The side job

Some things never change

The smell of freshly baked pizzas still clung to his clothes as Max maneuvered his fat body through the narrow hallway of his home. He had found a small pizzeria two blocks away that sold crispy pizzas for not too much money. He had already been there six times in the past two weeks and had endeared himself to the waiters and chef by placing large orders. Here too they made no comments about his weight and he did not have to be afraid of being assaulted since the whole family worked there. No one at the Bacon Factory had reacted strangely to his dismissal. He gave the reason that he was busy with school. There was no point in involving Jacob. Joe had nodded understandably, as if he knew there was more going on, and once again Patricia had not looked at him. A few other colleagues, who had not worked there for long, were sad that he was leaving, but they understood that his studies came first. Joseph had moved to his other home a few days ago. He had been looking forward to it and being among the girls was more his thing than sharing a house with three boys, one of whom was anti-sporty. Ilse was also looking for another home. She didn't like being the only girl left and slept more with friends than in her room. She had never been very social, so she was not missed by Max and Pedro.
"Are you coming to dinner?" Pedro called from the kitchen, after he heard the front door close.
"I made something delicious."
Curiously, Max looked at the large, steaming bowl on the counter. The oven was still warm, so he assumed it was an oven dish. It looked like cheese macaroni. And even though it looked delicious, he declined the offer. He had an appointment an hour later that he wanted to get ready for. When Pedro asked if he would like to keep him company during dinner, he decided to take a plate anyway. Pedro also had to get used to it, now that Joseph was no longer there. Before, they always ate together. Healthy and protein-rich meals that made their muscles grow. No cheese macaroni. It turned out that Pedro had made this meal especially for him. He had noticed that Max had been a bit down in recent weeks. Max searched for words to thank him for this unexpected gesture and took another plate to show that he enjoyed the meal. Pedro proudly filled the plate again. He apparently saw Max as a real food connoisseur who knew what was tasty and what was not. Max decided not to say anything about the reason for his gloomy mood. No one needed to know that he had been sexually assaulted by a lunatic who mistook him for a pig. When the third plate was also empty and Max indicated that he had to leave for his appointment, Pedro asked if he could cook and eat together more often. He enjoyed it and Max had to admit that he had misjudged Pedro. He was not a womanizer at all, but a gentle boy looking for friendship. He was simply influenced by Joseph's behavior. He agreed. That meal tasted pretty good. Max took his backpack to his room and left for his appointment.

In the months that followed, they often ate together. Pedro turned out to be a very good chef who had never used his talent before. He himself was most surprised when a previously unprepared dish came out of the oven looking appetizing and also tasting good. He seemed to really enjoy it when Max complimented him on the successful meal. He was seriously considering following Max's advice to do more with this hidden talent. Maybe he should switch studies and train as a chef. The room of the muscular Joseph and know-it-all Clarissa were still not filled. Their rooms were empty and although Max didn't mind being mainly alone with Pedro, he had briefly felt a fear that the house would be used for other purposes. Only when after a month and a half he had not received a letter or phone call from the landlord did he assume that he did not have to leave his room. The exams were over and luckily he didn't have to retake any. The past period had been tough enough and now he could finally enjoy the well-deserved school holidays. He had not yet found a nice part-time job, but he had not seriously looked for it after he left the Bacon Factory. Towards the end of the holidays, he will start looking again. He had no holiday plans anyway and lying in bed all day didn't cost any money. It was quiet on the bus and on the city streets, as if everyone had traveled to a distant and warm country at the same time to spend their holidays. Max waddled laboriously across the sidewalk. The bus pulled away behind him. He had just gone downtown to look for new clothes. In vain. Regular clothing stores didn't sell his size. Breathing heavily, he crossed the street where his house was located. Oncoming traffic avoided him, others watched him. The meals Pedro made for him, his lunches at the Pizzeria, the mysterious appointments he had almost every day and his low physical inactivity had left their mark. Max had grown to 400 pounds and was still growing. He could no longer zip his coat and his stomach hung low over his crotch. The shirt he was wearing was too small and he knew his underbelly was showing, but he liked the cool breeze and besides, he couldn't find a bigger shirt, there was nothing he could do about that. He had now become accustomed to people staring at his staggering body. His face was red as a tomato as he walked through the doors of the Bacon Factory. Joe was waiting for him with a smile and walked over with two trays full of hamburgers, fries and milkshakes.
"It's safe," he said.
"Jacob isn't here."
Max crammed his fat body between a bench and the table and began to eat greedily from the trays that Joe had placed in front of him and looked around nervously. No one needed to know that Joe had made arrangements with him the week after he resigned. That Joe let him know when Jacob wasn't there so he didn't have to miss out on his favorite foods at the company's expense. Especially not Pedro, because then he might not want to cook anymore. Max gobbled the burgers away in large bites, fearing that someone would take them away from him. Joe watched from a distance, smiling broadly. Behind him, Patricia shook her head disapprovingly in the kitchen, after which she disappeared behind a wall.