Someone to Watch Over Me

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, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a
medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightness, and she was
suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity.
Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this
terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, help-less burden on everyone
around her. "How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her
heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or
prayed, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return.
A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just
getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion.
And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of 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. Mark's military background had trained him
well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most
difficult battle he would ever face.
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 that this arrangement wasn't working it was hectic, and costly.
Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to
himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She
was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?
Just as Mark 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'm 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. He made her
laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the
bus, or drop her briefcase full of papers on the aisle floor.
Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab
back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and
exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time
before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her,
in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't
afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit.
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 her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure 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 so 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 gentlemen in a military uniform
has been standing across the corner watching you when 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 had been darkness.