ONE
“Wahoo! What a beauty – this is my dream car” I heard one of the female voices besides me announced to her friend with an excited and breath taking tone, as they both giggle happily beside me by the bus stop. Though I could not see or make out what they both look like, but my long years of experience as an old blind man, had built up my inner vision – what we the blind call the inner eyes. The invisible subconscious eyes which only the blind posses. With this I was able to conclude that I was standing not too far away from two young women, with good taste and a strong quest for the enormous beautiful good things of life that have been ordained from birth, that men like me and other blind men and women scattered around mother’s earth would not have the privilege to see and admire. But thank God at least I could still smell their sweet perfume and hear their gossips within our short time at the bus stop.
So, I stray my ears to hear what these beautiful women were saying. I imagined them looking as beautiful and gay as their voices, but this was something I could only visualized as I have always over the years visualized and imagined the beauty and shapes of anything around me.
“I can’t wait to get home and try on this new dress in the full view of my standing mirror” The other friend continued after sometime. “I know my shape will come out fully” she giggles softly. “And all those curious eyes will almost jump out of their sockets”
I heard her friend giggled loudly before saying “ I trust you and your shape”
I wish I could see this talked about shape and decide if she really had a beautiful frame as she was making out. But shapes, size, and colors, including beauty were strangers to me.
I was born blind more than fifty years ago and a blind man I had grown up to be, accepting my fate and believing that the creator knew why he decided to send me into this hard struggling world as a blind man. Though I sometime wish I could have my eye even just for a day to behold all the beautiful and astonishing things I have over the years heard about. Things like the sun which I could only describe as a hot ball hanging up in the sky, the moon which I have never seen nor felt it impact like the sun, or the so much described stars which I was told are small looking tiny shining balls scattered across the invisible sky. I wish I could see how I look like and the shape and frames of the other millions of people around me. I sometimes visualized how colours look like and the many structures of trees, especially those with those sweet fruits I have over the years come to cherished. Like mango, guava, orange, pawpaw, dates and the other tasty ones so numerous to mention. Even though I have cherished eating meat and fish over the years, I still wished I could see what a goat, a cow or a fish look like, including the others various domestic animals around me, like ducks, fowls, chickens and even small rodent like rats.
I always wish for the day fate would smile on me and give me a glimpse of that friendly animal called dog that has restored hopes to many blind humans like me across the globe, acting as guide dogs , including the strong shape of a horse as I was meant to know. Yes I sometime have these strong wishes inside me, but I never allowed them to deprived me of enjoying my days on earth, nor closed my ears to different gossips and talks as they fly freely daily around me.
TWO
I made my way carefully along the swampy road leading to my one room lonely apartment. The sun I was meant to know has since gone down and using my inner eyes, I had quickly deduced that the day was fast approaching another night. Every day to me was night all along since I found myself as a blind human among my fellow human beings. What has brightness or light got to do with me. Tell me about the change in weather and I will quickly tell you whether its winter, summer, dry season, rainy season or the cold windy season. All these I could feel, touch or perceive, not minding that I can never see their features.
I am on my way back into my lonely world and lonely thoughts. I wonder as always what it would be like with a woman and a small family waiting for me at home. But providence had never given me a woman to call a wife nor a child I could never see to call my own. I suddenly remembered the two ladies I had earlier met at the bus stop earlier in the day and reminisce over some of their gossips and strong desires for material things. Things I could never see, but already have mental picture about.
I had listened silently as they both wished for so many different things that existed under the sun, as we boded the popular city transit bus, and they had been kind enough to assist me get into the bus and sat me behind them, though I was meeting them for the first time. I listened as they wished for rich husband, healthy and fine kids and big beautiful house with posh cars to drive around. All their wishes had flash through my mind as I tried to picture how they look like. The world, I was told is abound with new technologies and devices like that big roaring bird in the sky I learnt could carry five to a thousand people at a go. The aero plane to me is one of the most mystified creations of the human being, apart from a small machine I own at home known as the transistor radio, which telecast people’s voices and another one I was told could even televise pictures and images, which I wished I could see.
A ride in a moving machine had always mystified me, though I could not see how they look like, but I could feel their power and their mystery. How does a car, a bus, a bicycle, a motor cycle, a train, a plane or a ship look like? How do these mysterious awed sounding engines look like? And what shape are they carrying? All these are part of the constant questions in my life.
I rounded the last bend to my house, and confidently increased my steps, as I heard some voices complaining that the Electricity Company had just took the light. Who cares, I thought silently wondering what this popular electricity look like. I grinned imagining what they would do if they were in my shoes, none of these grumbling neighbors would ever want to switch position with me, even for a day. I concluded, as I finally pushed my guarding stick forward and identified the familiar entrance, I made my way silently towards my compound and unlocked my door and stepped into my room, shutting the door silently behind me, away from mosquitoes, those tormenting little creatures with annoying buzzing and painful bites. I have always wondered what the little rascals look like, after crushing any unfortunate one in my powerful palm.
Dropping my stick, my most fateful companion over the years, I got myself a cup of water from a jug nearby and drank down this sweet liquid of life with relish, again wishing as always an opportunity to see and know what this important liquid of existence look like. I suddenly smiled to myself , remembering that I could still always smile happily, though I could not see or know how a smile look like , but many people I had came across, say I have got a fine happy free smile.
While not appreciate what I have. I thought silently as I settled down to eat my dinner. Sweet food, I thought, but I could not make out what it look like. Finally after dinner, I dropped my tired frame on my old mattress to rest and wait for another day to smile around and probably I might be among the lucky ones that though won’t see the features of the next day , but would feel and smell it presence.
END
Copy Right Ahmed Dodo
2011
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