Through My Eyes

Chapter 18

"You nervous?"Ross asks me as he helps me out of the car.

I use my free hand to pull my coat tighter around myself."No?"

"You're shaking."

"I just don't want to mess anything up", I mumble.

"You won't. Just calm down and enjoy yourself." Ross bends down and kisses me.

"I will", I say, feeling a lot better.

The bell jingles as we walk through the door. "Hello, welcome to Da Vinci's! Would you...like a table?" The lady's voice trails off towards the end.

"We have a reservation for two for the closest table. Ross Fawyer", Ross says confidently as I twist hair around my finger.

"Ri-right. Please follow me?" Her statement turns into a question and I shift my weight from one foot to the other.

"Couldn't we have ordered in?" I whisper to Ross as he confidently leads me only a few steps to the table.

"Just ignore it", he whispers back.

"Mommy, why are those people's eyes like that?" a child's voice asks loudly from nearby and I groan under my breath.

"Shh, they don't have eyes dear. Please don't shout", a voice murmurs.

I hold back a snort. We didn't have eyes? What a great way of explaining it. I hear a chair being pulled back and Ross whispers "Sit down babe." I sink into the cushioned chair and I hear him walk around to the other side and sit down.

"Did God take her eyes away because she did something bad?" the same child's voice asks. "Because in Sunday school they taught us that if you do something bad, God will punish you."

I feel my blood run cold. The kid was right. I lost my eyesight because I put Amber's life in danger. Well, not in danger. I killed her. Well, I didn't kill her. I let other people kill her. I've never been a very religious person so I've never thought of it being karma.

I feel fingers massaging my hands which had balled themselves into fists. "I'm sorry. Do you want to leave?" Ross murmurs apologetically.

I really wanted to but I didn't want to him feel bad. He'd planned this for a week.

"No it's fine. People are going to do this for the rest of my life anyways", I say nonchalantly and try to push it away from my mind.

"What would you like to drink?" a waitress asks chirpily. "Water, soda? Would you like some wine?

"We're under the drinking age", I point out.

"I know but a little wine never killed anyone. On the house. It'll be our little secret", she says in a low, dramatic voice.

Blind kid privileges. That's what this was.

I think about the guy who rammed his car into ours and how he probably also thought a little alcohol never hurt anyone.

"Water for me please", I say.

"Me too", Ross agrees.

"Right. I'll be back with your waters. You can take a look at the menu while I'm gone to try to decide what to eat", the waitress says, sounding annoyed.

Umm, we couldn't read menus. Did she not make that connection?

"Not a drinker, huh?" Ross asks.

"Na, I've tasted alcohol before", I admit. I'd been to so many parties with Tyler as the cutest cheerleader-jock couple that it would be a scandal if I hadn't. "I just stopped after... I saw its effects first hand", I improvise.

Ross sighs. "I'm sorry babe. If I knew it would be like this I never would have brought you."

"Don't blame yourself", I tell him. "It's not your fault."

"I know but what with  the kid screaming in your face and the wine thing and the read the menu. I want to make you feel better not keep rubbing this thing in your face", he tells me remorsefully.

I sigh as I find his hand resting on the table and hold it. I'm about to ask him how we were supposed to order when we couldn't see a menu when a loud crash scares the living daylight out of me.

Someone slams our glasses on the table. "Here are your freaking waters", the waitress barks. "It had to be water didn't it? It couldn't have been the wine. Oh no. Maybe I should have offered you champagne. Then you would have accepted. But no, wine is too cheap for you spoilt people. When you have disabilities, you might as well use it to your fullest extent. I suppose you expected free food as well."

"Wha-what?" I stammer, utterly baffled.

"Don't act all innocent. My manager heard me offering alcohol to minors and fired me", she spits the words out.

"But I never wanted alcohol!" I cry.

"Yeah but you had to open your big mouth and say that you weren't drinking age. If you had accepted the stupid wine I'd still have a job right now!" she screams in my face.

My lip starts to quiver, like it always does when someone's yelling at me.

"Adelaine, get up. We're leaving", Ross tells me calmly.

I shakily get to my feet and grab my purse.

"Oh yeah, you guys can get up and run. Too bad I can't", the waitress shouts and Ross silently leads me to the door.

A tear escapes my eyes when we're finally outside. "It was my fault. I got her fired."

"What?! No no Adelaine you've got it all wrong. This isn't your fault", Ross wraps his arms around me. "She's crazy. I can't believe I let her talk to you like that."

"I only didn't take it because it made me think of what happened on New Years! I didn't mean to act spoilt!" I whisper.

"Addie, quit it. You did nothing wrong. I'm just so sorry I brought you here. Our first date and I ruined it. Well, second I guess." he sighs. "Maybe we will end up sitting on the curb eating pizza after all", he jokes.

My stomach growls. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

So we call Dominoes and ask them to deliver a pizza to the two blind people in front of Da Vinci's and we sit on the curb eating the cheesy crusty goodness the Italians have blessed us with.