FAT

 November 5, 2020

     Last year on a Saturday evening, I went to bed about 11:00.   I heard something in my bathroom and it turned out water was pouring in from my ceiling.  I called maintenance right away and ran up to the apartment above me.  I knocked on the door several times.  I heard a woman say very faintly, "Yes?" and I asked if she left her bathtub running.  She didn't say anything so I ran back down to my apartment and got pots and pans to catch the water and started mopping up what I could.  Maintenance took a little bit of time before they arrived and they finally got in her apartment to turn off her water.  When the maintenance man came in my place he said, "She was sleeping on her couch and forgot about the bath water running."  And then he added, "She's big."  I got very agitated when he said that.  I didn't need to know her size.  I realize he meant that she might be more apt to fall asleep longer or harder but it still stung.  I felt bad that she was talked about in that way, but I didn't say anything.  Some of us are bigger than others.  I have been known to sleep through people knocking on my door just because I'm exhausted, not because I'm big.    Once a lady had just started working where I was and as she walked by me and another co-worker, my co-worker quietly said, "She's big."  She was.  I felt bad for her but why did someone have to point that out? I think that obesity is one addiction that very few of us forgive.  Almost as if it's normal to make fun of someone with extra weight.  I remember several years ago in a parking lot I had just gotten into my car.  I saw a man who was very large walk near me and I thought, "That must be hard." Hard as in being large and walking etc.  He bent down, picked up a 10 dollar bill and said, "Ma'am, is this yours?"  It was.  I stuffed a 10 dollar bill in my pocket after I checked out of a store, and it must have fallen out right in front of my car.  He seemed to have had no problem picking up my money and was so kind to ask if it was mine as opposed to keeping it.  He moved better than I can and left me giggling that I had the thought that it must be hard to get around.  I think the harder part is everyone's judgements.