John sighed softly to himself as he sat in the church pew next to his dad and siblings. They had agreed when John went off to college to always meet up for big holidays, and well today was Easter. Their church was a somewhat small one, only a hundred or so people that showed up on a regular basis, and fifty plus others that showed up when they could. John loved this church, it always had a calm feel to it. It never felt like the nondenominational church on campus, though that was somewhat close. This one always seemed to have an almost overwhelming sense of calmness and peace to it though, and while it was something John could never put his finger on he loved it nonetheless.
"And so today, my brothers and sisters, I ask of you.. What do you plan to do with your life? Will you live it in a way that honors the Lord, our savior? Or will you live it in a way that leaves the world questioning, unsure whether to trust you.. For if you say you are a Christian, and you do not live like one, then what is the point?" The pastor stated, his voice calm yet to the point, knowing exactly what he wanted to portray to his audience.
John tilted his head to the side slightly, hearing a baby whimper in a pew behind and to the right of him. Everyone always said he had the best hearing out of anyone they knew, and he supposed they might be right.. Though he didn't mind it. It helped often times, especially in knowing where things were in relation to yourself.
"Before we leave this place, I do have some announcements. Today after the 12 o'clock service, we invite you all to an Easter egg hunt and BBQ lunch at the Conner's. There will be an assortment of things for the kids to do, and I believe we even have some games for the adults." John could hear the grin in his pastor's voice, and he smiled slightly. "We would love it if you could come join. This event will, however, replace the youth's gathering tonight, so please keep that in mind. The address should be printed at the back of the information booklet, along with any other information you may need. We did take in mind peanut allergies, and requests to not eat pork, so all the BBQ will be peanut free and simply chicken. Now, go in peace! Have a great week everyone."
With that, the band started playing their final song as folks started shuffling out, and greeting friends they didn't have time to greet that morning. One older lady walked up to John and Philip, who sat at John's feet the whole time.
"Aaahh, there's our darling boy!~" She smiled, reaching up and patting John's cheek. He smiled, recognizing the voice.
"Good morning, Ms. Haisely." He replied, and Philip wagged his tail happily. Ms. Haisely was one of the few people allowed to pet him when he was on service, and that's exactly what she did.
"Good morning to you too, dear John! How's the college work coming along, dear?"
"Quite well, ma'am. I'm really enjoying it."
"You're attending the church on campus, I hope? You know your mother would want you to."
"Yes ma'am, I do. I just like to come here for the big holidays, gives me a chance to be with family."
"A smart boy you are!" John blushed, and smiled. "Your mother would be very proud of you, dear." John's smile faltered slightly, but Ms. Haisely didn't seem to notice. "Well, I must be going. I've got cakes to bake for that BBQ!" And with that, she went off.
A gentle hand laid itself on John's shoulder. "You okay, son?" Henry Laurens asked.
"Y-yeah, 'm fine. C'mon, you said you had something at home you wanted to show me?"
"Yeah! Johnny it's great! You'll love it!" Little seven year old Mary grinned, standing on the pew to be eye level with John. He smiled, and cautiously reached over to ruffle her hair. The siblings, all five of them, were accustomed to John's slower movements with physical contact.
"Well I can't wait! Let's go then." He grinned.
Twenty minutes and thirty tackle hugs from various friends and cousins later, the Laurens family of six stood in John's old room. John just stood there in shock, while Philip instantly went over to his dog bed and laid down.
"You guys.. Kept it as it was?" He asked in awe. Despite meeting up for previous holidays, John had never gone back to his old room.
"Yeah. It didn't feel right changing it." James stated, leaning against the door frame. Mary and Martha were sitting together on John's bed, and Henry Jr and Sr were both standing off near the desk.
"The only thing we truly 'changed' was the dripping faucet. We just fixed that." Martha explained. She was the second oldest child, being only two years younger than John and readying herself to go into college.
"You can sleep here over spring break and holidays if you wanna, Johnny!" Mary grinned. John smiled, and walked over to the bed and carefully sat down next to her.
"I'd love that, Mary. And thanks, you guys. I really appreciate this."
Henry Jr, often just called Junior by his brothers and sisters, grinned and gave John a side hug. "Dude, no problem. Anything for our favorite big brother."
"Hey, what about me?" James laughed, causing the others to laugh as well.
"I can have more than one favorite!"
~~~~~
Later that day
~~~~~
John sat in bed, listening to the sound of the first crickets of the year. It was surprisingly nice outside, so the whole family had opened their windows for the evening. Philip was laying in the middle of the floor, snoring softly. A soft buzz from his phone drew John from his thoughts.
[Alexander Ham and swiss] 9:12 PM
Hey, how's everyone's spring break going?
Seen by Laf, Herc, J. Laurens
[Large Baguette] 9:12 PM
Oui, doing well mon ami. Chilling with Hercules.
Seen by A. Ham, J. Laurens
[Innocent boi] 9:14 PM
cHILLING IN MY OLD ROOM, IT'S REALLY NICE ACTUALLY. MY SIBLINGSS AND DD LEFT IT LONE FOR ME ; D
Seen by Laf, Herc, A. ham
[Large Baguette] 9:15 PM
John, mon ami, you are shouting again..
Seen by A. Ham, J. Laurens
[Innocent boi] 9:15 PM
Sorry : ) I guess Im just happy lol
Seen by A. Ham, Laf
[Alexander Ham and swiss] 9:16 PM
Sounds like fun dude! Stay safe out there. ; )
Seen by Laf, J. Laurens
[Innocent boi] 9:17 PM
I will : )
Seen by Laf, A. Ham
John sighed after sending the last text. His phone had a special text to speech function that, while not perfect, allowed him to figure out what his friends were saying. Even so, it was nice to be back home, in a place where he felt safe and loved..
"Back home where I belong." He murmured to himself before falling asleep.
~~~~~
hII THERE PEOPLE :" D
SO Sorry I took forever to update!! College sucks >:' /
But anyhow, I hope you like this simple little chapter. I honestly really do love writing slice of life chapters, but I know I'll have to start moving the plot along soon, lol.
I would like to give a huge random af shoutout to @determinelydepressed <3 She's a little sweetheart and like a little sister to me and I want you all to go check out her wonderful stories, they're just absolute master pieces. UwU
But anyhow, stay safe, wear your seatbelts, and have fun out there.
I love you all <3 God bless!
YOU ARE READING
His Eyes (LAMS)
FanfictionCliche title, but I have a reason for it This AU is set in the late 90's-Early 2000's btw John has been blind all his life. He's gotten used to the near constant teasing, taunting and bullying for having to bring his service dog, Philip, everywhere...
