Bajazzle
By Margo Lanagan, first published in Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press
An unhappily married man is on his way to the wedding of a much happier couple. He no longer finds his wife attractive because of her weight loss, and thus endeavors into an affair with a larger woman, though she may have ulterior motives that he has not considered.
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Don and Su are on their way to the wedding of an old friend when they see the all-female Sheela family board the same cart. Uncomfortable, Don tries to change seats, but the train is packed and Su objects, telling him that they're not doing anything to him. The women are dressed morosely, in Don's opinion, wearing all black that covers the best parts of a woman and donning black makeup that doesn't make them any more attractive; one woman has even painted a black smile over her mouth. Don expresses displeasure at this and Su implores him to consider that perhaps these women did not dress for him. This comment turns him off because of their past discussions of feminism wherein Su told him that she simply could not cover all the basics for him and that he'd have to learn himself. Reflecting on his relationship, he thinks back to when he enjoyed seeing Su's body. She used to be fat and he fetishized her for it, but now that she's lost weight, he finds very little about her attractive, such as her extra skin or cellulite. He looks up to see one of the Sheela women spreading her legs, assuming that she must be trying to call his attention, but he stands up and goes to the restroom instead. When they finally arrive, a dinner party has begun for the wedding. Su is bored, so Don tries to amuse himself with other people at the party. He meets Bel, a fat woman he is instantly attracted to. She invites him to her room and gives him the keys. He arrives at the house she stays at, slightly repulsed by the smell and statues that line the living room. He wanders into her room, enamored by her clothes and smell, then turns to find her there. Before long, they're having sex and Don is incredibly aroused. But soon, Bel begins going faster than any human woman should be able to, and her skin begins to transform, becoming darker, loose, and unattractive overall to Don. Despite this, she doesn't stop, having increasingly rougher sex with him. When they finish, Don gets dressed and flees the house, passing by the now humming statues, and returns to the party.
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