Chelsea; My Big, Fat, Fabulous Love By Nwachukwu Christopher Ishioma Avwerosuo

CHAPTER 3

Chelsea  is the only child of  Mr Christopher Okoro and Mrs Chigozia Christopher Okoro. Her dad is a retired Government school teacher, who is 58years old, he worked for the Government for 35years. He got the teaching job, at the young age of 23.He decided to open his own  soft drink business , after retirement.  Which he  sales in crates and is running now.
           
         Her mother is 55years old, she has her own super market, "MAMA C's SUPER MARKET", which she been running since she finished the Tertiary  institution, where she studied "Marketing".

      She decided to open her own business, instead of working for someone else and utilize what she learnt in school,  which helped in expand her business to two branches, one in Warri where they live and the in  Effurun, both in Delta State, Nigeria.
            
        They name their only daughter and only child, Eseoghene, in her father's tongue meaning ;"God's gift", For the gift God gave to them after 10years of waiting. While Amarachukwu in her mother's tongue, meaning " Praise God", Praising God for the gift of a child and Chelsea, after her father's favorite football club. Making her "Miss Okoro Chelsea Eseoghene Amarachukwu.
            
         Her parents are both from Delta State. Her father is an Urhobo man from Ethiope East local government," Eku" and mother an "Ukwani" woman from Ndokwa west local government," Kwale" .
           
            Chelsea, is a 23 years old young lady, who is light chocolate colour  in complexion, 5.5 feet tall, with oval face, with brown eyes and a little bit overweight, with a big tummy, which has brought her so many questions and accusations.
         
           Having always been ridiculed for her weight, she has been embarrassed because of her weight and just from being her, even when she wasn't even fat. Which shouldn't be so, since everyone can not be this same,either in shape, colour or size . Just as our faces are different,  so are we also different. As a person or individual, it is that difference that makes us unique.
         
            Due to constant reminder of her weight, she became ashame to even go outside her house, especially the vicinity where she lived, if not necessary or only on errands. She preferred staying indoors, if given the choice to do just that, which was so sad.
  
     The exercise she was used to doing, which is trekking to short and long distances,which helped her to stay fit, she had to stop it. Because of fear of what people will say if they saw her weight. But staying indoors did not help at all, but instead, increased her weight.
           
            Since her admission into the higher institute, she started going outside  frequently. Seeing that she was in a new environment, where no one knows her before ( when she was smaller in size and had a flat tummy), then no one will question her or embarrassed her because of her size, since they met her like that ( in her present size).  Although some still judged her, she sometimes wonders what they would have said or done if she was really pregnant, since that was one of their assumption.
          
             Having struggled with weight gain, from her early teenage years, at age 14, she has passed through a lot of embarrassing moment, and has been accused so many times and also have been body shame by both adult, teenagers and children.
           
         At one time,her new biology teacher who was about to teach them biology, call her out in front of another teacher and asked her if she was pregnant. She had to explain to her that her tummy is just big and not because she was pregnant.
Thanks that the other teacher knew her, if not the biology  teacher would have thought that she was lying.
       
          There was also a time that she came to school late and her former basic science teacher was on duty at the gate.
The teacher insinuated that she was pregnant and was drawing Chelsea skirt down, on the ground that; Chelsea was wearing a short skirt which was not the case.  Chelsea's skirt and some of her other clothes has become too small and  short for her, due to her Increase in size and weight.
          
          That teacher was slim the first time Chelsea met her, but at this time the teacher is  also fat, so if Chelsea has accused her of something she has done, wouldn't she be offended too.
   
      Chelsea was in tears through out the period before class and was comforted by her female classmates. Most(not all )  people that body shamed Chelsea, were people in the same size category with Chelsea.
          
        People behaved like being fat was a disease, instead of a size of a person. Some are slim, some are fat, while some are average in size, everyone has their own different shape and size.
       
           A Lady she knew since she was little , although they weren't all that close, saw her one day and called her in front of a total stranger and made a statement and not a question, mind you.