August 24 Adapted from Blue Dreams

August 24

3 p.m.
Beast Sightings - N
Conversations with Waterpark Mom - N

"The stripes are going the wrong way, Vanessa.  The shirts make you look fat."

I hold up another style.

"Potato sack."

My hands gravitate towards five more sacks just like the one Marianne despises.  I wait for Beast to appear and tease me or rescue me but so far he hasn't.  And I dream of food the whole time we shop -  milkshakes and fries and everything supersized.  Marianne doesn't eat, and when she does, she eats diet food.  Even her bacon and eggs come from skinny pigs and underfed hens - she calls them free as if this removes half of their calories and fat.

Could I ever be happy shopping the way she is today?  Marianne leaves with a wide smile, her hands full of bags.  How long will it take her Spirulina smoothie lips to fall off and get regular, the way mine are all the time?  She lives on this disgusting drink, but it makes her so fast we are in the car on our way home.  The foot traffic at the mall is way behind us.

"How about a flat bread pizza?" she asks.

Flat is code for skinny.  "Sure."  And I flip my reader open and catch up with my friends on the ride back.