blind love

From that first meeting in the grocery store, her kindness shone through. Kelly helped him pick out the ripest orange. Walter was feeling of them when she saw him.

“Can I help you?” Kelly said in her sweet voice, noticing the red-tipped cane. He smiled at her.

“Yes, thank you. I always have trouble picking fruit.” Walter said. Kelly smiled at him, thankful he couldn’t see how overweight she was. Taking the orange from his hand, she put it back in the pile. She picked another.

“When do you plan to eat them? And how many would you like?” Kelly said, holding up the orange.

“Three please. I plan to eat them before the weekend. It’s so kind of you to help me.” Walter said, patting her hand.

“My…my mother lost her sight just …before she died.” It had been 2 months. Kelly hoped to be over her death by now. But wasn’t.

“I’m so sorry,” Walter said, meaning it. He squeezed her hand.

“Thank you,” Kelly said, tears coming to her eyes.

And so it went. She helped him with his grocery shopping. By the time they reached the cashier, they were laughing at some little, silly joke Walter had said. The cashier, a young girl, smiled. They discovered they lived in the same apartment complex. Kelly at one end, he at the other. That afternoon she knocked on his door. Kelly stood nervously, waiting for Walter to answer. Thoughts ran through her mind like racehorses. What if he was just being kind? If he only knew how ugly and how overweight she was. In high school, others teased her. Then Walter opened the door.

“Hi Kelly, so nice of you to visit. Please come in.” Walter said, opening the door and standing back so she could enter.

“I…didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to invite you to dinner. By the way, how did you know it was me?” She said. Over his shoulder, she saw how neat he kept his apartment.

“You’re not disturbing me. And I knew it was you by your perfume. And yes, I will be happy to dine with you. 2b3 is it.” He said, still smiling. “I’ll even bring the pizza. If that’s ok?”

“Yes, that’s fine, and I’ll make a salad. Is six, ok?” Kelly said, thinking of her own apartment. She had no reason to clean. No one visited her.

“Yes, that’s fine.” Walter said, smiling.

“Six it is,” Kelly said, her heart thrilling. She hadn’t felt like this in years. She went back to her apartment, flying high.

Once there, she looked around. “This place is a mess,” Kelly said to herself.
Before she made the salad, she cleaned her apartment and threw away the magazines about food. Kelly plugged in a candle warmer, dusted, vacuumed, and washed the dirty dishes in the sink. Finished with the apartment, she took a shower. She looked at herself in the mirror. Rows of fat around her stomach. Her legs reminded her of pistons on a train. She bowed her head and bawled. She stopped after a few minutes and vowed he would never touch her.

Dressed in her finest, Kelly vowed to buy new makeup. She looked at the clock. He would be here in fifteen minutes. Kelly thought of calling it off. How would she explain it to him? Could she just tell him she had changed her mind? Maybe she had a boyfriend? Not true. I have decided that it is not good to get our hopes up. Whose hope? Hers, of course. She walked around her apartment, wringing her hands. “What did I do? What did I do? You don’t deserve to be happy,” Kelly murmured to herself.

At six there was a knock at the door. She tried to ignore it. Maybe he would go away. He didn’t. He knocked again. Kelly opened the door, her hands sweaty. Her voice was shaky. “I…I’m …sorry this was a mistake.” His face fell. Tears came to his eyes. He held a bouquet of pink roses in one hand. The pizza in a bag in the other. Both of them sagged. Then he raised the roses, holding them out to her. “Here, these are for you.” He thrust them into her hands and turned away.

“I’m sorry. Come on in.” She said, opening the door.

“Are you sure?” Walter said, turning back to her. His face brightening 

“Yes. It’s me, not you.” She said. If he had eyes to see, he would understand.

“Thank you.” He said simply. She took the roses from him and put them in a vase. Her fingers trembled. No one had ever given her flowers. Kelly put the pizza in the oven. When it was done, she cut it in equal slices on two plates. Aware of her weight, Kelly nibbled on the pizza and ate the salad. That night they talked for hours. Walter was from a small town in Alabama where his parents still lived. Kelly grew up just outside of town. Her parents were gone. Her father died first. Her mother died just two months ago. As he left, he thought of kissing her, but it might be too soon. Kelly went to bed hungry, but with her heart full. She vowed that night to lose weight. They laughed; they talked.

He invited her to church services on Sunday. Kelly refused. Walter seemed disappointed. That Sunday morning, she thought of him in church and knew she belonged by his side. And indeed, she thought of him every day. Two weeks later, she accepted. She expected ridicule. But the members of the church welcomed her with open arms.

A few weeks after that, she went forward during the morning invitation. That morning, Kelly received Christ into her heart, and her life changed. It was like waking from a dark night into a Brillant sunrise.

He called her every night. She looked forward to his calls and planned her evening around them. The weather turned from rainy to warm. Rose began exercising an hour each day.

One afternoon he showed up at her apartment. He had missed their Saturday night visit. I must take a trip. I will miss you. But I will be back next week.

On Friday night, she heard a knock on her door. Walter stood there in the pouring rain, smiling. She hurriedly brought him in. “I have great news,” Kelly waited. She was down by 50 pounds and had expected him to ask her to marry him.

“I can see you.” He said simply. It was then she noticed he didn’t have his red-tipped cane.

“What?” Kelly said, turning white. “What do you mean you can see me?” Tears came to her eyes. He was going to say goodbye. If he could see her, he could see how ugly she was. Her heart plunged; her blood ran cold.

He smiled. “I was a participant in a brand-new operation. I can see you.”

Her voice trembled. Her face flushed red. “You…you’re here…here to say goodbye,aren’t you?” Tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Honey, I will never say goodbye to the sweetest woman I have ever known. Will you marry me, please?” Walter said, standing in her living room with water dripping off him.

  Kelly fell into his arms. “Yes. OH yes. I will marry you.”

One whose eyes were opened and one whose heart was healed. Six months later, they were married. They had given each other their hearts.