A Walk in the Dark

John Gallagher

Have you ever lay submerged under the hot, relaxing bathwater. You hear a noise and your mind flashes up an image of a stranger standing next to the bath. A curious fear makes you surface wiping eyes of soap and water to catch a glimpse of the phantom. You feel foolish when no one is there. God, if people knew what I was really like.

I was caught in the grip of another one of my obsessions, weight loss. It started in the autumn at work. I was bending my way under a bench and felt like an old man when I had to straiten up again. I couldnt keep my overalls fastened, as my huge gut kept forcing the fasteners apart every time I moved. I was approaching 40, weighed over 17 stones and single. Despair launched me on a course of vigorous action. ... (continues)