âI do yoga to keep fit every day, but I think my waist could still use some trimmingâ¦â Valerie continued.âNo!â Yulia interrupted Valerie as she was speaking.Startled by Yuliaâs vehement rejection, Valerie tried to explain herself. âYulia, I was only asking Skylar to help me trim my waist. If youâre worried, you could stand in with us and watch from the side!â she negotiated with Yulia.Yulia seemed to consider Valerieâs proposition for a moment before she shook her head. âNo, itâs non-negotiable,â she stood her ground and gave Skylar the side-eye as a warning. Skylar had once told her that the massage would require the other party to take off all their clothes. Yulia admittedly felt threatened, considering Valerie was a beautiful woman who was not over Skylar after all these years. How could she allow Skylar to give him a massage?âWhy not?â Valerie questioned her.âBecauseâ¦â she pursed her lips together, trying to think up an answer. âBecause I need to maintain my figure more than you do.
Heâs busy massaging me every day! He doesnât have that much time to spare.âValerie gave Yulia a quick once-over, scanning her from top to bottom. âI did hear that itâs harder for women to maintain their figure after giving birth. I suppose thatâs true?ââYes, exactly, Valerie,â Yulia said hastily. âYou should let Skylar off the hook.âValerie nodded, understanding Yuliaâs position a little better now. She stopped pestering Skylar for a slimming massage and made a mental note to never give birth to a child.Witnessing the entire exchange, Skylar could barely stifle his laughter. Yulia rolled her eyes as she ribbed him in the side. She had somehow made herself into a fat middle-aged mother in her bid to stop Valerie from getting a massage from Skylar. Skylar and his family bid goodbye to Valerie after dinner and made their way back home. After showering and putting Lola to bed, Skylar and Yulia finally laid in their bed, exhausted from their day out. Skylar turned to Yulia, smiling sweetly as he said, âHoney, Iâm ready to give you a massage!âYulia was facing the other side away from Skylar, but she did not respond to Skylarâs invitation.âDidnât you tell Valerie at dinner that I would give you a massage every night? Letâs start tonight then!â Skylarâs voice was excited.âYay⦠Daddy help mummy lose weightâ¦â a half-asleep Lola mumbled groggily.Yulia was caught in a pickle. She only said what she said about the massage previously so that Valerie would stop making advances toward her husband.
She never thought Skylar would take it seriously and offer her a real massage in front of their daughter.This man is truly clueless! she thought.She could not go back on her word in front of her daughter either, fearing that it would set a bad example for Lola. After staying silent for a long moment, Yulia turned around to face her husband and daughter. âAre you two calling me fat?â she asked moodily.âOf course not, honey! You have a body like a model! How could you be fat?!â Skylar waved both hands in the air, caught off guard by Yuliaâs sudden accusation.âMommy is not fat! My school friends say Mommy is the prettiest Mommy!â Lola piped in.Looking at her child and her older man-child begging for âmercyâ, Yulia could not help but laugh out loud. âI guess I wonât be needing a massage since I have such a perfect body,â she joked. âIâll take that massage whenever the two of you call me fat again!â