Size 10

Actress wardrobe in Museum of Cinema, Torino, Italy

1 - Beth 

 "Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts and return your seat backs to their upright position for landing at the Salt Lake City Airport."

Snapping her book shut, Beth sighs as she unfurls her long skinny legs from under the seat in front of her. She'll be there, the dear soul, dependable and reliable as usual, Beth thinks of her older sister Alice who is picking her up. Eyes closed and waiting to land, she pictures her sister's short and ample figure and comforting smile she hasn't seen in over a year. 

We were always close growing up, reflects Beth. I felt safe with Alice. She was never part of the competition. Her obesity made her non-threatening to me. So why on earth is it that, even though I was the better-looking, and certainly the thinner of us two, I always wound up feeling inadequate? How did she manage to be the one with all the self-confidence? 

A jolt announces the plane hitting the tarmac. The first to get up, she grabs her carry-on, and runs down the aisle of an almost empty plane, impatient to see her sister. 

Well, wonders Beth after scanning unsuccessfully the blur of faces facing the gate door, where the hell is she? But wait a minute? Could it be...? Nah! Whirling around, she gapes astounded at the smiling and thin woman she just passed.  

"Oh my God! Alice, is that really you? I didn't even recognize you! Good grief, woman, how much weight have you lost?" 

"Enough to fit in a size 10!" answers Alice. 

Now I have nothing left that she doesn’t have, thinks Beth with a shock.

2 - Alice

If she doesn't say anything, I'll kill myself; better yet, I'll kill her, mutters Alice to herself for the tenth time since she left her house to go pick up her younger sister Beth at the airport.

 After finding the correct gate for the Delta flight from Atlanta, Alice replays in her mind all the old scenarios of their childhood: the tall, thin Beth can always eat as much and as often as she wants, while she, short and chubby Alice, gains weight just to look at or even think of food, any food!

 Miss Perfect has always been a size 10. So how would she know about spending 20 years to struggle down from a size 16, thinks Alice as she pushes her way among the evening crowds hurtling through the same revolving doors. But I did it this time, without telling a soul, not even her.

 Standing at the gate, Alice stands staring at the window, oblivious of the cacophony of announcements over the PA system. She unconsciously strokes her neck which is no longer buried in a soft fleshy mass. As she peeks at her pocket mirror for a final check, the door flings open and a thin-as-ever Beth is the first to stroll out, purposefully searching the crowd, a frown on her face. Is she or isn't she, wonders Alice with a conflicting blend of expectation and apprehension.

 After blindly walking right past Alice, Beth pauses, spins around and gapes for a second, mouth open, before blurting out:  "Oh my God! Alice, is that really you? I didn't even recognize you! Good grief, woman, how much have you lost?

 "Enough to fit in a size 10," answers Alice, while thinking, Now we are finally equal.