Love at Last Sight

Chapter Two

               “Are you sure you want to do this?”

               “I’m sure.”

               My dad’s expression revealed to me that he was feeling hesitant about my decision. “Four months really isn’t a long time…”

               “Dad. I’m not going to go a… special school when I can still see,” I said defiantly, unable to say the word blind out loud. “I’d rather live my last few months as normal as possible. I don’t want to leave my friends, anyway.”

               His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, wringing his hands in a hand-washing motion.                “We have to talk to your mother about this.”

               I groaned. “Dad, please. I’m going to go blind! Don’t you have any sympathy for me?”

               “I do, I do!” he responded quickly. “I understand where you’re coming from too. I just don’t want your mom to flip out on me.”

               “Okay, fine. Have a chat with Mom.”

               Sighing, he pushed himself up from the wooden kitchen table, running a hand through his chestnut hair. “I have to go to work now. Do you have any big plans for today?”

               Shaking my head, I did my best to keep the smile that was threatening to spill onto my face off it. I didn’t want him getting too suspicious about my plans and then interrogating me about them. If he found out I was going to be with a guy today, he would definitely demand to meet him. “I’m just going to hang out with some friends.”

               “Need any money?”

               “I’m all set, thanks,” I replied, pulling my forgotten bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats toward me. “What time will you be home?”

               He paused for a moment, scrunching up his forehead. “Seven or eight. Don’t wait up for me for dinner.”

               “Wasn’t planning on it.”

               Rolling his eyes, he mussed with my hair before heading for the door. “See you later, Kiddo.”

               “Bye, Dad.”

               As soon as I heard the front door shut behind him, I extracted my iPhone from my pocket and went to my inbox. Every single message in it was from Chace. The silly grin I’d been holding back finally spread across my face. Chace was one lovely man. I clicked back to the first message he sent me.

               By the way, don’t get into cars with strangers. That’s a bad habit, Rosie.               

               His text message was so accurate. On a normal day, I probably would have never gotten into that car with him. But seeing as how I’d gotten the news that had ruined my life, I didn’t blame myself for doing it. Nor did I regret it. If I hadn’t climbed into his car, I would have never gotten his number, and wouldn’t have been able to text him all week like I had been. Which probably would have led me into some sort of state of depression.

               I dropped my head back and stared at the ceiling, my eyes focusing on the grooves in the paneling. The whole fact about my eyes losing their ability to see in four months still hadn’t really settled in. I was still in a state of disbelief. When I thought about it, my mind automatically went into denial. When my parents, who had both tried to have a discussion about it with me, talked to me about it, I just spaced out and didn’t listen to them. They didn’t know what it was like. They would never know what it was like being told that you were going to go blind. Hell, I didn’t even know it was like yet. I was in a continuous state of denial.