Today was the day. Anyone looking at Alan would have thought him calm and collected, but inwardly, he was anxious and excited. He and Denny had been guests of Flor Del for a week. And every day for that week, Alan had hiked, biked, meditated and sweated. He had endured stretching classes, abs and glutes toning classes, and fat-free cooking classes. He had been fed miniscule servings of food he liked and large servings of food he didn't. All of it leading to this: Weigh-in Day. The day that would tell him if he was on the right track or just wasting his time.

Denny opened his eyes and stretched luxuriously in his bed. He looked over at his roommate who was already dressed and checking out his reflection in the mirror. "So,' he yawned, "what time is the Big Moment?"

Alan was looking over his shoulder at his behind. "We're getting weighed in the Fitness Room before breakfast; in about 20 minutes. Sandy is going to measure our waistlines, also. Denny, does my butt look big in these sweatpants?"

Denny rolled his eyes and remarked, "Alan, don't worry about it. You've lost weight. Trust me. And no, your butt looks fine. I can't believe you asked me that or, for that matter, that I answered you. Our next vacation has got to be hunting or fishing or something manly!"

"It is a myth that a truly masculine male doesn't give a whit about his appearance. I consider myself quite the man and I do care how I look." Denny opened his mouth to say something smart only to earn a glare, a finger pointing at him and a "Shut up, Denny". Still looking over his shoulder, Alan questioned, "Really, Denny, what have you done since we've been here that's so 'manly' that you feel you can cast aspersions at me?"

Denny smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "I got laid," he divulged. "Twice."

Alan, his reflection and butt forgotten, turned and stared at him. "What? Get out of town!" he replied in shock, "When? Where? Who?"

Hefting himself up so that he could lean against the headboard, Denny made a show of inspecting his perfectly manicured nails for a few seconds. "Well," he started to recount, "Wednesday and yesterday while you were taking Pilates and yoga, right here in this room and with Margaret and Giselle from my group. Separately, of course."

"Denny, I bow to you," Alan marveled, "I thought I was a slut. Now I find out that, not only are you a slut, you are the slut. I didn't even have a clue…"

"Because you weren't looking for one, my friend. I suggest you head on over to the Fitness Center. It's time for your weigh-in."

The weigh-in had already started when Alan entered the Fitness Room. One by one, each member of his group walked the short distance to where Sandy and Gary stood next to the scale; Gary with a clipboard and Sandy holding a tape measure. The clipboard held their original weigh-in weights and measurements so that an immediate side by side comparison could be made. Blessedly, this weigh-in was like the first one: Each group member was weighed and measured and given the results privately and it was up to the individual whether or not to share with everyone else.

Ginny was the fourth person called. She marched up like she was on her way to her own execution and stepped on the scale. She watched closely as Gary slid the pieces back and forth as he worked to balance it. Finally, he arrived at the number that balanced the scale. Ginny peered over his shoulder as he wrote it down next to her first number and smiled broadly. She gave a thumbs-up to Rhonda and Alan. When Sandy finished measuring her, she walked over to them and announced that she had lost four pounds and an inch from her waist.

"I'm thrilled with that but, I really wanted to get my thighs smaller and that didn't happen."

Alan inspected Ginny's legs with an appreciative eye and commented, "Your legs are quite well proportioned in my estimation. I'm sure you'll see the progress you want in our final weigh-in next week. Don't you agree, Rhonda?"

Rhonda nodded her head and said, "He's right, Gin. We have another week. Don't worry about it. Alan, why don't you go next?"

Alan shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Rhonda's face and replied, "Ladies first, Ronnie. Please."

Rhonda glared and said, "First of all: Don't call me Ronnie. Second, I was the first one to get weighed and measured. So, it's all you, Alan. Oh, and in case you were curious, I lost five pounds and a total of one and a half inches from my waist and upper arms."

Alan snarked, "How wonderful for you," then walked to the weighing station. When he stepped on the scale, Gary began expertly moving the weights and when the bar was balanced perfectly, he wrote Alan's weight down on the clipboard. He passed it over to Alan so he could see his numbers. "I've lost six pounds? Is that right?" When Gary nodded, Alan smiled broadly and moved confidently to where Sandy stood with the dreaded tape measure.

"Congratulations, Alan! You've lost two inches total; one and a half from your waist and a half-inch from your hips," Sandy announced. "If you keep up your routine, I expect you will get your waist back to pre-holiday size by next Friday. Good work, I'm proud of you."

Alan stood up a little straighter. "Thank you, Sandy," he crowed, "I, too, am a little proud of myself. And, I hope you didn't take all the dirty looks and hatred I threw your way all week personally."

She laughed and gazed at him with lovely hazel eyes. "I'm used to it, trust me. You're not the first guest to wish death upon me and you definitely won't be the last. But," she looked Alan up and down appreciatively, "once people start seeing results, they fall in love with me."

"Well, I'm not in love, Sandy, but consider me at your disposal if you want to be in lust with me," he said slyly and winked at her. Her smile faded as she stared after him and wondered if she should be offended. He then went back to where Ginny and Rhonda were still sitting. He got a cup of water from the cooler then sat down and asked Ginny, "Rather than sit here and watch the rest of the group get weighed and measured, why don't we celebrate our weight loss by going to the masseuse's office and scheduling a couple's massage for after our hike today? We have Free Time from 9AM until the 2PM Light Cooking class. I think a massage would be," he took Ginny's hands in his, "quite relaxing."

Rhonda, who had been sitting quietly listening, reached over to remove Alan's hands and place them on the table. She purred, "I agree, Alan, that a couples massage would be a great way to celebrate our achievements. That is why I booked a massage for Ginny and me."

Ginny smiled apologetically at Alan and said, "I thought you knew. We introduced ourselves together at the orientation."

Alan glanced back in Sandy's direction and saw her smile in satisfaction. Alan shrugged his shoulders. "I heard you and I didn't hear you. I'm usually not that obtuse, but in my defense, I was feeling a little out of my element and unsure of myself that evening so I was distracted. Forgive me, Rhonda, it was not my intent to try to come between you. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, Sandy said yesterday that we could hike the trail alone after weigh-in today, so I'm going to start hiking now. As he walked out of the Fitness Center and started on the trail, he thought, Well, that was a waste of a week's flirtation! Denny's practically getting laid at will and I'm trying to pick up lesbians. Way to go, Shore, way to go.

By the time Alan returned to their suite, Denny had already dressed and gone. Not wanting to have a massage alone, he decided to celebrate his impressive weight loss by treating himself to a scotch on the patio. Even though it was only mid-morning, he figured he deserved it because he had not had one sip of liquor nor a puff off a cigar since arriving despite keeping Denny company while he did. He stripped and entered the shower, turned all four showerheads on full blast and let the water rinse away all the dust, sweat and fatigue. After a few moments, he washed his hair and scrubbed himself rosy. He dried off and put on off-white linen slacks and a sky-blue short-sleeved cotton shirt. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass and poured himself two fingers of scotch. As he turned to go back to the bedroom, he noticed Denny's humidor on the dining room table. Why not? he thought and reached in and pulled out a Cuban. Thus armed for his private party, he entered the bedroom and stepped through the sliding doors onto the patio where he settled into a chair and proceeded to contemplate the beauty of the mountains in the distance.

He didn't even hear Denny come into the bedroom. When Denny noticed Alan was outside, he tapped on the door's glass and had to choke back a laugh when Alan nearly jumped out of his skin. He opened the door and asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Having regained his composure after being startled, Alan smiled. "Of course not, Denny." He stood up and moved to the other chair so Denny could have the one closest to the door.

"You seemed deep in thought. Want to share?"

"I was just allowing myself time to enjoy nature's beauty. I've been so focused on getting in shape that I really hadn't paid attention to how the mountains look. I'm…humbled by their size and majesty." He smiled and held out the cigar and glass he held in both hands. "These are my celebratory indulgences for having lost, are you ready? Six pounds!"

Denny grinned broadly and fist-pumped, "Yes! I am so proud of you! By this time next week, you'll be beating women off with a stick!"

Alan almost spat out his scotch. "I wouldn't go that far, Denny! Let's just say I'll be in even better shape. By the way, remember that woman I was telling you about, Ginny? It seems she is involved with her roommate, Rhonda. They've been an item for some time, apparently."

Denny's eyes widened. "Lesbians? You lucky dog, you! Are they coming here? Can I stay and watch?"

"Calm down, Denny, there'll be no threesomes with lesbians happening. Ginny is not interested in me, at all. I misjudged that entire situation. The ironic part is: I think Sandy, my trainer, was interested in me, but I shot her down so I could go talk to Ginny. She may even have seen Rhonda, the roommate, warn me off Ginny so I wouldn't feel right coming on to her now; it would be obvious that she was second choice." He sighed and blew fragrant smoke into the air. "I blew it."

"So. What are your plans for the rest of the morning?"

"I thought I would spend my Free Time with you. Watch some TV, have lunch…What is it?" Alan had noticed Denny squirming in his chair.

"Well, normally I would love to, Alan, but I told Dorothy that you would be out until the afternoon and she'll be here any minute. So, please leave."

"What? Who's Dorothy?"

"She's the third woman in my group who gave me a 'come hither' look. Now, go do something, Alan! I'll see you later."

Alan finished his drink in one swallow and handed his cigar to Denny to smoke. He stood and shook his head slowly in amazement. "Wow. Here I've been languishing on the dating vine for months and you're just being a social, sexual whirlwind. I stand in awe!"

"Say my name, Alan."

"Denny Crane! There is none better!"

Denny stuck the cigar in his mouth and ushered Alan out the door. "Start spreading the news!"