Freedom Teddy

Freedom Teddy

Fur and red leather hung on the racks and on the shelves sat oils and edible unmentionables. Soft music whispered throughout and the sweet smell of strawberries flowed through the air. Lost in the sights, sounds, and smells Lynette stood amazed. With her brown eyes stretched to their limits she gazed at all the things she had never seen. Unconsciously she picked up a box and when she look down at the object in her hand her jaw dropped.
"Girl, what's wrong with you?" her sister said to her.
"Mona, let's go, this place is gross."
"You just ventured too far. Put that thing down and come back over here and help me find something for my honeymoon." Grabbing her sister's hand Mona led her back to the lingerie section of the boutique. They looked at different pieces of frills and lace, finally finding a small white gown.
"This will be perfect don't you think Lynn?"
"Sure Mona, you would look beautiful in any of this stuff."
"Are you saying you wouldn't?"
"Come on Mona, this stuff wasn't made for girls like me," Lynette said as she dropped her eyes to the floor and waited for her sister's reply.
"What are you talking about?"
Lynette stepped closer to her sister and whispered, "A girl my size should not wear lingerie like this. I couldn't put my size 16 body in any of this stuff."
"Yes you could--I bet you could fit this and look very sexxxy," Mona said as she picked up a black teddy handing it to her sister.
"Stop Mona, you're embarrassing me. Could you just pay for that gown and let's go", Lynette said looking around to see who had seen her sister handing her the teddy.
"Okay, I'll pay for this and you can go wait outside in the car if you want."
"Thank God--I'll be waiting outside," Lynette returned after a sigh of relief.
She walked out the boutique and felt her self-return to her. As she sat in her car waiting, she imagined what type of woman would wear the black teddy. She imagined a tall lean body, with smooth curves and perfect skin. Whoever this woman was she knew it was not her.
"That material would probably get lost in my rolls", she thought out loud to herself.
When her sister got in the car Lynette made sure to tailor the conversation away from what had happened in the lingerie boutique. Instead she quizzed Mona about the wedding preparations and upcoming events to make sure that everything was in order. She also told her sister the things she planned to do to make sure that the wedding was perfect. After thirty minutes of diverting the subject of the conversation away from herself, she pulled in front of her parent's home where Mona still lived.
Before getting out the car Mona looked over at her sister smiling.
         
"What Mona!" Lynette squealed noticing the stare she was receiving.
"Calm down, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all that you are doing for me. I really don't know what I would do without you."
"You're my little sister, it's my job to help you," Lynette replied avoiding her sister's eyes.
"When you get married I'll repay you by being just as helpful as you are to being now."
"Well look at it this way, you'll probably never have to repay me then," Lynette said with a light laugh.
At her sister's remark Mona shook her head and frowned. "I wish you could see what I see in you Lynn."
"I do too--tell Mom and Dad that I can't come in. I'll be by tomorrow."
The two parted ways, but Lynette kept her sister on her mind the entire ride to her apartment. She thought about the way Mona looked up to her, and how through the years Mona remained her number one fan. She thought about the words Mona had said at her engagement party when she asked Lynette to be her maid of honor. She had been called the most beautiful woman in the world and Mona's best friend. And although her sister had been her biggest supporter, she had spent years envying Mona. She wanted for just one day to walk in her sister's shoes. She craved the confidence she saw in her sister's stride. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about the secret she had carried in her heart for so many years. She wanted to be Mona.
Two days had passed and Lynette had exerted herself even harder in her job and plans of Mona's wedding in an effort to work off her shame. Like most of her days, Lynette went straight to her parent's house after work and did whatever was needed of her. Then about 10:00 at night she went home to prepare herself for the next day. She ate a salad as a part of her endless diet, and then took a shower. After her shower, Lynette tried on her bridesmaid dress to see how much weight she still had to lose. In her mirror all she could see was a blob in a pink dress. Sucking in her stomach she said, "If only I could lose that much, this dress would be perfect." As she continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror she wanted to cry. She took off the dress and returned it to her closet. As she walked across her room to get her pajamas she caught a glimpse of her nearly naked body in the mirror. She turned to examine the woman she had always hated. Staring back at her was an ebony-skinned, wide hipped woman. Her large breast hung free from her chest. Her with cotton briefs came across her naval causing an indentation in her stomach. She stood with her stubby legs shoulder length apart, and yet her thighs still touched. Lynette knew that woman, but never really liked her. She only wished that this mirror woman would quit showing up.
That night Lynette dreamed herself skinny. She was tall and lean naked in a field of daisies. She danced in the wind and did not jiggle. She was free.
At 6:00 the next morning the fat returned with sound of the alarm clock. Not breaking her routine, Lynette got ready for work. By 8:10 she was searching for her keys so that she could be on her way when the door bell rung.
"Who is it?" She called out, but there was no reply. She repeated her question s she walked towards the door. Still, she heard no reply. Remembering caution Lynette peered out of her peep hole, but there was no one there. She cracked the door just enough to stick her head out of it. She looked to around and still saw no one. Counting it a prank she opened her door to step, but her feet brushed against a box. A small box that resembled a hat box was on the floor. Taped to the top of the box was a blue card which read, For the lovely lady.
Lynette smiled and immediately thought of her sister. She took the box back in her condo, and glanced at the clock. The box would have to wait until later. She picked up her purse, which sat on top of her keys, and headed for work.
The entire day was blurred by thoughts of the box that waited for her on the arm of the couch. She tried to imagine what thing her sister had given her this time. At the morning accounts briefing it was easy to ignore what Joshua Lattimore was saying. Normally she sat in meeting disgusted with how much his full lips caught her attention, but today she was preoccupied with the box. The anticipation of the box made her eight hour-work day seem like a twelve hours.
After work she went by her parents' home to help Mona with the invitations. Every time Mona looked up she saw her sister smiling at her.
"What's wrong with you girl?" Mona said confused by her sister's unusual behavior.
"Oh nothing, you just have a special way of making me smile. Are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to wait and see for myself?"
"Okay--I don't know what you're taking about, but apparently you like me using you like a slave. So for that you're welcome. I mean really Lynn, All I've done for the past few months is ask you to help me with one thing after another. I'm really going to have to buy you something special after all of this is over."
Smiling even more Lynette said, "No more gifts okay."
"What do you mean 'no more gifts' I haven't given you the first one yet?"
"Sure you haven't", Lynette returned winking at her sister.
"Whatever Lynn, by the way I do have something to tell you. I set you up on a blind date."
"You did what?!" Lynette said losing all traces of her smile.
"Well it's not really a 'blind date'; you've met him before. His name is Ellis and he's one of Dominick's friends. He was..."
"Your Dominick?" Lynette interjected.
"Of course my Dominick. Ellis was at the engagement party and has been asking about you ever since. So I told him you would go out with him this Friday."
"No I won't! And why haven't you told me about this sooner?" Lynette huffed.
"I just found out that he likes you two days ago. Unfortunately he's been asking Dominick about you, and he has been telling him you don't do blind dates."
"He's smarter than I thought," Lynette said rolling her eyes at her sister.
"Well anyway, he finally asked me about you, and I told him you would love to go out with him. He's going to pick you up Friday at 7:30 for a date."
"Oh no he's not. I'm not going out with some strange guy. Wait you told him where I live?" Lynette said raising her voice.
"Girl hush before you make our bossy mother come back in here. Listen--he really likes you, and I know you would like him too if you gave it a chance. Please, do it for me." Mona was pouting like a child hoping to soften her sister's heart.
"What makes you think he likes me? You know how fickle men can be."
"It's just the way he talks about you. It seems that he was paying close attention to you the entire engagement party. He's really a nice guy."
"Okay Mona, but he badda be sane. So you seriously told him where I live?"
"Yes, how else is he supposed to pick you up for a date?"
"You have some nerve girl." Lynette cut her eyes at her sister, but only received a delighted smile in return. For the rest of the night she asked Mona questions about Mona as they prepared wedding favors. She asked about his vocation, height, living situation, and anything else she felt was important to know.
That night when she finally got home, she was met by the round box on her couch. Now she was not as anxious to open it as she had been. She put it on her bed and went to take a shower. Afterwards, Lynette sat on her bed wrapped in her towel and examined the box. She removed the card from the top of the box, flipped it over and read: "From a secret admirer". She knew exactly who it was. She removed the lid and searched through the tissue paper to find a red and black bundle of satin and lace. She burst into laughter as she pulled the teddy out of the box. "That girl has some nerve", she said as she stood with the teddy held against her naked body. "I wonder if it would really fit--what would it hurt."
She slipped the dainty garment over her robust curves and marveled at how it fit her body like a glove. She walked to the mirror to examine herself. With wide eyes she turned and posed in the mirror like a model. She teased her hair and blew kisses at her reflection. Feeling inspired she ran to her closet and found her favorite pair of black heels. She pranced around her condo pretending she was on a catwalk in Milan. After she did her last spin across the front room carpet, she placed herself in front of her mirror again. For the first time the woman staring back at her was Lynette Allen. She smiled at the woman and slowly removed her teddy. She eyed the bulges that use to enrage her and sighed relief.
That night she dreamed herself swimming naked in the ocean. For miles around her was nothing but water. She floated on top of the water without any effort. She was weightless life a leaf drifting in the sun light. She was free.
The next day was filled with thoughts of the night before. Her work day passed by in seconds and she found herself driving straight home after work. She made herself roasted chicken and buttery mashed potatoes. After dinner she rushed to the shower taking time to exfoliate her skin. She used scented oil to grease her body. She redefined the curls of her hair with a curling iron. She made up her face and painted her lips with a deep red lipstick. Finally she slipped her body into the soft satin of the teddy that had been lying across the bed. After putting on her heels, she returned to the catwalk. This time music played and she danced for her audience. The room was filled with cheering fans and flowers were thrown at her feet. She was an international superstar; adored by millions for her full body. The woman that always haunted her was now her friend. She was new.
The next morning she awoke to the sun shining through her blinds. She had fallen asleep without ever putting on her pajamas. She threw back her covers and allowed the chill in her condo to sweep over her flesh. Breathing in the new day she rose to get dress. While heading for the closet, she passed the lady I the mirror. They blew kisses at each other and parted ways.
At work she floated through the day, although Friday was the busiest day to the week. On her lunch break she called her sister and apologized for not being present the night before. She blamed a busy work day and exhaustion for her absence. Mona understood and did not complain; she knew she wouldn't see her that night either.
After work she headed straight home. Skipping dinner she went to the shower washed, and then made herself beautiful for her adoring fans. She slipped into her red and black friend and began her strut across the front room floor. She got lost in time as she danced and preformed for the millions that cried out in joy. The suddenly she was snatched away from the stage by the sound of the doorbell.
"Who is it?" she yelled out from the middle of the empty room.
"Ellis, I'm here for Lynette", was the reply.
She gasped as she remembered the plans that had been made for her. "Just a minute", she said to the stranger on the other side of the door. With no time to remove the teddy, she slipped a black dress over her body. She kept on her black heels and ran to the door. In a hesitated thrust she opened her door. Staring back at her was a tall, caramel man. From behind his glasses he looked at her with glimmering hazel-green eyes. She remember those eyes from the engagement party. How could she have forgotten this handsome man? Without words he pushed a bouquet of colorful flowers towards her.
"Thank you Ellis. It's nice to see you again", she said as she took the flowers from his hand.
"Same here. I'm glad you remember me", he replied.
That night Lynette was charming and flirtatious; she was many things she had never been before. When asked to dance she accepted and watched her partner caress her body with his eyes. She ate without fears of fat. In fact, the fear of fat never showed up that night. She was free.
After the date Ellis walked her to the door of her condo. She watched him search for words to ask for her number. She complied and swapped numbers with him. Then again she watched him hunt for a way to say goodnight. She kissed his cheek and looked at him promising more in the future with her eyes. She said goodnight to him and stepped inside her door.
She closed the door behind her as a new person. After taking off her dress, she ran her hands over the soft fabric of the teddy. She removed it and placed it in the dirty clothes hamper. She was free.
That night she dreamed herself lost in a field of daises. The flowers tickled her plump, naked body as the sun shone down on her head. She looked for other people but found none. Then from behind her a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her waist. She was lifted from her feet and in her ear a booming voice whispered, "I'll take you". She was carried away by a faceless man. She was found.