Hyperbole

My girlfriend often talked about how she had an addiction to buying shoes. I had always thought she was speaking in hyperbole. I didn’t even think about it after the accident that caused us to swap bodies. We were both just trying to do our best to act like who we appeared to be. For instance, it didn’t take her long to figure out that I had lied to her about quitting smoking -- she just had regular cravings and found my secret hiding spot. She also told me that if I dared to smoke a single cigarette while in her body, she’d kill me. I had already lied to her about quitting, so I was probably already on thin ice when I made the promise I wouldn’t. But still, I imagined it would be easier in her body since it just didn’t crave nicotine like mine did.

As we settled in to being swapped, things became routine. I headed to a Walmart because we needed a few groceries and my girlfriend told me I was going to need tampons. That was when I saw them. The shoes. They weren’t even great shoes; they were (after all) Walmart shoes. I didn’t care. I wanted to buy a pair -- at least one. They’d be the first pair I bought while in her body. I felt excited; I felt thrilled. I felt like I now truly understood my girlfriend like never before. She wasn’t speaking in hyperbole.

I texted her a selfie with the message, “I think I finally understand.”

She responded with a simple “ :) ”.