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The blind don’t cry. That’s what he had heard. It was of interest to him because he had never really thought about it. Tears are for washing away obscurities to the eye. There is also the concept of sorrow that brings tears but he cannot recall an example of or depiction of a blind person being a sad person. In general, a tear to the eye of a blind one is foreign image. It was just something that would be new to him as long as its rarity stayed dominant. He did know, however, of an occasion, the first time in fact, that he had seen it.
He was a boy, sixteen years under his belt, no car or license to drive anyway. He didn’t really care for one either. He didn’t see himself getting his own car for a while and driving was hardly neither necessary nor appealing. All of his friends who did drive told him the negatives, few positive. Not to mention his friend’s brother died in a car crash.
His proper name is James but he is more often called Jamey. Sporting thick chestnut hair of reasonable length, not too long for a boy, as his father says, he was around four inches under six feet tall. There wasn’t much else to describe out of the ordinary. He was just a normal kid in a normal neighborhood. He was at that point where every adult woman would tell his mom that he was a “handsome young man,” a phrase that he was sure was said all the time and he thought a bit cliché by now.
He was in possession of an average group of friends, small club of buddies. Mostly guys, of course. He hung out with them all the time if he could, especially now in the summer. There were just some things in friends that never got old. So he saw them just about every day, whether they were all present at once, or he saw them sporadically. Everybody in the group knew everybody else in the neighborhood by some connection.
One of them he was more concerned with. She was different from most girls, in that she secluded herself more and had fewer close friends. James actually saw this becoming a fad somewhat though. In relation to this, she was more of an acquaintance than a friend. James could very easily call her a friend though. She probably needs one. He had seen her sparingly, enough to recall what she looked like. Now that he thought of it though, those times she was never outside walking about. She would be out on her lawn or porch for fresh air, he would guess. She wouldn’t be talking to anyone, more like staring or listening intently for something that no one else could hear. He may have looked at her for a little while, but thought it awkward to stare so he would move on. He remembered how her facial expression hinted glum and calm indifference.
At one point, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He resolved to go confront her and really meet her. He had heard her name before but it took him quite a while to remember. Jill. It was actually a rather uncommon name, but he liked it. It was name in any case, good as any.
Finally one day when he had the plan down and time allowed, he walked down the street to Jill’s home where he had seen her sitting before. He walked up to their front door and knocked promptly. He waited a moment for an answer, flooded with reasoning why they wouldn’t answer their door immediately. He thought he felt nervous even though he couldn’t put his finger on why. It’s not often that you go to people just to meet them out of the blue, he thought. He waited a few moments longer and decided to knock one more time. It only took a second for the door to be unlatched and opened after that. It was an older woman, her mother he presumed.
“Yes, young man? What brings you here?” she said politely. His first impression said that she was not an annoyingly nice lady like some mothers he knew, but she was not without manners. He supposed it would be a good idea to make that impression on him also.
“Well, I… you have a daughter, right? I’ve seen her around outside every once in a while. I just thought I’d come up here and say hi, since… I haven’t seen her with anybody else. I mean, if that’s ok if I did, I’d be glad to,” he replied generously with the common hint of nervousness.
“Well, now. Yes I do. I believe that is very nice of you to do such a thing. It’s unusual, no offense, but it is very nice of you. I certainly have no problem with it. It’s more up to her whether she would be willing to talk to you. Come on in for a sec,” she said inviting him in with her hand.
He walked in slowly and closed the door behind him while she walked off and around the corner of a wall and called up to Jill a few times. Jamey stood still fidgeting and examining their home. It was a comfy house not unlike his own and the other numerous houses in the development complex. They seemed to have a liking for Renaissance art for it was scattered about in their house and on the walls. After a minute he heard some steps come slowly down a staircase. He quickly turned his attention to the corner the woman had turned.
“…and he wants to meet you. Come on, you don’t talk to anybody any more, I think a good solid friend will be great for you,” he had caught on to her mother explaining.
“Mom, does it seem like I want a friend as of late? I’ll talk to him, just because I don’t wanna feel like I’m blowing some boy off for coming up to our house.” He heard her give out a rough sigh. She turned the corner. He looked on intently. Her mother was behind her when she walked.
Up close, she was much different from the several-hundred-yards view he had of her before. Not to say that it had a negative effect. She was very pretty, minus an unenthusiastic look on her face. She had rather vibrant brown hair, just under shoulder length. She had a smooth, rounded face that looked as though it had been cleansed recently. Though with these attributes, almost immediately he noticed her eyes. Around her eyes was a kind of roughness, one would most likely assume was caused by rubbing of the eyes. He looked into her eyes and it appeared she was glaring at him. The color of her iris was very peculiar, to the point where an important notion hit him. Could she be…? Her gaze did not shift.
“Is he still here mom?” she said in a tone of true curiosity and annoyance.
“Why yes, he’s right here. What was your name again, son?” her mother said quickly.
“Oh, oh- I’m Jamey. Say, is she…-” he was interrupted faster than he could realize, more so that he did not cease in finishing his sentence. In effect, they, he and Jill, said it simultaneously. “-blind?”
“Yeah, I am. This news to ya? Don’t go about feeling bad or anything. Some people do catch on faster though…” she said initially with attitude but digressed into glumness, her gaze shifting to his right and downwards. “Look, you don’t have to like me or anything. You said you wanted to meet me, right? Well, here I am. This is all I got really,” she assumed immediately before Jamey could respond.
“Whoa now, I never said any of that. I admit I didn’t know. And yes, it is more than I had expected, but it doesn’t matter that much to me. Really. There’s nothing wrong with the way you are. I don’t mind,” he was quick to say. He didn’t want to upset her.
She paused a moment. “Well… Don’t go feelin’ sorry for me. Really. I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. Like I said, there’s not much else here to look at,” she said with less aggression.
Jamey looked at her quietly and just said, ”Heh, well I did say I didn’t mind. I don’t like it either when others sympathize with me when I don’t want them to. And as for you not being much, I don‘t think so.”
There was a short silence and her mother broke in and said, “Why… don’t you two go outside and chat?”
Jamey just followed her mother and Jill was more pushed outside onto their patio where he had seen her sit before. There were to chairs facing each other so Jamey took one and Jill the other. She needed a little help though. When she sat down, they stared at each other for a moment. Jamey was rather lost for conversation. She had her hands crossed in her lap.
“So… why’d you wanna talk to me? I haven’t had any good friends in… some time. My mom says I’ve grown a little bitter in that time. I won’t try to deny it. I’d probably think so too, if I were someone else,” she said quietly, showing more interest in conversation than before. Jamey supposed that her reasoning is that she might as well do it now that she’s out here.
He took a breath before he began. He decided not to comment solely on what she said. “Have you always been blind?” He tried to sound nice.
She looked down and then up again at the sky silently. It was strange to see her do that, considering she was blind. What she could be looking at? “No. I haven’t been blind since birth, or even from an early age. Actually, it’s only been about three years. You can imagine… that’s an eternity with me.”
This was truly surprising. He could only ask one question, a question that just about anybody asks by reflex. “What… happened then?”
She returned her gaze from the sky and slightly downwards. “Sometimes the story is so complex that I even confuse myself when I think about it. I’ll try to put it in simple terms that you might catch on to. The doctors said that based on the events I recalled on the same day I was blinded, it could have been caused by many things. I also noticed my eyesight slowly deteriorating during that month. I’m not really sure, if you understand. They said that something might have just broken down my eyes. Swimming underwater, walking through exhaust smoke, or even simply hitting my head one too many times. Anyway, it happened three years ago. I haven’t seen anything but darkness.”
Jamey listened with a certain attention that he didn’t recognize in himself. “If you don’t mind me asking… how does it feel?”
“Well… that's an interesting question. Considering that I believe that it’s useless to explain it to you, since you could never understand. Oh well, though. It’s like… well… at its most basic feeling, it’s like having something taken away that you’re born with. I mean, you could guess that much, but… think about it for a second. It’s like having fingers, but all of a sudden you can’t use them. They don’t serve any purpose. In that case, you are cut off from so many things that used to be easily possible for you. To me… It’s like the things I saw before were memories. Dreams. Like I never had vision. Tiny wisps of lights and sprites of color are what I dream of now. If you look at sky for so long, you could close your eyes and that’s all you see, clouds and blue bathed in sunlight. It works the same way, but all I see is black. That is all I can remember. I am not adapted to being blind, not even now. There are some things I can still remember clearly and I treasure those. But now, what are memories? Since memories lie in your imagination, it’s as though my vision is only a figment of desire. I can’t help feeling like I am not a whole person and that others who must see me, such as you, walk past and don’t give me a second thought.”
Jamey looked at her face as she spoke, as would be polite to any person. As he did though, he began to realize that she couldn’t see it. His act of politeness means nothing because she can’t see it. His gaze shifted in sympathy with her. He knew that she had made her point. “Your mom said you haven’t had many friends lately. Why is that?” He asked her with the intent on getting through her mind.
“It would be a waste to tell you… Just like how it’s a waste to tell my mom. You wouldn’t understand. Nobody would. I’ve tried this entire time to figure out a way to deal with this and I haven’t made any progress. Right now… it’ll never end.”
“Hey now. You’re right, I may not understand. I haven’t experienced what you have. But it’s always better when you have someone who knows that feeling that you have. You don’t exactly have somebody who fits that description, but what’s better than the next best thing? You should tell me how you feel, or somebody else, if there’s someone better. If you explain and describe stuff to me, then I’ll have an idea. That way, I can help you. I mean, that’s what you want, right? A little help?”
She was silent. Jamey had not wanted to offend her and he hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way. He was still thinking of what it was like to talk to somebody without the ability to see. All that she could know about him is his voice. He hoped that was a good thing whether it is that he did not look very good or that his voice was “nice” in her opinion. He realized that it was difficult to make a good impression with your voice only when he had not practiced it much in his life.
She finally responded which relieved Jamey because he was beginning to sweat from nervousness. It was not something that happened often.
“Yes. I suppose… that is what I want. You are right. I know what you’re saying. Now that I think about it, in that way, I have become a bit selfish. That’s probably why I haven’t befriended many people recently. It’s… weird, I guess. I want help on the inside but I push it away when it’s there for me. …Do you think many people do that?” she said to him with increasing sincerity.
Jamey thought about it for a minute but the answer came as quickly as the question. “Yeah, I think so, actually. Don’t ask me why though. I’m no psychiatrist. What you say makes some sense. Can I ask you a question though?”
“Yeah… sure, what is it?”
“You open up to me, but why me? At first, I didn’t think you were willing to talk to anybody nor had you talked to anyone in a while, now that I remember how your mom was excited to see somebody who wanted to. If I’m the first in a long time, why do you open up to me so willingly?”
“Good question.” She seemed to have the answer before Jamey was finished. “I may have acted stubborn before but not without a reason. When I heard you speak and talk to me, you just struck me as real. Somebody who wouldn’t lie to my face, just because I’m blind… or something or other. What I’m trying to say, is that… well… isn’t it good to have somebody to talk to? Like you said… I guess… you can’t ask me why either… why I think that way. It feels good too. I once heard someone say that it was like holding up a big house full of people in it and your problems and thoughts were the people. Yeah, it was like that. As they exit, it becomes better and better. You took a load off me.”
Jamey couldn’t help but smile even though she couldn’t see it. This gave him the idea that he was a good guy. He was happy he didn’t come off as some audacious neighbor boy who was bet by his cul-de-sac friends to go talk to the blind girl. At that time, he looked outwards into the neighborhood and realized how long it had been. The sun was falling in the sky creating a pretty orange violet swirl in the sky that Jamey particularly liked.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I arrived. I didn’t tell my mom… that I was gonna be gone this long. Ick, she may get a bit irritable. I need to get going. So Jill… does this mean we’re friends? Maybe she’ll forgive me if I tell her I made a special new friend,” he said rather childishly.
Jill smiled at him in satisfaction. Jamey was taken aback by this gesture since he had not seen her smile earlier. Though he did not know why, he stared at her face and at her eyes while she smiled. He was once again reminded of the strange tinge of her eyes. Out of the few images of blind people’s eyes that he had seen, he didn’t think it looked like that. He didn’t want to mention it to her though. It was probably the most offensive to accuse her of not being blind.
Jamey stood up and told her, “I’ll come back tomorrow and talk with you some more. For now though, bye.”
She gave a short sigh and said, “Right then, bye. I don’t feel like sitting out here today, so… could you help me through the glass door?”
Jamey gave a quiet chuckle and said, “Sure.” He did so promptly and watched her go up to her room. He exited their home after being thanked by her mother numerous times. He thought this ironic because he expected his own mother to clamor on about his tardiness and such. He walked home and looked back up at the sky that he liked so much. He then felt disappointed. It was something Jill could not see. It was something he could not share with her. Surely, her friendship will be the most unique of any of his previous ones.

The next day and many days after, he went to visit Jill. Their friendship grew quickly and Jill’s trust in him was stronger than she could remember with any person. She felt it was easier to talk to him than with her mother or any therapist. She jumped at hearing his name or his voice. Jamey had felt a liking to her even before they met, in a physical sense. It was only reinforced in meeting her. Jill had no preconceived concept of how any boy could be so nice or considerate. It would only be natural to have a liking to him. She confided in him more every day and she was beginning to think he knew her inside and out.
One more day, more than a month after they first met, he walked to her house on a cool summer day. It was mid-afternoon like usual and a rather mundane day in any case. Since it had been a while since they met, he didn’t let his concern for her peculiar iris color go unchecked. He wanted to help her out so he tried finding ways to do so. He decided to look up information on blind people. When he researched it, he found something that was worth finding.
He walked up to Jill’s house and knocked. He didn’t have to wait long before it was answered. It was like that even after the first day he visited. When he walked in, he heard Jill practically leap down the stairs, in spite of the obvious danger. She isn’t anywhere else much, Jamey thought. Maybe she just knows the area. She stumbled a bit when turning the corner and listened intently for him to say something. Her mother just gave him a disapproving head shake complimented by a rolling of the eyes and walked off into another part of the house. Jamey walked forward and grabbed Jill’s hand to take her outside like they did many times before. They sat down and took a second to breathe.
“Hey Jill. I was reading up on blindness,” he stated flatly. She looked at him.
“Oh? What did you read? I’m interested. Considering I can’t do much reading any more… and I’m not much up for listening to documentary stuff,” she replied in apparent interest.
“Yeah. Well, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I know you can’t see them, so you wouldn’t notice, but… Your eyes. They look strange, to say the least. I’m not sure if you can imagine, but they’re like… green, brown, and gray all mixed together.”
“Huh? Oh really? So my eyes are weird. That’s new,” she said sarcastically. “But anyway, what’s the deal?”
“Well, I read that there have been no other cases of discoloration in the eyes of the blind except for a dead gray. Just complete gray.” She was silent in thought. “Anyway, I need you to tell me something.”
“What is it?” She seemed hesitant to know.
“Tell me what you see every day. Describe what your eyes see. I know it’s a strange question- I mean, I could only imagine.” Another pause delayed her reply.
“I can’t see anything. At the same time, that is not true. I stare at you now. It’s… weird but… it isn’t all just pitch black. There is a difference from when I close my eyes and when they are open. It may be one degree of difference, but it’s like I see strange globs and silhouettes or things that move. They are never still. I believed that to be strange too but I am used to it. I have not thought of it for a long time.” She spoke as though the thought was new to her.
Jamey tried to make something out of her description. It certainly was a good lead. Before he could say anything, Jill said, “What does this mean? Are you trying to say that I might not be blind?” Normally the assumption would upset her but she restrained herself on the basis that Jamey was her only great friend. She waited for his response.
“Well, I don’t know, to tell the truth. I’m not saying that you’re a liar. I mean you’re blind by any standard but I’m trying to seek the chance that you might not be really blind. Maybe this… condition can be healed.” Jamey was trying his hardest to avoid upsetting her. He sensed irritation in her last sentence.
She was hesitant to respond because she was still deciding on a response. She also realized that he didn’t want to offend her.
“I see. So you think that maybe I can get my sight back? Don’t blame me if I’m not so confident,” she told him.
“You don’t have to be. Just saying.”
“Well, ok. I mean, that would be awesome. But I have no idea what you could do,” she said, emphasizing “idea”.
Jamey chuckled at the statement saying, “Neither do I, now that I think about it. Oh, well. If I did, it would definitely be worth a shot, I think.”
“Well, anyway. In other news, my mother told me that my birthday is in three days. She could be lying though. I can’t know for sure.” Jamey sensed humor and partial disappointment in her sentence. He didn’t know how to interpret it so he just went on.
“Heh, well… Congratulations. How old will you be?”
“Seventeen years… I think,” she answered.
“Man… I would never have guessed you were older than me. That is, if you’re right,” he declared in surprise.
“What? Why? Why wouldn’t you guess?” She stared at him in annoyance. This was another incident in which she took Jamey aback.
“I… well… I’m taller than you for starters. I guess that isn’t any grounds to base age though… Sorry?” He was overcome with nervousness. He truly did not wish to lose this particular friend. Then he thought about it a moment and realized she wouldn’t sever their ties just because he misinterpreted her age.
“I guess it’s ok. I never told you how old I was and nobody exactly has the power to tell age,” she replied in a forgiving tone. It was a relief to Jamey.
“I’ll definitely visit you to wish a happy birthday,” he promised.
“I don’t doubt it for a second. I’ll be waiting for ya. What will it be? A Wednesday?”
“Yeah. Wait, no. It’ll be a Thursday.” He laughed. “I can’t keep track of the week either. It’s not uncommon.”
She laughed too. “I’m gonna have to trust you on it anyway.”
Right then, Jamey realized that he couldn’t stay long today. He had forgotten to tell her. Everything moves so fast in her house. He decided to tell her now. “Jill, I forgot to tell you but I can’t stay long today. I have a little road trip to go on so I wanted to visit you before I left.” He stood up.
“Well then, how long is this road trip? Will I be waiting long?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll be back tomorrow. And besides, I told you I’d visit you for your birthday, right? Don’t worry.”
“Ok. Then I’ll wait for you here. And I’m going to spend some time out here today, so you don’t need to show me in.”
With that, Jamey left her home once again. He walked home but stopped to turn around. It was the spot where he had seen her from afar days before in her yard just sitting down. Normally he could wave and she would wave back, but it just wasn’t like that. When he did look back, she was not on her porch like she said she wanted to be. Maybe she changed her mind, he thought. He reluctantly turned to begin walking again.
His day and his road trip passed quickly. He was not able to go to her house the day of his return because it was too late, but he did go the next day, her birthday, like he promised. It would turn out to be an incredulous day.
He arrived at her house and knocked. The answer did not come as quickly as it had before. He began to go for a second knock but it was answered just then. It was her mother, opening the door quietly and cautiously. She gave him a troubled look.
“Jill is not so well today. And it’s her birthday,” she sighed.
Alarmed, Jamey responded, “What’s wrong? Let me talk to her.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? She’s angry about something.”
“I might be the best solution. Just let me talk to her. All I wanna do is help her. And it’s her birthday. She can’t be in a bad mood. Maybe this is a present she wants.”
“Well, I guess she seems to have been waiting for you… Come on in,” she whispered, as not to be heard.
He walked in quietly. Jill didn’t rush down the stairs. She didn’t make any sound. Jamey had the reflex to turn the corner and go up to her room. He walked slowly as not to surprise her too greatly. She may already know he arrived.
When he got to the top of the stairs he turned towards her room and walked towards it in the same fashion as downstairs. He knocked on her door with moderate effort. She didn’t come to the door. Instead, she just said, “Come in” in a quiet voice.
He proceeded to open her door to find her sitting on her bed and staring at the floor. He walked towards her and started to say something but she disregarded what he was going to say and said, “You can forget whatever my mom said. She doesn’t know anything.” Her voice definitely was painted with frustration.
“She didn’t tell me anything really. Unless she was wrong about you being angry about something. Is that true?” He tried to speak in a tone that would not build up her tension.
Jill gave no effort in considering his gentle approach to her problems. “You could say that… I was thinking while you were gone. All of a sudden… I was mad. I can’t much tell you why. But I can tell you some things…” She was twitching slightly, probably from repressing outburst.
“Yeah? What…? Tell me. I hope it wasn’t me or something,” Jamey replied reluctantly.
"I don’t wanna admit that. But I think it’s true. What you told me the other day… I just… I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve had my sight. Emotion overtook me when I was told I wouldn’t get it back. I was angry that day because… because I was told to believe that. Of course… nobody wants to believe that,” she explained, still trying to suppress frustration.
“I see. Go on… there’s more to it, right?” He thought he had calmed her down.
“Yes. Then the other day you came to me saying that I might not be permanently blind or something. I told you before that I still have not adapted… preferably. I didn’t know what to think about that. You’re my best friend. I thought that maybe I should be happy that it was possible. But when I became blind, I was so crushed by reality that pipe dreams like that don’t come easy to me,” she explained further, seeming to become more calm and quiet.
“Right… Well, what happened then? I’m concerned.” He sat beside her on her bedside.
“Well, I kept my mind on it. All day and all night. My dreams were melding pots of suppressed memories and feelings and it tortured me on the inside. I knew that waking up did me no good because I would see the images no matter what. The thinking drove me crazy as I tried to push away this haunting. I don’t know quite what happened… exactly. But I snapped yesterday. I’d go so far as to say I’m crazy right now. Anger is the emotion I ran into and that’s what I am. I can’t change it right now. I don’t know how to end it either…” She had trouble finishing her sentence.
“Well,” replied Jamey, “Emotions can’t be bottled up like this. They have to be expressed. I know something that me feel better when I was younger was thrashing stuff. I know that’s a dangerous thing for you… but I have to make you feel better. I kinda feel like this is my fault. I have an idea,” he said calmly standing up.
“What?” she asked, simply enough. She seemed out of words to say. He took her hand and pulled up to get her to stand. She obliged in surprise.
“Listen. I want you to punch me. I know that sounds strange. I think it will make you feel better so I’m willing to take a few hits. I’m not so sure how righteous that sounds, but I think I can handle it. Let’s aim for the stomach… ok?”
She was speechless for a moment. She did not expect this in the least. She was having trouble processing his request.
“I… guess that would make me feel better. But… are you sure about this?”
He whispered to her. “I’m positive.” She was still hesitant.
“Go ahead. I’m ready,” he commanded.
She took a short step back and clenched a fist. He put his hands on her shoulders so she would know he was in front of her. She drew back an arm as Jamey tensed his stomach so it wouldn’t be as bad. He was hoping his childhood of sports would give him some endurance in the process. She hit him once and her hesitation seemed to fade. The second was faster, harder. The blows came more rapidly and Jamey was just fine with it. Her anger was very apparent. He looked at her face as she went to hit him and could tell it was helping. Her frustration steamed out like the whistle on a freight train for every jab.
She gave a quick final punch and her arms went limp. She was going to fall to her knees but Jamey reacted quick enough to grab her under her arms. He brought her back up to her feet and held her. She seemed to be breaking down.
“Look at me… hitting my best friend so mercilessly… what am I doing…” she said rather hysterically like Jamey had never heard.
“But… did it feel good at all? Did the anger go away…?”
“I… I don’t know… I want to say yes… and now I want to say no. I’m hitting you Jamey… I’m not being a good friend. . .” Her last word was slurred off into silence.
Jamey was going to respond but then he heard something he didn’t expect to hear from her. He heard her sniffle once and then twice and then uncontrollably. She was actually crying. Her emotional state had definitely changed. Under the pressure and confusion, she broke down into an elementary emotion that she hadn’t encountered for years. Not so much sorrow as hopelessness or despair but all the same a tone of sadness. He saw no tears immediately but after almost a minute her eyes became wet, truly a novel sight.
Her tears came slow initially but became to flow regularly after a while. To Jill, something much stranger was happening. Though she was overwhelmed by emotion, she began noticing a certain change. Her tears came and the longer they did, a miraculous event occurred. As she blinked away her sobs, her vision was returning. The large black silhouette she was staring at was disappearing and filling with a long unfamiliar concept; color. This was enough to get her to pause her crying. She continued her effort to clear it more with her blinking. To Jamey, he thought she might have released her feelings and calmed down. So just as her eyes were coming into focus and she saw the first face she had seen in years, he said, “You know… Your tears bring out your eyes.” He had said this because of the pleasing silver color it showed.
Jill was enraptured in the process. She had heard what he said and it was as though he knew what was happening, though she knew he meant something else.
“Jamey…! Jamey, I…” She was filled with excitement of the likes in which she had never felt.
“Huh? What is…” He was interrupted by Jill’s hands moving up to touch the contours of his face. She gently felt his jaw. This was the cause of a lot of surprise in Jamey. He wasn’t sure now what was going on.
“Jamey… I can… see you.” Her vision was very clear now, only time left to optimize it. Jamey wasn’t sure how to take the statement but he noticed her eyes looking straight into his own and slightly moving about, something that he also had not seen. Then something huge struck him. The color in her eyes was reverting back to normal. Apparently, they used to be green. He had to do a double take to process it all.
Finally he responded. “Wait, what? You can see me? What’s happening?”
“I can! I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know but I don’t want it to go away! This is… amazing. You… are amazing.” Right then she was fixed on his face. She had a feeling that reminded her of hearing once that the duckling will be very fond of its first sight. She was not completely sure but she did not care for the first time in a long time.
She had the sudden driving impulse to embrace him that she had no power to refrain from doing. It took a second for Jamey to return the favor but at that time he was sure he had repaid her in some way or another.
They hugged for a while but she released him suddenly and flat out told him, “I just have to kiss you. I need to. I don’t even care what you say, I have to.”
The expression on his face went from surprise, to confusion, to acceptance. He didn’t respond because she said she didn’t care. With that, he pulled her close enough to kiss her and she accepted it honestly and gratefully.
After they pulled away, Jamey was amused by the expression on her face that was stained with ecstasy and joy.
She looked up at him and told him, “I don’t believe there is any other boy in history that has ever made a girl happier than me…” Jamey did not respond to this except for a smile. Then she said, “I need to tell mother… I’ll go to the hospital and get myself checked out. I never want this to go away. Oh my god, I wonder how mother looks now…” She kept talking to herself as she left her room and down the stairs. Jamey saw nothing but to follow her. With a long drawn out breath, he did just that, with a smirk he could not get rid of.

A few days later, he visited her again. She had went to the hospital like she planned and she said they were baffled as to many things that happened to her. They told her that the most likely theory is that some obscure chemical had infected her cornea and simply blocked out light. The salt from her tears tore away the chemical. It had lasted so long because she had not cried in that time. They cleansed her eyes and told her it was likely she would keep her vision as long as whatever she did to obtain the chemical did not happen again. This did not cause her much worry. She was in a state of optimism that Jamey had never seen with anybody.
During his visit he showed her the mild bruising he received from her pounding. She felt sorry but he only said, “You throw a mean left hook. I think those left the marks.” As long as he didn’t mind, she kept her mind away from it. It was practically impossible to get away from Jill now. She proposed to marry him many times, but he settled for a boyfriend-girlfriend standing for the time being. Their relationship continued to grow from there and for many days, weeks, months later; he was only fascinated by the miracle that he shared only with Jill. It wasn’t a miracle that the whole world knew about and he thought that was special. He truly felt great about the impact he had on Jill’s life and it all started with a simple visit in good will.
"Salt in my tears cleared up my eyes...? Something tells me there was more than just that at work," she told him as he showed her the pleasing afternoon sky that he wanted her to see.
"Something doesn't need to tell me. We can see just fine that it worked out in the end," he replied with a smile and a slight chuckle.

Description
The blind don’t cry. That’s what he had heard. It was of interest to him because he had never really thought about it. Tears are for washing away obscurities to the eye. There is also the concept of sorrow that brings tears but he cannot recall an example of or depiction of a blind person being a sad person. In general, a tear to the eye of a blind one is foreign image. It was just something that would be new to him as long as its rarity stayed dominant. He did know, however, of an occasion, the first time in fact, that he had seen it.
He was a boy, sixteen years under his belt, no car or license to drive anyway. He didn’t really care for one either. He didn’t see himself getting his own car for a while and driving was hardly neither necessary nor appealing. All of his friends who did drive told him the negatives, few positive. Not to mention his friend’s brother died in a car crash.
His proper name is James but he is more often called Jamey. Sporting thick chestnut hair of reasonable length, not too long for a boy, as his father says, he was around four inches under six feet tall. There wasn’t much else to describe out of the ordinary. He was just a normal kid in a normal neighborhood. He was at that point where every adult woman would tell his mom that he was a “handsome young man,” a phrase that he was sure was said all the time and he thought a bit cliché by now.
He was in possession of an average group of friends, small club of buddies. Mostly guys, of course. He hung out with them all the time if he could, especially now in the summer. There were just some things in friends that never got old. So he saw them just about every day, whether they were all present at once, or he saw them sporadically. Everybody in the group knew everybody else in the neighborhood by some connection.
One of them he was more concerned with. She was different from most girls, in that she secluded herself more and had fewer close friends. James actually saw this becoming a fad somewhat though. In relation to this, she was more of an acquaintance than a friend. James could very easily call her a friend though. She probably needs one. He had seen her sparingly, enough to recall what she looked like. Now that he thought of it though, those times she was never outside walking about. She would be out on her lawn or porch for fresh air, he would guess. She wouldn’t be talking to anyone, more like staring or listening intently for something that no one else could hear. He may have looked at her for a little while, but thought it awkward to stare so he would move on. He remembered how her facial expression hinted glum and calm indifference.
At one point, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He resolved to go confront her and really meet her. He had heard her name before but it took him quite a while to remember. Jill. It was actually a rather uncommon name, but he liked it. It was name in any case, good as any.
Finally one day when he had the plan down and time allowed, he walked down the street to Jill’s home where he had seen her sitting before. He walked up to their front door and knocked promptly. He waited a moment for an answer, flooded with reasoning why they wouldn’t answer their door immediately. He thought he felt nervous even though he couldn’t put his finger on why. It’s not often that you go to people just to meet them out of the blue, he thought. He waited a few moments longer and decided to knock one more time. It only took a second for the door to be unlatched and opened after that. It was an older woman, her mother he presumed.
“Yes, young man? What brings you here?” she said politely. His first impression said that she was not an annoyingly nice lady like some mothers he knew, but she was not without manners. He supposed it would be a good idea to make that impression on him also.
“Well, I… you have a daughter, right? I’ve seen her around outside every once in a while. I just thought I’d come up here and say hi, since… I haven’t seen her with anybody else. I mean, if that’s ok if I did, I’d be glad to,” he replied generously with the common hint of nervousness.
“Well, now. Yes I do. I believe that is very nice of you to do such a thing. It’s unusual, no offense, but it is very nice of you. I certainly have no problem with it. It’s more up to her whether she would be willing to talk to you. Come on in for a sec,” she said inviting him in with her hand.
He walked in slowly and closed the door behind him while she walked off and around the corner of a wall and called up to Jill a few times. Jamey stood still fidgeting and examining their home. It was a comfy house not unlike his own and the other numerous houses in the development complex. They seemed to have a liking for Renaissance art for it was scattered about in their house and on the walls. After a minute he heard some steps come slowly down a staircase. He quickly turned his attention to the corner the woman had turned.
“…and he wants to meet you. Come on, you don’t talk to anybody any more, I think a good solid friend will be great for you,” he had caught on to her mother explaining.
“Mom, does it seem like I want a friend as of late? I’ll talk to him, just because I don’t wanna feel like I’m blowing some boy off for coming up to our house.” He heard her give out a rough sigh. She turned the corner. He looked on intently. Her mother was behind her when she walked.
Up close, she was much different from the several-hundred-yards view he had of her before. Not to say that it had a negative effect. She was very pretty, minus an unenthusiastic look on her face. She had rather vibrant brown hair, just under shoulder length. She had a smooth, rounded face that looked as though it had been cleansed recently. Though with these attributes, almost immediately he noticed her eyes. Around her eyes was a kind of roughness, one would most likely assume was caused by rubbing of the eyes. He looked into her eyes and it appeared she was glaring at him. The color of her iris was very peculiar, to the point where an important notion hit him. Could she be…? Her gaze did not shift.
“Is he still here mom?” she said in a tone of true curiosity and annoyance.
“Why yes, he’s right here. What was your name again, son?” her mother said quickly.
“Oh, oh- I’m Jamey. Say, is she…-” he was interrupted faster than he could realize, more so that he did not cease in finishing his sentence. In effect, they, he and Jill, said it simultaneously. “-blind?”
“Yeah, I am. This news to ya? Don’t go about feeling bad or anything. Some people do catch on faster though…” she said initially with attitude but digressed into glumness, her gaze shifting to his right and downwards. “Look, you don’t have to like me or anything. You said you wanted to meet me, right? Well, here I am. This is all I got really,” she assumed immediately before Jamey could respond.
“Whoa now, I never said any of that. I admit I didn’t know. And yes, it is more than I had expected, but it doesn’t matter that much to me. Really. There’s nothing wrong with the way you are. I don’t mind,” he was quick to say. He didn’t want to upset her.
She paused a moment. “Well… Don’t go feelin’ sorry for me. Really. I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. Like I said, there’s not much else here to look at,” she said with less aggression.
Jamey looked at her quietly and just said, ”Heh, well I did say I didn’t mind. I don’t like it either when others sympathize with me when I don’t want them to. And as for you not being much, I don‘t think so.”
There was a short silence and her mother broke in and said, “Why… don’t you two go outside and chat?”
Jamey just followed her mother and Jill was more pushed outside onto their patio where he had seen her sit before. There were to chairs facing each other so Jamey took one and Jill the other. She needed a little help though. When she sat down, they stared at each other for a moment. Jamey was rather lost for conversation. She had her hands crossed in her lap.
“So… why’d you wanna talk to me? I haven’t had any good friends in… some time. My mom says I’ve grown a little bitter in that time. I won’t try to deny it. I’d probably think so too, if I were someone else,” she said quietly, showing more interest in conversation than before. Jamey supposed that her reasoning is that she might as well do it now that she’s out here.
He took a breath before he began. He decided not to comment solely on what she said. “Have you always been blind?” He tried to sound nice.
She looked down and then up again at the sky silently. It was strange to see her do that, considering she was blind. What she could be looking at? “No. I haven’t been blind since birth, or even from an early age. Actually, it’s only been about three years. You can imagine… that’s an eternity with me.”
This was truly surprising. He could only ask one question, a question that just about anybody asks by reflex. “What… happened then?”
She returned her gaze from the sky and slightly downwards. “Sometimes the story is so complex that I even confuse myself when I think about it. I’ll try to put it in simple terms that you might catch on to. The doctors said that based on the events I recalled on the same day I was blinded, it could have been caused by many things. I also noticed my eyesight slowly deteriorating during that month. I’m not really sure, if you understand. They said that something might have just broken down my eyes. Swimming underwater, walking through exhaust smoke, or even simply hitting my head one too many times. Anyway, it happened three years ago. I haven’t seen anything but darkness.”
Jamey listened with a certain attention that he didn’t recognize in himself. “If you don’t mind me asking… how does it feel?”
“Well… that's an interesting question. Considering that I believe that it’s useless to explain it to you, since you could never understand. Oh well, though. It’s like… well… at its most basic feeling, it’s like having something taken away that you’re born with. I mean, you could guess that much, but… think about it for a second. It’s like having fingers, but all of a sudden you can’t use them. They don’t serve any purpose. In that case, you are cut off from so many things that used to be easily possible for you. To me… It’s like the things I saw before were memories. Dreams. Like I never had vision. Tiny wisps of lights and sprites of color are what I dream of now. If you look at sky for so long, you could close your eyes and that’s all you see, clouds and blue bathed in sunlight. It works the same way, but all I see is black. That is all I can remember. I am not adapted to being blind, not even now. There are some things I can still remember clearly and I treasure those. But now, what are memories? Since memories lie in your imagination, it’s as though my vision is only a figment of desire. I can’t help feeling like I am not a whole person and that others who must see me, such as you, walk past and don’t give me a second thought.”
Jamey looked at her face as she spoke, as would be polite to any person. As he did though, he began to realize that she couldn’t see it. His act of politeness means nothing because she can’t see it. His gaze shifted in sympathy with her. He knew that she had made her point. “Your mom said you haven’t had many friends lately. Why is that?” He asked her with the intent on getting through her mind.
“It would be a waste to tell you… Just like how it’s a waste to tell my mom. You wouldn’t understand. Nobody would. I’ve tried this entire time to figure out a way to deal with this and I haven’t made any progress. Right now… it’ll never end.”
“Hey now. You’re right, I may not understand. I haven’t experienced what you have. But it’s always better when you have someone who knows that feeling that you have. You don’t exactly have somebody who fits that description, but what’s better than the next best thing? You should tell me how you feel, or somebody else, if there’s someone better. If you explain and describe stuff to me, then I’ll have an idea. That way, I can help you. I mean, that’s what you want, right? A little help?”
She was silent. Jamey had not wanted to offend her and he hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way. He was still thinking of what it was like to talk to somebody without the ability to see. All that she could know about him is his voice. He hoped that was a good thing whether it is that he did not look very good or that his voice was “nice” in her opinion. He realized that it was difficult to make a good impression with your voice only when he had not practiced it much in his life.
She finally responded which relieved Jamey because he was beginning to sweat from nervousness. It was not something that happened often.
“Yes. I suppose… that is what I want. You are right. I know what you’re saying. Now that I think about it, in that way, I have become a bit selfish. That’s probably why I haven’t befriended many people recently. It’s… weird, I guess. I want help on the inside but I push it away when it’s there for me. …Do you think many people do that?” she said to him with increasing sincerity.
Jamey thought about it for a minute but the answer came as quickly as the question. “Yeah, I think so, actually. Don’t ask me why though. I’m no psychiatrist. What you say makes some sense. Can I ask you a question though?”
“Yeah… sure, what is it?”
“You open up to me, but why me? At first, I didn’t think you were willing to talk to anybody nor had you talked to anyone in a while, now that I remember how your mom was excited to see somebody who wanted to. If I’m the first in a long time, why do you open up to me so willingly?”
“Good question.” She seemed to have the answer before Jamey was finished. “I may have acted stubborn before but not without a reason. When I heard you speak and talk to me, you just struck me as real. Somebody who wouldn’t lie to my face, just because I’m blind… or something or other. What I’m trying to say, is that… well… isn’t it good to have somebody to talk to? Like you said… I guess… you can’t ask me why either… why I think that way. It feels good too. I once heard someone say that it was like holding up a big house full of people in it and your problems and thoughts were the people. Yeah, it was like that. As they exit, it becomes better and better. You took a load off me.”
Jamey couldn’t help but smile even though she couldn’t see it. This gave him the idea that he was a good guy. He was happy he didn’t come off as some audacious neighbor boy who was bet by his cul-de-sac friends to go talk to the blind girl. At that time, he looked outwards into the neighborhood and realized how long it had been. The sun was falling in the sky creating a pretty orange violet swirl in the sky that Jamey particularly liked.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I arrived. I didn’t tell my mom… that I was gonna be gone this long. Ick, she may get a bit irritable. I need to get going. So Jill… does this mean we’re friends? Maybe she’ll forgive me if I tell her I made a special new friend,” he said rather childishly.
Jill smiled at him in satisfaction. Jamey was taken aback by this gesture since he had not seen her smile earlier. Though he did not know why, he stared at her face and at her eyes while she smiled. He was once again reminded of the strange tinge of her eyes. Out of the few images of blind people’s eyes that he had seen, he didn’t think it looked like that. He didn’t want to mention it to her though. It was probably the most offensive to accuse her of not being blind.
Jamey stood up and told her, “I’ll come back tomorrow and talk with you some more. For now though, bye.”
She gave a short sigh and said, “Right then, bye. I don’t feel like sitting out here today, so… could you help me through the glass door?”
Jamey gave a quiet chuckle and said, “Sure.” He did so promptly and watched her go up to her room. He exited their home after being thanked by her mother numerous times. He thought this ironic because he expected his own mother to clamor on about his tardiness and such. He walked home and looked back up at the sky that he liked so much. He then felt disappointed. It was something Jill could not see. It was something he could not share with her. Surely, her friendship will be the most unique of any of his previous ones.

The next day and many days after, he went to visit Jill. Their friendship grew quickly and Jill’s trust in him was stronger than she could remember with any person. She felt it was easier to talk to him than with her mother or any therapist. She jumped at hearing his name or his voice. Jamey had felt a liking to her even before they met, in a physical sense. It was only reinforced in meeting her. Jill had no preconceived concept of how any boy could be so nice or considerate. It would only be natural to have a liking to him. She confided in him more every day and she was beginning to think he knew her inside and out.
One more day, more than a month after they first met, he walked to her house on a cool summer day. It was mid-afternoon like usual and a rather mundane day in any case. Since it had been a while since they met, he didn’t let his concern for her peculiar iris color go unchecked. He wanted to help her out so he tried finding ways to do so. He decided to look up information on blind people. When he researched it, he found something that was worth finding.
He walked up to Jill’s house and knocked. He didn’t have to wait long before it was answered. It was like that even after the first day he visited. When he walked in, he heard Jill practically leap down the stairs, in spite of the obvious danger. She isn’t anywhere else much, Jamey thought. Maybe she just knows the area. She stumbled a bit when turning the corner and listened intently for him to say something. Her mother just gave him a disapproving head shake complimented by a rolling of the eyes and walked off into another part of the house. Jamey walked forward and grabbed Jill’s hand to take her outside like they did many times before. They sat down and took a second to breathe.
“Hey Jill. I was reading up on blindness,” he stated flatly. She looked at him.
“Oh? What did you read? I’m interested. Considering I can’t do much reading any more… and I’m not much up for listening to documentary stuff,” she replied in apparent interest.
“Yeah. Well, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I know you can’t see them, so you wouldn’t notice, but… Your eyes. They look strange, to say the least. I’m not sure if you can imagine, but they’re like… green, brown, and gray all mixed together.”
“Huh? Oh really? So my eyes are weird. That’s new,” she said sarcastically. “But anyway, what’s the deal?”
“Well, I read that there have been no other cases of discoloration in the eyes of the blind except for a dead gray. Just complete gray.” She was silent in thought. “Anyway, I need you to tell me something.”
“What is it?” She seemed hesitant to know.
“Tell me what you see every day. Describe what your eyes see. I know it’s a strange question- I mean, I could only imagine.” Another pause delayed her reply.
“I can’t see anything. At the same time, that is not true. I stare at you now. It’s… weird but… it isn’t all just pitch black. There is a difference from when I close my eyes and when they are open. It may be one degree of difference, but it’s like I see strange globs and silhouettes or things that move. They are never still. I believed that to be strange too but I am used to it. I have not thought of it for a long time.” She spoke as though the thought was new to her.
Jamey tried to make something out of her description. It certainly was a good lead. Before he could say anything, Jill said, “What does this mean? Are you trying to say that I might not be blind?” Normally the assumption would upset her but she restrained herself on the basis that Jamey was her only great friend. She waited for his response.
“Well, I don’t know, to tell the truth. I’m not saying that you’re a liar. I mean you’re blind by any standard but I’m trying to seek the chance that you might not be really blind. Maybe this… condition can be healed.” Jamey was trying his hardest to avoid upsetting her. He sensed irritation in her last sentence.
She was hesitant to respond because she was still deciding on a response. She also realized that he didn’t want to offend her.
“I see. So you think that maybe I can get my sight back? Don’t blame me if I’m not so confident,” she told him.
“You don’t have to be. Just saying.”
“Well, ok. I mean, that would be awesome. But I have no idea what you could do,” she said, emphasizing “idea”.
Jamey chuckled at the statement saying, “Neither do I, now that I think about it. Oh, well. If I did, it would definitely be worth a shot, I think.”
“Well, anyway. In other news, my mother told me that my birthday is in three days. She could be lying though. I can’t know for sure.” Jamey sensed humor and partial disappointment in her sentence. He didn’t know how to interpret it so he just went on.
“Heh, well… Congratulations. How old will you be?”
“Seventeen years… I think,” she answered.
“Man… I would never have guessed you were older than me. That is, if you’re right,” he declared in surprise.
“What? Why? Why wouldn’t you guess?” She stared at him in annoyance. This was another incident in which she took Jamey aback.
“I… well… I’m taller than you for starters. I guess that isn’t any grounds to base age though… Sorry?” He was overcome with nervousness. He truly did not wish to lose this particular friend. Then he thought about it a moment and realized she wouldn’t sever their ties just because he misinterpreted her age.
“I guess it’s ok. I never told you how old I was and nobody exactly has the power to tell age,” she replied in a forgiving tone. It was a relief to Jamey.
“I’ll definitely visit you to wish a happy birthday,” he promised.
“I don’t doubt it for a second. I’ll be waiting for ya. What will it be? A Wednesday?”
“Yeah. Wait, no. It’ll be a Thursday.” He laughed. “I can’t keep track of the week either. It’s not uncommon.”
She laughed too. “I’m gonna have to trust you on it anyway.”
Right then, Jamey realized that he couldn’t stay long today. He had forgotten to tell her. Everything moves so fast in her house. He decided to tell her now. “Jill, I forgot to tell you but I can’t stay long today. I have a little road trip to go on so I wanted to visit you before I left.” He stood up.
“Well then, how long is this road trip? Will I be waiting long?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll be back tomorrow. And besides, I told you I’d visit you for your birthday, right? Don’t worry.”
“Ok. Then I’ll wait for you here. And I’m going to spend some time out here today, so you don’t need to show me in.”
With that, Jamey left her home once again. He walked home but stopped to turn around. It was the spot where he had seen her from afar days before in her yard just sitting down. Normally he could wave and she would wave back, but it just wasn’t like that. When he did look back, she was not on her porch like she said she wanted to be. Maybe she changed her mind, he thought. He reluctantly turned to begin walking again.
His day and his road trip passed quickly. He was not able to go to her house the day of his return because it was too late, but he did go the next day, her birthday, like he promised. It would turn out to be an incredulous day.
He arrived at her house and knocked. The answer did not come as quickly as it had before. He began to go for a second knock but it was answered just then. It was her mother, opening the door quietly and cautiously. She gave him a troubled look.
“Jill is not so well today. And it’s her birthday,” she sighed.
Alarmed, Jamey responded, “What’s wrong? Let me talk to her.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? She’s angry about something.”
“I might be the best solution. Just let me talk to her. All I wanna do is help her. And it’s her birthday. She can’t be in a bad mood. Maybe this is a present she wants.”
“Well, I guess she seems to have been waiting for you… Come on in,” she whispered, as not to be heard.
He walked in quietly. Jill didn’t rush down the stairs. She didn’t make any sound. Jamey had the reflex to turn the corner and go up to her room. He walked slowly as not to surprise her too greatly. She may already know he arrived.
When he got to the top of the stairs he turned towards her room and walked towards it in the same fashion as downstairs. He knocked on her door with moderate effort. She didn’t come to the door. Instead, she just said, “Come in” in a quiet voice.
He proceeded to open her door to find her sitting on her bed and staring at the floor. He walked towards her and started to say something but she disregarded what he was going to say and said, “You can forget whatever my mom said. She doesn’t know anything.” Her voice definitely was painted with frustration.
“She didn’t tell me anything really. Unless she was wrong about you being angry about something. Is that true?” He tried to speak in a tone that would not build up her tension.
Jill gave no effort in considering his gentle approach to her problems. “You could say that… I was thinking while you were gone. All of a sudden… I was mad. I can’t much tell you why. But I can tell you some things…” She was twitching slightly, probably from repressing outburst.
“Yeah? What…? Tell me. I hope it wasn’t me or something,” Jamey replied reluctantly.
"I don’t wanna admit that. But I think it’s true. What you told me the other day… I just… I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve had my sight. Emotion overtook me when I was told I wouldn’t get it back. I was angry that day because… because I was told to believe that. Of course… nobody wants to believe that,” she explained, still trying to suppress frustration.
“I see. Go on… there’s more to it, right?” He thought he had calmed her down.
“Yes. Then the other day you came to me saying that I might not be permanently blind or something. I told you before that I still have not adapted… preferably. I didn’t know what to think about that. You’re my best friend. I thought that maybe I should be happy that it was possible. But when I became blind, I was so crushed by reality that pipe dreams like that don’t come easy to me,” she explained further, seeming to become more calm and quiet.
“Right… Well, what happened then? I’m concerned.” He sat beside her on her bedside.
“Well, I kept my mind on it. All day and all night. My dreams were melding pots of suppressed memories and feelings and it tortured me on the inside. I knew that waking up did me no good because I would see the images no matter what. The thinking drove me crazy as I tried to push away this haunting. I don’t know quite what happened… exactly. But I snapped yesterday. I’d go so far as to say I’m crazy right now. Anger is the emotion I ran into and that’s what I am. I can’t change it right now. I don’t know how to end it either…” She had trouble finishing her sentence.
“Well,” replied Jamey, “Emotions can’t be bottled up like this. They have to be expressed. I know something that me feel better when I was younger was thrashing stuff. I know that’s a dangerous thing for you… but I have to make you feel better. I kinda feel like this is my fault. I have an idea,” he said calmly standing up.
“What?” she asked, simply enough. She seemed out of words to say. He took her hand and pulled up to get her to stand. She obliged in surprise.
“Listen. I want you to punch me. I know that sounds strange. I think it will make you feel better so I’m willing to take a few hits. I’m not so sure how righteous that sounds, but I think I can handle it. Let’s aim for the stomach… ok?”
She was speechless for a moment. She did not expect this in the least. She was having trouble processing his request.
“I… guess that would make me feel better. But… are you sure about this?”
He whispered to her. “I’m positive.” She was still hesitant.
“Go ahead. I’m ready,” he commanded.
She took a short step back and clenched a fist. He put his hands on her shoulders so she would know he was in front of her. She drew back an arm as Jamey tensed his stomach so it wouldn’t be as bad. He was hoping his childhood of sports would give him some endurance in the process. She hit him once and her hesitation seemed to fade. The second was faster, harder. The blows came more rapidly and Jamey was just fine with it. Her anger was very apparent. He looked at her face as she went to hit him and could tell it was helping. Her frustration steamed out like the whistle on a freight train for every jab.
She gave a quick final punch and her arms went limp. She was going to fall to her knees but Jamey reacted quick enough to grab her under her arms. He brought her back up to her feet and held her. She seemed to be breaking down.
“Look at me… hitting my best friend so mercilessly… what am I doing…” she said rather hysterically like Jamey had never heard.
“But… did it feel good at all? Did the anger go away…?”
“I… I don’t know… I want to say yes… and now I want to say no. I’m hitting you Jamey… I’m not being a good friend. . .” Her last word was slurred off into silence.
Jamey was going to respond but then he heard something he didn’t expect to hear from her. He heard her sniffle once and then twice and then uncontrollably. She was actually crying. Her emotional state had definitely changed. Under the pressure and confusion, she broke down into an elementary emotion that she hadn’t encountered for years. Not so much sorrow as hopelessness or despair but all the same a tone of sadness. He saw no tears immediately but after almost a minute her eyes became wet, truly a novel sight.
Her tears came slow initially but became to flow regularly after a while. To Jill, something much stranger was happening. Though she was overwhelmed by emotion, she began noticing a certain change. Her tears came and the longer they did, a miraculous event occurred. As she blinked away her sobs, her vision was returning. The large black silhouette she was staring at was disappearing and filling with a long unfamiliar concept; color. This was enough to get her to pause her crying. She continued her effort to clear it more with her blinking. To Jamey, he thought she might have released her feelings and calmed down. So just as her eyes were coming into focus and she saw the first face she had seen in years, he said, “You know… Your tears bring out your eyes.” He had said this because of the pleasing silver color it showed.
Jill was enraptured in the process. She had heard what he said and it was as though he knew what was happening, though she knew he meant something else.
“Jamey…! Jamey, I…” She was filled with excitement of the likes in which she had never felt.
“Huh? What is…” He was interrupted by Jill’s hands moving up to touch the contours of his face. She gently felt his jaw. This was the cause of a lot of surprise in Jamey. He wasn’t sure now what was going on.
“Jamey… I can… see you.” Her vision was very clear now, only time left to optimize it. Jamey wasn’t sure how to take the statement but he noticed her eyes looking straight into his own and slightly moving about, something that he also had not seen. Then something huge struck him. The color in her eyes was reverting back to normal. Apparently, they used to be green. He had to do a double take to process it all.
Finally he responded. “Wait, what? You can see me? What’s happening?”
“I can! I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know but I don’t want it to go away! This is… amazing. You… are amazing.” Right then she was fixed on his face. She had a feeling that reminded her of hearing once that the duckling will be very fond of its first sight. She was not completely sure but she did not care for the first time in a long time.
She had the sudden driving impulse to embrace him that she had no power to refrain from doing. It took a second for Jamey to return the favor but at that time he was sure he had repaid her in some way or another.
They hugged for a while but she released him suddenly and flat out told him, “I just have to kiss you. I need to. I don’t even care what you say, I have to.”
The expression on his face went from surprise, to confusion, to acceptance. He didn’t respond because she said she didn’t care. With that, he pulled her close enough to kiss her and she accepted it honestly and gratefully.
After they pulled away, Jamey was amused by the expression on her face that was stained with ecstasy and joy.
She looked up at him and told him, “I don’t believe there is any other boy in history that has ever made a girl happier than me…” Jamey did not respond to this except for a smile. Then she said, “I need to tell mother… I’ll go to the hospital and get myself checked out. I never want this to go away. Oh my god, I wonder how mother looks now…” She kept talking to herself as she left her room and down the stairs. Jamey saw nothing but to follow her. With a long drawn out breath, he did just that, with a smirk he could not get rid of.

A few days later, he visited her again. She had went to the hospital like she planned and she said they were baffled as to many things that happened to her. They told her that the most likely theory is that some obscure chemical had infected her cornea and simply blocked out light. The salt from her tears tore away the chemical. It had lasted so long because she had not cried in that time. They cleansed her eyes and told her it was likely she would keep her vision as long as whatever she did to obtain the chemical did not happen again. This did not cause her much worry. She was in a state of optimism that Jamey had never seen with anybody.
During his visit he showed her the mild bruising he received from her pounding. She felt sorry but he only said, “You throw a mean left hook. I think those left the marks.” As long as he didn’t mind, she kept her mind away from it. It was practically impossible to get away from Jill now. She proposed to marry him many times, but he settled for a boyfriend-girlfriend standing for the time being. Their relationship continued to grow from there and for many days, weeks, months later; he was only fascinated by the miracle that he shared only with Jill. It wasn’t a miracle that the whole world knew about and he thought that was special. He truly felt great about the impact he had on Jill’s life and it all started with a simple visit in good will.
"Salt in my tears cleared up my eyes...? Something tells me there was more than just that at work," she told him as he showed her the pleasing afternoon sky that he wanted her to see.
"Something doesn't need to tell me. We can see just fine that it worked out in the end," he replied with a smile and a slight chuckle.