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 Piya, 24, 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, Abhay.
Abhay was an Air
Force officer and he loved Piya 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, Piya 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. Abhay volunteered to drive
her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the
city. At first, this comforted Piya, and fulfilled Abhay's need to
protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the
slightest task.
Soon, however, Abhay realized the arrangement
wasn't working. Piya 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, Piya 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."
Abhay's
heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He
promised Piya 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, Abhay, military uniform and
all, accompanied Piya 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,
Piya decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday
morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Abhay,
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 Piya had never felt better. She was doing it!
She was going to work all by herself.
On
Friday morning, Piya 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."
Piya 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." Piya 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 Piya's cheeks. For although she couldn't
physically see him, she had always felt Abhay'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.
Edited by applegoldcoin - 13 years ago