He slapped his hand loudly on his jean-covered thigh, startling me enough to make me jump. “It’s settled then. We have to go play,” he said, hopping to his feet and grabbing his walking stick. “Shall we?” he asked, holding out his hand.
I looked at his hand warily for a moment. Over the past couple weeks Mom had reached for my hand almost constantly whenever she was with me. I liked the feeling of warmth when her fingers wrapped around mine, but I didn’t know how I felt about holding someone’s hand who I really didn’t know. I sat gnawing on my bottom lip, contemplating what to do. Gunner waited patiently while I worked through my inner turmoil. It only took me a few moments to accept his offered hand. I didn’t want to offend him. Despite our rocky start I enjoyed talking to him. It felt normal.
21
GUNNER’S HAND dwarfed mine, but it felt nice. Once I was standing, he tucked my arm around his. “You don’t mind, do you? I hate using my stick in crowded places. Just don’t let me run into anything.” He laughed.
It took me a moment to adjust to his close proximity. It was one thing when Jacob surprised me with his spontaneous hug, but I wasn’t related to Gunner. I had no idea if this was okay. Sure, I’d read plenty of books over the years about boys and girls interacting, but it was all new to me.
Gunner urged us forward toward the glass doors. “I’ll show you a cheating method.” He felt along the wall for a large button with a blue outline of a wheelchair engraved on it. “Push here,” he said.
I pressed the button and the doors opened on their own. I shook my head at how stupid I must have looked earlier.
“Magic, right?” Gunner laughed, walking forward again. He kept his pace slow, which I was grateful for. My legs had gotten a little rest while we were sitting down, but they still shook slightly with each step. I hated feeling so
weak.
Walking through the halls with Gunner was a different experience than my previous venture. He seemed more comfortable being on display than I was. Despite being blind he was keenly aware of his surroundings.
Gunner talked the entire time we walked. It seemed like he knew everything there was to know about the hospital. I wanted to ask him how long he’d been here but decided maybe that was too personal considering we had just met. As we approached the hallway where my room was located we ran into an elderly janitor blocking our way as he mopped the floor.
“Excuse us,” I said. A smile spread across my face.
The janitor turned with a smile that slowly slipped from his face.
My own smile slipped away. Great, more pity. Was there anyone in this hospital who didn’t know who I was? Gripping Gunner’s hand, I mumbled that he should be careful not to slip as we made our way over the wet section of the floor.
“Don’t let me fall,” Gunner said. “The last thing I want to do is bust my ass in front of a girl I just met.”
I snorted, shocking us both.
“Did you just snort?”
“No,” I said, blushing brightly.
The custodian wasn’t the only one who acknowledged us as we walked down the hall. Nurses, orderlies, doctors, and even other patients all waved as we walked by. I was amazed that Gunner could tell where we were just by the sounds around us. I had firsthand experience with how certain senses could become heightened after the loss of another sense, but I’m not sure even after all my time in the dark that I could have been as good as he was.
Gunner’s room was in the same wing as mine. By the time we reached his room, the last of my energy was spent. I sank down into one of the chairs at the small round table in his room before my legs could give out.
“You okay?” he asked, sitting in the chair opposite mine.
I nodded and then smacked myself in the forehead. “I’m fine.”
“Other than hitting yourself?” he asked, smirking at me. “Are you ready for me to smoke you at checkers?”
My cheeks warmed again and I was glad he couldn’t see it. I had blushed more in the last hour than I think I ever had. “Um, I’ve never played, so that shouldn’t be hard.”
He didn’t tease me after that comment. I kind of wished he hadn’t figured out who I was. It was nice, even for a brief moment, to have a conversation with someone who didn’t know all the sordid details of my past. At least I knew he couldn’t see the images they showed on the news.
As he explained the rules of the game I wondered how he could tell the difference between the pieces until I noticed that the red pieces had a crown etched on them while the black pieces had a sword. The rules were simple enough and before I knew it I was playing my first-ever game of checkers.
“So, did I convert you into a Reese’s fan?” he asked, jumping three of my pieces and setting them to the side. He used his hands to feel around the board after each one of my moves. I looked at the board incredulously, wondering how I’d made such a bad move that allowed him to jump me so many times.
“It was delicious. I didn’t know chocolate and peanut butter tasted so good together.”
“They’re definitely my favorite. Wait until you try them in ice cream.”
I shifted in my seat, fiddling with one of my pieces on the board. “I’ve never had ice cream either, or maybe I have and I just don’t remember it,” I said, sighing. There was so much I didn’t know. How was I ever going to function as a regular person?