11 of 100 - Character Sketch - Ned

At 5’2”, Ned was never taken seriously. As a child, his peers and the older kids always included him in their games, but never as an equal. He was always the bat boy for the baseball team, the ball boy for the football team, and the towel boy for the basketball team. He never played any sports past second grade, when it became evident he would always be of a cartoonish size.

Throughout high school, Ned continued to be the mascot whenever one was needed. He rode on the homecoming float, not as the king or a male attendant, but dressed in a beaver suit, waving the school colors. The large mask would have fallen from his small head if it hadn’t been padded and adjusted to accommodate his size. It was during these high school years that Ned began to gain weight.

At first, he told himself he was gaining to fill out the mascot suit. Then, as his girth increased, unlike his height, which had stopped just shy of 5’2”, he told himself he would be more respected with a little meat on his bones. The additional bulk did make him more visible, but perhaps, in retrospect he realized, not in the way he desired.

By the time Ned graduated, he weighed close to 300 pounds, and on his small frame, he appeared to be about as big around as he was tall. After high school, he opted out of college for a job at the print shop in his home town., and as the years passed, Ned became more and more isolated.

Moving from his parents’ house at 22, he found a small basement apartment just 3 blocks from the shop. He hadn’t wanted to move, but his mother and father had insisted. They were tired of taking care of him, his father told him one night. He had just dropped onto the sofa with a fresh coke and bag of movie butter popcorn, preparing to watch reruns of Mash as he did every night. His father turned off the television and stood between it and him as his mother stood in the kitchen, pulling dishes from the dishwasher and stacking them loudly in the cabinet.

“Son, it’s time you took care of yourself. You mother and I would like to do some things now that you’re an adult, and we want to sell the house. We’ve found a small condo near your Aunt Sal, and we’re moving at the end of next month. Your mother has circled some apartments you might be interested in.” He thrust a folded newspaper at Ned.

Ned looked at the folded paper, dotted with red circles, and then took it from his father’s hand and set it on the sofa next to him.

“Sure, Dad. Whatever. Now can I watch my show?” Ned looked past his father to the television, blocking out the rising fear he felt.

Moving out had not been as bad as Ned had thought it might be. He found the apartment within a few days, and with his father’s help, moved his things there. His mother joined them as they went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few necessary items: a small kitchen table and chairs, a television stand with matching end tables, and towels for the bathroom and kitchen. His mother helped with these items, but Ned insisted on everything being black or white. He did not like the idea of bright colors.

Because the new apartment was only two blocks from the print shop, Ned began walking to work. The first few weeks were hell. The farthest he’d walked for years was from the closest parking place he could find to the door of wherever he was going. The two blocks seemed impossible at first, and he would arrive at work overheated and breathless. But as the weeks wore on, he found the task much less daunting and even enjoyable.

Then, in an office contest, he won a year’s membership to the local health club. The membership included full use of the facilities and nutritional counseling. Ned, at the urging of his boss, went to the health club to check it out.

And once he walked in those doors, Ned’s life began to change in earnest.