- Posted on
So the van passed its MOT. Just.
And by "passed", I mean it limped through with a laundry list of advisoriesâmost of them variations of:
âYeah, this bitâs rusting. And that bit. And that one too. But hey, it's not quite fallen off yet.â
Basically, it's fine... until it isn't. Nothing âurgentâ apparently, just that sort of creeping, crusty decay that matches my general outlook on life. A bit like me reallyâfunctional, but hanging together with spite and corrosion.
The trip down was hellish. Not because of the usual tourist caravan wankers, though they were out in force, streaming down into the soggy bosom of the sometimes-sunny South West. No, the real bastard was the new roads. Smooth, fresh tarmacâand a 30mph limit slapped on it like a cruel joke. Youâre crawling along in a perfectly capable machine, stuck behind some Prius doing 27, and then the signs start laughing at you: 20mph through a village with 14 people and 300 plant pots.
Itâs like someone redesigned Britain for the safety of ghosts.
đ¨âđ§ Garage Guy: The MOT Goblin I rolled into the garage and waited in the chair. Didnât speak much. Not because Iâm shy, but because the ownerâs a loud-mouthed, self-important bellend who never misses an opportunity to let me know how hilarious he thinks I am.
âYou still alive then, Gandalf?â âDonât bite me, Dracula.â âWhatâs it like living in that van full time, mate? Bet it smells of pot noodles and broken dreams.â
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Heâs been like this for yearsâone of those blokes who thinks banter is a personality trait, and disabled people are fair game because you canât chase them down the road. Iâve asked him about the VAT exemption before (the one tiny crumb of benefit I get from this absolute shitshow of a body)âand every time he acts like Iâve just farted in Latin.
âVAT off, mate? Nah canât do that. Itâs complicated innit.â (Translation: âI canât be arsed and you make me uncomfortable.â)
Now, instead of losing it like I used toâbecause believe me, I used to unleash hellâI just donât engage. I sit there with my travel mug, staring into space like Iâm watching the last embers of civilisation flicker out. And I get Albertine to call him if I need anything. Because I canât be bothered dealing with people who think theyâre doing me a favour by letting me spend my money.
đ Retail Hellscape: Aisles of Pain So it passed. The van. Not my mood.
We figured weâd do some shopping. Another mistake.
The car park at this giant multi-national corporate parasite of a supermarket was pure anarchy. Disabled bays? Forget it. Half taken up by BMWs with no badges and drivers who look like they vape Monster Energy. The rest were jammed with people "just nipping in" for an hour.
Inside the shop, I was instantly overwhelmed by the noise. The lights, the people, the bloody smells. Everything about these places makes me feel like Iâm stuck in some post-apocalyptic game show. And I donât âseeâ people anymore, not properly. They turn into ants. Skittering, swarming. Trolley-humping meat sacks with Bluetooth earpieces and discount lust in their eyes.
I wear a look that says:
âDonât talk to me. Donât help me. Donât fucking exist near me.â
Which mostly works. Until the food smell hits.
See, I donât just dislike food smells. I donât find them âoverwhelming.â No, for me itâs more like this:
If I smell it, itâs already too late.
My body goes straight to DEFCON 1. My gut twists like someoneâs wringing out a wet rag full of knives. I could be smelling chicken fat or the ghost of some sausage roll that died in 2006âit doesnât matter. My bowels clock it and decide now is the perfect time for a surprise performance.
I bolt. Well, roll. Fast.
Back to the van. Just in time. Slam the door. Flip the lock. Drop into the onboard toilet like itâs a lifeboat and the Titanic is already gone.
What followed was ten minutes of absolute, full-volume, gut-churning agony.
Afterward, I slumped next to Albertine, both of us wilting in the heat, fans and air con blasting, van windows wide open like Iâd just fumigated the place. I told her:
âJust another day in my living hell.â
đŻ Real Talk People donât get it. The physical pain. The mental gymnastics it takes to get through a day without breaking someoneâs nose or bursting into tears. The dignity you trade for the right to go outside.
So when I say this blog is called My Living HellâIâm not being edgy. Iâm being accurate.
âThe views in this post are based on my personal
experience. I do not intend harm, only honesty.â
âBy ink and breath and sacred rage, I write.
By storm and silence, I survive.â
@goblinbloggeruk sick@mylivinghell.co.uk