Blind Perspective, Vol. 7

Late April, Los Angeles, 1994. I’m on the second floor looking down through the window as Dan and his buddy slowly lug a huge piece of furniture towards the front door. The phone rings and I rush to catch it  before the answering machine picks up.

“Hello, Michael here!” Breathless, I take the cordless into the living room and flop onto my favorite chair.

“Michael, it’s Catherine. How goes it?”

“Catherine,” I say excitedly. Great to hear from you. I’m doing  very well. Believe it or not, Dan is moving in as we speak.”

“Oh, my God, the U-Haul in the driveway already?”

“Well, you know we’re both on AIDS time, and our birthdays are coming up.”

I hear a loud bang against the wall as Dan and his friend maneuver a huge piece of oak furniture through the door.

“What’s that noise, Michael?” Catherine asks abruptly.

I gasp. “My God, it’s dark oak: It’s going to clash with every piece of my furniture! I need to go make sure it’s put in the right spot!”

“ Okay, sounds like you’ve got your hands full.”

“Let’s talk soon. Don’t be a stranger. We’ll do lunch,” I say as I hang up.

Mama Girl jumps off my lap and hides under the sofa as I approach Dan as diplomatically as possible.

“Dan, you don’t have a lot of furniture like that, do you?” I ask.

“No, I just brought my favorite pieces.”

“I think they’d be perfect, ah, in the middle room,” I suggest.

He looks at me and rubs his goatee.

“Is this too much too fast for you? You getting cold feet?”

“I guess I’m just used to my space in a certain way. I’m sure I’ll adjust,” I say optimistically.

“Okay, the middle room it is. Anything for the birthday boy.

”I’ll be back in a half hour.”

I return to my favorite chair. Momma Girl jumps on my lap and Zacky comes out of the closet after the coast is clear, meowing with concern. I take them both on my lap and count my blessings. My right eye is fogging up more with each month.

My Westminster clock begins to chime as the time for my inevitable blindness closes in. How long, I wonder. Zacky licks my finger and I rub the top of his head. We’re very lucky to have Dan in our lives. I’m so fortunate to have my Griffins on my lap, Momma Girl on my left, Zacky on my right. I close my left eye and look down at Zacky. To my shock, all I can see is his head.

Zacky’s body is invisible.