Me and Charley

19. The Light Returns

I slowly came awake and found that cooler air had set in overnight. The alarm clock said it was seven fifty-eight. Subdued light met my eyes as I opened them. I put on my glasses, went to the window and raised the shade. The circular drive was wet and a heavy overcast covered the sky, though it did not appear to be raining just then. I did my morning bathroom routine, put on a clean t-shirt and decided on overalls because of the cooler temperature, got a pair of socks out of the drawer and my sneakers out of the closet, and headed downstairs. Life sure was a lot more efficient with eyesight. I got my slicker out of the hall closet in case the rain would start again, folded it lengthwise on the couch in the living room, and rolled my sneakers and socks into it to create a neat little package for the basket on my bike. As I drove it up the lane the soil exhaled an aroma of gratitude quite distinct from the smell of an approaching summer storm.

I got our newspaper out of the box, pushed my bike under McDougalls' deck, tapped on the back door, opened it and called, "Ms. Rhoda?"

"Come in, Trey," she called from the living room. "I gather you've got your eyes back."

"Yes'm," I said as she came into the kitchen. The bright fluorescent lights of the kitchen bothered me some but I decided to say nothing. I hoped that Mom was right, that it was just the effect of several days in the dark. I also hoped the strong smell that greeted me had nothing to do with our breakfast. Then I saw that Ms. Rhoda had one of Charley's braces in her lap as she worked some kind of oil into the thigh band. She must have seen me wrinkle my nose for she said, "Sorry about the smell, maybe I should have done this in Charley's room."

"It's all right, ma'am. I think after the last couple of days smells are just affecting me more. Sounds too."

"Well, Charley just got up. He's using the bathroom but I'm sure he'll be out in a minute. Would you like a glass of juice?"

"Yes'm."

"When it got chilly last night we had to get up and find his pajamas. His legs are so sensitive to cold, you know."

"Yes'm."

"You're awfully quiet this morning."

"Yes'm. I been thinkin' about how hard life is when you can't see."

"Well, I'm sure glad that's over for you."

"Hope so, ma'am. Last night I was havin' a bad time with bright light."

"Well, Trey, it looks like the Lord's sent this dark day just for you, right?"

"If you say so, ma'am, but the farmers might be grateful too."

"Hey Trey," Charley said as he wheeled himself into the kitchen, clad in a t-shirt, pajama bottoms and cotton socks.

"Hey you," I replied.

"How's your eyes?" he asked.

"OK, I guess. 'Bout like always."

"Mom says we're goin' to Lachaine today to get your new glasses."

"Well, we'll order 'em and pick out frames. They can't do my kinda lenses there, gotta send to St. Louis for 'em, takes a few days to get 'em back."

"Oh, OK. Hey, you know what?"

"What?"

"Tomorrow they've got some astronomy expert coming to Lachaine to explain the eclipse as it's happening. I saw a poster at the library and asked Mrs. Swenson about it. I didn't say nothin' 'cause we was gonna go to the barn raising, but now we could go there instead."

I objected, "Well if it's cloudy like this tomorrow we ain't gonna see it anywhere,"

"And," Ms. Rhoda said, "I need to be helping your father and the church ladies with that big wedding at church tomorrow afternoon. We won't be going to Lachaine or anywhere else."