“I’ve got to stop eating like this,” Julie vows, as she spoons granola into her well-shaped mouth. “Desserts after dinner and now these…” She uses her other hand to indicate the blueberry muffins on her plate. “Even with all the exercise, I understand most folks gain weight on these vacations. That’s not what I came for.” She swallows her cereal. “You know the one steep hill yesterday?” Susan nods. “Well, I was chanting ‘pan-cakes, pan-cakes’ with every pedal stroke. That’s what got me up there – the idea of working off the pancakes I had for breakfast.”

“Oh come on,” Susan blurts the words. “Not you too.” She looks across the table at trim Julie of the thick blonde hair, smooth-faced, bright-eyed Julie who looks maybe 30 of her 43 years. “The last thing I thought I’d find on a bicycle vacation was a bunch of dieting females.”

Julie watches Susan’s mouth with a bit of wonder. Susan has a very expressive face, and Julie is surprised at Susan’s surprise. Julie just assumes all women diet, always and all ways. (Except herself, and that’s her secret.)

“I’m single and childless and healthy; what could I talk to other women about if not weight?” Julie states it lightly, though she knows it’s too true. “I’m sure you have a story too.”

“Sure,” Susan says. “I’ve battled a weight problem for as long as I can remember. My mom told me I was thin before the tonsillectomy at five, but I can’t recall it. I can pull memories of being afraid of the front-loading washing machine, of shitting in my underpants, of coveting a neighbor’s doll carriage, but I can’t recollect being skinny.” Jerry comes by with the coffee pot, and Susan pauses while their cups are filled. They both nod their thanks to him and while Julie stirs cream into hers, Susan resumes. “That operation was what, over 40 years ago? I’ve managed to experience relative slimness three times since then.”

“Tell me about it.”

Susan does. “The first time, ironically, was triggered by my fear of PE. Coming out of 9^th grade and looking toward high school, I found out all members of the pompom corps would take gym together. I was terrified about PE; I had to be with friends. So I signed up for the corps. I learned how to make tissue paper pompoms, fresh each time, and my mother had to sew a thousand silver sequins onto my green corduroy costume. I bought bright white marching boots with green tassels, and I learned to step out, tassels snapping, inner heel grazing knee, guiding right.

“We began practice weeks before school started, parading behind the band in the streets near the school. We worked every day in 3^rd period PE class, as well as afternoons during football season and before competitions. We performed in every home-game halftime, and we competed in every parade. With all that marching, everyone slimmed down. About 60 pairs of teenaged leg got toned.

“As silly as I thought the corps was, of course the exercise was good. And something else: we won the Maytime band review. We were the only pompom corps competing; the rest of the state had gone to drill teams and our school was about to make the switch too. We were the last high-stepping, fluff-wielding corps to compete in California.

“I’ll never forget that day. We marched our hearts out in the May heat. We guided right for all we were worth, we drove their knees up as if we would knock our chins, we snapped those pompoms out, up and around with the synchrony of Rockette legs. And we won. It was so awesome. Everyone should have the experience of trying as hard as possible, and succeeding.”

Susan pauses to drink from her cup. “Uh oh,” she observes. “Time for the talk.” She collects Gregory and they move with Julie to hear Jerry and the other guides describe the day’s ride. When the group has been oriented they push off in their joint and several ways, and before long Gregory is in front, Julie is somewhere among the middle, and Susan is near the back of the pack, alone with her thoughts.

Considering the power of effort/effect and the ecstasy of being in shape, she is still surprised that she backslid from her high school fitness to college obesity. Why did she? She was of course aware while she gained weight and lost mobility back then, so she ought to understand how it happened, but she doesn’t.