The streets begin to look familiar to me as I gaze through the passenger window of my girlfriend’s car. For the last few years, I have often contemplated moving back home, but I hadn’t expected to be returning today and never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it’d be under these circumstances. I have recently been diagnosed with the shrinking virus, which has forced me to postpone my studies and return to the safety of my childhood home as I await the seriousness of this condition to reveal itself.
I’m unsure how to even begin processing my current situation, as very little is known about the phenomenon that is the shrinking virus. All I know is that the term ‘virus’ is misleading, as my diagnosis has more in common with a form of cancer rather than the typical virus. My doctor informed me that I haven’t ‘caught’ the shrinking virus as such, but rather it has developed in my blood and will remain there until it is eradicated by my immune system. The time in which I must live with the shrinking virus, and the effect it will have on my life, purely depends on how long it takes the antibodies in my system to conquer the ‘virus’. As bizarre and unrealistic as it may seem, I am expected to shrink in height until the virus is defeated from within. Only time will tell if my height dwindles by a mere inch or dwindles to nothing but a mere inch.
“You’re being awfully quiet” Ashleigh, my girlfriend, blurts out beside me. I sense a tone of despondency in her voice, but maybe I’m just imagining it as she is yet to express any sympathy for my condition. “Yeah, sorry, I’ve just got a lot on my mind at the moment” I say as I politely divert my attention away from the passenger window. I catch a glimpse of her piercing brown eyes observing me through the car’s interior mirror. She shoots me a disapproving glance before returning her eyes to the road ahead. “I just think that the least you can do is make a little conversation, considering you’re making me miss work to drive you around” she mutters bitterly.
“I’m not making you do anything” I sigh. “The doctor said I can’t drive, and you offered to pick me up from the train station. There’s no point in offering to do something if you’re just gonna complain the entire time” I say, experiencing a surprising sense of relief as I finally release some of the resentment that has been building up within me the last few days. It feels as if Ashleigh has done nothing but antagonise me since I informed her of my diagnosis, taking every opportunity to criticise for me for possessing a condition that I have no control over. I’d feel more content about her attitude if I thought it were simply her way of processing grief, but her dismissive manner creates the impression that my condition annoys her rather than upsets her.
Ashleigh grunts under her breath and twitches in her seat, my response appears to have struck a nerve. “Are you feeling any better since this morning?” she asks, possibly because what I said has resonated, but also possibly because she may find solace in hearing I’m struggling. “Yeah, I am thanks…I’ve pretty sure I’m half an inch shorter though” I say, trying to hide how terrified I am at the prospect of losing my height.
“Well, you’re six foot three, so it’s hardly the end of the world. You can afford to lose an inch or two” she sneers. I can’t tell if she’s attempting to put a positive spin on the situation, or if she’s genuinely as disinterested as she sounds. “But try not to shrink anymore if you can help it” she continues. “I’m five-foot-eleven and I don’t want a boyfriend that’s shorter than me”. I bite my tongue to supress my rage. I use every fibre of my being to resist the urge to inform her that she may not have a boyfriend soon, as I plan to end our relationship should the shrinking virus prove to be more severe than expected. The shrinking virus has the potential to change the course of my entire life, and the absolute last thing I need is Ashleigh looming over me as I try to adjust to a new reality. It’s times like this that genuinely make me wonder why I bother being in a relationship with her at all, but then I notice her large breasts bounce as we drive over a speed bump and our relationship suddenly makes perfect sense. I look at her and take a second to admire her beauty. I am struck by the way her long auburn hair flows onto the broad shoulders of her statuesque, yet curvaceous, figure. If only she were as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.
“You have almost reached your destination” an automated voice blares through the car speakers. The satnav flashes as Ashleigh navigates the car through the narrow streets I grew up on. I feel myself becoming increasingly nervous as each house we pass becomes more familiar than the last. I’m so consumed by my own thoughts that I am taken by complete surprise when the car comes to a sudden halt. “Here we are” Ashleigh announces as she lifts the handbrake and removes her large Converse-clad feet from the pedals. I look through the passenger window to take a glimpse at my childhood home, but I fail to see it over the untrimmed hedges that surround the garden.
“Um…Thanks for the lift, babe” I awkwardly mumble to Ashleigh, deliberately avoiding eye contact to try hide my internal struggle. I take a second to gather my bearings and then proceed to open the passenger door. “Ah-hem!” Ashleigh exclaims in the form of a sullen grunt. I turn back to see she’s craning her neck sideways to stick her left cheek towards me. She double taps her cheek with her long index finger to imply she wants me to kiss it. I do as instructed by puckering my lips and pressing them into the soft flesh of her cheek. I climb out of the car and slowly walk towards the boot, which Ashleigh unlocks with the push of a button. I open the boot and retrieve my suitcase, bending down to place it on the ground beside me then rising to close the boot. I hear the car’s engine reignite and look through the car’s rear window to see Ashleigh’s watchful eyes reflecting in the interior mirror. I raise my hand to wave her off as she lowers the handbrake and proceeds to drive away. I’m overcome with conflicting feelings when I realise that may be the last time I see Ashleigh.