In Plain Sight

The front-page headline read, ‘Local Man Gains Sight.’ Psychologist, Dr. Isaac, looked at the wall clock. This man and his family were due momentarily. He planned to see them without charging his usual fee.

Dr. Isaac believed therapy should not be a rich man’s luxury. To him, seeing clients ‘pro bono’ came with the territory.

The family in his waiting room were unusual. Though clean, the father’s rumpled suit looked as if it had been pulled from the trunk of a car. His wife, Margaret, carried herself regally in her flowered housedress. In his early twenties, their son, Nathaniel, looked younger. His badly worn clothes were clean, and he wore no shoes.

They were poor. The young man’s story intrigued the doctor.

Nathaniel appeared happy. He looked about incessantly, barely containing his curiosity.

The receptionist ushered them in and Dr. Isaac introduced himself.

“What can I do for you?” he asked. “Please sit.”

Nathanial’s mother, Margaret spoke up. “Our boy, Nate… Well, he’s not a boy anymore…”

“Yes?”

“He was born blind.”

“I saw the news story. That’s not his problem now.”  

There was no doubt Nathaniel could see. His hunger to examine each item from every angle might be distracting. Nathaniel focused on the conversation taking place before him.

His father, Les, spoke up. “That’s just it. He recently gained his sight. But I’m suspicious about how.”

“What do his doctors say?”

“We never had money for doctors. Nate’s been a beggar since he could walk. He always chipped in to help bring in money.”

“I see.”

“…He says some homeless man cured him.”

Margaret said. “What homeless man could do that? And why? He took Nate’s livelihood. He has no schooling. I don’t see what future he has.”

Les said, “So, he can see. He can learn a trade. But he won’t stop going on about this… this magician… It makes no sense. Some think Nate’s faking. That he’s not really the blind beggar. But capitalizing on someone else’s misfortune. If he won’t shut-up about this mumbo-jumbo, who’ll take him seriously?”

Dr. Isaac looked at Nathaniel. “What do you say, Nathaniel?”

“Call me Nate.”

Dr. Isaac nodded. “Nate, then. Go on…”

A bird flew by the window, drawing Nathaniel’s attention.

“I always begged on the roadside with a sign, ‘Blind from birth.’ I helped the best I could.”

“Were you really blind?”

Nathaniel stared at a blimp drifting over the skyscrapers downtown.

“Nate?”

“Yeah, uhm, I couldn’t see a thing. This is so new to me. Never saw anything, so I didn’t miss it. My dad gave me a stick so I wouldn’t bump into things or fall down. I got along okay.”

“So, tell me…”

“Some people would drop stones into my cup, just to mess with me…”

Margaret shook her head.

“…but that was on them. Most people were kind. Then, a few days ago… So much has happened. Is it only a few days?”

Les said, “Today’s Wednesday. You got your sight Sunday.”

“Hard to believe… Everything’s so different… Exhausting, taking it all in…”

“Tell me what happened, Nate.”

“I sat at my usual spot with my sign. Lots of people milling about… Then… I heard a voice. A man spoke quietly. He asked if I wanted to see.”

“What did you say?”

“I couldn’t believe it. No one asked that before. It was unreal… I mean, who wouldn’t? I told him ‘yes.’”

“What did he do?”

“He knelt by me. And said don’t be afraid, and touched my face. I felt something wet on my eyelids. Later, people said he made mud from the dust and smeared it on my eyes.”

“How strange… He touched your eyes? With mud?”

Les said, “Can you see why this seems so…?”

Dr. Isaac raised his hand to let Nathaniel speak.

He said, “And then you could see?”

“But first he sent me to wash.”

“So, he put mud on your eyes, and then told you to wash it off?”

“Yeah, it was weird.”

“But…?”

“There’s a pond nearby. Some people led me to it and I doused myself. When I came out of the water, I could see.”

“Amazing. Did you see the man?”

“Yes, he stood on the shore.”

“Would you know him if you saw him again?”

“I hope so… I think so.”

“Tell me about him. What did he look like?”

“I only saw him once. The first face I’d ever seen.” Nathaniel got lost in his memory of the incident. “He looked normal, nothing remarkable. Now I’ve seen hundreds of faces, he might blend in. I don’t recall anything unusual… But that first instant, my first sight, stunned me. I was dazzled. Overwhelmed. I might forget anyone I ever saw. But not him.”

“Were there drugs?”

“No. It wasn’t like that.”

“Was he dirty? Homeless?”

“Maybe. That’s what people said. He looked like he’d been traveling. Road dust…?”

“Did he act crazy…?”

“Not at all. He seemed in complete control. An ultimate calm. Everything about him was peaceful.”

“Did he ask for anything?”

“No. I wanted to thank him. It was extraordinary.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know. Wish I did…”

They stared at Nathaniel. No one knew what to say.

Dr. Isaac leaned in. “So, Nate, how did it feel to see?

Nathaniel laughed. “Are you kidding? I came out of the water and my life filled with light. I saw things I only had words for. And things I still lack words for.”

He looked around as if trying to grasp the immensity of the question.

“…A tree’s shimmering leaves. Birds taking flight. A child running to his father’s arms. It’s crazy. I was given life I’d only heard about. Things everyone takes for granted were right there. And fantastic. Can’t believe it’s real.” He pointed out the window. “Like that big thing floating out there… The space. The perspective… I focus on your face, Mom, and over your shoulder, miles away, I see…”

“It’s called a blimp.”

“Right! Of course! A blimp. Now I know… but who could make it up? It’s so… so…” Nathaniel began to sob.

Margaret said, “He’s babbling. We can’t make sense of anything he says, since…”

Nathaniel turned to his parents. “But it happened. I can see. In an instant. And I never could. Ever.”

Dr. Isaac said, “But you get how this seems…”

“Bizarre. Absolutely. But it’s true. I can see. For others to accept it, must I earn it, or ease into it? Isn’t it a good thing?”

“Of course. But it’s so odd, and unorthodox. What doctor spits and smears mud? We just…”

Les broke in. “He’s disreputable… a charlatan. No one else… People say things…”

“All I know is, I was blind, and now I see. Do the math.”

“Isn’t it curious? Some random street-person miraculously gave you sight? How did he do this, Nate? A spontaneous cure is more plausible… You can see. Can you see that?”

Nathaniel crossed his arms. “Call it what you want. That doesn’t change what he did. I said what happened. You want him to restore your hearing?”

Dr. Isaac sat back with a smile. He looked at this family struggling to comprehend something beyond explanation.

“This has changed all your lives. Integrating those changes will take time.” They watched him, hoping for answers. “Nate appears to be a clear-headed young man, struggling to grasp this transformation and the opportunities it offers.”

Margaret said, “But who is this homeless man? What does he want? What do we do about him?”

He continued. “All evidence suggests he is benign. He helped Nate, with no strings attached. If you see him again, pay attention. People can’t hide their true selves. He will reveal the truth.”

Nathaniel said, “He opened my eyes. Lit my life.”

Les asked, “So, is it a miracle?”

Dr. Isaac laughed. “That word’s a catch-all for phenomenon which defy explanation. Being unpredictable, miracles are ‘unscientific.’ And so are dismissed. There’s so much we don’t understand.”

The doctor addressed Nathaniel directly. “Gaining your sight has already changed the trajectory of your life, Nate. Embrace this. Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings. Deeper meanings will emerge.”

Nathaniel said, “I can’t write.”

Dr. Isaac threw up his hands. “Of course! How silly of me.” He pulled a recorder from his desk and passed it to him. “Use this. But you must learn to write, Nate. It too will open your world. You can transcribe your thoughts for safe keeping.”

Nathaniel took the recorder. “I’ll return it as soon as…”

“Don’t worry about that. You have so much to do. It’s a gift.” He took their hands in his and smiled. “I hope you’ll stay in touch. But try to stay out of the papers.”

They laughed and said good-bye.

Dr. Isaac prepared to leave. He put some papers into his briefcase. At the door he switched off the office lights and paused. He flipped the switch on and off and stood for several moments in the dark.

He chuckled to himself, shook his head and shut the door as he left.