The Lighter Side of Large (23 page)

ShyNSweet: You don’t bounce back as high when bungee jumping.

RoMANce: lol I’m really sorry to hear about your experiences. That’s discrimination. Sucks.

ShyNSweet: It will be a thing of the past soon enough:^)

RoMANce: Good for you keeping a positive ‘tude. Been great chatting with you but I gotta run. L8er.

ShyNSweet: K. Bye.

I log off with a smile. It’s nice to have someone to vent to. I close the laptop. It’s almost time to pick up the kids from school.

My phone buzzes - incoming text. I pick it up. It’s from Jae: “Will call you this weekend to plan our next d8 ur special J.”

“He’s so sweet,” I say and text him back: “Ur2.”

I smile as I send the text. I am a blessed woman. Two great kids, losing weight, having surgery to lose even more weight, and a sweet, handsome man who fancies me: life is looking up,
way
up, for once. I even think I can face a few more insults and rude treatment with my shoulders back and my head held high.

The roar of an engine in my driveway distracts me from my thoughts of Jae. I know without looking it’s Tiresa’s car. Glancing out the window I see her step out of the car, throw her keys into her purse and storm up the walkway. She doesn’t bother using the doorbell. Three sharp knocks are enough to tell me she is angry.
Perhaps she found out about me and Mika.

“May I come in?” she asks when I open the door. She’s barely able to contain her ire as she spits the words through her teeth.

I step aside. Tiresa stomps in and looks around the living room-a mess, as usual, with toys littering the floor. I shut the door and wait for the onslaught she is sure to unleash. “What brings you by? Can I get you some coffee?”

“No, I don’t want coffee,” she snaps. “I want answers. Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing? Did you really think you were going to get away with this? That I wouldn’t find out?”

I feel the blood drain out of my face.

“That’s right. Mama Rose told me
every
thing.”

I hold out my hands, pleading. “Tiresa, it was a mistake, an accident…”

Tiresa’s laugh sounds like a bark. “You call getting fat an accident? You just
accidentally
kept stuffing your face? Don’t give me lame excuses. You did this to yourself. But now you have the nerve to take money from Frank that he doesn’t have in the first place to fix your problems? That’s low, even for you.”

“Money from Dad?”

“Good God, Bella, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I know all about your lap band surgery. What I don’t get is how heartless you’ve become to ask him for the money for the surgery when you know damn well he can barely afford his own medical bills.”

“I don’t know what you thought you heard from Mama Rose, but I didn’t ask Dad for money,” I cross my arms. “And since we’re on the subject of being heartless, I haven’t seen you visit him in the hospital, either when he had cancer the first time or in the past six weeks, so don’t preach to me about being heartless. Pa’s longing to see you again…”

Tiresa shakes her head. “This is not about me. This is about you, so don’t try to turn it around. You are a loser and you know it. All you ever do is manipulate people to get what you want.”

I throw up my hands. “Oh yeah, that’s me all right, manipulating people so I can live in a fancy house and drive a fancy car and treat everyone like crap. Yeah, that sounds like me.”

“It is you!” Tiresa shouts, hands on her hips. “You manipulated Mika into marrying you and now you’re manipulating Frank into giving you money. When you’re around family, you make sure everyone feels as miserable as you do because you can’t stand for anyone to be happy.”

I open my mouth to retort but Tiresa doesn’t give me the chance to speak. “You made sure Mama Rose kicked up a fuss so you’d be invited to my wedding, no doubt so you can ruin it. You’re nothing but an emotional vampire, sucking the life out of everyone. You can’t even provide for your kids and yet you refuse Mika’s help. What kind of mother denies her children the chance at a happier life? Abe and Fi are better off with us and you know it. You just can’t stand the fact that they have it better than you on the weekends. Don’t be surprised if we take full custody of them. They need to be with their father and not in your white world.”

My hands ball into fists. “Don’t threaten me about my children. Be very careful what you say next, Tiresa,” I warn.

Tiresa crosses her arms. “It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. I’ll do whatever is necessary for the good of those kids, unlike you. You won’t help them or fight for them, just like you didn’t fight for Mika.”

“You stole my husband and convinced him that he didn’t love me anymore. I was sick with post-partum depression. What was I supposed to do?” I scream.

“Stole?” Tiresa spits. “I didn’t steal Mika. You lost him because you let yourself go. If you had gotten off your fat ass and stopped being a cow who sat around all day eating and whining about how depressed you were, maybe you’d still be married to him. You deserve to lose him. Mika needed a strong woman at his back and you weren’t it. You were never there for him, just like you aren’t there for Abe and Fi now.”

She gets into my face. “You may have surgery to lose weight, but you’ll still be a waste space in this world. You are a joke, Bella. You’re a loser and you always will be because you only care about yourself. You push everyone away and then cram food down your throat to make yourself feel better. How long will it be before you gain back all the weight? Just like you wasted your marriage, you’re wasting Frank’s money. You’ve poisoned his mind with your sob stories. But I won’t let you get away with it.” She turns and walks toward the door.

I choke back a sob and fall to my knees as her words pierce my heart. I hear the door open. “Mika is picking the kids up from school today. We’ve bought them nice clothes, so you don’t need to pack for them anymore.”

The door slams behind her as the tears start to flow.
Emotional vampire . . . Abe and Fi are better off with us . . . deserve to lose him . . . how long will it be before you gain back all the weight?
Her words are calculated to hurt me. They aren’t true. But I can’t stop crying. Am I an emotional vampire? Did I deserve to lose Mika? Will I gain back all the weight I lost and will lose?

I hate my sister.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Old habits die hard-something you’ll discover when it comes to dieting. That’s why it’s called ‘die’ting.”

FROM BELLA’S BLOG
http://www.thelightersideoflarge.com/ch14

My phone rings just as I drop off Abe and Fi at school. “Mama Rose,” I moan, but don’t answer it, not while I’m driving. Mama Rose’s conversations are too much of a distraction to safely drive and listen. That, plus I am still angry with her for telling Tiresa about the surgery.

I wait until after my workout and shower to return her call, when I’ve exhausted most of my anger. “Hello, Mama Rose,” I say and brace for impact.

“
Talofa
, Isabella. How are you and the
Fanau o lau fanau
?”

“They’re fine, Mama Rose. Doing well in school and behaving themselves mostly at home.”

“
Lelei, lelei.
But of course they are, they are my grandchildren and Samoans are always better behaved than whites.”

“Uh, Mama Rose,” I clear my throat, “I’m half white. Does that mean I behave badly?”

“Of course not,
alofa
. You simply had a disadvantaged upbringing. But I didn’t call to chat about the past.
Sa toe faapea atu le toeaina, afai ae toe misa oulua o le a liu ma’a loa i le mea o lo’o tu ai.
I need to know if you’re still coming to the engagement party. It’s in three weeks.”

I exhale loudly, bitterly remembering Tiresa’s tirade against me just a few days ago. “No, I’m really not interested in attending.”

“Why?” Mama Rose asks. “Do you need a date? Harrison has been asking about you. He really is a very nice young man. And he’s Samoan.”

I grit my teeth. “Yes, well, after marrying a cheating Samoan spouse, I’ve decided to date only whites from now on.”

There is a pause on the other end of the line before the dam bursts. “
A’u Atua!
Are you
valea
?”

An iron enters my soul. Not all of my anger dissipated with the workout. “No, Mama Rose, I am not. I’ve never been more clear-minded. As a matter of fact, I’ve gone out with a white man. He’s a successful businessman with two companies, he treats me like a queen, and he doesn’t demand that I hang out with spiteful Samoan relatives who think I cause problems for everyone. And I decided to forego the pleasure of the engagement party after Tiresa waltzed over to my house a few days ago to accuse me of stealing money from my own father to pay for the lap band surgery and for
letting
my husband leave me without a fight. So if you don’t mind, Mama Rose, I’d rather you not speak with Tiresa about the details of my life, especially after I specifically asked you to not tell her about the surgery, nor ask me to endure her spitefulness any longer.” It is the first time I’ve ever really stood up to Mama Rose.

“All right, dear. If that’s the way you feel,” she says faintly. A pause. “And how is your father?”I sigh, feeling drained after my explosion. “He’s fine. In fact, he’s more mobile than the doctors expected, so I don’t need to take care of him as much as I anticipated. He starts radiation treatment in a few weeks.”

“Good,
lelei.
” Another pause and I begin to feel guilty. “Well, you are probably very busy so I will let you go.”

Here it comes,
I say to myself.

“But if you change your mind and decide to come to the party, your boyfriend is welcome, I’m sure.”

I roll my eyes. “Mama Rose, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend right now.”

Her relief is palpable through the cell phone signal.

“Oh? Good. I will talk with you soon.
Tofa
.”

“
Tofa loa
,” I answer and hit the end call button. I hate feeling guilty for speaking to Mama Rose like that, but on the other hand, enough is enough. I will no longer cave to the familial demands to play nicely, as if nothing is wrong with the fact that my sister stole my ex-husband, as if I should forgive and forget. But when will Mika and Tiresa ask to be forgiven and allow me to forget what they’ve done?

I look up to find I’m standing in front of Café Crave and feel the sudden need to fortify myself with a fat-free cappuccino.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Riyaan greets me. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

I shrug. “Work on some drawings and look for magazines which take art submissions.”

Riyaan clasps my hand. “I have a better idea. I’m taking half a day off to go shopping. I have a date Saturday and need a new outfit.”

Shopping is the last thing I want to do. It reminds me of AmandaE, which reminds me of Tiresa, and I don’t need to be reminded of her. “Maybe some other time…” I say when my phone rings. I rummage through my purse for it. It’s Jae. “Hello?” I say brightly, holding up a finger at Riyaan for him to hold his thought.

“Hello, Bella? How are you?”

“Great, how are you?”

“Great.”

Riyaan rolls his eyes, hearing every word of our polite yet redundant conversation thus far.

“Hey, I want to set up a time for our jet skiing date and ask you out to lunch today, if it’s not too short of notice.”

“No, no, I’m free,” I do a little dance and wink at Riyaan. “What time shall we meet?”

“Do you mind a late lunch? I’ve got some business to take care of that can’t wait. How does 1 p.m. sound? I thought we could have a picnic on the beach.”

“A picnic sounds fantastic,” I flash Riyaan a huge grin and give him the thumbs up sign. “Do I need to bring anything?”

“Just yourself. I have it all organised.” Riyaan nods with approval. “Shall we meet at the pier?”

“Sounds great. I’ll be there at one o’clock.”

“I look forward to seeing you again. Bye.”

“Bye,” I hang up.

Riyaan nods again. “A picnic on the beach? Girl, he’s had this all planned out. That’s a good sign. He is so into you.” I’m so happy, all I can do is stand there and blush. “A-ha, see?” Riyaan points to my smile. “You
liiiiiike
him.”

“Yes, I do rather fancy Jae,” I admit.