Mr. Perfect: Chapter 7

Six months later

Ricardo, by all intents and purposes, was a gainer. That is to say, he was actively trying to gain weight. It was something he never really put much thought into personally, but he was enjoying the sensation of growing larger and had no intention to stop anytime soon. All day every day he stuffed his face and had a good time doing it. It was a new aspect of his personality.

Not surprisingly, Ricardo blew past the 300 pound mark with ease over six months of working and eating on his own terms. Ricardo was noticeably obese. His fat expanded outward in a firmly rounded and globular fashion, clinging to his muscular frame and seeming to defy gravity. His clothes were always snug and his breathing always heavy. The fastidiously clean cut and anal retentive law student of yore had been consumed and buried beneath dozens of pounds of pure unadulterated lazy gluttonous chub.

At this point, Gavin was fat, but his girth paled in comparison to his boyfriend’s. He weighed in at around 220 pounds and was a hefty guy by any means. His stomach sat comfortably in his lap when he sat down, he could usually eat two entrees at any restaurant, and he was larger than most of his friends. Yet next to Ricardo, Gavin looked small.

As the couple walked up to Ricardo’s parents’ large suburban home during the hot final days of summer, the pair looked almost comical. Gavin wore an oversized T-shirt of Ricardo’s and loose denim cut-offs that made him look like a ragamuffin. Meanwhile, Ricardo wore a tank top that did little to conceal the ripe underarm fat or gelatinous belly spilling out of it. Moreover, he plodded slowly along with a confident waddle induced by the last twenty pounds that had gone straight to his overhang thus shifting his center of gravity. Knocking on the door, the couple did not know what they were getting themselves into.

“Whoa,” Gavin muttered, looking at a text message on his phone.

“What is it?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you later.”

Paula answered and greeted them coldly. They were led to the living room which was filled with ghosts of Ricardo’s past. Present were family friends, peers from undergrad and law school, and even an ex, all seated on the sectional. The boys were invited to have a seat. Ricardo struggled to lower himself onto the modernist sofa. Once planted he spread his legs wide to accommodate the belly filling his laps and capturing the attention of every person in the room. He pushed back his now long and greasy hair and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had an idea of what was to come and was not pleased.

“Ricardo,” his father began, “we are here today because we love you.”

Bingo! It was an intervention. Ricardo was stunned and angry. He wanted to chastise them all for body shaming and fatphobia. How dare they! He was the happiest he had ever been and that very much coincided with being the largest he’s ever been. If only they could all experience how liberating it is to just let go. To give less of a shit about their fancy careers and precious waistlines. Instead of saying all of this, he remained silent.

Gavin leaned over and asked if Ricardo wanted to walk out, but Ricardo declined. He understood this needed to happen more so for his peers' benefit. So he and Ricardo held hands in solidarity and sat through an excruciating half hour of bizarre sob stories and pleas to get healthy. When all was said and done, Ricardo stood up. He stood up in a fashion he knew would cause his shirt to ride up, just for dramatic effect.

“Dear friends and family,” he began with an air of sarcasm. “I do appreciate your investment in my well-being, but frankly you are mighty confused. I love my size. I am the happiest I’ve ever been since dipping out of your pitiful rat race. And frankly, you would know that if you actually cared enough about me to reach out on your own. So, thanks for your concern, but kindly fuck off.”

With confidence, Ricardo waddled out of the living room and through the front door with Gavin at his side. They piled into the car with Ricardo in the driver’s seat. Ricardo’s stomach had become so voluminous that it was beginning to press against the steering wheel. His car was one of many things in his life he was outgrowing.Shaking his head in silent disbelief, Ricardo reached for a box of donuts in the backseat. He struggled and tried again, but he was just too large to reach back there.

“I got you, babe,” Gavin said and grabbed a donut from the box.

He placed the treat in Ricardo’s mouth who took a massive bite before shifting the car into reverse. On the front doorstep appeared Daniel and Paula.

“Put the whole box on the dash,” Ricardo instructed, his belly wobbling from the bumpy cobblestone driveway.

Gavin did as he was told and patted the crest of his love’s tank. Paula shook her head in shame as Ricardo shoved about three donuts down his throat before even hitting the main road. Immediately he navigated towards a pair of golden arches in the distance. These days fast food was his response to even the slightest bit of stress.

“Hey, what was that text you got before that whole fiasco?” Ricardo asked while reaching for the last donut in the box.

“Oh, that. Well, Terry died and left the whole shop to me which is valued at just under a million including assets.”

Ricardo dropped his donut in disbelief.