The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive
young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She
paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats,
walked down the aisle and found the seat he’d told her was empty. Then
she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane
against her leg.
It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind.
Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she
was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and
self-pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark.
Mark
was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When
she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was
determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed
to become independent again.
Finally, Susan felt ready to return
to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but
was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark
volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at
opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled
Mark’s need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about
performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized the
arrangement wasn’t working. Susan is going to have to start taking the
bus again, he admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so
angry-how would she react?
Just as he predicted, Susan was
horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. “I’m blind!,” she
responded bitterly. “How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel
like you’re abandoning me.”
Mark’s heart broke to hear these
words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each
morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it
took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.
For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan
to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other
senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to
adapt her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who
could watch out for her, and save her a seat.
Finally, Susan
decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning
arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her
temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her
eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and
his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their
separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… Each day on her own
went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She
was going to work all by herself.
On Friday morning, Susan took
the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus,
the driver said, “Boy, I sure do envy you.” Susan wasn’t sure if the
driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever
envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live
for the past year?
Curious, she asked the driver, “Why do you say
that you envy me?” The driver responded, “It must feel good to be taken
care of and protected like you are.”
Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, “What do you mean?”
The
driver answered, “You know, every morning for the past week, a
fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across
the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross
the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building.
Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You
are one lucky lady.”
Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s
cheeks. For although she couldn’t physically see him, she had always
felt Mark’s presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a
gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn’t need to see to
believe-the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.
Author Unknown
No comments:
Post a Comment