My name is Kahl.
I am blind
My sister setup a date for me
...
Nerves.
"Hi,um Khal?"
"Yes."I replied affirmatively.
"I'm Sophia,your date."
"Ok." I reached into my wallet and pulled out a stiff hundred dollar bill and pushed across the smoothly waxed mahogany on the table.
"Take it and leave,lie to her, tell her I'm not your type, Sophia."
"Bribery on the first date,hmmm, I like it ."
"Sophia." I said stiffly.
"Kahl." she replied twice as stern."I'm not leaving,"
"Well," I said calmly," what are we going to do?"
"We are going to sit and eat like everybody else in this goddamn restaurant."
I resented that phrase 'like everybody else'
"But Sophia we aren't,"I said slamming my folded fist onto the table,drawing a gasp from the other patrons in the restaurant.
"Who is?" She asked,"who is 'like everybody else,' we all got issues and deal with them differently."she said making my waking anger subside slowly.
"Order for us."I told her.
"No,I want to take you somewhere else."
"Where?" I asked curiously.
"You will hear when we get there."
About twenty minutes later I could smell the salt lingering in the air and hear the waves crashing on the shore.
"Let's go."
I opened the car door and extended my stick in preparation for a walk.
"We're already on the beach Kahl."she said gently.
"Oh," I said slightly embarrassed.
I sat back down and took off my shoes and placed my stick back down in the car.
She surprised me, no one, not even my sister Danny,challenged what I said, ever. Sophia was, dare I say different, she never pitied me or made me feel lesser.
That night when Sophia took me home Danny asked how the date was,"I don't want to talk about it."
"Ok,"she said as she breathed out a sigh.
I extended my stick and walked up the stairs to my room. I showered and changed into comfortable sleepwear and went to bed.
