She woke up with the soft linen tangled around one leg; breasts exposed and bangs fell over her eyes.  She slowly closed her eyes and listened to the gentle hum of the air conditioning system outside her window. She breathed in the faint aroma od sweat and old Burberry perfume. Eyes still closed, she reached for her blanket and pulled it up to her chest and rolled over onto her ivory pale stomach. Slowly, one eye opened and then the other. She stared at her reflection as her vision slowly came into focus. Nothing seemed to have changed about her body. But the more she stared, the more she noticed it.

Her shoulders were dark from being out in the sun and her bikini tan peeked out from under her underwear. No, there were no extreme changes and yet, she saw it. The contour of her body, the expression on her face—that neutral expression; nothing had changed. What she saw was the change that had occurred on the inside. It shone from her eyes and it changed the way she carried herself. She had lost many things along the way but she had gained so much more in return.

She closed her eyes.