The Incredible Shrinking Bloke - Chapter 3

Jacob and Meril are discussing their next step.

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Jacob's meaty fist, now smaller than his wife's, slammed hard on the kitchen table. "I won't do it! Goddamnit, how many times do I have to say it, woman?"

Meril sprang from her chair, soaring her stature even higher than it already was compared to her husband's while in a sitting position. "Don't you dare 'woman' me, Jacob! How much lower do I have to dumb down my arguments before your simplistic brain can understand them?"

Her words were met with laughter from her husband, who almost choked on his coffee.

Reign and Riley were seated on the sidelines of the table, their eyes darting back and forth as their parents' conversation unfolded like a heated tennis match.

Reign could not contain a barely audible snigger as she observed the hand of her father holding his favorite coffee mug. Even when her father was normal-sized and his hands were like shovels, did that mug look more like a bucket you would use to fill with water to quench a fire than for a cup of coffee in the morning.

But Jacob loved his coffee, lots of it, and couldn't bear the thought of constantly walking to the kitchen for refills. That's why he had his trusty bucket mug, a birthday present from his wife several years back.

Even with his large shovel-like hands, seeing her father hold the bucket-shaped mug still seemed comically out of proportion. But now, while his hands were even smaller than hers, it began to look ridiculous. It was like a child trying to hold their parent's giant mug.

The object was far too large and heavy for a small child to handle, especially when filled. Due to their underdeveloped fine motor skills, the child wouldn't even be able to lift it, let alone hold it in a horizontal position with a firm grasp.

The mug would likely dangle from their hand, as their forearm muscles were not strong enough to support such weight for an extended period.

Even though Reign's father was now slightly shorter than her – as she, on her turn, was somewhat taller than their mother – she still felt intimidated by him.

He may be shorter now, but he still appeared like a bulldog with his bulging muscles from countless hours spent in the gym.

Reign was fascinated by the observation she made while her Dad was holding the mug. It showed that not only was her father's size shrinking, but his strength as well. She started to entertain the thought of one day being stronger than him. The idea brought her joy because it would mean she wouldn't have to put up with his attitude anymore; she could finally fight back.

SLAM!!

Reign's eyelids flickered as her father slammed his hand down on the table, his anger evident. "Get your priorities straight, woman!"

"What are you afraid of anyway?" Meril asked. "It's just a doctor's visit. It's not like they are putting you in some cage like a guinea pig."

"Holmesburg prison experiment, unit 731, Tuskegee syphilis study, Joses Mengele. Do I need to go on?"

Meril let out a disbelieving laugh. "Those things don't happen anymore in our modern society, Jacob. Dr. Killpatient is anything but comparable to Josef Mengele. He's one of the kindest people I've ever met."

Jacob let out a disdainful snort. "That pill pusher is also the wealthiest person you know. Have you seen the size of his mansion?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Meril said.

Jacob gave a heavy sigh. "You don't get it, do you, woman?"

"No!" Meril huffed and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "The trail your head follows most of the time can truly be called astonishing at best."

"One word," Jacob raised his finger. "Greed."

Meril stared at him in disbelief, as if he had claimed fire was cold and water could drip upwards.

"What do you think he will do when he finds out about my condition? He will be sweet, yes. He'll be sympathetic and kind with his words. He will tell us that he will do everything within his power to aid me. BUT….” Jacob said when Meril opened her mouth to speak. "In secret, behind our backs, he's going to inform influential buddies of him of my condition with the sole purpose of earning a fortune at my expense. And that is not going to happen." Jacob clapped his hands when uttering the word 'that.'

Jacob grabbed his bucket-mug of coffee – and discreetly used two hands – and brought it to his lips for a sip. As he peeked above the rim, his brows furrowed as his wife gave him a sitting ovation.

"Brilliant, Jacob! Truly brilliant! So instead of informing a certified healthcare practitioner about your condition, you've wisely chosen to seek out help by visiting a gathering for charlatans and witchdoctors instead."

"They are being called Faith Healers!"

"How? Through prayer?"

Jacob nodded.

"And how is that working for you so far?"

"It takes time, woman!"

"A thing you don't have! How long will you wait for it to work? One week, two weeks, a month? You could very well end up the size of a doll and have to live in Riley's old dollhouse." At the mention of "dollhouse," Riley snapped out of her trance-like stare out the window.

"Can Dad live in my dollhouse one day?" Riley pleaded, looking at her parents with big, hopeful eyes. "I promise I'll take good care of him if he has to."

"No talking!" they scolded in unison, silencing their daughter.

She shrunk back into her chair, looking like a scared mouse.

While Riley seemed uninterested, Reign paid close attention to the conversation and was pleased with what she heard. It was a fact that her Dad was shrinking, and he was also gradually losing his strength. Her mother urged him to seek medical aid and advice from a doctor, but – lucky for Reign – her Dad was too stubborn and stupid to follow that advice.

Reign couldn't help but imagine that, hopefully, she would one day be able to subjugate her father with just a flick of her finger. A smile spread across her beautiful face as she fantasized about that moment.

Her father's furious expression came into view, breaking Reign out of her train of thought. "Hey, are you even listening, skirt? I asked you something." Everyone around her was staring at her, anticipating a response.

"Sorry, w-what?" she stammered.

Jacob slammed his hand against his forehead. “For godsakes, Meril. Can we trust that?"

Reign looked at her mother with confusion. "What is he talking about, mom?"

"Dad wants to know if he can trust you two to keep this under wraps for the rest of the world."

"Yeah, sure thing," Reign replied, flashing her most sincere smile. "You can rely on us, Dad! Right, Riley?" She nudged her younger sister with her elbow.

Riley was in the middle of taking a sip from her glass of milk when her older sister jabbed her elbow into her side. She choked and spluttered, trying to regain her composure. She gaped around and noticed that everyone was staring at her. With a slightly sheepish expression, Riley turned to her mother. "My dollhouse is still in the attic, right, mom?"

SLAM!

Jacob couldn't believe what he was hearing. His hand reflexively smacked against his forehead again. His wife, Meril, saw his distress and reached out to place her hand on his in a comforting gesture. She gave him a reassuring smile and said, "I'll take care of it, my dear."

Jacob expressed his gratitude with a nod towards his wife, then looked at Riley - his youngest blond 10-year-old squirt.

He could tell from the look in her eyes that she was fixated on having him live in her dollhouse. When he turned to look at Reign, his tall and dark-haired daughter, their eyes met and locked. Jacob couldn't decipher the inscrutable expression on her face as she sat with her arms crossed, but he had a feeling it wasn't anything positive.

From the beginning, he and Reign could never see eye to eye. He was well aware of the horrible things he had done to her in the past, and it wouldn't be a shock if she were plotting ways to seek revenge. If roles were reversed and someone had treated him the way he treated his daughter, he would most likely do the same.

Reign was already taller than Jacob, but she sure as hell did not have to believe that she was stronger. Jacob could still kick everyone's ass in this house if necessary.

He only did not know for how long. He was still shrinking, and he did not know when it would end – if it would end.

Could he shrink even smaller than Riley? Would his wife and Reign become stronger than him at that point? Would they use their strength to their advantage? He needed to plan for this potential scenario. Jacob rose from his seat and grabbed the least feminine-looking jacket belonging to his wife - the only one he could still wear at his new stature.

"Where are you going?" Meril asked.

"Nowhere important, woman. Just business." He zipped his jacket up to his chin, disregarding Reing's amused smile when she saw him wearing their mother's jacket. It wasn't as masculine as his own leather one, which was now too large for him.

Meril stood up, worry written on her face. "But what if someone sees you? And notice some oddity when conversing with you?"

Jacob made his way to the front door. "I'll just ignore them and give them a quick nod. And besides, I'm off with the car."

Meril approached Jacob from behind and placed her hand on his shoulder, urging him to turn and kiss her. "But where are you going?"

"Can you please stop prying in my business, woman!" Jacob responded with a brief peck before walking away and shutting the door behind him.