Chapter 1

“Daddy, why do you often say Mummy is the woman of your dreams and the love of your life? And why do you always add, or is it the other way round?”
John was in the kitchen cleaning up the evening meal with his father, Paul, ready to do the washing up. Claire, his mother, was in the living room sipping a long drink and having a mother-daughter chat with Lilli, her sister, the second child of the Brown family.
“John, it’s a long story, but for sure, we’ve always gotten along very well, your mother and I, since the beginning, and neither she nor I would have it another way.”
“That’s sweet, but how did it start, Dad? I’m dating Barbara, and we are into discussing our future together, so I need your advice.”

“Do you really want to know, John?”
“Yes, please, Dad!”

“I guess our love was at first sight. But we wanted to get prepared and ready for our wedding and life together; we were quite young at that time.
I heard about the Smxl Plus resort, and I brought your mother there.
It was, at last, at a time when society was on the verge of totally accepting women could be of any size, any weight, any color...
This resort helped women be at their best for the day and the marriage journey… So off we went.

What struck us is they welcomed people of all sizes, from S to XL and +
Small people who wanted to be pampered would find their place, as would those who wanted to lose weight… and those who wanted to put some on.
We also liked that we could have time since it was a minimum of 12 months' commitment.
Your mother and I agreed on the XL option. She was on the plump side and agreed to gain some weight for the wedding day. That’s how it all started.”

“I need to know more, Dad. How did it go?”

“Well, we signed a kind of contract in which your mother would stay at Smxl: food and bedding were provided, and quite a few activities. Of course she was free to go out whenever they wanted, especially to spend time with her soon-to-be husband.”
On the contract, something was, at first sight, strange. It was mentioned that the maximum weight gain would be 52 pounds. When I asked why, because it would be only 1 pound a week, the woman running the place said:
- You know our know-how is to pamper men and women of any size, any color, and any weight. For the XL option, 52 pounds is already enough.
And she added:
- It is funny how maximums often change into minimums.
- What do you mean?
- Well, if you take your sweetie out for the evening or weekends and have a good time in restaurants and buffets, it’s perfect. The only thing is that she’ll be weighed before leaving and after coming back, so the added weight will not be counted in the maximum 52 pounds. And I must say, over 99% of the men or women subscribing to the XL option tend to gain a minimum of 52. It’s like the Freshman 15; it’s so often a minimum.
I laughed and knew your mother would be at the right place for the coming 12 months.”

“What next, Dad?”

“Well, I already told you I fell in love with your mother at first sight, but every passing day reinforced this feeling: she was and will be the love of my life and will become the woman of my dreams. Smxl helped your mother gain steadily, smoothly, and healthily, so after a year she was up to 200 pounds. And now, after the 25 years we’ve been together, she’s up to 350, an average gain of 5 to 6 pounds a year afterwards. Smxl launched your mother on a fine basis: a marriage built on weight and fat is the key, I believe.”

Paul and John, having finished cleaning the kitchen, joined the girls in the living room.
“Lilli, bring David, your sweetheart, to Smxl as soon as possible; I’m sure it’ll help you prepare a fine life together. I can’t wait to go there with my Barbara. Look at Dad and Mum: a marriage built on weight and fat is the key, as Dad puts it.” John giggled.
Dad smiled, and Lilli watched her mother dig in her third ice-cream bowl.