Chapter 1

An Oil Driller’s Dream

Sam lifted his safety mask and wiped the sweat from his face. He climbed down the metal ladder to the shower room, thinking of Jasmine and the home cooked meal he'd be eating in just two days. The other drillers were merging with him in the corridor of the off-shore island, their jokes and excitement filling the cold north atlantic air with a different kind of salt. 20 of them were going on a one month leave, not to return until April for another 3 months of salt and sweat and oil. But Sam had something more to look forward to than most of the men. Sam's wife had gotten fatter, and he could not wait to see her swelled, naked body. Tony clapped him on the back just as he was daydreaming about this image and whispered in his ear, "Thinking of your piggy at home?" Sam gave Tony a conspiratorial grin and headed to the locker room.

Sam and Tony had been best friends for 4 years. Tony married Olivia in September a little over a year ago, and Sam had married Jasmine in the same month. Both wives were beautiful, but Olivia had gained at least 50 pounds in her courtship with Tony, and Sam wished Jasmine had taken his subtle hints to do the same. But Jasmine was far too entrenched in the feminine American ideal and didn't believe for a second that Sam would love her if she got fat. She was 5'5" and weighed about 145 pounds. She was constantly trying to lose 5 to 10 pounds off of a body that Sam already thought was too close to emaciated.

Sam was certain that Jasmine's issue was cultural, and that deep down, she wanted to eat whatever she felt like whenever she felt like it. He listened to her agonize over little "sins" she committed - like eating too much at dinner, or having dessert when she shouldn't have. Once, he even accidentally walked in on her when she was talking to herself in front of the mirror in the bedroom. She was cruel, telling herself things like "Sam will not even want to touch me if he sees how fat I got over Christmas". Sam was really sad that she would feel that way and loved her extra slow and tender that night. But he didn't tell her he heard what she said, because he didn't know what to say to make her feel better. She was horrified one time when he suggested she put on a bit of weight and thought he was teasing her about how fat she already was. But her horror always centered around what other people would think, and never that she didn't like being overweight.

9 months ago, Sam finally told Tony of his frustration while the two were drinking and taking in a dazzling sunset while sitting atop a metal platform on the off-shore rig. Tony and Sam hatched a plan to help Jasmine realize that beauty comes in many forms. So, one month later, when Sam and Tony were on leave, they suggested to their wives that the 4 of them buy a huge house and move in together. Sam and Tony let the wives find the house and buy it, which delighted both women. The economy being rough, and the 4 wanting eventually to have children, this made sense in many ways. But mostly, Sam and Tony hoped that when they were at work, Jasmine would have a lot of time to watch Olivia's pleasure in eating, and through that, Jasmine would have encouragement to do the same, and if Olivia could give her positive feedback as to how she looked if she did gain weight, perhaps she would realize that it was ok to just be herself and not worry about what Sam or anyone else thought. Tony talked to Olivia about it, and Olivia agreed wholeheartedly. Olivia and Jasmine found the house a month after Sam and Tony went back to work 6 months ago, and 4 months ago, when Sam and Tony returned for their month at home, Jasmine had put on 15 pounds in two months. Olivia was well on her way to 250 pounds.