See What I Hear

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Helping Alex clean up his room was one thing. Teaching him how to maneuver around his house was a completely different story. I'd just taught him the correct way to be led by a sighted person, and he completely freaked out.

"I'm just being pulled like a dog!" he complained. I groaned.

"No, you're being directed like a person who's lost their sight. Remember, whenever you're being assisted, you hold onto them. They don't just grab and pull you around, got that? You always hold on above the elbow with your fingers on the inside and thumb on the outside. The blind person always holds on and stands about half a step back, that way, you can avoid bumping into things and tripping," I explained. I'd learned this about a month into working at the hospital's rehabilitation section and now I was reaping the benefits.

"So I basically hold on like a baby," he spat. I rolled my eyes.

"Would you rather be tugged along and left to trip and fall over stuff?" I asked. That shut him up. With a defeated sigh, he reached out and began feeling for my arm.

"Lesson three: the sooner you shut up and listen to me, the better off you'll be," I advised. He scoffed. I smiled and walked on, explaining the importance of counting steps and memorizing where everything was.

"Okay, wait a second. Stop," I pulled us to a halt, Alex ignored me and kept walking. His shins immediately came in contact with a one of the chairs that rounded the dinner table.

"I told you I already tried learning my way around! There's no point," he said, letting his head fall.

"No, listen to me. Did you ever wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water?" I asked. He nodded.

"Okay well, try to picture this just like that. I'm sure you know what your house looks like-"

"Of course I know what it looks like! I grew up here," he interrupted. I sighed.

"Well, then just visualize! It's that simple. You remember what's next to the game room?" I asked. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Exercise room and Mom and Dad's bedroom," he said. I smiled.

"Very good, and the living room?" I asked.

"Kitchen. And then the kitchen lead out into the backyard where the swings are," he said. I smiled.

"That's all you have to do. Memory is key," I said. He opened his eyes.

"Okay, right now we're in the kitchen. Can you lead us to the exercise room? I'll warn you whenever we're going to run into something," I said. He gulped but nodded. I looped my arm in his and let him pull me forward.

We had a few close calls but eventually, he got us there all in one piece. I let go of his arm and clapped.

"Good job," I said. He felt for one of the benches but didn't find it until it'd bumped his knees.

"To someone who can't see, memory is everything. Be glad you didn't lose that in your accident as well," I said. He laughed drily.

"Oh yeah, because I'm so lucky," he snapped sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and was about to yell how even the fact that he was awake and was capable of keeping a straight thought was a miracle but didn't. He didn't know who I was; I was intent on keeping it that way. I didn't need another reason for him to be angry at me, especially when I was trying to get him to befriend me.

"Alright, now comes the hard part," I said, dreading it myself. Alex's eyebrows came together.

"What?" he asked. There was exhaustion and frustration in his face, like he dreading learning anything else. I considered telling him how he'd have to learn to cook and leave the house on his own, but kept it in. We had the time; right now he had to learn how to maneuver around his house.