Love at Last Sight

You can call it love at last sight because Freddie lost his sight the day he found love. He was on his way to work when he saw this girl hailing a cab; he stood across the street to observe her. He counted in his mind and decided to approach her when he reached ten, but an empty cab slowed down in front of the girl before he could reach number. Freddie was startled when he saw the girl get into the cab. He dropped his coffee unintentionally and his body followed his feet across the street to stop the girl. What happened that morning would impact his life immensely. Freddie was hit by a car while pursuing what he was sure of the girl of his dreams. Everyone and everything on that street stopped when they saw the accident except for the girl who was already gone. Freddie lay unconscious in the street surrounded by spectators. The next time he would open his eyes he had lost his sight and the only vision that remained clear to him was the picture of the girl hailing a cab.

A year after the accident, Freddie had mastered life without actually seeing it; he also had mastered drawing the picture of the last girl he saw before he lost his sight. But the past year had not been easy for Freddie and his bestfriend. Sonny was a childhood friend who, as they grew up, had a lot of troubles with girls and Freddie was always the one to fix them. So, when he found out that Freddie had lost his eyesight he devoted his time in taking care of his bestfriend. Freddie’s accident was a blessing in disguise for Sonny; it was through him that the latter would meet his fiancée Lisa, the only girl who made the playboy Sonny commit in a relationship. Freddie only met her after Sonny’s proposal, which was very unusual of the latter who always made sure his bestfriend knew he was dating. Sonny trusted his bestfriend more than anyone in the world, but despite this and the fact that Freddie couldn’t see he was reluctant to leave Lisa alone with him. He was afraid his fiancée would fall for his bestfriend’s perfect character. He would later have to travel alone to meet with her family and this would give Freddie and Lisa a time to get to know each other well. Sonny was right that he could trust his bestfriend, but he was also right about the possibility that his fiancée would fall for his bestfriend. The two got along really well and the whole time they were together Freddie never thought of the girl hailing a cab he only thought of the girl he was with at the moment and how he wished he could see her.

Sonny was back with Lisa’s family. The wedding was in a week and the couple had been busy preparing, and so was Freddie – to leave. He moved in to Sonny’s place after the accident, the latter’s idea since he spent more time there than in his own house it was easier to move around the house because he was familiar with it. But since Sonny was getting married, Freddie thought it was just right to vacate the house and go back to his own. Lisa heard a bang in Freddie’s room and went in to check on him. She rushed when she saw him fumbling on the floor. Freddie was embarrassed but he felt good being so close to her. He was packing some of his belongings very carefully to avoid disturbing the couple but his effort was in vain when he dropped his things. He tried to explain to her that he was fumbling for his things, that he didn’t fall; but the girl was already busy looking around his room for the first time. She was particularly attracted to the wall where all of Freddie’s paintings were posted. “This is amazing. I never believed it when people say blinds see with their hands until now. These paintings, they look like I’ve been photographed by you. I mean, you must’ve seen me before for you to come up with these portraits.” Freddie held his door open and gestured for the girl to leave his room. He told her it’s late and he wanted to retire. Lisa realized it was late but somehow she wanted to stay when she saw his eyes. Freddie’s eyes, although he couldn’t see, always reflected joy that’s why Lisa couldn’t resist from looking at them, but that night his eyes were full of sorrow, defeat, and anger.

She left his room but stayed outside, she was concerned. It wasn’t long when she heard him scream. She reached for the doorknob but it was already locked. The scream grew louder; there were slamming in the room and it alarmed her. Sonny came rushing when he heard the noise along with the voice of his fiancée screaming Freddie’s name. He inquired immediately but the frightened girl had no answer. Sonny left and came back with the key to Freddie’s room; as soon as the door opened he went inside and shut the door again leaving Lisa outside. Sonny already had a feeling of what provoked his bestfriend to such wild behavior. “How could you do this to me?!” asked Freddie, his voice was shaking from anger. Sonny tried to calm him pushing the shattered furniture with his feet as he approached the exhausted bloke. But the blind lad had so much hatred for him that he couldn’t be appeased so easily; he grabbed Sonny in the shoulders and pinned him to the ground. Sonny did not fight back for two reasons: first, it was unfair to fight a man who couldn’t see; and second, he knew he was wrong and he deserved everything Freddie intended to do with him.

Before he lost his sight, Freddie was able to take a photograph of the girl hailing for a cab – that girl was Lisa. He gave the photograph to his bestfriend hoping he’d help him find her. Sonny found the girl, but he also fell in love with her. The day he decided to date her was the day Sonny stopped looking into his bestfriend’s eyes. He took care of Freddie and gave everything he needed; he became the blind man’s eyes. None of those could make up for his betrayal, but Sonny loved Lisa and he knew he was the one who had the capability to take care of her. There was silence in the room and Freddie was calmed by this silence. He knew that his bestfriend, having the upper hand, would never fight him. Don’t tell her was all he could say before he let go of Sonny. 

Lisa never found out the reason behind the chaos that night. The following morning, Freddie told her it wasn’t his hands that helped him draw those portraits of her but Sonny’s flawless description of her. He told her his bestfriend was a good man and that the latter loved her so much, therefore she must take care of him. Lisa told him how much she loved Sonny, too. This was their last conversation. Freddie left one day and never returned because like his bestfriend he knew he wouldn’t be able to take care of the girl with his condition. But what he didn’t know was Sonny was able to follow him and he had been watching everything he did, always making sure he was in good condition. This he did, not out of guilt, but out of love and care for his bestfriend.

Five years after he left, Freddie realized he was ready to reconcile with his bestfriend. Sonny was surprised to see him and find he regained his sight – he pretended, of course, he knew about it he was the one who found him a donor. Sonny was glad and thankful to have his bestfriend back. He introduced him to his daughter and son, and later that day to his wife who had just arrived. Freddie was surprised to see a different girl, but he held himself from asking because he didn’t want to ruin his reunion with his bestfriend. That night before he retired to his room, Freddie got the answer to his unspoken question. In the eve of the wedding, Sonny told everything to Lisa and that gave the girl the courage to confess to her groom her hidden feelings for the blind man. Both agreed to call off the wedding, but stayed as good friends. Sonny told him about Lisa choosing to stay in the same building where he was staying for her to look after him. Freddie realized Lisa was the nice lady who had been helping him those days. She changed everything: from her brand of perfume to her manner of speaking, to avoid being recognized by him. Lisa knew Freddie wouldn’t allow it for them to be together; he wouldn’t want to be a burden to her, so she decided to transform herself instead to take care of him.

Freddie and Lisa got married with Sonny as the best man. Freddie never found out what Sonny had done for him, he didn’t have to tell Freddie he knew his bestfriend had always considered him a good man because if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have stood up for him – even when he was wrong – when his ex-girlfriends came attacking him.