Chapter 1 - my favorite snow bird

Inspired by my girlfriend ♥

I sunk down lower into the water so that my chin was practically submerged. The underwater pool lights created a bright white halo over the surface making the pool appear to glow. I turned west to face the condominium. In the dark I could count the number of illuminated condos. The number of occupied lit up buildings was in the teens. Someone started playing a piano instrumental and soft diluted tones faintly carried down to the pool below. I slowly paddled with my arms back to the shallow end. I gingerly sat on the edge of the steps letting my feet float and leaned back. The pool lights magnified tiny bubbles making them sparkle as their little bodies wobbled toward the surface. My gaze drifted up to the sky, the stars were out. The music continued to chime from somewhere above the pool. Pretty soon I found myself yawning. I went up the pools steps and stepped on to dry ground. A soft breeze rustled through the palms and I hurried back into the building. Making my way down the back entrance hall I finally came to the elevators. I pushed the up arrow and wrapped my towel around tighter. As I waited for the elevator I heard footsteps on the marble lobby flooring.
“I thought that was you I saw in the pool”, greeted a familiar voice.
“Hey, it’s my favorite snow bird,” I giggled.

“Uh-uh, you can’t call me a snow bird anymore,” Casey tapped my nose with her index finger.
“Memorial Day weekend ended the busy season. I’m officially here during off season like a local,” she informed me in a matter-o-fact tone.
I just smiled and shrugged. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I stepped inside and she followed behind me.
“So I saw a couple residents who were leaving gave me their perishables to eat,” she lightly tapped my side with her elbow.
“Want to come over and I can share some with you?”

At the end of the season most of the residents head back up north and won’t return until the coldest and dreariest part of winter. However, many can’t leave perishable food in their units because it will spoil before next season. They also can’t take it with them on the plane. So usually foods gets regifted to locals who live in their units year round.

“Oh Casey, I really shouldn’t,” I looked down at my tight and still drenched swimsuit.

“Mrs. Carmen left cheesecake brownies. Aren’t those your favorite,” Casey’s accent was thicker when she was trying to be persuasive.

“Okay.”
She pressed the floor 6 button and the looked over at me and smiled. I felt my stomach do a flip as the elevator went up.

—-
She turned the key and the condo door opened . I looked down at the water droplets running down my legs.
“Are you sure you don’t want to share the food with me tomorrow?”

“Nah-,” she turned around and touched the towel draped around my shoulders.
“Well no wonder you haven’t dried off, it’s damp.”

She tapped the side of her chin for a moment.
“Wait here.”

I awkwardly stood at the edge of the open door. The building’s furnishings were outdated making the whole hallway dark. Her personal decor inside her unit was bright and inviting in contrast. She peered her head around the corner.
“Oh God I’m sorry I should have told you to come in.”

She had a huge fluffy white towel in hand as she hurried over to me. I expected her to hand it to me but instead she wrapped me in it, in some kind of awkward hug. As she pulled me in to her arms. My head fit like a puzzle piece underneath her chin, and I could feel her chest pressing against me through the towel. I cringed as she started to pat me dry. The up and down sweeping motions of my sides and patting my chest and belly made everything jiggle.

“You look like puppy that got trapped outside in a thunderstorm, standing there like that,” she giggled and pulled me past the threshold. Using her foot she tapped the door and it swung shut behind us.

Her hands lingered on the towel and my middle for long enough I started to feel uneasy.

“Sorry I just want to make sure you don’t get my furniture wet,” she mumbled. The chirp of a phone timer began to echo from the kitchen and she released me. Finally free I made my way to an empty kitchen chair while she headed towards her appliances.
“Have you had dinner yet?”

“No,” I lied.
“Perfect!”

From where I was sitting I could see she had started plating food.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No,” she called back without turning to face me.
Finally she brought both our plates to the table. Placed in front of me was baby back ribs, waffle fries, and baked casserole style macaroni and cheese. I wasn’t at all surprised she was serving fries. Casey practically ate fries with every meal. She lowered herself down into her seat and my eyes lingered a little too long on all her generous curves. Thank god for fries.
“So what brings you back to Florida so soon? I didn’t think I’d see you again until October at the latest,” I rested my face in my palm as I spoke.

She shrugged “I had so much fun this spring, and renters are hard to come by during the summer. The condo was just sitting empty. I figured I’d just head back down.”
I swallowed a bite and nodded. This spring had been wonderful. I looked down at my plate and scooped up another bite.

I was very lucky. I don’t normally make friends with the vacationers, and snowbirds. It gets so tedious trying to pretend to be someone you’re not. Everyone has expectations for someone my size. I should at least be trying to be thinner. When I order whatever food I’m craving and whatever portion I please it always earns me a look of disgust. Don’t get me started on the unsolicited weight loss advice. Why are the vacationers approaching me at the pool, parking lot or lobby? They want a fat friend to go out with to look thinner, they want me to show them the ‘local spots’ or entertain them by listening to their life problems for a few days until they go home.

On the morning Casey first tried to introduce herself to me I was dismissive and rude. When I saw her swimming my way I would have bet money she’d start up the conversation by complaining about the loud group of spring breakers. The group had woken up the entire building up the night before. Or maybe she was trying to get me to be her weight loss motivational gym buddy. Yet some how talking to her was easy even if I’d dreaded it when I saw her swimming towards me. Slowly, like a shy stray puppy she’d lured me in with food. Grilling out sausages by the pool, cornering me so I couldn’t say no to lunch. Ever so gently pushing me a little further until I was blissfully following her back to her condo. Where there once was dread and apprehension suddenly I felt elated she was back in Florida.

I was pulled back to reality when my fork clinked against an empty plate. I realized the rack of ribs and macaroni and cheese was gone. Most of Casey’s plate was cleared. I was fairly sure she’d eaten all her fries first. I pushed my plate towards her.
“You can have my fries,” I smiled because I knew she couldn’t say no.
If she had befriended me in hopes of us getting fit together she had failed miserably.

“The macaroni and cheese was so good,” I groaned.

“I didn’t make it, it was given to me. I don’t want it to go to waste. Do you mind just finishing it off?” Casey got up and went back into the kitchen.

My stomach gurgled almost as if my first dinner of two sandwiches and chips, and my second dinner of ribs and macaroni were screaming in unison that there wasn’t any more room.

When she returned she had the entire pan with her.
“No need for formalities you can just eat it from the pan,” she smiled.
I felt her eyes flickering over my sitting figure. The tight bathing suit definitely didn’t disguise how I’d had to spread my legs father apart to compensate for my belly as I’d eaten more. I felt my face turning red. She probably knew I’d lied about having dinner. She walked past where I was sitting at the table and headed to the couch baking pan in hand. She sat down and flipped on the tv. I settled on the couch beside her. Despite the protests from my stomach and my suit I started swallowing down bites of macaroni.
“Guess the swimming worked up an appetite,” she giggled.

I wanted to laugh but I was afraid it would turn into groan.
Finally, I managed to swallow the last bite.

“So brownies next?”
This time I groaned, “No, I can’t hold anymore.”
She laughed and knocked into me sprawling out further on the couch.

“Guess your eyes are bigger than your stomach,” she tickled around the edges of my belly as she spoke.

I rolled my eyes. My bathing suit was so tight it was starting to make me nauseous. Time to make an excuse to go home.
It hurt to fake a yawn, “well it’s getting late.”

“You’re just going to eat all my food and leave?”
I slumped back into the couch and curled up next to her.

“Can you give me another massage,” she sat up for a moment so she could bump her back up against me.

“Another?”
I muttered

“Yeah you gave me a nice one last time I was here,” she said blandly.

“Oh was the night with the coconut rum?”
She made a noise to confirm. I guided her by her shoulders so that I could start massaging above her ears. Then I worked my my way down to her neck, her shoulders, and then her middle back.

“Seems like you remember,” she cooed.
“Nah, I’m just a one trick pony.”
Once I was done she laid back using the front of my body as a pillow. After a while she rolled over on her side. I noticed her eyes were closed. Finally time to make my escape and get out of the bathing suit. I shuffled trying to get away without waking her up, but her eyes flickered open all the same.
“Let me see you out,” she muttered groggily.
When we reached her door she hugged me. My full stomach pressing into her soft belly. The impact made me burp. She giggled as she pulled away, and traced her finger up and down my stomach.
“Don’t worry just means you enjoyed my cooking.”