Big Bobo

Regret

Bobo lay helpless on his bed. His whole body ached, especially his stomach that towered over him. He was shocked when he felt a strange lump on the top of his stomach and thought it was a hernia. On closer inspection it turned out to be his belly button, which bulged out quite a bit. He had discovered it by feeling, because he could no longer get up. Erik had helped him onto the bed and then left again. His heart was beating wildly and he could hardly breathe. He felt his strength draining away and he was at the mercy of the elasticity of his stomach and his body's digestive mechanisms. With his eyes closed he thought of Africa. Of his parents, whom he missed terribly every day. Of the simple life he had there, on the land. He wondered if his friends still played football. If they were even still alive. He had seen many people die there, from hunger or from corruption. His friends and family members were no exception. One day he wanted to be rich, to be able to provide for them all. He was proud when he was accepted at the University of Ghana, shortly before he left the country. He was the only one in his family who would attend university. His father would have been proud too, he was sure of that. Soon he became part of the university's athletics team. He was by far the fastest. He had always had a strong, athletic body because of his hard work in the fields. And he was also quite good at learning. Until he was caught in the toilet with that boy... When he decided to flee to Europe, the intention was to one day return to his native country, with enough money to support his family and friends. He would have his own business in something and everyone would be proud of him. However, he now realized that he might never return to Ghana and that he would never see his family and friends again. They would never know that he had died from an extreme amount of food. They wouldn't even know he was dead.

Bobo thought back to those scarce moments he ate so much in Africa. How he was encouraged by his cousins. How his father had saved him that one time and how, against all odds, he had not died of his own gluttony. Now he lay there on the bed, dazed. How could he have let it get to this point again? With his eyes still closed, he touched his belly. He himself was shocked by the size. A large ball that was quite in the way, that's how he experienced it. A large ball filled with bricks. He briefly fiddled with the bulging navel. This couldn't be healthy anymore. He slid his hand down to his much thinner chest, where he felt his heart pounding hard. There probably wasn't enough blood to keep his body going. As he had done after the near-death experience in Africa, he promised himself never to eat so much again. If necessary he went to a psychologist. If he could survive this evening. His stomach gurgled again. His body clearly wanted to get rid of all food, but he did not dare to throw up. Then you could suffocate, he had once seen on television. He groaned softly, spread his legs and felt his bowels empty again. Bobo just let it happen. He no longer had the strength to stop it. There was no one around to see it anyway.

"He doesn't have to survive."

Maverick's voice echoed in his head. Had he heard that right? Bobo didn't know it anymore. His head was spinning. What a strange evening. Who were those two strange guys, why was Maverick making videos, why a dinner in the basement and why had he eaten so much again? Why was he fed? To the point of exploding...

"He doesn't have to survive."

Bobo farted. Damn, what a smell! As if there was a carcass next to him. Bobo tried to get up. His underwear was wet and the smell of diarrhea on the bed and against the wall and the fart smell together was nauseating. But Bobo could no longer get up and he could do nothing but accept that something inside him was rotting. He thought of Erik, who was the only one kind enough to help him. All this time he had thought that Steven was also a friend, albeit a sarcastic one. Erik had always been friendly to him. He had never made a comment that made him feel bad. Bobo hoped that Erik's kindness wouldn't get him into trouble. Maverick wasn't always nice. He could be mean, especially when he didn't get his way. Fragments of the evening flashed through his mind. The table full of dishes, the chefs who kept replenishing the table. Blurred images of Steven covered in pudding and Maverick covered in shit. He would probably have problems with that himself. Again, Bobo tried to get up, but suddenly his eyes went black.