At the top of the stairs Jan looked round and saw the ordinary gym-goers cowering in a bunch, staring at the source of the noise from a safe distance. Aldo was crouched behind the water fountain next to the weights section. He ran over and joined him.

“What’s going on? Oh my word – look at that thing fly!” Jan whispered as more shouting erupted from the far end and he saw a barbell hurtling through the air and strike a mirror, shattering it.

“Roid rage, dude! Anton has lost it! Whooo – check him go … he’s picking up another one!”

“Anton, chill, buddy!” shouted his mate, equally enormous, putting a meaty hand on Anton’s shoulder.

“Get outta my face!” bellowed Anton, his face contorted and purple, veins bulging in his temples as he landed a huge swinging punch on his friend’s jaw.

The gym assistant who seemed to have sparked Anton’s unreasonable rage took the opportunity to escape from behind the pull-down machine she had been adjusting and fled, in shocked tears, to safety.

“Guys so obsessed with their size and pumped up like him on steroids and God knows what can sometimes lose the plot. Aggression. Mood swings. Depression. In fact, my theory is that Mr Anton ‘The Animal’ Fourie has got bigorexia,” whispered Aldo, excited at the bizarre scene. “I feel like I’m in a movie!”

“Bigorexia – weird! You mean, like, the opposite of anorexia?” Jan said, meanwhile flashing back to the rugby jocks fighting at the party. Was that steroid-induced aggression?

“Ya. Anton’s never satisfied with how big he is, no matter how humungous he gets. I mean, look at him – a giant. Like the ultimate of what a man’s body can be. And yet he spends his life in the gym, worrying about and working that body. And you know the worst of it? He’s a giant and his balls are probably tiny and him sterile after all the roids he’s taken. It’s kind of tragic.”

“Whaaat! Steroids shrink your …”

“Yup – and can give you moobs.”

“Moobs? Man boobs? No, Aldo, now you are going too far … You’re having me on.”

“Sorry, guy, but I’m not. Bitch tits, they call them. Gynecomastia – have to have surgery to remove them. Abuse of steroids is no joke – liver and kidney failure – even death. I don’t want to preach, but you really need to do your homework before you get into that stuff, Jan. Be careful. ”

“He’s calmed down. Now he looks like he wants to cry – talk about mood swing! I think I actually feel sorry for him. But, hey, I gotta go. Girlfriend trouble. ”

*****

Sindi opened the door, grim-faced. He felt so guilty for upsetting her. He went forward to embrace her but she pushed him away.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry, Sindi. I just got distracted – again, I know … but I’m here now. I’ll make it up to you, babe, I swear.

“No, Jan. No more ‘making it up to you, babe’. We’re finished. This was the final nail in the coffin of this relationship. You’ve changed. I don’t like what you’ve become. Where is the shy and skinny but smart, fun guy I fell in love with? All this ‘new you’ thinks about is your body. It’s creepy. You can’t eat with us any more, can’t have fun with us any more. You can’t just relax and be loving with me. You can’t even do healthy exercise with me. You’re obsessed. You are a bulked-up bore. It’s over.”

Jan stood on the other side of the door she had closed firmly in his face, and knew immediately that she was right. Was he on his way to being another Anton? Addicted to his body?

It had to stop. As he walked home he remembered a time when he wanted something really badly, and had felt a conviction that the time had come to do it. He had done it, but he had gone too far. He wanted to be healthy, fit and strong, but he wanted his girlfriend. He wanted his family and social life. He wanted to enjoy running outdoors again.

He SMSed Tariq, cancelling his steroid order.

He ate the dinner with his family, and put everyone in high spirits by telling them he was relaxing his routine and diet to more acceptable levels. Then he made them all cheer by eating dessert.

“Welcome back to normal life, big bro,” toasted Deon, with his juice.

As they all clinked glasses he thought he saw tears in his mother’s eyes, relief in his father’s. Had they also been seriously worried about him? Thank goodness he had not gone beyond the point of no return, like Anton.

Then Jan went to his room to compose an email to Sindi.

My dearest running mate and study and joking around and dance and concert partner, my beautiful, sexiest-ever girlfriend, my Sindi

Jan

Feeling hopeful, and very determined to get back the girl he loved, Jan pressed “Send”.

***

Tell us what you think: Will Sindi and Jan’s relationship survive? Do you feel sorry for Anton “The Animal” Fourie? Are steroids used by people like WWE wrestlers on TV shows? If so, is what they do wrong, or acceptable?