Page 2 of Contract Of Shame

“The girls at my school keep saying I’m fat, and I think they’re right. I’m going on a diet and only eating vegetables, no meat. I’m also thinking I should cut dairy out. What do you think?” Her eyes were wide open, and she had a smile on her face. Richard hated young teenage girls. Not only that, but he also knew his mother had a lot to answer for, too. Opal was young and adorable. She shouldn’t be worrying about weight and calorie count.

“Opal, you’re not fat.” He moved round the counter to grasp her in a bear hug.

“But—”

“No buts.” He cut her off. “You are wonderful the way you are. No talking of dieting and not eating meat. What will you do at Christmas? Forgo Turkey?”

“It’s all right for you. You don’t date fat girls.”

Richard thought of Scarlet. She wasn’t fat; at least he didn’t think she was. More a full, rounded woman with curves. Nice curves. The rounded belly at the front and the full hips, more than a handful, and giant tits he could suck on all day long. He had to stop his thoughts.

“You know you’ve just insulted a lot of women in the world. Men love a full woman ,and I don’t want to ever hear you say the fat word again. Do you understand me?”

“But, mum—”

“I don’t give a fuck about what that woman has to say. Do you understand me?”

Opal nodded her head. “I miss you. You never come around anymore.”

“Sorry, kiddo, but that place gives me the creeps. Including the two older occupants.”

“I know.”

“Good. Let’s talk about something else. Now do you fancy coming to work with me today?”

Richard laughed when she nodded her head in agreement. In ten minutes, he changed and prepared for work.

The contract was burning a hole through his brief case.

****

“I’m late. I’m late. I’m so late,” Scarlet said to herself, groaning as the zipper refused to pull up on her skirt. She rummaged through her closet to find another one. The special bargain at the supermarket on ice-cream was ruining another diet.

What woman could pass up a double discount on yummy, delicious chocolate ice-cream with a fudge sauce rippled through?

She found a pinstripe knee-length skirt, fortunately big enough to contain her ever-expanding waist line. So much for New Year resolutions. Hers were down the drain as if they never existed.

“I think you look pretty, mummy,” Harry, her four-year old son and the reason she continued on living, said to her.

“Baby, you are the loveliest man I know.” She kissed his cheek and carried him through their small apartment to the breakfast table. Harry was such a peaceful child. She placed him at the table and served him some cereal. It was a cheap supermarket brand, but the stuff that had some flavour, rather than the other kind which tasted like cardboard.

“The phone is ringing, mummy.”

Scarlet ran for the phone. What would she do without her observant little guy?

“Hello.”

“Is this Scarlet Hughes?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to inform you that day-care won’t be available for you today.” A mother’s worst nightmare.

“But I’m at work. I need to keep this job,” she said, staring at her son.

“We’ll be open tomorrow, but maintenance has had to come out.” The woman continued on with a big long explanation. Scarlet listened with half an ear as she poured some milk for Harry.

“Okay, thank you for letting me know.”

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