The Blind Man

FIVE

Maggie closed the door to the house as the policeman climbed back into his car. He had done a full report, but since they had no description of the man all they could do was sit and wait.

Worn-out from everything, Maggie slowly made her way back into the living room where Jae still sat on the couch.

"Are you hungry? It's only 3."

He shook his head. "No."

She sighed. "Well, I guess I'll head home then."

He stood and Rosie followed him over to where Maggie stood. "You're not staying over there. He could come back and take you and you'll have no one there to help. You'll stay here until Luis and Cristal get back and then we can figure out what to do next."

Maggie wasn't sure she was comfortable with staying the night in his house. "I can protect myself."

"Oh, you mean like you did on the porch?"

She shut her mouth and he sighed running his hand over his jaw. "I didn't mean to be rude, but I don't want to fuss about it. You can stay in the guest room. The best thing to do is for you to stay here where I can protect you."

His tone changed near the end of his words and Maggie was touched by his concern. "Okay." Was all she could say.

"Let's go over and get your stuff."

~~*~~

Jae woke up the next day a little earlier than usual, and he knew it was because of the thought of Maggie sleeping in the same house with him. He of course wasn't excited about this, and he had been reluctant to invite her to stay last night. But if something happened to her while she was alone, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

After getting ready for the day, he stepped out of his room with Rosie beside him. He stayed still listening to the door of the guest bedroom. When he heard Maggie's slow breaths he knew she was still asleep.

After making his way, out into the already warm summer air, he made his way to the barn to once again sit in his imprisoned memories.

~~*~~

After waking up, Maggie did nothing but brush her hair since it didn't matter what she looked like in Jae's presence. After splashing water on her face she went down and found Jae at the stove taking the sausage off the pan before reaching for the eggs.

She watched his muscles flex as he lifted the heavy iron skillet. Looking away, she was thankful he was blind so he couldn't catch her starting. Even though it was wrong, she missed his shirtless bulk from yesterday.

After the eggs were done he set her plate in front of her and he said a quick prayer before they started eating. She couldn't help but smile when she tasted the cheese in her eggs.

After eating she was going to clear the table, but Jae told her to stay seated. She watched as he pulled out a yellowed envelope from his shorts pocket. He cleared his throat before going on.

"I've had this letter for years now, and I was going to read it, but..." He paused. "Well, my accident happened. I don't know why, but I never felt comfortable asking Luis or Cristal to read it for me, but I just feel like it would be better if you did." His tone was nervous, and he stirred in his chair while clinching the letter in his hand. "So will you read this to me?"

At first she did not say anything cause she was a little confused about what was happening. But yet, she still reached out and took the letter from his shacking hand. Opening it, she studied the hand writing before starting.