Seeing you

She knew she had to get out of the car. The wind was picking up, and she knew that the small car would not be able to handle the increasingly strong winds. She surveyed the building in front of her. The post office and bank were deserted. She spotted the red truck outside the pizzeria, and she felt relief. But then she sighed at the blocks where the back tires were meant to be.

Something caught her eye. That window of the toy store was indeed flapping. From that angle it appeared big enough to crawl through. She noticed the direction of the wind, and waited for the worse to pass. She sprinted towards the window of the toy store. But before she could reach it, she was lifted and planted among the debris of the overthrown bins. Holding on to a steel pole, she pushed forward to go again, but she was pulled back, and the bottom of her spine hit the steel pole. The pain disorientated her. Breathing hard, she looked around. She slowly rose, and hunched forward, she started to run. The more she advanced, the more the wind showed off its strength. She started to crawl, simultaneously realizing that it would take some heroic act to crawl through that window.

She reached the front door, and catching her breath, she looked up at the window. It was wide enough to crawl through, but the top part was tight. If she was going to get through, it would have to be done with momentum and it was going to hurt like hell.

She held the flap open as best she could. With her other hand, she held onto the opening for dear life. Steadying her feet, she counted to three. Pushing some weight onto her hand, she lifted her left leg, and used the wind to lift the other. And then she jumped. Her head knocked hard against the shelf, and blood started to crawl into her ear. She managed to sit up straight. Facing the window, she saw her Datsun being dragged into the side window of the carwash.

She instinctively knew that she had to move to the back of the store. There were less windows. She kept low to the ground and moved swiftly through debris and more overturned shelves. She sat down, with her back to the fridge and faced the door again.

The wind ripped through the parking area, and then pulled out the window frame she climbed through a few moments ago. I should’ve waited, she thought.

She turned around, reached for a water and as she struggled to open the bottle, she heard a sound.

She lied down and listened intently. The sound was coming from what appeared to be an office area. She crawled to the door and pushed it open. A bright light illuminated all corners of the space. As the door closed behind her, she realized that it was the safest place to be. One could barely hear the wind, and there was no sign of a raging storm in this space. She stood, and then moved further into the office. A neat wooden desk filled the biggest floor area. There was an overused desk calendar, with various coffee mug stains. A laptop charger was left on the chair. An overturned pencil case indicated a quick departure. She was drawn to an open journal, when she spotted the photo frame. A happy couple with a small baby, were gazing at her. There was that sound again. She turned and saw that there was another door to the left of the desk. This one she approached with more caution. It was locked. She gave it another push, and then spotted the gap. Something was blocking it from the inside. A hard shouldering and she fell to the floor in pain. She kicked the stubborn door and a bigger gap appeared. From her position, she pushed hard with her legs. The door gave way.

In the middle of that room, was a baby chair. The most adorable baby, sat smiling with a toe in the mouth. She cooed and reached towards her. The little one was delighted about the new company. She moved closer. What an incessant talker! Unfazed by an external raging storm, the baby tried to reach for her necklace. An unpleasant whiff started to infiltrate her senses, and she wondered how long this little one has been left there. She hoped that the mother was fine.

The storm took everyone by surprise. Remembering her location, she retraced her steps. At the door, she readied herself for the noise. She opened it and suddenly blinded by a huge flashlight, stood still, shielding her eyes. And then someone was calling.

‘Mrs Brown! Mrs Brown! Is that you?’

Who is this Mrs Brown?

‘Mam, are you okay?’ Someone was touching her arm and shaking her gently.

‘Mam, are you alone? Where is the baby?’ The same voice, this time a firmer touch.

Then there were more people. The noise was overwhelming, as more people dressed in black were shouting into her face. Eventually, she heard, ‘We found her. The baby is fine.’

And then someone was holding her. Firm, but so gently. And she could hear a soothing voice.

‘Thank goodness you are both fine. I was worried sick.’ A kiss on the forehead.

‘I tried your phone so many times, and when I saw the car I almost died. ‘His voice was so loving.

‘I managed to persuade them to do a last sweep of the store….’ He was crying.

‘Sir, let’s get you all to safety.’ Her feet were barely touching the ground as they were rushed through the store, and hurled into the back of a huge minibus. They put the baby on her lap, and the man was still holding on to her. He was still talking. It must be his baby! Something was pressing on her head. She reached for the spot, and the man then shouted,’ Oh my god! You are bleeding!’ And then blackness enveloped her.

She could hear the beeping machines. And soft movements around the bed. She opened her eyes. Everything was so white. The walls, the bedding and the machines. ‘Welcome back.’ The nurse held her hand while looking at her watch. The door opened. There he was again. The one who held her.

She could not read his eyes. He moved towards her, touched her hand, and said, ‘Thank you.’ Then he left. The blackness enveloped her again.

She was told that she was in the hospital for a week. She figured that it was a town for weird people. She was being discharged, and they offered her a car to continue her journey. Every day someone brought another bouquet of flowers or another card or the most delightful chocolate. The gifts were piling up in the corner of that hospital room.

Two months ago, the words macular degeneration turned her life side-ways. The ophthalmologist appeared empathetic. Her mother carried the gene, and she knew what was coming. Her mother lost 75% of her sight during pregnancy. The idea of another child was mooted, as the family battled to adjust to a new kind of life. Her parents both died a year from each other. Her loneliness tripled. And there it was. The long-awaited diagnosis. She was in her late twenties, and a life of darkness was waiting.

A month later, she quit her job, packed all the necessary equipment for an indeterminate trip into her devoted Datsun, and took the road. She decided she would return home when there was no more road to drive on. During the second week of her trip, she found herself in the middle of a severe storm. She entered a little town called Cliffton. She wanted to drive through the storm and the grey town, but realized her little car would not make it. She stopped at a deserted shopping center and climbed through a toy store window for safety.

Outside the hospital she waited for that feeling. She always had a hunger to keep moving, as if there was something to do before it was too late. But the feeling was gone. She climbed into the brand-new Toyota Corolla. It was time to go home. She turned the key and head for the highway.

She passed the little center where she lost her dearest Datsun. Grateful for the comfort of this newer model, she started to relax and tuned the radio. She passed a flower shop, the filling station and a butchery. She saw the quaint bookshop, with its red roof from a distance, and decided to stop. Grabbing art supplies, a magazine and a notebook, she moved towards the cashier. And right there she decided to add some lollipops and a newspaper to her purchase. As she switched on the engine, she chose a country music station. She reversed out of the parking area. The lollipops fell onto the newspaper. The headline read: Woman saves her blind twin sister and niece.