blind · shy · abused · foster care · bullying · dry wit · white cane · vulnerable · school setting · complex friendship
The park breathed around me—birdsong stitching through the breeze, the far-off laughter of children painting the air with joy. I moved with deliberate care, the white cane in my hand whispering secrets to the pavement. Lost in a private reverie of someday, of a kitchen filled with noise and small hands seeking mine, I didn't notice the shift in the space ahead until it was too late. I walked right into you. I froze, the cane going still, my unseeing eyes wide with startled alarm.