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Authors: Jane Haddam
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Haven,” Christie said.
“According to the brochure, they’ve got studios in California.” Tara stretched her legs and yawned. “It’s just the usual thing, Christie. Eat right. Exercise right. Do what you’re told to do and your life will be different. It’s all a pile of crap.”
Michelle giggled. “It’s just that this pile of crap is getting a big push from an advertising agency, and they’re having a kind of after-Christmas sale where you can get cut rates if you sign up now. I’ve been telling Tara that we ought to go. Really. We could use something to get us motivated. We could use something to help us lose a little weight. We aren’t going to do it on our own.”
“I don’t want to do it,” Tara said. “I don’t want to succumb to the tyranny of slenderness.”
Christie leaned over and picked up the brochure again. Magda Hale looked twenty-six, not ancient. The models on the inside were all tall and thin and blond, if they were women, and muscular and sexy, if they were men. Diet and e xercise are the keys to freedom , the text on the inside read. Freedom from fatigue. Freedom from aging. Freedom from disease and early death .
Christie folded the brochure into its original thirds and smoothed it out on her knee. Someone had smeared popcorn butter on it.
“I might be interested in something like this,” she said carefully.
You would have thought she had just expressed an interest in human sacrifice. Tara narrowed her eyes. Michelle got suddenly interested in stray threads on the carpet.
“What would you be interested in something like this for?” Tara asked. “You don’t need to lose weight. You’re too thin as it is.”
“You’ve been losing a lot of weight lately,” Michelle said. “And you haven’t been eating the way you used to.”
“I’ve been eating as much as I can,” Christie said.
“So maybe you are sick,” Michelle said. “Maybe you really should go talk to somebody at the infirmary.”
“We were thinking maybe you’d gotten one of those eating disorders,” Tara said bluntly. “I mean, okay, so you’re not refusing to eat. We’ve seen you eat. But maybe you’ve started throwing it all up when you’re finished.”
“Have you ever seen me throw anything up?” Christie asked. “We head for the ladies room together half the time when we’re out. Have you ever seen me throw up anything but too much beer?”
“That’s what I told her,” Michelle said.
“I’ve just been tired lately, that’s all,” Christie said. “And I’ve been a little depressed. Over things with David, and you know, that junk. And things with my father. Which haven’t been going well. As usual.”
“Oh,” Michelle said.
“I wouldn’t go home for Christmas if I could think of a way to get out of it.” Christie suddenly realized that this was true. “I don’t want to see my father. I don’t want to see David. I keep trying to come up with an independent study project I’d have to do a lot of work on, but I haven’t been able to talk anybody into anything. Didn’t that thing say it was going on for the week between Christmas and New Year’s?”
“That’s what it said.” Tara wasn’t really buying this. Christie could tell. “ ‘A New You for the New Year.’ I wouldn’t want to be a new me. I like the old me.”
“That’s just advertising hype.” Christie brushed it away.
“I wish it wasn’t just advertising hype,” Michelle said. “I’d love to be a new me. I’d love to have it all together for once. If you really want to go, Christie, I’ll come back after Christmas and go with you. It might be fun.”
“They wouldn’t let you stay at the college,” Tara said. “You wouldn’t have any place to sleep.”
“There are hotels in New Haven,” Christie said.
Tara got up off the floor. “I think this is a terrible idea,” she told them. “I can’t believe either one of you is considering it. It costs five hundred dollars just to go
“According to the brochure, they’ve got studios in California.” Tara stretched her legs and yawned. “It’s just the usual thing, Christie. Eat right. Exercise right. Do what you’re told to do and your life will be different. It’s all a pile of crap.”
Michelle giggled. “It’s just that this pile of crap is getting a big push from an advertising agency, and they’re having a kind of after-Christmas sale where you can get cut rates if you sign up now. I’ve been telling Tara that we ought to go. Really. We could use something to get us motivated. We could use something to help us lose a little weight. We aren’t going to do it on our own.”
“I don’t want to do it,” Tara said. “I don’t want to succumb to the tyranny of slenderness.”
Christie leaned over and picked up the brochure again. Magda Hale looked twenty-six, not ancient. The models on the inside were all tall and thin and blond, if they were women, and muscular and sexy, if they were men. Diet and e xercise are the keys to freedom , the text on the inside read. Freedom from fatigue. Freedom from aging. Freedom from disease and early death .
Christie folded the brochure into its original thirds and smoothed it out on her knee. Someone had smeared popcorn butter on it.
“I might be interested in something like this,” she said carefully.
You would have thought she had just expressed an interest in human sacrifice. Tara narrowed her eyes. Michelle got suddenly interested in stray threads on the carpet.
“What would you be interested in something like this for?” Tara asked. “You don’t need to lose weight. You’re too thin as it is.”
“You’ve been losing a lot of weight lately,” Michelle said. “And you haven’t been eating the way you used to.”
“I’ve been eating as much as I can,” Christie said.
“So maybe you are sick,” Michelle said. “Maybe you really should go talk to somebody at the infirmary.”
“We were thinking maybe you’d gotten one of those eating disorders,” Tara said bluntly. “I mean, okay, so you’re not refusing to eat. We’ve seen you eat. But maybe you’ve started throwing it all up when you’re finished.”
“Have you ever seen me throw anything up?” Christie asked. “We head for the ladies room together half the time when we’re out. Have you ever seen me throw up anything but too much beer?”
“That’s what I told her,” Michelle said.
“I’ve just been tired lately, that’s all,” Christie said. “And I’ve been a little depressed. Over things with David, and you know, that junk. And things with my father. Which haven’t been going well. As usual.”
“Oh,” Michelle said.
“I wouldn’t go home for Christmas if I could think of a way to get out of it.” Christie suddenly realized that this was true. “I don’t want to see my father. I don’t want to see David. I keep trying to come up with an independent study project I’d have to do a lot of work on, but I haven’t been able to talk anybody into anything. Didn’t that thing say it was going on for the week between Christmas and New Year’s?”
“That’s what it said.” Tara wasn’t really buying this. Christie could tell. “ ‘A New You for the New Year.’ I wouldn’t want to be a new me. I like the old me.”
“That’s just advertising hype.” Christie brushed it away.
“I wish it wasn’t just advertising hype,” Michelle said. “I’d love to be a new me. I’d love to have it all together for once. If you really want to go, Christie, I’ll come back after Christmas and go with you. It might be fun.”
“They wouldn’t let you stay at the college,” Tara said. “You wouldn’t have any place to sleep.”
“There are hotels in New Haven,” Christie said.
Tara got up off the floor. “I think this is a terrible idea,” she told them. “I can’t believe either one of you is considering it. It costs five hundred dollars just to go
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