Obsessed

Chapter 1

“Have a wonderful day at work, sweetie.” Cynthia embraced her husband as he leaned forward for a kiss. She skirted it, allowing him to plant one on her cheek instead; she didn’t want him smudging her lipstick, not when she planned to talk to the other wives.

“Thanks, honey,” he replied, unfazed. Richard was used to his new bride’s quirks by now. Straightening his suit lapel, he smoothly entered his red 1960 Chevrolet Impala replica, briefcase in hand. He sent one last smile to his wife before backing out of their driveway and taking off. A few other husbands, all in similar black suits and ties, left as well, kissing their wives and hugging their children. Eventually only the wives remained, loitering in front of their houses and waving their husbands goodbye. Once the cars were out of sight, they shooed their children back into their houses and shuffled in their heels and slippers to their usual morning meeting spot, the Samsons’ driveway.

Cynthia smoothed the front of her blue peplum dress, its gingham print and half-sleeves giving her the perfect mix of casual and polished. Her mother had told her countless times that blue was her color, and she wanted to look her best today. Today felt important, although she couldn’t really place why. She supposed she just wanted to impress the wives of Neighborhood 01. That was important to her. She pulled out her phone and checked herself in the front-facing camera. Her pink lipstick was still perfect, and she swept a stray lock of her red hair from her bangs. The rest of her bouncy curls were in place, perfectly framing her round face. She stared into her blue eyes in the camera, rimmed by long, mascara-clad lashes. ‘You’ve got this,’ she told herself, trying to build up some confidence. Satisfied with her appearance, she tucked her phone into her skirt pocket and followed the rest of the wives gathering around Kelly Samson like flies.

Kelly was a striking woman, effortlessly beautiful with deep brown skin, bright hazel eyes, and dark, cascading curls that fell past her shoulders. She wore a simple red dress—as she almost always did—with an asymmetrical neckline and subtle ruching that hugged her slim yet curvy figure perfectly. Around her, the other wives, in similar dresses, tried to emulate her sophistication, though none quite pulled it off. And none dared to wear red—that was Kelly’s signature. Her house was the largest on the street, grand and modern, with a sleek white facade and expansive glass windows. As if that wasn’t enough, her husband Aaron was the fattest man in the sector. Kelly looked bored as the wives cycled through their usual, stale gossip—most of it old news. But when Cynthia approached, Kelly’s eyes brightened, and a smooth, knowing smile spread across her full, glossy lips.

“Cyn! What’s up, hun?” Kelly’s voice rang out, effortlessly cutting through the chatter. Immediately, the other women fell silent and turned in her direction. “How was the honeymoon?”

Cynthia couldn’t help but feel a bit special. She’d never liked when people nicknamed her Cyn, but somehow hearing it from Kelly’s mouth made it cool—almost intimate. Like they were friends. She embraced the attention.

“It was amazing! Richard and I had such a great time.” Cynthia’s face softened into a dreamy smile. “We’re so grateful we got the chance to go, especially with how hard traveling is these days.”

A few of the wives nodded, murmuring in agreement. The lack of traveling opportunities were a common grievance among pretty much everyone, and an easy, non-controversial way to stir conversation.

“You’re so right.” Kelly had a way of drawing out her vowels in a manner that made her sound thoughtful and deliberate, albeit a bit condescending. “You stayed in the New States, right?”

“Yeah, all the way to the west coast, where California used to be,” Cynthia said proudly. A trip so far was expensive and would require a lot of strings to be pulled, a fact she knew the other wives would be impressed by. Their looks and surprised faces confirmed as much.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Kelly’s eyes went wide in a fake way as she drew out her ‘a’ sounds. “I remember the last time Aaron and I were out there, it’s a really nice sector. Although, I’ll always be partial towards the Mediterranean, where we honeymooned.”

And with that, Kelly effortlessly reclaimed the special moment she had given her. Leaving the New States was practically impossible, and far more impressive than a cross-country jaunt. Some of the wives even sighed at the thought of going somewhere so far and ‘exotic.’ Cynthia stepped a bit closer, ready to try and pull the attention back to herself and her trip, but it was too late. Someone had asked Kelly to recount her romantic trip, which was years ago and a story the wives had no doubt heard dozens of times, but that was all it took to get Kelly going. She smiled and launched into a vivid description of the azure waters, breathtaking scenery, and how sweet Aaron had been the whole time. The wives hung on her every word, listening intently and echoing the appropriate gasps and sighs.

Cynthia fell back in with the rest of the unrecognized wives as the story continued, respectfully listening and copying the group's exclamations and reactions. When the tale finally wound down, Kelly glanced back at her. Cynthia knew she was likely just the latest topic of curiosity in the neighborhood’s quiet routines—new chatter, nothing more.

“So Cyn, I suppose you’ll be having your hands full with Richard. He looked SO skinny this morning!” Kelly’s face shifted into one of concern, punctuated by her delicate hand laid across her chest.

Cynthia’s face grew red. She definitely had the slimmest husband in Neighborhood 01. Granted, she’d only just gotten married so no one would expect any different, but she certainly didn’t expect to be called out on her first day back. She mentally kicked herself for not getting Richard to eat more on their honeymoon. Any wife with half a brain would have done so. Maybe if he had come back a bit pudgier, she might’ve earned some credibility among the other wives..

“Yeah, haha! I mean we’re just getting started, settling back in y’know?” Cynthia waved her hand dismissively. “He’ll be gaining in no time, you’ll see.”

“I’m sure,” Kelly replied. “Aaron gained…what was it? Around 105 pounds or so in the first six months of our marriage. I’m sure you’ll manage just as well.”

Cynthia bristled, feeling a sharp pang of annoyance and jealousy. She knew she couldn’t even hope to get Richard to gain anywhere near that much in such a short time. None of the other wives had managed it either. The closest anyone had come was 67 pounds—and that took seven months, not six. She had always dreamed of having the fattest husband in Neighborhood 01, maybe even the entire sector. Hell, she wanted the fattest husband in all the New States. It was more than just status—it was proof of wealth and her skill as a devoted, nurturing wife. It was what she had been raised to aspire to her whole life: care for her husband, as he and others like him continued to better the world.

“How much is Aaron weighing these days,” a wife called from somewhere in the small crowd.

Kelly beamed. It was every wife’s favorite, or most dreaded, question. One that revealed your status, whether you were a good or bad wife, whether your husband was rich and important or low-class and a nobody.

“513 pounds, as of this morning,” Kelly revealed, her voice nonchalant. But her face said ‘aren’t I amazing?’ all over it. The group erupted in praise and congratulations, calling Kelly blessed, lucky, talented and demanding her secrets. Passing 500 was an achievement none of the wives had reached yet, so Kelly was the first. Because of course she was. And for a morning weigh-in, no less. Everyone knew that morning weigh-ins were the most accurate, before a full day of eating could skew the numbers. It was impressive, and Cynthia couldn’t help the wave of aspirational jealousy rising within her.

“How about you, Cyn? Have you had a chance to weigh Richard yet? It’s good to get a starting point, you know.” Kelly addressed Cynthia with a smirk on her face.

“Uh yeah. He’s, he’s um…170.” Cynthia lowered her head in embarrassment as some of the women gasped, others murmuring sympathy.

“Oh, sweetie, that's unfortunate.” Kelly reached forward and took Cynthia’s hand, squeezing it in comfort. “Don’t worry though, the scale’s only up from here.”

Chapter 2

Cynthia stared at the ceiling as Richard grinded on top of her. She wasn’t really in the mood but “a good wife never refuses her husband,” as her mother would say. Not that Richard would care, he was far too good for that. She’d spent the entire day in a mood after her chat with the wives that morning, and had stress cleaned her already immaculate home to keep her mind from playing the conversations over and over and over again in her head. But it was no use. Her face still grew hot from embarrassment whenever she recalled her admittance of Richard’s weight. Why hadn’t she lied? Thrown in an extra thirty, forty pounds on top of the real number. No, the wives would’ve known. Especially Kelly, she’d know immediately. Even Cynthia had to admit Richard looked every bit of the 170 pounds he was.

She allowed her hands to travel up his back and along his sides. His muscles tensed and flexed under his skin as he deftly moved, slick with a light sheen of sweat as he did all the work and Cynthia lay there. Her fingertips wandered to his stomach, like they always did, imagining what it would feel like if it were soft and heavy, rather than hard and toned. His belly was only slightly bloated from the two servings of dinner she’d coaxed him into: rice pilaf, chicken breasts, and green beans. Hardly the fattening feast she wished she could feed him. Almost no food in the New States was. The Founders believed they were doing society a service by increasing the scarcity and price of unhealthy foods. But over the decades it just turned rich, caloric meals into a status symbol. The wealthier you were, the more indulgent foods you could afford to eat.

Richard grunted softly as he came. Cynthia, lost in her own thoughts, hadn’t noticed him getting close. He pulled himself out and collapsed beside her with a contented sigh.

“That was so good,” Cynthia said in his direction, barely able to see him in the dark of their moonlit bedroom. She reached over and patted his bare chest for emphasis. He gave her hand a gentle pat in return, saying nothing before his breathing deepened into the soft rhythm of sleep.

Cynthia laid there for several minutes, trying to get her brain to rest. But her mind kept wandering to the images of fast food restaurants she’d seen in her textbooks growing up. Many attributed high obesity rates to those places, and snack manufacturers that would put a whole day’s worth of added sugars into one snack cake or soda. People just couldn’t control themselves back then, was her opinion. Why punish everyone just because some couldn’t practice some basic self-control? She could only imagine how fat she could make Richard if a heavy fattening meal was just a few minutes away. Wouldn’t even need to get out of the car! Or leave the house for that matter. Of course, some of those foods still existed, but anything processed was too expensive. And black market treats just weren’t worth the risk.

Restless, Cynthia got out of bed and grabbed her robe. Maybe she just wasn’t creative enough. If Kelly could fatten her husband so well then so could she. They all had access to the same goods, didn’t they? She wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge to survey its contents. It was packed with fruits and vegetables from the morning’s grocery delivery—nothing but clean, whole foods. The most processed item in there was Greek yogurt.

She was suddenly reminded of Kelly and her expensive trips and expensive house…her kitchen was probably filled with expensive foods too. She sighed and shut the fridge. The freezer and pantry held the same story: lean meats, grains, and more produce, just like every other household. Frustration welled up inside her. Cynthia could feel herself getting frustrated. She couldn’t even think of an unhealthy dish. What even made it unhealthy to begin with? Her mother had taught her many things but cooking to fatten wasn’t one of them. Her parents never really subscribed to the rich glutton stereotype, despite being wealthy themselves.

Cynthia wracked her brain, trying to recall any of the foods she’d learned about as a kid. Pizza was one. You could still get it at some very high-end restaurants, but only healthy versions of it. It would also cost more than 50,000 credits to make, so that wasn’t an option. There was that one dish, with the bread and the ground meat that seemed to be on every fast food menu…but what was it called?

Determined, she headed to Richard’s office, sure she could find the answer online. She rarely used the computer for anything beyond grocery orders, but she had seen Richard navigate other apps now and then. She woke the screen and clicked on the browser, which required a password. Smiling to herself, she typed in ‘cynnabon2203.’ Access granted. She quickly typed "bread and meat dish" into the search bar.

The results were underwhelming: all simple, healthy recipes. That’s it? she thought, disappointed. She remembered her grandfather complaining about how the world had become so censored. Information wasn’t as accessible as it once had been. Adjusting her search, she tried “bread and meat dish old-timey 21st century,” hoping for better results. After scrolling through more uninspiring recipes, she stumbled upon an article titled The Rise and Fall of the Cheeseburger: Reimagining Independence Day Celebrations from July 3rd, 2092. That’s it! she realized, excited. A cheeseburger.

The article read more like propaganda, typical for the time, but Cynthia skimmed past the rhetoric to find what she needed.

“Burgers and hotdogs have been a staple for Fourth of July barbecues and celebrations for nearly 300 years. But did you know that just a single cheeseburger contains 15 grams of fat? That’s nearly a third of the corrupt USDA’s guidelines for recommended fat intake, and half of the recommended limit set by the New States Initiative’s Department of Peak Health (NSIDPH). Many Americans have chosen to forgo these greasy, cheese-covered, fat dense ground meat patties and opt for delicious lean proteins and grilled vegetables instead. Continue reading for fun, healthy recipes to try this holiday, and more ways the NSI seeks to reform the framework of the United States’ crumbling health and society.”

15 grams of fat per burger, Cynthia thought, her mind already racing with possibilities.

There were many comments under the article, most of which were redacted. Although two users, GymBro999 and BigMacarooni seemed to have been going at it pretty hard. Cynthia studied the photo that accompanied the article: a cheeseburger in black and white in the background of a full color vegetable skewer. The dish didn’t seem that difficult. Ground beef would be easy to come by, but over processed bread would be difficult and cheese nearly impossible.

She switched over to the grocery delivery app and searched for the things she needed. Ground beef was only 500 credits per pound, but there were only 93% lean options. She added two pounds to her cart, it would have to do. Large whole-grain rolls, which she could substitute for burger buns, were around 2,500 credits per dozen. Anything with carbs was always expensive.

Surprisingly, there was more cheese available than she had anticipated, though none quite fit her plan. Feta and ricotta were in stock, but varieties like mozzarella were priced at 15,000 credits and completely sold out. Cynthia sighed, staring at the screen. The secret had to be in the cheese. Why else would it be so hard to come by? No matter. She’d wake up early tomorrow and be the first to add it to her cart when it restocked.

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