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, thirty-four, 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.
Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by
this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless
burden on everyone around her. "How could this have happened
to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But
no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the
painful truth: her sight was never going to return. A cloud of
depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just getting
through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion.
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. Mark's military background
had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet
he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face.
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 that this arrangement wasn't working
- it was hectic, and costly. Susan is going to have to start
taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the
thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so
fragile, so angry. How would she react?
Just as Mark 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'm 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 especially her
hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new
environment.
He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for
her and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those
not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her
briefcase. Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark
would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was
even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew
it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride
the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan he used to
know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any
challenge and who would never, ever quit.
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 goodbye, 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 as usual. As she was paying
for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure
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 the past year?
Curious she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy
me?" The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be
taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea
what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "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 when you get off the bus.
He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you
until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss,
and 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 had
been darkness.
- Author unknown
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