He devoured the meal before him with relish and drank the wine, clearing his plate and putting it over to the side. He then knelt down and said a quick prayer. Life… felt good, for the first time in what felt like years. He sat there and sank into the bed. Oh yeah, he couldn’t wait to lie down. He was going to sleep the fuck out of that bed. But he sat there, thinking. He really did feel good. Great even. He looked down at himself. He had finally lost that gut of his which had been haunting him since he was twelve. Sure, it came at the expense of intense labour, culture shock, terrifying experiences, and outright torture, but it was gone. He tensed his arms and felt the strength in them. It wasn’t much – he was a big guy with tremendous upper body strength anyway – but it felt good for the first time in his life.