Feeding Frenzy (Watty Award Winner)

Food Coma: Chapter Ten

The officers escorted Roberto into the nearly-empty foyer of the police station, took his passport and told him to wait in line. When it was his turn, the officer behind the front desk typed Roberto's particulars into a computer. When he handed the passport an officer who left the room with it, Roberto felt a little naked, but tried not to let it show.

A pretty, fresh-scrubbed female cop beckoned him to follow her. "You can give us your statement in here."  She brought him to a bare room furnished with three chairs and a table.

"Here," she offered him a wrapped sandwich and a paper cup of coffee. The moment he saw them, Roberto realized he was ravenous. In six bites the sandwich was gone. "Any chance I could have more?" He opened his wallet and started to count out bills.

"There's no time." She walked across the room and adjusted a small camera built into the ceiling. "The red light means it's on. Tell me exactly what happened, starting at the beginning."

"How is the old lady?" Roberto asked.

"In the hospital getting excellent treatment, but the perpetrator is getting farther away every minute. We have cars out looking for him." She rubbed her forehead. To Roberto her concern seemed genuine. They believed him.

"Tell me everything you can think of about the attacker."

It was weird. She had Roberto tell his story over and over, then asked a bunch of questions they should already know the answers to, if she were paying attention to what he had just said. So, he was being interrogated after all. These Canadians. They appeared soft and friendly and brought sandwiches, all the better to trip you up.

Many hours later Roberto re-emerged from the station into the dark. The officer told him to wait by the curb for a ride. October days were so short here. That was something he didn't think he could ever get used to. Days filled with darkness, and the wind, and the cold. It was snowing slightly. Specks of white flew into his face with a chilling burn.

At that moment Roberto hated his parents for sending him to Loon Lake, and for insisting that he complete the whole year here. They had no idea what they were asking. Why couldn't they have sent him somewhere nice, like California? What did they think was so special about this small university, surrounded by forests, lakes and fields? They kept repeating that 'it was the best choice,' and refused to argue. His father wouldn't even explain why. When Roberto tried to say 'no,' his father threatened to cut off his hefty allowance.

Tomorrow he could call his parents and tell them everything he had survived, but right now Roberto yearned to go back to the dorm, order pizza, and go to sleep. It had been an exhausting day.

A police cruiser pulled up to the curb. His ride home. He got in and asked the officer to take him directly to the school cafeteria. He had a sudden craving for gravy, mashed potatoes, and meatloaf.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home and change your clothes first?" The officer raised an eyebrow. It was the same one who had brought Roberto in.

Roberto remembered that his jacket was singed. He ran a hand through his fire-crisped hair, stirring up a terrible odour. "Yeah, I will, but first I really need to eat."

Roberto's chest ached where he had thrown himself on the ground to escape the fire ball, but the ravenous emptiness of his belly hurt much worse. If he didn't eat soon, he was going to bite into his own arm just to chew on something.

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Forty minutes later, Roberto drove to the hospital feeling stuffed from gorging on cafeteria food. His hair was damp from the shower and it sent shivers down his spine. More than ever, all he wanted was to sleep, but as strong as his compulsion to eat had been, the minute he had looked at his empty plate, all he could think of was the Old Lady. It was as if she had bewitched him.