Open My Eyes

Three: Blind Insult

The sun smiled overhead, casting its golden beams on life below. It brought the temperature up to an almost uncomfortable heat, with no clouds in the sky to cover up the burning star. An occasional chirp of a songbird echoed through the trees, but the sounds of traffic dominated. The honking and roaring engines did nothing to dissuade the beauty of this summer day though.

         As I passed a trash can, I tossed the wrapper of my breakfast burrito inside and licked the grease off my fingers. I used my jeans as a napkin but made sure no stains were left behind. I squinted into the sunlight at the white building ahead of me and smiled out of fondness.

         Making my way into the building, I held a silent conversation with my friend from the cemetery. I commented to her how I thought it odd my mind revolved around William as of late. But could you honestly blame me? I hadn't expected him to be blind. Because, one, he was undeniably handsome in a not-quite-a-model way and, two, he acted so confidently it was as though he could actually see. It positively astounded me, and I couldn't get over it.

         So when I saw Taylor at the desk, the first thing I blurted out was, "Are you sure he's blind?"

         She looked at me blankly for a second, until she understood what I had just said. Shaking her head, she chuckled and walked around the reception desk, assuring me, "As hard as it is to believe, yes, Will is blind. As I told you yesterday, he's been coming here his whole life."

         My eyes widened and I followed her down the hallway. "He's just such a pro at navigating this place. It doesn't seem like he's blind," I insisted.

         She smiled, looking over her shoulder at me. "He takes some getting used to. But don't spend your time thinking about him. Pretty soon he'll just become part of the background."

         Lips pursed, I thought about it a moment. She was right. Once I accepted he was blind, I'd grow used to him and soon he'd be just another guy at Hope for Youth. I shrugged and decided I'd work on accepting that he was blind, so I could focus on other things.

         In the locker room, Taylor handed me a pair of gardening gloves and pruning shears. When she noticed my confusion, she smiled and explained, "You don't need scrubs for what you're doing today. It won't take all day, so when you're done, just come back in. But the plants out front are in need of a trimming-they're starting to poke people when they walk by-so it's your job to trim 'em."

         I looked at the shears with a raised brow. "I'm not very good at landscaping," I confessed as an excuse to get out of this. Taylor knew what I was getting at and refused to play along so I took a more direct approach. "So why am I doing this?"

         "No one wanted to"-she tapped her pointer finger-"and you're new," she concluded, holding up two fingers and giving me a sympathetic smile.

         With a short laugh, I pulled the gloves on and smiled back. "Well, someone's got to do it. Who knows? I might discover I have a secret green thumb."

         Outside, I surveyed the arching tree branches and small cluster of bushes reaching out onto the pathway. I glanced warily at the sharp gardening tool in my hand and swallowed nervously. I had never worked in gardens before or in nature like this. At home, our plants were managed by my mother, who indeed had a green thumb. I silently hoped some of her skill rubbed off on me so I didn't destroy the front decorations of Hope for Youth.

         Before too much time passed, Matt walked by and told me to stop right there. A minute or two later, he returned with a bright blue, conspicuous tarp, which he helped me place beneath the plant I was currently focusing on. He told me to come to him if I needed any help, and I thanked him before he disappeared inside the building.