You can't be serious! You want us to stay here for a month so you can fatten us up?"

"That's exactly what I want to do, dear. For one month. Just so you have the experience of indulging yourselves. After a month, you'll have a nice brownstone in Boston, and if you want to you can go back to your rabbit food and exercise."

Ted finally spoke up. "Can we sleep on it? We ought to talk it over."

Dinah smiled. "Of course, Ted. You can give me your answer in the morning."