By: Jordan Lynden
#Episode_10
The next day, we never made it to the mountain. I never got to see my last sunset. When I’d woken up, my vision had expired. I’d waited for an hour, hoping— praying — that it would return to me, but it never did.
I was never granted a miracle.
My parents were called, my eye doctor was called, Kate and Paul were called, and Chace’s dad was called. There were a lot of tears— not on my part though. Mainly on my mother’s and Kate’s. They seemed a lot more depressed over my blindness than I did. Chace never let go of my hand. His grip was firm and tight, every now and again he gave me a reassuring squeeze.
Jack was by my side; ready and attentive like the Seeing Eye dog he was trained to be.
Being blind made me realize how much of a gift sight is. I knew I’d never be able to see the hue of the sky at sunset again, or the blue of the ocean, or the shaggy golden coat of Jack’s, or Chace’s warm brown eyes. Not my mother’s caring smile, or my dad’s always-tousled hair, not Paul’s stupid grin, or Kate’s shiny teeth…
I’d never see any of those things again. All I had was the memories.
But it was enough.
Although I’d never see my family again, see my friends again, see Chace again, it was okay. They were all still with me. I was still able to hear the voices, feel their touch…
Everything was going to be okay.
“Rosie, don’t let go of my hand,” Chace whispered to me.
A smile formed on my face. “I won’t.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“Mom. I’m pretty sure after five years of walking the same path I can get home from work fine by myself,” I assured her, my left hand tightening around the banister of the staircase and my right tightening around Jack’s leash.
From the other side of the phone, I heard my mom heave a heavy sigh. “I know, I know, I’m just worried—”
“Unnecessarily,” I finished for her forcefully. “Geez, you worry worse than Chace. And he’s pretty bad.”
“Where is he anyway?”
“Work, Mom. We’re adults. We have to work.”
Another sigh left her lips. “I can’t believe he’s still with you…”
“Mom!”
“Wait, that came out wrong,” she said quickly. “I just mean it’s rare that high school sweethearts get married, you know? Everyone wants to be those two, but rarely does it happen. You two…”
I smiled to myself. “It’s almost like fate.”
My mom snorted. “If you believe in that.”
“Right,” I responded, rolling my eyes. My foot met the flat surface of the floor, revealing that the stairs had ended. Taking ten steps forward, I came to the door that led to the outside.
Jack barked, informing me a person was entering through the door, so I stepped to the side, allowing the person to move by me.
“Rose!” an excited voice cried. “I’m glad I caught you!”
“Kate?” I questioned, but there was no doubt in my mind it was my best friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Kate?” my mom echoed. “What’s she doing there?”
“I don’t know Mom, look, I’ll call you later. I really have to get going. Chace’s making dinner.”
“But—”
“Tell Dad I said hi and I love him. Love you. Bye.” Snapping my phone shut, I slid it into my back pocket before turning to Kate. “So what brings you to my work?”
She ruffled my hair. “Chace let a little secret slip to Paul, and you know how Paul is with secrets. And I couldn’t wait until you got home, so I came straight here.” My stomach dropped. “He didn’t….”
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“Congratulations!” she cried, throwing her arms around me. “I would’ve never thought you and Chace would have a kid before me! And a son too!”
“Kate!”
“What?”
“I didn’t know the gender!” I told her, swatting blindly with my free hand. “You idiot! Chace wanted to know, but I wanted it to be a surprise!”
Just as my hand met her shoulder, she squeaked out an apology. “Sorry! I’m sorry! I thought you knew!”
Scowling, I returned my hand to my side. “Well, now I do, thanks.”
“Are you excited?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, smiling despite myself. “It really didn’t matter what gender the baby was, but a boy sounds nice. Chace must be excited to dress him up.”
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Kate laughed. “I bet. Are you going home now? I’ll come with you.”
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I nodded. “Sure. Why aren’t you at work?”
“It’s my day off. But knowing my luck the hospital will call me in at like three A.M. Like they always do.”
“Well, that’s the problem with being a doctor.”
“What about you? How was work today?”
Shrugging, I tugged Jack in the direction he was supposed to be walking. For the most part, he was an excellent Seeing Eye dog, but sometimes he got a little distracted. “It’s, you know, the same as usual. I like being idolized by the kids.”
“You’re such a good person,” she said, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “The blind helping out the blind. You’re one of the best Braille teachers I’ve ever met.”
“You’ve met two,” I pointed out. “And I don’t only teach Braille…”
She ignored both my comments. “Yeah, well, still. At least you’re working. Can’t expect Chace to bring home all the bacon with his job as a carpenter.”
I pursed my lips. “What? He’s really good at his job! He definitely makes more than enough money.”
“It was a joke, Rose,” she chuckled, patting my back. “You’re so defensive.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled. “So are you staying for dinner, or…?”
“Of course! Thank you for the invitation!”
Five minutes later we were at the threshold of mine and Chace’s apartment, waiting for my husband to answer the door. Moments later, it swung wide open, and the warm scent of pot roast met my nose. “Forget your key?” a teasing voice asked. My heart flip-flopped at the sound of his warm voice. Immediately images of Chace’s handsome face shot through my mind, altered slightly with his growing age. Even after five years, I could imagine him perfectly. A smile came onto my face and I leaned forward, my lips meeting his for a quick kiss. “Hehe, yep.” “Rosie, how many times have I told you—”
“Kate’s here for dinner,” I interjected, stepping sideways so he could see her. “Surprise!”
Kate stepped forward, pushing into my apartment before me.
“This place is really fancy. Mm, dinner smells nice!”
“Hi Kate,” Chace greeted and a warm hand enveloped mine.
Smiling again, I squeezed his, tugging Jack through the door so we could close it. “Chace, you won’t be able to cook if you hold my hand.”
“Well it’s a good thing I don’t have to cook at the moment,” he responded, dragging me deeper into our home. “Let Jack off his leash.” .
Doing as requested, I let the golden retriever off of his restraint. My now free hand went around Chace’s waist and rested on his arm. I yanked it back in surprise when I felt wrinkled skin. “Chace! What happened to your arm?”
“Ah… as sharp as ever. I just burned it.”
“Are you okay?” I asked quickly. “Kate, Chace burned his arm, will you check it out? Will it be okay?”
Chace chuckled, patting my head. “And you say I worry too much.”
Blushing, I attempted to pull my hand away from his, but he held on tightly. “W-whatever.”
“You two… same as always,” Kate commented from next to me.
“Cute.”
“And we probably won’t ever change,” Chace stated confidently.
“Rose, you should write out your love story. I bet it’d be popular. You could sell it and make bank.”
I snorted. “Yeah, no. Who would read that crap?”
“I would,” Chace volunteered.
“Of course you would,” I responded, rolling my eyes. “Is dinner almost ready or what?”
“Yeah, house wife. Is dinner ready?”
“Weren’t you worried about my burn?”
Shrugging, I sat down on the sofa, shaking my hand free of his.
“Now I’m worried about my stomach.”
“Rosie… you…”
“Yes?” I asked innocently.
A sigh came from him. “Nothing, Sweetie. You just look beautiful today.”
“Thank you!”
Kate giggled, taking a seat next to me as Chace shuffled to the kitchen. “You two really are a great couple.”
I smiled warmly. “Yeah, Chace is great.”
“It’s been a long time, huh… Since you lost your sight.”
“Yeah… I can still remember everything so clearly. I thought maybe the memories would fade, but they’re still with me. It’s nice.”
“And Chace is still with you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that too.”
“Don’t ever let him go,” she advised me.
A grin spread across my face. “Oh, I won’t.”
LOVE AT LAST SIGHT
By Jordan Lynden✅