The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the
attractive young
woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She
paid the
driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats,
walked down
the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she
settled in,
placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her
leg.
It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a
medical
misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly
thrown
into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. And all
she had
to cling to was her husband, Mark.
Mark was an Army officer and he loved Susan with all his heart.
When she
first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was
determined to
help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to
become
independent again.
Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she
get there?
She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around
the city
by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even
though they
worked at opposite ends of the city.
At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to
protect his
sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest
task.
Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement
wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus
again, he
admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry - how
would she
react?
Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking
the
bus again. "I'm blind!", she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed
to know
where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart
broke to
hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised
Susan that
each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as
long as it
took, until she got the hang of it.
And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark,
military
uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He
taught her
how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to
determine
where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped
her
befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her
a seat.
Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her
own. Monday
morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around
Mark, her
temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best friend.
Her eyes
filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and
his love.
She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate
ways.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went
perfectly,
and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to
work all
by herself.
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was
paying
the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy
you." Susan
wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all,
who on
earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find
the
courage to live for the past year?
Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"
The driver
responded, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected
like you
are."Susan had no idea what the driver was
talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?" The driver
answered,
"You know, every morning for the past week, a fine
looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across
the corner
watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the
street
safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he
blows
you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one
lucky
lady."
Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she
couldn't
physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was
lucky, so
lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift
she
didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring
light where
there is darkness.
