parmiga/lored shorts

A New Perspective

Vera was standing in front of her bedroom mirror, wearing nothing but a bra and underwear. Trying to figure out what to wear on a daily basis was becoming so difficult with her being 7 months pregnant.

But Vera felt much larger and more swollen than a normal pregnant woman would, and that upset her. It upset her so much that she let out a groan in frustration.

Meanwhile, Patrick was humming to himself and shaving in the bathroom when he heard Vera in distress. With half his face still covered in shaving cream, he peeked his head out of the doorway.

"Vera? Hun, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Patrick, just go back to whatever you were doing."

Sensing his wife's hostile tone, Patrick tossed the hand towel lying on the sink over his shoulder and walked into the bedroom.

He stopped dead in his tracks once Vera came into view.

What Patrick saw frightened him. Right before him, Vera was trying desperately to cover and shield herself from him.

Patrick, using the hand towel on his shoulder, wiped the shaving cream off his face and slowly walked over, only a few inches behind Vera, and softly asked,

"Baby, why are you hiding from me? Is something wrong?"

Hiding her face from him, Vera hesitated a moment, then asked in a whispery tone, barely audible,

"Patrick?"

"Yes?"

"Do you...do you think I'm fat?"

Patrick's eyes widened, clearly taken aback and almost hurt by his wife's question. He didn't  understand why she would ask such an absurd question.

"Do I think you're what?"

"Fat, Patrick, do you think I'm fat?"

"Vera Wilson, why on Earth would you be holding such a question in your head? Of course I don't think you're fat, love. Have I given you the impression that I do think you're fat?"

Vera, still avoiding Patrick's gaze, quickly responded,

"No, I just..."

"You just what?"

Taking a deep breath, fighting back tears, Vera shakily continued,

"I just...I can't stand to look at myself anymore. I don't like what I see."

No longer being able to fight them, Vera's eyes began to brim with tears. She could feel Patrick's soft eyes piercing through her back.

Patrick, hearing the quivering in Vera's voice, took a long pause. Slowly, he walked up to his distraught wife and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

Caressing her shoulders up and down, Patrick carefully asked,

"What do you see?"

Vera, confused by such a question, didn't answer.

Patrick again asked, more firmly the second time,

"What do you see?"

Knowing he wouldn't let up until she answered, Vera reluctantly responded,

"I see a whale. A huge, bloated whale that can't fit into any of her clothes, a whale that's too swollen and big to do anything and is only good for laying around, a whale that always has dark circles under her eyes, a whale that looks ugly no matter how much makeup she puts on. I see a whale that should just hide from the world, never to be seen again."