A man falls in love with a large woman but he is ashamed to be seen with her in public so he invites a thin girl to go with him to his parents’ anniversary celebration.
Mark Hallspringer was determined to find the perfect woman: bright, charming, witty, and of course, beautiful with a dynamite figure and great style. After all, he was handsome, successful and athletic, and quite a catch. He deserved the best.
When Mark started talking to Anna, he had no romantic intentions whatsoever. She definitely wasn’t his type. The funny thing is that sometimes we get what we need, not what we want, and it took Mark a long, long time to realize that.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
It all started when Mark was asked to coordinate efforts between the company’s sales director and the marketing division. Marketing, as it turned out, was being run very efficiently by a woman called Anna Coulton.
Even though Mark and Anna had been working in the same company and the same building for three years, they had never met, not at meetings, or mixers, or even the Christmas party.
Mark sent Anna an email asking her to explain how she was articulating her marketing push with the sales division (sales were lagging and blaming marketing).
Anna’s reply was concise, clear, and neatly put the ball back on the salesforce side of the fence. Mark liked the way her mind worked, and he also liked the fact that she had put forward several suggestions to help boost sales.
The next day, he called her on the phone to discuss her ideas, and to set up a meeting between her and the sales director. Anna had a lovely throaty voice, and a lovely laugh, and halfway through they were chatting like old friends.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
From then on, Mark found himself calling Anna — supposedly to check up on progress — but in reality to hear her voice. He liked Anna Coulton’s intelligence and sense of humor, and he loved talking to her.
A few weeks of daily conversations down the line, Mark asked Anna out on a date. There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “Are you sure about that, Mark?” Anna asked.
“Of course!” Mark said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I may not be what you expect,” she said quietly. “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”
“Tea…” said Mark. “Did I ever tell you my mother’s British? I love tea, every type of tea, I’m addicted to tea…” Anna laughed and reluctantly agreed to have lunch with Mark on Saturday.
The day arrived and Mark waited impatiently outside the restaurant for Anna to arrive. “I should have asked if she was a blonde or a brunette!” he thought to himself. “How will I know who she is?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Just then, a large girl approached Mark and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hello, Mark,” said Anna’s throaty, sexy voice. “I’m Anna.”
Mark was stunned. Whatever he had expected wasn’t this! Anna was beautiful, yes, very beautiful with a face worthy of the cover of Vogue, but she was overweight. She was what they now tactfully call a plus-size.
But then they started talking, and Mark forgot about her weight and found himself completely fascinated by Anna and her radiant smile. At the end of lunch, he already knew he wanted to see her again.
Over the next six months, they fell in love, but Mark found himself cringing from the idea that other people would know he was dating a big girl. The truth is, he was embarrassed, and that embarrassment shamed him.
At work, they kept their relationship under wraps, because of company policy, but Mark had already met Anna’s family and knew she was waiting to meet his. The issue became even more pressing when he found himself proposing one night.
He loved Anna. He wanted to spend all his time, the rest of his life with her, but he didn’t want anyone to know… He imagined his kid brother’s smirk as he eyed Anna’s ample curves. No! It wasn’t going to happen!
Then disaster struck. His parents were having their 40th wedding anniversary celebration and Anna helped him to shop for a present. “So when is the party, babe?” Anna asked excitedly. “I can’t wait to meet them! Do they know we’re engaged?”
Mark nodded. “Yes, they do! They know all about you!” That was a lie. All that his parents knew was that Mark was in love and engaged to a beautiful girl called Anna, but they knew nothing specific about her at all.
Mark explained that the party would be at his parents’ home in Connecticut, and they would take the two-hour drive over on Friday night, then spend the weekend. Anna was delighted, and Mark was horrified. How was he going to get out of this bind? Anna expected to go, and his parents expected her there…
Then Mark had an idea. It was a stupid idea, though it seemed to be brilliant at the time mostly because it would save him embarrassment.
Two days before they were supposed to drive up to Connecticut, Mark called Anna. “Honey, I have bad news!” he said. “I’m on a plane. The board wants me up in Colorado to sort out a labor issue, which means I’ll be flying directly to Connecticut on Saturday morning, if at all. I’m sorry, you won’t be able to go with me!”
Anna was very disappointed. “Oh, no!” she gasped, I’m so sorry. But what about your present? Do you want me to send it by special delivery?”
Mark sighed with relief. Anna was taking it well. “Baby, that would be brilliant! Let me give you my parents’ address…”
Anna hung up the phone. Poor Mark! He’d sounded so disappointed! Anna stared down at his parents’ address and an idea popped into her head. Why not deliver the gift in person? It would be a lovely surprise for Mark!
That it would be a mistake didn’t even cross Anna’s mind until she knocked on the door of Mark’s parents’ house and a slender older woman answered.
“Yes?” the woman said politely.
Anna gave her best smile. “Hi,” she said. “This is an anniversary gift for Mr. and Mrs. Hallspringer?”
The woman smiled and took the present from Anna’s hands. “Thank you!” she said and started to close the door.
Anna put out her hand. “I’m Anna. Anna Coulton, Mark’s fiancée?” She started to feel nervous when the woman’s mouth hung open.
“Is this a joke, young woman?” she asked sternly. “Because my son and his fiancée Anna are sitting down to dinner with me this minute…” Anna pushed past the woman rudely and walked into the house.
There was a big table set up in the dining room and at one end was Mark, and next to him, hanging on to his arm was a slender gorgeous girl. “Mark!” Anna cried. “What is going on here?”
Mark jumped to his feet and his face turned deadly white. “Anna-” he stuttered. “It’s not what you think… This woman, she’s an actress…”
“I don’t understand,” Anna cried. “If you don’t love me, why did you propose!”
“I do love you!” Mark said. “It’s just that… I was afraid…You…You know…”
“No,” Anna said. “I don’t know. What about me?” The other people around the table were sitting in absolute silence and most of them were looking down, and away from Mark.
Mark whispered, “You’re so…big.”
Anna looked him in the eyes for one long moment then she took off her ring and placed it on the table.
“You don’t know what love is. If you loved me,” she said sadly, “you wouldn’t be ashamed of me.” Before Mark could say another word, she turned her back and walked out.
Mark tried to phone Anna again and again, but she wouldn’t take his phone calls, not even at work. He was desolate. He missed Anna more and more, and he now realized he might have lost her forever.
There had to be a way to win her back, to make her see that he’d learned his lesson… The next day, when Anna was walking up to the office block she and Mark worked in, she saw a crowd of her colleagues milling around in front of the building and pointing at a huge billboard on the other side of the street.
When they saw Anna, they all started to whistle and clap. Anna frowned, then she saw the billboard, and her mouth dropped open. On the huge billboard was a photo of herself and Mark, with their arms around each other.
A huge caption proclaimed, “I LOVE ANNA COULTON AND I WANT TO MARRY HER!” Anna was still trying to process the whole scene when Mark walked up to her and dropped to one knee.
“Please marry me,” Mark said with tears in his eyes. “I love you, now and forever, forgive me even if I’m an idiot!”
“You ARE an idiot!” Anna said, “But I still love you!”
Anna and Mark are making plans for a winter wedding up in Connecticut and all their friends and both families are invited.
What can we learn from this story?
- Accept people for who and what they are. Mark was in love with Anna but he was afraid of what people would think because she was plus-size.
- What matters the most is the love and kindness in people’s hearts, not their looks. When he lost Anna, Mark finally realized what really mattered to him.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a disabled woman who sees her father-in-law disappear into the woods with her two young children.
My MIL Came to My Work Demanding I Pay for Expensive Caviar — the Lesson I Taught Her Had Everyone Applauding
My mother-in-law and I never saw eye to eye, and she always tried to get under my skin. But when she pulled a stunt at my workplace, I had enough and decided to teach her a valuable lesson then and there, to the praise of my colleagues and manager.
Yesterday, I was about halfway through my shift at an upscale grocery store where I work part-time when I saw her: Denise, my mother-in-law (MIL). She was strolling through the automatic doors like she was walking into her kingdom. Little did I know that her presence would cause a confrontation where I was forced to stand up for myself.
A cashier in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
The store’s faint background music did nothing to dull the sound of her heels clacking on the polished floor as she made her grand entrance, dripping with expensive jewelry. Denise had that air about her like everyone should stop what they were doing and admire her presence.
And to be honest, she kind of expected it.
She was in her usual “look-at-me” outfit: a tailored designer coat, big sunglasses despite it being perfectly lit indoors, and a diamond necklace that probably cost more than I made in a year.
A well-dressed woman in a store | Source: Midjourney
When she strutted straight toward my register, a smirk already forming on her lips, my stomach did a little flip. What on earth was she doing here?
Denise had never come to my job before, and at that very moment, part of me wished it could’ve stayed that way forever. The woman had a way of making me feel two inches tall as if her disapproving looks and passive-aggressive comments weren’t enough of a daily reminder that I wasn’t “good enough” for her precious son, Jack.
A man posing alone | Source: Freepik
We’ve been married for five years, and still, my MIL found ways to remind me that I didn’t measure up to her standards. My husband didn’t help much and always appeared to take her side to avoid further drama, saying things like, “That’s just how Mom is.”
His unwillingness to have my back drove me insane! But I love him and believed my MIL would eventually get tired. For years, I put up with her antics and continued biting my tongue… until yesterday. Yesterday was the last time Denise messed with me because I taught her a lesson she’d never forget.
Here’s how it happened…
A cashier in a store | Source: Midjourney
She stopped in front of my register and gave me that fake smile that sent chills down my spine. In her arms were two cans of caviar, the specialty, high-end, top-of-the-line kind that cost more than my rent.
I glanced at the price tags. Yep, it was as bad as I thought: hundreds of dollars for two tiny tins.
“Sweetheart,” Denise said in that sickly sweet tone she always used when she wanted something. She dropped the cans down with a soft thud on the counter and glanced over her shoulder, probably making sure we had an audience.
“I need you to take care of this.”
An arrogant woman placing caviar on the counter | Source: Midjourney
Confused, I blinked, trying to process what she was asking.
“Sure,” I replied, reaching to scan the cans for her, but she stopped me to clarify.
“No, silly, I need you to TAKE CARE OF IT, darling,” she replied, looking annoyed but thrilled to be putting me on the spot.
“Take care of it?” I repeated, unsure if I’d heard her right or understood what she really wanted.
Denise tilted her head and gave me a pitying look like I was a child who couldn’t understand basic math.
“PAY for the caviar, my dear. You’ve always been so slow,” she said as if she were explaining the most obvious thing in the world.
An unhappy woman with her arms crossed | Source: Midjourney
“See, I’m hosting a little dinner party tonight, and my friends are expecting ONLY the best. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind if you helped out. After all, it’s what family does. And I’m certain you wouldn’t want me to disappoint my guests, would you?”
I stared at her, my hands frozen on the register. Stunned is an understatement for how I felt at that moment. I wanted to laugh, but the words were caught in my throat.
“Denise, this is hundreds of dollars’ worth of caviar,” I said, my voice low, trying to keep my composure. “I can’t—”
But she cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
A woman waving her hand dismissively | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she scoffed. “My Jack will cover it. You’re his wife, and it’s your job to help with things like this.”
Now, I had put up with a lot from Denise over the years, but this? This was new. She wanted me to shell out hundreds of dollars, on the spot, for some caviar that she absolutely didn’t need, just so she could impress her fancy friends!
My co-workers were watching, probably wondering what was happening. I could feel their eyes on me, the customers in line shifting awkwardly as they pretended not to eavesdrop.
Shocked customers staring in one direction | Source: Midjourney
“Denise,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “I’m not paying for your caviar.”
Her smile faltered, but only for a second. She quickly recovered, brushing off my refusal like a minor inconvenience.
“Oh, come on, honey,” she said, her voice dripping with false kindness. “Don’t be selfish. You know how important this is to me. My friends expect the best.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “If you don’t help me out here, I’ll make sure Jack knows exactly how uncooperative you’re being.”
A woman addressing someone | Source: Midjourney
That was it…
Something inside me snapped. I wasn’t about to let this woman blackmail me in front of a crowd, in my own workplace no less! I squared my shoulders and gave her a sweet but tight-lipped smile, pretending to go along with her demands.
“You know what, Denise?” I said, my voice a little louder now. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll take care of it.”
Her eyes lit up with satisfaction, convinced she had won. “I knew you’d see reason,” she said, already preparing to bask in her victory.
A woman smiling in a store | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed the cans of caviar and scanned them, feeling the weight of every dollar as it added up on the register. My heart was pounding, but I knew exactly what I was going to do. After I bagged the caviar when my MIL wasn’t looking, I leaned forward and pressed the microphone button at my register.
My voice rang out loud and clear over the speakers as I gave Denise a taste of her own medicine, but amplified…
A woman holding a megaphone | Source: Midjourney
“Attention, shoppers,” I said, trying to keep the glee out of my voice.
“I’d like to introduce you all to a very special guest today, my mother-in-law, Denise! She’s here to buy two cans of our finest caviar, and she’s asked me, her cashier daughter-in-law, to pay for them. Let’s give her a round of applause for being such a generous family member!”
For a split second, the store was dead silent. Then, someone in the back started clapping, slowly at first, but then others joined in. Soon enough, the whole store was clapping and cheering!
Customers clapping in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
My co-workers were grinning from ear to ear, and even the customers in line were chuckling and clapping along!
Denise’s face turned a shade of red I’d never seen before!
“What the hell are YOU doing?” she hissed under her breath, glaring at me like I’d just committed a crime.
I kept smiling, pretending to be oblivious.
“Oh, I just thought everyone should know how generous you are, Denise. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
A smug cashier | Source: Midjourney
She snatched the bag from the counter, her lips pressed into a thin line. Without another word, she stormed out of the store, her heels clicking furiously against the tile floor as the applause continued!
It didn’t stop until she was well out the door, and by then, I was practically glowing from the satisfaction of it all!
After she left, my co-worker Rachel sidled up next to me, barely able to contain her laughter.
“That,” she whispered, “was the most LEGENDARY thing I’ve ever seen!”
A shocked cashier | Source: Midjourney
The store manager, who’d been watching the whole thing from the back, gave me a wink as he passed by. “Remind me to never get on your bad side,” he said, grinning.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I finished my shift. It wasn’t just the applause or the fact that I’d finally stood up to Denise in such a public way. It was knowing that, for once, I’d outplayed her.
It wasn’t until later that night, when I got home, that the full impact of what happened hit me. Jack was sitting on the couch, his phone in hand, looking confused and impressed at the same time.
A confused man looking at his phone | Source: Freepik
“What the hell happened with my mom today?” he asked, not quite able to hide the hint of a smile.
I sat down next to him and told him everything. I braced myself, expecting him to be mad or at least a little annoyed. But instead, he just shook his head, fighting back a laugh.
“You know,” he said, “I think she might leave us alone for a while.”
And guess what? He was right. My MIL hasn’t called, texted, or shown up since!
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
Denise sadly isn’t the only troublesome MIL out there. Jane moved in with her son and his wife, pretending to have issues with her home, only to find out she wanted to monitor the couple and ensure they give her grandchildren. Her daughter-in-law was having none of it and retaliated the best way she knew how.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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