“What is it Hel?’ Bette replied annoyed.

“I’ve noticed that your bum is starting to spread a bit, wouldn’t you say?  You need to lose that while you can.  If you wait too long, you won’t be able to get a date” Helena stately bluntly.  There was an awkward silence.  “So, are you going to the gym today?”  Helena asked seriously as she touched the top of Bette’s unruly hair.

Bette hastily replied “Didn’t you say you were going to be late for work?  You better put a move on it before there is no art to be had! Miss Bum Police!”

 Bette reached around and felt her rear end and admitted to herself   “My ***** is getting wider, but I still look good.” She chuckled.   Bette had gained 12 pounds within the last 4 months.  It served her well though. Her svelte, muscular frame could handle it.  To the average Joe, she looked fit and healthy, although she was the furthest thing from it.  When Ziggy left, Bette started smoking after quitting cold turkey some years before.  She ate erratically and didn’t make the best choices when she did eat. It wasn’t unusual for Bette to have a meal consisting of Oreos and milk (albeit soy milk).  Doritos, Captain Crunch, Ho-Ho’syou name it were all part of her favorite food group.  Thankfully, Helena was helping out in the nutrition department because she cooked almost everyday.   Bette was so surprised to find out that Helena knew her way around the kitchen so well.  She  would often sit on the kitchen counter watching in amazement as her roommate  conducted her own little food preparation symphony,  humming as she went along .  Helena was a wonderful cook and she knew it.  She even taught Bette to make simple dishes in case there wasn’t anything in the fridge already prepared.  When Helena went out of town for work, she cooked meals before she left and froze them,  so all Bette would have to do was heat them and eat.   She even left instructions by the microwave with what foods went together for a particular meal and how long to heat the dishes for.  Left to her own vices, Bette would eat everything randomly without any consideration of the combination of food.    Once Helena returned home early from a business trip and found Bette happily eating a meal of string beans, English peas and broccoli.  Helena wanted to cry.  Since then she’d always taken the time to leave detailed instructions for her nutritionally challenged roommate.