COLORS

A Story by Borden

She uses a cane to guide her walk. Sometimes, she collides with people, bumps into walls, posts and even fell for the ruse of boorish people especially last April Fool's Day. Her name is Thena and she is blind. Her eyes were accidentally burned from the chemicals in the laboratory by her lab partner 3 years ago whose name is Zach. Until now, she is still waiting for an eye donor.

Thena is walking towards the eye clinic alone. She had nobody to accompany her because her friends are at school and her parents cannot be with her anymore since their demise. They tried to save her from their burning house when she was just 9 months old and died from suffocation. Unbelievably, Thena survived and was taken cared by her aunt who also died when she turned 19 years old due to lymphoma.

She is about to cross the street and because she is already familiar with the place and only goes out during off peak, it is quite safe for her. It became even safer when an affable man guided her in crossing the street. "Thank you!" she said. "No problem!" was his reply. She was about to take another step not knowinng that a shattered glass lied in front of her. It's pointed edge looking up waiting for the victim to fall for it. Before the glass could puncture the fragile foot of the lady, the gentleman swiftly kicked it out of the way. Thena, not noticing what heppened, carried on her way.

She safely arrived in the clinic and talked to her doctor.

Dr. Giorgio: "Thena! It's nice to see you today!"

Thena: "Thanks Dr.! It would be nicer if I can see you too!"

Dr. Giorgio: "Well, I have good news for you! I already found a donor. We ran cross matching and it turns out that the donor's eyes are compatible with yours. So, are you excited for the operation?"

Thena, with a big smile on her face answered: "Geez, is that true?! Oh my gosh! I know most of the patients are afraid to undergo surgery but in my case, I'm excited already. I want to see colors again!"

Dr. Giorgio: "Good! The soonest possible operation for you is a week from now. You have to go through eye examination."

And so, they made the necessary preparations for the surgery.

The operation turned out successful but eye shields still have to be worn to protect the newly attached eyes and it will take months for the stitches to be removed and 2 weeks to fully recover her vision. Until then, she has to continue living in a dark world.

As the days pass by, she is thinking what it would be like to regain her vision. Seeing beautiful flowers, watching the flaming sky over sunset and the falling rain would be nice to look at too! It brings back memories of her and her dog, Sky. It was sad that she had to place her for adoption for the reason that she can't take care of her beloved dog with an impaired vision but she's planning to look for her dog after recovering.

The day she's been waiting for has finally arrived. She sat on the chair and nervously waited for the doctor to finish unwrapping the eye shields.

Dr. Giorgio: "Now, open your eyes slowly."

Thena: "It's a bit painful."

Dr. Giorgio: "Don't worry, it's just temporary. What do you see?"

Thena: "I can't see clearly, it's blurry."

Dr. Giorgio: "Look up, I'll put eye drops on your eyes. Now, what can you see?"

Thena: "I can see your face doctor! I am able to see again!"

She excitedly walked around the clinic and took a look at everything she can see. Even the small details of the room, she was able to notice.

Thena:"Oh, Dr.! I am so happy! I want to thank the family of my donor. What's the name of my donor anyway?"

Dr. Giorgio: "Well, let me check the record first. It's here somewhere. Oh! Here it is! His name is Zachary Crest."

Hearing the name Zachary Crest rings a bell to Thena. She went into deep thinking. Then muttered: "Zachary Crest... Zachary Crest.. Zachary? Zach?! Could it possibly be him? My lab partner 3 years ago who accidentally got me blinded? He's dead?!"

Dr. Giorgio:"Unfortunately, yes. He died a few months ago. The day after I told you about having an eye donor. Maybe the man who always came with you in my clinic can give you more information about Zachary Crest's death."

Thena: "Man? What do you mean by that doctor? I always come here alone."

Dr. Giorgio: "There is a man who always comes here with you but never bothers to come inside the clinic. He just waits outside everytime and then follows you behind. I wonder where he is now."

Thena: "Can you please describe him to me doctor?"

Dr. Giorgio: "He's tall, about 6'1". He has dark brown hair, grey eyes and a scar on his left forehead."

A look of schock covered Thena's face. The guy the doctor has just described is Zachary Crest. She felt weak and sat back on the chair.

Dr. Giorgio: "Thena? Is there something wrong? What happened?"

Thena: "Zachary Crest. He is the one you just described a while ago. I didn't know he was always with me here."

The doctor was also flabbergasted. A knck on the door was heard and came in the doctor's secretary carrying with her a mail.

Secretary: "Doctor, this mail is for Ms. Thena Borson. It's from a named Zachary Crest?"

Both the doctor and Thena looked at the secretary, astonished. The doctor received the mail and handed it to Thena. She opened it and read:

Hi Thena! This is Zachary Crest. Remember Zach? I was your lab partner 3 years ago. I am deeply sorry about what happened. On the day that you're reading this, I could be dead already and have asked my friend to mail this letter on the day of your recovery so that you can read this personally. You may not notice but I always come with you to the clinic. Remember the guy who helped you cross the street before? That was me. That day I have to closely assist you since there's been an ongoing road construction. You might be curious why I'm gone now. I am actually ill. Badly ill. I have been struggling with Right Ventricular Dystrophy for over a year now and my health is slowly deteriorating. I was thinking I could be your eye donor. That way, I could still be of help to you. Before I forget, Sky, your dog, is with me. I am the one who adopted Sky and I'm leaving him to my friend. You can get him back if you want to. Please take care of yourself always. I may not be there to guide your way but I will be your eyes forever.

Love,

Zachary Crest