Seaglass

by Bridges, Chris

  Chapter 11

  “Knox? You have a visitor.” Knox looked up and into the doorway of his room. Mike, his roommate, stood to the side so that Knox could see the unmistakable bright halo of hair belonging to his sister.

  “Kay? What the heck are you doing here?” He went to her immediately and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame.

  “Well, you didn’t want to come home for Christmas. I missed you, you big jerk.” She said when he put her back down on her feet.

  “Sorry. It just didn’t seem worth the trouble.”

  Kayla arched up one perfect eyebrow. “Yeah, you’re such a pain in the ass.”

  He laughed. “C’mon, let’s get out of here and go grab some coffee.” He said as he pulled her back through the apartment he shared with three other students.

  Kayla followed down the stairwell and out the door. Once outside, she bundled her long coat against the harsh January weather. “Where to?”

  “It’s just around the corner.”

  “Okay.”

  She watched as Knox reached out his gloved hand and put in on her elbow and then curled his fingers around her upper arm. “Is this okay?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “It’s called a sighted lead.”

  “Oh.”

  “Just walk normally. I can feel it if there’s a change in terrain.”

  Kayla began walking but felt herself holding her breath. She couldn’t tell if Knox was actually relying on her for guidance or just practicing, but either way she felt the heavy responsibility of keeping him safe. They’d kept in touch by phone and email, but he’d been a little vague whenever she’d pressed him for details about what he was learning or how he was doing. Finally, she’d had enough of him blowing her off and had grabbed a flight to Littleton to see for herself. He was her brother, after all, and she was not about to let him build a wall around himself that kept her out.

  “Here’s the coffee shop.” She said as she stopped in front of the glass doors. Knox released her arm and stepped ahead of her to open the door. She walked through ahead of him and into a charming shop filled with the heavenly scent of coffee and freshly baked pastries.

  “Knox!” A gray-haired grandmother-type announced from behind the counter.

  “Hi Marge.”

  “Your favorite table’s open. I’ll be there in a jiff.”

  “Thanks.”

  Knox moved confidently to a little two-top table in the back corner. He sat down and peeled off his outer parka and hat. Kayla slid into the seat opposite him and did the same.

  “I guess you’re a regular here.”

  Knox grunted. “All the students from the center come here. Marge has more blind customers than sighted ones.”

  Just as Kayla was about to respond, Marge appeared with a steaming cup of coffee for Knox and a menu for Kayla.

  “Here’s your dark roast, kiddo. Pastry of the day is a blueberry scone.”

  Knox smiled. “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll have that too. And a cup of tea.”

  “You got it sweetie.” Marge smiled and then took a long look at Kayla. “Sister, right?”

  “Yes.” Kayla smiled in return.

  “I knew it. I’ll get your order.”

  “Thanks, Marge.”

  As the woman walked away, Kayla said, “I think she’s taken a special shine to you, Knox.”

  “Knock it off.” He laughed as he added milk to his coffee. He touched the napkin on the table and located the spoon to stir the milk. Kayla found herself watching him intently.

  “You’re staring.”

  Her eyes shot up and met his laughing ones. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “How are you?” Her voice turning serious. “How’s your vision?”

  Knox felt his back go up immediately, but then reminded himself this was Kayla. She wasn’t being nosey or judging him. He sat back and took a long sip of his coffee.

  “Honestly, we spend so much time wearing sleep-shades that it’s hard to tell sometimes if my eyesight is better or worse.”

  “Sleep shades?”

  “Blindfolds.”

  “Oh.”

  “It helps teach us not to rely on residual vision.”

  “When do you go back to the doctor?”

  “They have ophthalmologists here.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Have you seen a doctor here?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kayla didn’t have to ask anything further. The tone in his voice said it all.

  “It’s a little worse than last time.”

  She reached out and covered his hand. “I’m sorry.”

  Knox nodded and looked out the window at the blurry figures of people rushing by. “How are things with you?”

  Kayla looked up and saw Marge coming with her tea and the scones. She took a moment to gather her thoughts while Marge was delivering their food.

  “Ted moved out.”

  “Shit.”

  “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to pretend it’s a marriage if it isn’t.”

  “You okay?”

  “No.” She smiles sadly.

  “He’s a dick.” Knox says as he scarfed down his scone in two bites. She marveled at his metabolism as she carefully broke off a tiny corner of her scone and nibbled on it.

  “We are agreed on that point.”

  “So, what else is new?” He asks as he finishes his coffee.

  “Like?” She wondered if he’d ask her about Madeline.

  Knox puts down his mug and crosses his arms over his chest. “Have you heard from her?”

  “Only to discuss the sale of the house. She sounds terrible, by the way.”

  Knox nods. “I just wish—“he stopped, unsure of what he was planning to say. There were so many things he wished could be different.

  “I hope she’s okay.” Kayla says softly.

  “So, she never came back to Touchstone for the closing?”

  “No. I handled it for her.”

  “What a mess. I can’t believe she got sucked back in.”

  “Knox—“

  “What? She knew what she was signing up for by staying. She got out once. She should’ve—“

  “Her mother died. Her father’s messing with her head.”

  Knox looked down. “I know.”

  “Have you heard from her?” Kayla asked as she sipped her tea.

  “She called back when I first came here.”

  “What? When? What did she say? Is she coming back? How is she?”

  Knox put up his hand to slow her down. “We didn’t get into any of that.”

  “What did you talk about?”

  Knox dropped his head again, unable to meet her intense gaze. “We just needed to say a few final things, I guess.”

  “Final? So that’s it? You’re just done?” She asks, incredulous.

  “Yeah, Kay. People break up.”

  “I know.” She said, admonished. “I just thought…I don’t know…I thought you two would work it out.”

  “Well, there’s no point in working anything out right now. I’m here, and she’s in New York.”

  Kayla looked up at him with her intense stare. “Is that the only reason?”

  “Isn’t that enough? She’s on the other side of the country with no intention of moving back.”

  “I think it was just an excuse—an excuse for you to push her away.”

  Knox reached into his wallet to pull out his money. “Drop it.”

  “She made it easy for you, didn’t she? She gave you an out.”

  “Is it really so difficult to understand that I can’t handle a relationship right now?” He hissed at her as he stood up.

  Kayla stood up too and led the way back outside the café. He once again took her arm at the elbow.

  “Aren’t you
supposed to have a cane or something?” She eyed him suspiciously.

  “What are you…the cane police?” he jabbed back at her.

  “You’re a fool, Knox. She doesn’t care about any of this.” She gestured widely. “She would’ve waited for you while you were here. She would’ve supported you after—“

  “Maybe I’m not looking for support.” He scoffed at the offensive word. “I don’t want a relationship like that.”

  Kayla stopped dead. “Why not? That’s what most people dream about.”

  “Really? They dream about this?” He gestured to his eyes.

  Kayla opened her mouth to speak, but Knox cut her off.

  “Let’s just go back. I have work to do.”

  “Work?”

  “Yeah. I have to practice braille so that I can still match my clothes when the lights officially go out.”

  “Knox…” She retorted, frustrated with him.

  “What, Kayla?” He snapped back at her.

  Kayla waited, saying nothing and then began moving forward again. She knew her brother well enough to know that if she tried to push him now he’d only dig in harder.

  xXx

  Knox paced his small room, cursing himself for being so rude to Kayla. She didn’t deserve his attitude. She’d come to lend her support and he’d practically bitten off her head. Well, she’d pushed his buttons and she’d damn well known it, too.

  Despite his firm protests to the contrary, he knew he wasn’t really ‘done’ with Madeline Roberts. If he were being honest with himself, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her the entire time he’d been away. He knew it was only fear that kept him from reaching out to her and he suspected Kayla was dead-on accurate in her assessment that he’d pushed her away to avoid revealing this new and hideous side of his life to her. He reached out to his desk and touched the folded white cane that sat there sedately; waiting to be called to duty. He’s used it plenty of times here at the Institute and had to admit it gave him a certain sense of security, but still, it represented a new reality for him and for anyone that dared to have a relationship with him.

  Despite his firm convictions to the contrary, Kayla’s words had managed to wiggle their way inside his brain. Maybe, just maybe he’d been acting like a caveman. Maybe she really didn’t care about all this. Before he could overthink it, he picked up his new iPhone with voice recognition technology and told it to dial Maddie’s number. He held his breath; listening to the phone ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Maddie.”

  Her hand shook as she gripped the phone. “Knox.”

  “I just wanted to say hi. See how you are…”

  “I’m fine.” She answered automatically.

  “Okay.” He responded; disappointed. He’d hoped they could reconnect, at least a little.

  She knew from his voice she’d said the wrong thing. “I don’t want to bore you with my stuff, Knox. You have enough on your plate right now.”

  “Right.” He felt his spine stiffening. She’d closed the protective walls around her. Well, he had no one to blame but himself. He’d shut her out when she’d flown out just to be with him when she’d heard about his eyes.

  “How are you? Are you…what are you…” she faltered.

  “I’m fine. Learning lots of new tricks.” He answered, trying for levity but worried that he’d failed.

  “Knox, I—I’m sorry. About how we left things—“

  “Me too.”

  “How much longer will you be at the institute…I mean, when will you be back home?”

  “A couple more weeks. Should be done by April.”

  “Springtime.” She said wistfully, thinking of the wildflowers blooming around the lake in the center of Touchstone.

  “Yeah.” Knox cleared his throat. He’d never been good with words and this time was no exception. He had so much he wanted to convey, but couldn’t seem to get the words out.

  “How’s the family?” She offered, hoping a neutral subject would help keep the tears at bay.

  “Fine. Good. Everyone’s fine.” He let the words rush out.

  “That’s good.”

  Knox took a deep breath and went for it. “Maddie—I know we left things…unfinished. I just didn’t know how—“

  She rushed to cut him off. She didn’t think she could bear hearing again that he didn’t think they should be together. “It’s okay. Really.”

  That wasn’t at all what he meant, but for now, that would have to be enough. “I’m glad you’re okay. No matter what, we’re still friends, right?”

  Madeline squeezed her eyes tight, hoping like hell that her voice wouldn’t betray her. “Right.”

  “Maddie? Take care of yourself.”

  “You too. Bye Knox.”

  Chapter 12

  The open kitchen window let in the cold evening air. The days were beginning to warm with a hint of the coming spring, but the evenings could bring a stern reminder that winter was not yet through. Knox closed the window and then carefully checked that it was locked. He’d been back home for a little over two weeks and was finally starting to feel a sense of peace settle over him. His instructor from the Institute had come home with him and they’d worked together for a several days to make his home as “user friendly” as possible.

  If truth be told, he’d done a lot of adapting long ago. His eyesight was such that he’d subconsciously ben making adjustments all along. Even his instructor at the Institute had been impressed with the way he’d ordered his home.

  Knox had always been neat, but he’d learned precision was his best friend. His clothing was simple and organized by season and color. Thankfully, his ability to see color was still intact. His mind flashed immediately the blue seaglass eyes that haunted his dreams.

  His range of acuity had reduced so significantly, he now needed to hold objects closer than eight inches for them to become truly clear. He passed through the kitchen and ran his hand along the cool granite. He could see an orange blob on the countertop. He reached out and touched the objects and discovered a bowl of fruit. Oranges and bananas. Kayla, of course. He smiled as he snagged an orange and walked through the back door and down the gravel path to his workshop.

  At the door, he stopped and flipped on the overhead work lights. They helped dispel the darkness, but did nothing to bring the various shapes into focus. Knox walked to the radio and pushed play. The sounds of Pearl Jam filled the air and helped to relax him a little. Eddie Vedder crooning about a man’s final curtain call put him in a reflective mood. Now, it was time to face the elephant in the room; or more precisely, the currently covered hand-made dresser than he had been building for Maddie.

  He pulled back the drop cloth and stepped forward to touch the intricate floral detail that he’d begun carving along the top drawer. He could see it in his mind’s eye: The vine twisting up and down with flowers blossoming along the way. Now, he moved to a drawer than had been left in the vice waiting for the glue to dry. He moved to the clamps and released the tension. He felt along the dovetailed edges and noticed a little glue had seeped out and hardened. He reached over and grabbed a sanding sponge and gently removed the glue and then continued to smooth out the rough patches until it a test of his sensitive hands revealed it was without a single burr or flaw.

  He stood up and walked to the edge of the bench where he kept his finest woodworking tools. With a shaky exhale, he picked up his carving knife and moved to the drawer. Knox reached out and touched the partially completed vine, carefully locating the edge where he’d stopped previously.

  “It’s now or never.” He said to himself as he began to work. His first strokes were tentative and shaky, but as he moved over the delicate shapes, he allowed the picture in his mind to guide his hand. A time or two, he realized he wasn’t even looking directing at the piece.

  Time didn’t seem to matter anymore. He could feel the chill
of the night move through the air, yet he continued. His stomach grumbled and his hands ached with fatigue but he was so engrossed in the project that he dare not stop. Not to mention, fear crept through his belly that maybe once he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to continue.

  Finally, the roar of the BMW interrupted him and he was forced to put down his tools. He stood up and stretched his back.

  “Knox!”

  “Don’t sound so surprised to see me, Kay. I live here, after all.”

  “It’s not that, you moron. I’ve been calling you for hours.”

  Knox quickly patted his front pocket and realized his cell was missing. He must’ve left it inside. “Sorry. Phone’s in the house.”

  “What are you doing?” She asked.

  He watched the short blob with the bright yellow hair move toward him. “Wow.” She said reverently. “This is amazing.”

  “I just finished it.”

  “You…what?”

  “The vine was already complete, but the flower blossoms are new. I just did them now.”

  “Now? As in…right now?”

  “Yes.” He answered slowly.

  “Knox.” She blew out a breath. “This is…amazing.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled and couldn’t help the pride from shining through. “I didn’t know if I could still do it.”

  Kayla watched her brother duck his head and then carefully stow his tools back in their designated slots. She knew what a big deal this was.

  “Well, you can.” She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “So, you just wanted to make sure I wasn’t lying dead somewhere in a pool of my own blood?”

  “No! Fine, yes.” She laughed. “I was worried, okay. I admit it.”

  Now he laughed too. “I guess I can’t blame you—this time.” He warned. “You are gonna need to learn to trust me, though. I’ve been through all the training like a good doggie.”