Bread and Circuses

The Incident

    I'm enthralled by the idea of newness, Mifune thought, By the fuzzy yellow heads of ducklings as they bob behind their proud-faced mother. By the opening of a pale-pink rose, or the warmth of a finger a tiny baby holds. Time does not exist, and the world cradles me in blossoming arms....

Officer Akira Kikuchi always had a big appetite. He started every morning with a fluffy omelet and extra-large coffee topped with a mound of cream. He ate lunch from a bento his wife so lovingly packed-- crispy fried chicken, fried egg, white rice, cooked spinach, and steamed pork buns. Throughout the day, he snacked on various Kit-Kats and donuts. And once he got home, a big dinner would be waiting for him-- along with a gooey, sumptuous dessert of chocolate cake.

It didn't take long for him to gain weight. His wife Mariko told him it was sexy and made him softer to snuggle. His daughter Risa said it made him look like "a real cop." Mariko must have come out of the womb wondering what to make for dinner, but she was more than that— or so he liked to think. She complimented him on his poetry and courage as a police officer. She even poked fun at how clumsy he was and how his gullibility made conversations fun. ("You mean," he said, eyes bulging, "That Akihito didn't watch anime? You made that up?")

Mariko liked his body, she was still pretty, and he got to eat good food in the process. What could go wrong, right?

Kikuchi was now fat. There was no way around it; the middle-aged cop's belly bulged over his belt-buckle. The gold buttons of his navy-blue jacket strained to cover this mound of soft flesh. Thick thighs tugged at the skintight fabric of his pants. His butt was big and firm from a combination of sweets and squats. A double chin bobbed beneath his face, which was still quite handsome. But not as handsome as Yagami, he thought, With those fine cheekbones and full lips! Why, he must have been chiseled longer than all of us combined!

"Good afternoon, Kikuchi-San," greeted young Officer Daiki Yagami, "You're looking... healthy."

The slender young man chuckled after saying this. Kikuchi tripped as usual, catching himself on a shelf. He looked up and smiled, eyes crinkling affectionately.

"When you get to my age," he said, adjusting his glasses, "You store fat easier. Especially when you're married-- it's how the ladies trap us, no?"

He tugged on his ring, which stuck to his finger like a tourniquet. Officer Yagami nodded and grinned. A playful glint shone in the senior officer's eye.

"The ladies, huh? Well...." He blushed. "That's nice. Good she takes care of you so...well."

Kikuchi noted the young man's pink-flushed cheeks, the way his large eyes examined him thoroughly. Oh my God, he thought, Is he checking me out? Does he...like my fat? He smiled, somewhat flattered. Well...it's not every day a co-worker crushes on you! Especially not one so...handsome.

Officer Yagami reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He scrolled through the pictures of his ex, struggling to hold back tears. Flavio Suginomori had been beautiful-- a plump, luxurious, Italian-Japanese businessman with a taste for savory food and fine clothing. With his cleft chin, hairy chest, and chubby body shoved into a tight suit, he'd been Yagami's ideal. He spoke fluent Italian, English, and Japanese and could sing and write witty plays in all three languages. Their relationship began with laughter, passion, and adventure. But the latter days had been another story, Yagami recalled, as Flavio left note after note explaining he had to "work late" and returned staggering drunk. It was hard to leave, but did I have to!

"Who's that?" Kikuchi asked.

Yagami sighed and struggled to look the man in the eye. Nobody must ever know how I feel, not even him...!