Blind Encounter

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  “Blind Encounter”

  Robert C. Waggoner

  Copyright 2011 Robert C. Waggoner

  Smashwords Edition

  "Blind Encounter"

  Chapter I

  “Been there, done that.” It should make a guy feel good. Rarely does it result in hitting bottom and not rising from the experience. For Ronald G. Filbert at forty one, hit bottom like a flat tire. Is this how it feels to be a no-body, he thought while sitting on a park bench around Green lake Park in Seattle.

  It was early fall; a bright, clear and sunny day with a slight breeze that had a nip in it. The trees were still mostly green, but an occasional dead leaf lazily swirled to the ground to rest forever never rising like the person who watched it fall. His eyes roamed the area viewing throngs of people enjoying the three hundred acres of beautiful park. No one would sit with him on the bench once they took a gander at the bum sitting there with a much used back pack, resembling its owner, resting next to him. Literally everything he owned was in the pack and that’s not saying much. To an observer taking stock of the down and out looking man on the park bench, you would first see a medium built man with a well worn New York Yankees baseball hat stuck on a full head of hair that hung to his shoulders, but now tied in a pony tail. Eye color undistinguishable from the shadow of his hat across his weather beaten face, and many months worth of blond beard surrounded a strong Roman nose with a mouth that if cleaned up would be kissable. His clothes were typical of a man in his position, blue jeans the color black for lack of washing, a flannel shirt under a faded blue ski parka. Old worn out hiking boots with bare legs noting the man wore no socks.

  Looking to his right, through sleepy eyes from the late afternoon sun, sending its last rays of warmth, until he would feel the nightly cold huddled up somewhere the cops wouldn’t bother him; he noticed a blind lady with a German shepherd dog leading her around the park. In her hand she had the recognizable white walking stick tucked under her arm trusting the dog to take her where it was safe walking. However, he noticed she walked purposely toward the bench he was sitting on. His eyes met the stare of the shepherd as its ears stood straight up apprising him as they drew near. Quickly she took her walking cane and searched for the bench sensing someone there. “Is there room for me on the bench?” she asked in a pleasant voice behind a nice smile with gleaming white teeth all set in row like kernels on an ear of corn.

  “Yes there is - lots of room,” she heard a male voice she instantly recognized as intelligent and educated. He realized his heart was racing for the first time other than when cops rousted him. Strangely he heard his voice responding to a question not said in almost a year to a lady other than to pan handle a few coins. Now he waited for her to either continue talking or better yet, keep silent. He hoped his unwashed body wouldn’t reach her sensitive nose as he leaned closer to the edge of the bench. Right Guard and soap was a thing of the past and he still hadn’t got used to not taking a shower every morning.

  She turned to him almost looking at him through her sunglasses and said, “My dog, Amy likes you. Dogs are experts when it comes to judging character of other people. By the way, my name is Sue Lyons and if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it, if you have time, to describe the picture that is surrounding the lake as you see it.”

  Jesus, now what do I do, he thought. The wind was in his face, but was sure she could catch his smell drifting on the late afternoon breeze coming off the lake. Inside he felt age old memories of having what others called, the gift of gab coming back. Courage was something he lost when he walked out of his pent house a little over a year ago in New York City. Both she and her dog looked at him waiting for a response. Ron took a deep breath and said, “My name is Ron Filbert and I would be happy to tell you what I see. As I feel the sun on my body it is coming from the west and right now a glare off the water hurts the eyes. Oh, I’m sorry. That was stupid of me.”

  “No Ron, I don’t take any offense or pity about my handicap. Please continue.”

  “Well, the grass is mostly green, but looks like summer took its toll as brown areas are evident. The trees are just now turning color but continuing their summer splendor of dark and light green. Flowers everywhere, but they look a little forlorn knowing winter is just around the corner. Lots of people jogging, walking and having a nice time this afternoon. Is that what you were looking for,” he asked, secretly longing, but not without reservations, her asking more questions.

  When he first left he felt pangs of homesickness, but in the last six months he didn’t need human contact like before when every night the usual group would hit the local watering hole for a round of happy hour talking shop.

  “Yes, thank you. I’m a writer and I’ve not always been blind. I started losing my sight in high school. Many specialists later, they all came up empty. At around twenty I was completely sightless. However, colors and descriptions keep reminding me when I write to paint a picture for my readers. Mostly I write for magazines, but lately I’ve delved into novels. How about you Ron, I sense reluctance on your part to talk. I surely didn’t mean to invade your privacy, but I’m a rather outgoing person who loves to meet people and share a few moments of time with.”

  Ron’s throat was dryer than a desert in summer. A flush of heat was rising from his belly up his chest and he felt a migraine coming on. It took all of his will power to not get up and leave her sitting there wondering what she said to make him suddenly leave. Inside he felt he was still a good person and had begun to deal with his weakness of the past. Now he tried to sit up straighter and found the nerve to say, “Sue, I don’t think now is the time for me to talk about myself. I’ve been on the road for a year now and you are much too nice to be talking to a street person.”

  “On the contrary Ron, we are all humans who need companionship and friends with whom we can share our feelings with. I feel Amy wants to come see you as she is tugging on her brace. Is it okay if she comes over to you? It’s such a nice day for Seattle as soon the long days of gray and drizzle will be upon us. How about we spend the next little while looking at nature and the many colors of the park?” She let Amy go and almost before he knew it, Amy had her head in his lap between his knees looking up at him through pleading eyes of sympathy.

  Ron said, “How can I refuse such an offer,” as he petted Amy’s head and scratched her ears. Just then a bicycle policeman rode up with a powerful aura from wearing a uniform of prestige.

  “Excuse me miss, is this bum bothering you?” I’m a police officer and do you want me to run him off?”

  “Not at all officer,” she said rather strongly. “Just because he fell on hard times doesn’t mean he isn’t a person. I’m quite safe with him as you can see my dog likes what she feels coming for this unfortunate man. Now if you’ll excuse us, we will continue our nature conversation.”

  “I’m just doing my job,” he said trying to justify to her and to make sure the message was received by Ron as he rode off with is back straight looking for trouble where there wasn’t any.

  Ron said, “Thanks Sue, if you hadn’t been here he would have run me off. I never knew about discrimination much before I hit the road, but now spending most of my time with the lower dregs of life, I see how a barrier is erected to prevent the so called model citizens from coming in contact with the poor. You asked a while ago about me. I’ll give you the Readers Digest version and if you promise not to feel sorry for me, I won’t feel sorry for you.”

  “I promise Ron,” as she continued to stare in the general direction of him as most blind people have trouble connecting a direct line to a speaker.

  Ron took a deep breath and Amy made a low sound of compassion in her throat while he said, “I used to be a stock broker in New York City.
I was at the top of my game and money rolled in like waves on a beach. For ten years I was the envy of my peers, then I hit the sauce and the rest is history as I lost my job and wife. I gave her the house and hit the road west. Now what you see is what you get. I don’t feel sorry for myself; I’ve met some nice people on the trail to Seattle, including you.” A hot flash of burning cheeks and forehead was felt as a tension in his hands shot through to Amy who continued to hold him in her special way feeling his pain.

  If she could have seen him as he looked out onto the park where people were holding hands and parents pushing strollers epitomizing the typical Middle American family, instead of the blissful scene, he saw only a blur of the past. Not one of them, he thought has ever spent a night without a bed to sleep on or a roof to protect them from the elements a street person faces each and every night when your biological clock tells you to shut down for a rest. How could he tell her that he hadn’t a good rest in a year? What was constant hunger now was just another in a long line of body pain you learned to live with. Anxiety, fear, rejection and hope were just some of the emotions that filled up his mostly empty back pack since the day he struck out on a bus to Chicago. Now he slowly turned to look at her rubbing his beard with one hand and continuing to stroke Amy with the other.

  “Ron,” she asked, “will you escort me and Amy around the lake for a little walk?”

  “Yes I will. It is time for me to stretch my legs and move on as the policeman suggested without saying so.” The stood up together and Amy obediently came to her side to lead her as she was trained. Walking away from the bench two dead leaves fell on the bench waiting for the next observer to fill the void just left.

  The sun slipped ever closer to the west as a twilight darkened to a deep dark blue sky to the east as they walked slowly next to the lake. The slight breeze off the lake dissipated leaving a glassy surface of blue. Night creatures were stirring and the first sounds of frogs drifted on the still air from across the lake where darkness came first. No conversation was heard from the strange looking couple walking together. One nicely dressed woman who was blind with long blonde hair and fair skin; the other slightly taller with the stereotypical look of a street person presented an anomaly not often or never seen by walker bys. Sue couldn’t see the frowns thrown their way, but he could. He tried to raise his head for dignity, but that was something in his past.

  Sue took a deep drag of air through her nose and exclaimed, “My, nice aroma. I can smell the dead grass, flowers and the musty smell of the lake. I hear the footsteps of kids and the heavy steps of adults. Far away I can still hear kids laughing and splashing in the water. Of course I hear buses and cars on the streets and the far away sound of airplanes coming and going at the airport. I don’t want to preach to you Ron, but life is what we make it and even losing my sight has opened other ways of seeing that are just as good as before. I feel with my hands and fingers textures that before I never knew existed; smells I used to think were always there, but didn’t know why. Now I know why and that fills my being with happiness in a world of darkness by day and real dreams that heighten my sleep with a movie if you will. Last night I was dancing with a boy at the prom when I was in high school. I could see very well his face and all the other kids having the time of their lives together. My gown was pale yellow and the others wore the colors of the rainbow. I could see their lipstick and other makeup as well the mixed races of our school. Now during the day I have to rely on others to paint a picture for me.”

  Ron responded to her conversation, saying with downcast eyes to avoid making eye contact with the people they passed, staring at them like freaks in a circus show. At first, looks such as he now saw, made him angry and he wanted to shout that just a short time ago probably made more money in a year than they did, but he could care less as he said, “Sue, just a few short years ago I wouldn’t have given you the time of day. A few months ago I would have given my left arm to meet someone like you who believes under the outside lies the beauty of self and others.” He looked at the street close by and thought it was time to take his leave as he finished saying, “Sue I must go now. I’ll never forget our meeting in this lovely park in Seattle.”

  Sue stopped and Amy sat down on her back legs. Turning towards him she said with a worried look and her slim white hand at her throat, “Ron, walk me home. It’s only about fifteen minutes from here as I know this area very well having lived her all my life. Would you share my company for just a few more minutes?”

  Ron thought, how you say no to her. What are another few minutes in a life full of minutes hanging in a vacuum? He looked at her perfect lips hanging half open around her mouth. Her skin was flawless and almost translucent. For the first time he noticed she was wearing a summer dress of egg shell white and a light yellow sweater buttoned to her longish slim neck. Ron replied, “Sure Sue. This is a nice neighborhood, lead the way.” And he never thought once about what waited for him at her house.

  Chapter 11

  Walking down the sidewalk Ron noticed for the first time the houses that made up the area around Green Lake Park. He guessed the houses were built in the fifties or thereabouts. Most were well kept, neat and clean. The small lawns were still green and the flower gardens still had some die hard annuals stretching to the life giving light that would soon be over replaced next spring by a new generation of color. Sue broke his thoughts by saying, “I can tell by the feel of the sidewalk we are getting close to my home. Also I can feel Amy pulling just a little harder as we near the house.”

  “What color is your house Sue?”

  “I just had it painted this summer in a pale brown with the windows painted in a dark brown. I like earth tones and last year's roof is made out of cedar shingles from Aberdeen a town next to the Pacific Ocean west of Olympia.” Ron noticed she gave a brief shudder as they now walked in the shadows with the only sunshine shining to the east outlining the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Rainier standing boldly with a cloak of white signifying its height to all that looked. Even to Ron it was a magnificent sight as he spotted the freshly painted home and its neat yard like its neighbors. They stopped at the entrance where a cement walkway led to the wooden stairs and the front door. To him it looked pretty much like all the other houses in the neighborhood with a one car garage on the side and flower boxes hanging from the large front window of the living room. From his own experience he’d never been inside a home like this one and felt just a twinge of curiosity of how a blind woman lived.

  Now standing on the sidewalk with a few cars going past, she said, “Ron first let me say I do have an ulterior motive about what I’m going to offer, but please let me be truthful and say come with me to the garage for a moment and let me show you what my father left me after passing away some years ago, just after we lost my mom.” She walked with Amy to the garage door on the side and Ron meekly followed. He didn’t have a clue as to what to expect so he left his mind blank. From her bag she took a set of keys and found the one she was feeling for and opened the garage door leading the way. She turned the lights on and the inside was flooded with hanging fluorescents lights down the middle nose to tail. The light was almost too much for Ron, but of course Sue paid no attention as lights made no difference in her world.

  For the first time since her could remember he was taken in by the sight in front of him. Directly in front of him was a sculptor of Sue standing in a pose similar in a Greek replica. She was naked except for a shawl draped down one shoulder across covering a small breast. He couldn’t take his eyes of it and when he glanced around a few minutes later saw more work in progress in various designs. A work bench lined one wall where Sue leaned against it and in the back of the deep garage looked like another small room. What it contained he had no idea but then Sue said, “I thought you might like to see what my father did in life. He was a very famous sculptor and his work can be seen all over the world. Now follow me please,” as she walked towards the back of the long garage with her cane tapping as they went. She c
ame to the door of a room and opened it for Ron to see inside. She moved into the room and said, “This is where my father stayed most of the time when he was working on an assignment. As you know artists are a little eccentric and work odd hours. My mother was a simple person and for the last few years of her life, preferred to sleep alone. My father had this room built to sleep in and a small shower and toilet installed. Ron I need some help around here. I have an aunt who is as cantankerous as the winters are long here. Since mother passed on she has helped me with house work and such things. But now she is arthritic and would like to spend winters in Arizona. If you agree I’d like to offer you a job with room and board. Now I will leave you here and the back door of the house is open when you decide what you want to do.”

  Ron was grateful she didn’t put him on the spot as he would have probably told her thanks but no thanks and left the way he came. He heard the door close and stared at the small room with a single bed and a small closet with her father’s clothes hanging like ghosts waiting for the man to return. A small chest of drawers sat next to the open door and beside it was the small bathroom complete with shampoo and soap. Ron opened the medicine cabinet and found what one might see of a single man’s contents: a bottle of aspirin, Maalox and various prescriptions. A new tube of toothpaste and toothbrush sat on the top shelf inviting him to use it like it was somehow physic that he was coming. A pair of scissors and disposal shavers was the last things he saw before he closed the mirrored medicine cabinet slowly. He looked in the mirror for the first time since he couldn’t remember when the last time was. What he saw scared the hell out of him. Looking back at him was a total stranger. What happened to the clean cut guy with blonde hair and the baby face that women drooled over? His once sparking blue eyes now took on a black color probably due to the eye sockets being black with dirt and sun from the outdoors. Wondering what his teeth looked like he opened his mouth and his once perfectly white teeth were coated with scum and he quickly closed his mouth turned and almost went out the door when he looked into the chest of drawers to find the usual socks and underwear stacked neatly in one drawer and on down from the top he found T-shirts and many blue thin cotton work shirts. Where are his pants, he wondered and noticed when he started to close the door a banging was quietly heard swinging against the door. He looked behind the door and saw three pairs of blue overalls like farmers wear. Ron shrugged his shoulders and went out to look at the sculptors and work bench.