In the spotlight

30

Sofia Christensen

I peeked my head above the flock of people around me, exiting the airplane. The 14-hour flight had a bigger impact than what I was used to; I got way too comfortable in the last month in Los Angeles. My legs were sore, and even my ass was aching. I couldn't wait to finally be able to stretch out my tired limbs.

I beat my way through the crowd I happened to end up in the middle of, and placed my two huge suitcases next to the wall, in a slightly more remote area. I planned on waiting until most of the people left, so I have a larger area to exit with all of my stuff I was forced to carry with me to California.

I sighed as I stepped next to the suitcases, leaning against the cold white wall. I followed the different kinds of people exiting the aircraft, leaving towards the main lobby. My eyes traced their steps, until suddenly they found a very familiar-looking man.

He has just entered through the sliding doors, coming from the opposite direction from everyone else. His tall frame stopped as soon as he saw me, his long blonde hair tied in a small bun as he always wore it, while his face was covered by a slightly longer beard.

My eyes widened as I straightened up, needing a few seconds to completely comprehend whether or not he was who I thought he was. His eyes were fixated on me, and once I saw his hands opening, I confirmed my suspicions in my head.

I took off, leaving everything behind, and ran through the crowd. I didn't stop at all until I reached and basically jumped on him, wrapping my arms around his neck, which he received with a laugh.

"Hey, I missed you too, kid." Dad spoke up in his deep voice, throwing his arms around my upper back to strengthen my position. His voice and the Norwegian language were music to my ears after such a long time of being away.

I squeezed him as hard as I could, yet it was like he could barely feel my arms pressing around his shoulders. After holding each other like this for a few moments, he gently placed me back to the ground, and I let go of my clench.

"How come you are in Paris? Is mom here too?" Excitement sparkled everywhere in my body. It was a surprise that he showed up here at the airport. I thought Jamie would come to pick me up, so I didn't expect my dad at all.

"We both arrived yesterday. Your manager notified us that you are arriving today, and your mother has been preparing since then." He scratched his blonde beard as he turned around towards my suitcases. "And she also invited Xavier and Adriana over to dinner today, so we should hurry up." He shot a bright smile at me, and my excitement rose even higher.

"Oh my god, I love you both so much." I grabbed the hem of my oversized shirt, where my heart was beating dramatically. My parents loved both of my friends dearly and never forgot to invite them over when the three of us happened to end up at the same place at the same time.

"God damn, you got stronger." He laughed out softly. My chest was bulging out with pride as I straightened up. He was exceptionally right. A proud smile stretched across my face as we headed back to collect my suitcases and bring them out to the car.

See, my dad was a 2 meter tall Norse of Viking descent, built like one as well. If he noticed my strength, I knew I had reached my ultimate body goals. 

During my "holiday" this past month, I had two main goals. Having a healthy relationship with food, and earning back my model physique as fast as possible. I am very proud to say that I managed to achieve both.

Eating disorders always reminded me of some kind of cancer. Once you fall into it, you cannot defeat it completely again. You can grow muscles, you can strengthen your stamina, and you can strengthen your core as much as you can. The thought of it will be lurking in the back of your head, waiting for that one moment of weakness where you fall back into that pit again.