Blind Side Of Love (30 page)

“Well then maybe when we get back you should paint it?”

She smiled and took a deep breath. “No, this is a moment that I want to keep all to myself, right in here.” She placed her hand on her heart. “There are very few moments that I store in there, but I can tell you that each and every one that I do, I will never forget. So, thank you for giving me another beautiful image to have inside my heart forever.”

After a two hour nap, Becca and I were getting ready to head out to the stable. I sat on the bed, waiting for her to brush her teeth and wash her face.

“Hey, could you do me a favor and make sure I stuck my ID back in my wallet? I’m ninety nine percent sure I did,” she shouted from the bathroom. I grabbed her wallet and looked through its contents, finally coming across her ID.

“Yup, it’s there.”

As I went to slide it back down into the slot, something was stopping it. Once I was finally able to get a grasp on it, I pulled it out and my stomach dropped as I stared at the picture of me and her taken on the night of the auction. She looked so happy. Her beautiful blue eyes that matched her dress perfectly sparkled for the camera. I knew that there was something different about her from the moment I had first saw her standing there that night all alone, looking so out of place. She wasn’t a young typical girl whose beauty would fade along with her youth. There was something timeless about her and the fact that she was totally oblivious to just how beautiful she was made her even more attractive. I flipped the picture over and wished I hadn’t when I saw what she had written on the back:
Best night ever….best guy ever.
I couldn’t believe she carried around that photo after all of these years. I quickly shoved it back in her wallet when I heard the water turning off. I got up and went into the bathroom, handing her a towel to dry her face.

“Thank God it was there. That would have really sucked if I had forgotten to get it back after going through security.” I watched as she patted her face with the towel and I couldn’t resist hugging her. I wanted us to be that couple in that picture again so badly, and I would do whatever it took to try and make that a reality.

She smiled up at me. “What was that for?”

“No reason. Now, come on; we have to go see a man about a horse.”

“Hey there, where did you two run off to?” my dad asked as we walked into the stable.

“Fell asleep,” I replied. “Becca wanted to meet your horses.”

“Do you like horses, Becca?”

She nodded. “Love them!”

“Have you ever ridden?” my father asked.

“Yeah, a long time ago.”

“Well, did you want to try again?” he asked.

She shook her head and the smile disappeared from her face. “Oh no, I really couldn’t now.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because I can’t see.”

He waved his hand in the air as if it were no big deal. “Oh, is that all?” He wrapped his arm around Becca’s shoulder. “Do you think any of these horses know that?”

“No, but –”

“They can see just fine.They’ll lead the way.” I stood there quietly. I didn’t want to pressure her into doing it. I remembered how nervous she was last time about getting back on and she was able to see back then, so I knew that this had to be a hundred times scarier for her now.

My father took her hand and led her over to a stall. “Herman, I want you to meet Becca. She’s a little scared to get back on just because she’s blind.” I shook my head over my dad’s frankness and I was happy when I heard Becca let out a little giggle instead of taking offense. He grabbed Becca’s hand and placed it on the horse’s forelock. “Becca, say hello to Herman.”

The smile that stretched across her face when she touched that horse did something to my heart that I had never experienced before. It was so genuine and I knew she was having the same feeling that she did when she touched the paint brushes that day in the studio.

“What kind of horse is he?” she asked.

“He’s an Arabian.”

“Really?” Her head turned in my father’s direction. “Is he brown?”

“Hey, I thought you said you couldn’t see? I think she’s lying to us, Herman,” my father teased.

Becca let out a loud laugh and was still grinning from ear to ear. “I want to try and ride him,” she blurted out.

I gave my dad an uneasy look. He held his hand up to me and nodded, his way of assuring me it would be fine. My dad knew these horses better than anyone and I knew that he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Becca’s safety. But I was still afraid of her getting in a panic once she got on it, and the horse in turn sensing that fear.

“Okay, let me get him saddled up and you can show us what ya got, kiddo.”

I walked over to Becca and stood behind her. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It made me happy to see her so excited, so I did my best to try and hide my anxiety over her doing this. I wrapped my arms around her. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this?”

“Yeah, I really do want to do it,” she replied with a strong determination to her voice.

“Okay, Becca. You’re date is all ready to go.”

She took a deep breath and I led her out to the horse. My dad held on to the reigns as I helped Becca get on. I could feel her trembling. “Don’t be scared, Becca.”

She nodded as she swung her leg over its back like a pro.

“I did it!” she exclaimed as she proudly sat on top of the horse.

I nodded and smiled over her enthusiasm. “Yeah, you did!”

My dad took the line and walked the horse around the pen as Becca’s smile grew bigger. “I think Herman really likes you, Becca!” my dad said. She looked totally relaxed and confident. If I hadn’t known better, I wouldn’t have even guessed that she was blind.

“Can I take him around by myself?”

“Do you feel comfortable enough doing that?” my dad asked.

Becca nodded. “I do! I really do!”

“Well then, let me remove this line and you can be on your way.” My heart raced in anticipation as I watched him take the line off the horse. He moved out of the way and stood next to me.

“Dad, I don’t think this is a really good idea. What if –”

“Hush, Son. She can do this. Just because she’s blind doesn’t mean she has to fear everything. She wants to do it, let her. Herman won’t let her down.”

“Okay Becca, take a deep breath,” my dad shouted.

“Hey what’s going on?” my mom asked, making her way out from the stable. “Oh no, Dennis. She shouldn’t –”

My dad turned around and looked at both of us. “If you two are going to be sending off these bad vibes to Herman then please go back in the house. Becca wants to ride.”

“Go ahead and pull on the reigns.” Becca did as he said and the horse began to trot off. I was ready to run to her when I saw her entire body jerk once they started off, but my dad grabbed my arm to stop me. By the time they were halfway around, Becca’s smile reappeared and it was her biggest one yet. “Just let Herman be your eyes, Becca! Trust him!” my father shouted. She nodded as they began on their second lap, this time going a little faster. My dad shook his head with his smile almost as big as Becca’s.

“She is one brave girl,” my mother said. I could see her eyes welling with tears from just watching the enjoyment that Becca was getting out of being up on that horse.

“Yeah, she is,” I whispered.

“Okay Becca, pull on the reigns and start slowing him down.”

She did as my father said and the horse slowed down before completely coming to a stop. She was so excited that she didn’t even wait for me to help get her off. She dismounted him perfectly.

“Whoa, easy there,” I teased.

“I did it, Mason! I did it! I rode a horse again!” She threw her arms around my neck. I picked her up and spun her around, placing her back down on the ground and wiping away the tears that were rolling down her face. “I never thought I would be able to do that again!”

“You did it, Baby, and you were great!”

I hugged her tightly and looked over at my mom and dad, looking just as proud as Becca with smiles plastered across their faces. My mother wiped a tear away and rested her head on my dad’s shoulder.

Becca removed her arms from around my neck and reached over to the horse. She gently swept her hand up the side of his face. “Thank you, Herman,” she whispered.

“You were like a pro out there, Becca!” my father shouted.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to do that.”

“You are most welcome.”

I took Becca’s hand and headed out of the stable. “Where are you two headed off to?” my mother asked.

“I want to show Becca around.”

“Okay, but don’t disappear; dinner is going to be ready in a few hours and your sister will be here. I know she’s dying to see you and she can’t wait to meet Becca.”

“Mom, relax; we’re not going far.”

I loved seeing my parents and spending time with them, but I loved being alone with Becca more. And right now, I wanted to be alone with her in one of my favorite places.

We walked for some time before coming to a stop on the dock of the fishing pond. The sweat was pouring off both of us as we took a seat under the huge Weeping Willow that was blocking out the hot July sun.

“Well, it certainly is a lot more humid than back home,” Becca said, fanning herself with her hand. “But it feels much better now. Are we in the shade?” she asked.

“Yup, there’s a giant Weeping Willow over top of you and straight ahead was where I would catch some pretty big catfish back in the day. This has always been my best thinking spot.”

“So, how many girls did you kiss in your
best thinking spot
?”
she teased.

“Not a one!”

“Oh, you are such a liar. I can hear it in your voice.”

“None that really mattered……until now.” I reached over and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. She sucked in her bottom lip, looking like she was waiting for more.

“Okay,
Miss Prosecutor,
my turn to ask the questions now?”

“Okay, go right ahead.” She smiled.

“How many boys have you kissed?”

Her face turned that adorable shade of red that I had grown so accustomed to. “Ummm…..I don’t know. I never really kept track.”

“Oh, that many?” I teased.

“No, actually. I was a good girl for a long time.” The smile that was on her face suddenly shifted. “Until I met him.”

My heart began to race. “Who?” I whispered.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Just some guy, who I thought was pretty special….turns out that he didn’t feel the same way about me.” God, this was killing me. I wanted to confess and tell her everything but I knew this wasn’t the place or time. “I was just so stupid to think that the first guy I ever slept with would be the love of my life and want to be with me forever. But sometimes when you really want to believe something, your mind can manipulate you into really thinking it’s true.”

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Becca,” I whispered.

“Don’t be sorry, because if that were true then I would have never met you, so maybe everything does truly happen for a reason. Just wish the blind part didn’t have to be part of it.” She pulled herself together. “So what other kind of fish are in this pond?” she asked, totally changing the subject, but I could see the pain in her eyes.