He was near her, barely an arm’s length away. If she could have, she would have slapped him. But recently blinded, her remaining senses weren’t yet sharp enough, and she would have surely missed her mark. His breathing annoyed her, heavy and then light, the smell of peppermint invaded her private space.
It was all dark now. And it was all his fault.
He had been driving too fast. That’s how she remembered it. Though everyone including the police had told her it had just been an accident. She thought differently. Maybe blindness inhibited the mind’s ability to process logic, it corrupted memory and rationality.
Whatever. She was the one who had lost her sight.
Her favorite sunglasses were the supposed culprit. The impact had made them shatter, sending shards of glass into both her eyes. But she knew better. It was his careless behavior, his daredevil attitude that landed her in a world of darkness. And here she would remain, alone, bitter, lost.
He deserved to suffer. Her silence would be his punishment.
They were to be married on the fifteenth. It was now the nineteenth of the next month. She refused to reconsider her decision. There was no love or bright future in the days to come. The view from where she stood was completely black, a color she had detested, but now it was her constant companion.
She hated him. He would have to live with that.
The chair creaked as he shifted, the toe of his shoe tapped the wooden floor, an irregular, half-hearted beat. Not only his voice, but his entire being was out of rhythm. Why did he come to see her every morning and evening? It was doing neither any good. There was nothing to salvage. Was he more blind than she was?
The tears were coming. Sightless eyes felt the need to cry too.
Her bandages soaked most of the moistness, but some still wet her cheeks. She felt him reaching towards her. And that’s when she slapped him. It was satisfying, so liberating. She was getting better at finding her way. A smile brimmed inside her but never reached her face. It was only grimness from now onwards.
He mumbled that he was leaving. Would return in the evening.
As he walked away, his familiar scent lingered in the air. She breathed deeply, taking him in, but the hostility in her pushed him back out. Sobs caught her throat. Her heart was drowning in a pool of perpetual gloom, and there was nothing she could do.
Her eyes were only a sad excuse. She had forever lost the light inside her.
She called him and screamed – It’s An Emergency! But he went back to sleep. He paid the price the next morning.
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Bravo! Wow, what a powerful piece!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it. 🙂
Wow Terveen! This is heart-wrenching. Can’t even imagine leading such a life.
Thank you so much, Vignesh! 🙂
It’s difficult to imagine such life situations. It definitely makes one appreciate having one’s health and all five senses intact.
Absolutely!
Wow, you have expressed such vivid emotions! Brilliant!
It’s devastating to lose such an important part oneself. Thank you for feeling the emotion. 🙂
This is so Poignant, sad, and so full of emotion; beautiful piece of writing.
Thank you so much, Stephen. 🙂
Loss of any kind is so difficult to accept. The anger and bitterness stays with a person, becoming a part of their learning. Hopefully turning into strength and resilience somewhere in the future.
Very vivid depiction of emotions. Wonderful!
Thank you so much. 🙂
Glad you felt it.
Good writing Terveen……it did pull on the emotions…the sign of a good poet. To me…..
Thank you so much, Don. 🙂
I appreciate the compliment.
I’ve always said this. The mark of a good poet is to be able to pull at the emotions of the reader. Reminds me of something I wrote 3 years ago. On reading it 2 years later it pulled the same emotions. I said yes!……
That is something to be proud of. 🙂
Brilliant depiction of emotions. Wonderful!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Emotions are an integral part of our biological set-up. So important.
you’ve painted a powerful portrait of what it is like to be suddenly rendered blind and by someone you loved —
It is a tragic situation, John. Nothing can prepare anyone for this. Torn between two very strong emotions. Love and hate.
Thank you so much. 🙂
love then darkness, then love+darkness
hard to swallow,
even smile fades and never shows. Nice piece Terveen
It’s the battle of heart and mind where both have their strong reasons. Hurt like this can linger on forever.
Thank you so much. 🙂
You have portrayed such deep emotions here, Terveen. Even through her blindness, she wanted to avenge her hurt. Only brought to mind how deeply she loved.
Thank you so much, Shobana.
Hurt often takes from us the most precious thoughts and feelings, leaving us hollow for the pain to resonate even louder.
Sometimes, second chances are next to impossible.
Dark on a few levels, but well written!
It does have that feel to it.
Thank you so much. 🙂
You are a brilliant writer and bring about many emotions and passion. Bravo, my dear friend!
This story is a mixture of love and hate with bitterness and guilt as the backdrop.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate it. 🙂
The loss of one of the senses, especially sight, would be a hard pill for anyone to swallow, and whether or not her fiance was truly to blame isn’t relevant at this point because it’s early days and the loss is still new and everyone needs to blame someone and since we rarely accept our part of the responsibility, the scapegoat pays the toll.
He doesn’t really say much but I’m sure he feels responsible and visits her twice a day so i suspects he really loves her as well. Given time, although her sight might not ever return, perhaps the emotional wounds will mend.
Outstanding job, Terveen.
Such shattering dilemmas often take their own sweet time. I agree with your perspective, Rhyan, there’s always someone else to blame but oneself. Maybe hurt makes a person vulnerable and vicious.
Or maybe we just need to detach from the supposed reasons and hard-hitting consequences.
Whatever happens, hope both will finally find some sort of peace and closure. It’s necessary to heal and move on.
Your wise words of wisdom and rationality are highly appreciated. 🙂
That’s so true. I love your writing and love the ending too. Blindness is not so bad if she still has light inside of her. However she still has the energy to slap him–that’s a good thing. I actually know a person whose teenage daughter died in a car accident when her teenage boyfriend recklessly drove the car. She’s the only one died out of all four people in the car, all teens. She’s sitting on the passenger seat at the front, which is the most dangerous place to be in a car–so I heard.
One careless decision or step can mean the end of a precious life. Having to live with that and suffer is Hell here on earth. I had a cousin who died in a car accident along with three of his friends. All teenagers. He was the only child of his parents. They had been drinking and driving rashly. Such tragedies should set an example for others.
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Such a sad story, her bitterness is palpable. Your writing is captivating.
It’s so tough to be standing on the threshold of loss, pain, and love. Making sense of what lies ahead but not wanting to give up on the past that could have been.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the encouragement. 🙂
You capture the complicated emotions perfectly. I love reading your stories.
Thank you so much!🙂
Hi, Terveen,,, link Saludos juan
https://gobblersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2021/07/26/sightless-eyes-cry-too/
Hello Mr. Juan,
I clicked on the link and the story is incomplete.
The correct link to the entire story is:
https://terveengill.com/sightless-eyes-cry-too-flash-fiction-story/
You will have to post this again.
Thanks.
Iam sorry, now is ok Saludos Juan
https://gobblersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2021/07/26/sightless-eyes-cry-too/
Thank you so much! It’s great. 🙂
Beautiful written. Truly the way you put the emotions into words is amazing.
There are so many emotions, and too little words to describe them.
Thank you so much, Jay. 🙂