(Wednesday, 20th August 2014 - Early Morning.) (Shantelle's Apartment on Leff Street, San Luis, California.) Shantelle's POV. ***************************************************************************************** I'm half tempted to risk it and try snuggling down for a proper lay in, after all it's a very special day for me. But apart from the fact that my mind is fully awake now, I also don't want to find myself having to rush for my trip to the dentist. It takes blind girls a lot longer to get ready than sighted ones, that's a no brainer. So with a smile on my face, despite the throbbing pain in my head, the sore yucky feeling in my mouth and the dull ache in my tum, I swing the duvet cover back so I'm laying bare-skinned on the bed, and I push myself up to a sitting position and hotch my bum towards the bottom of the matress, so I can reach out with my fingers and take hold of my big overnight urine bottle from it's hook on the bottom end of our bed - dead central and easy to reach by just tracing the thin catheter extension tube from my lower leg over the edge to where it's been draining my urine away all through the night. The slight warmth from the tube and then the bottle also make it easy peasy for my sensitive fingers to locate safely. I unhook the bottle and hold it in my right hand as I feel with my other hand back up the tubing until I reach the lower of the two elastic strips around my left calf which secure the tube to my leg. My fingers carefully unfasten the velcro strip which holds the elastic tight, and now with it hanging lose I move my fingers up a couple of inches to find the upper calf strap and release the velcro there as well so freeing up the tubing, below my knee. Now I can easily slip out of bed and onto my feet, standing on our lovely thick bedroom carpeting. I love the feel of surfaces, I can get so much info just from what the soles of my feet tell me. I'm up and ready for my first day as a teen ! I just wish my headache would go away and also the nasty taste in my mouth. ******************************************************************************************** I reach out my right hand groping for the nightstand top and then carefully feeling with my outstretched fingers for the outline of my folded cane, just so I don't knock over the clock or worse, the lamp, which is still lit as I can feel the heat, so I reach up inside the shade and finding the switch I click it off - light is no use to me, and why waste power for nothing ? I slip my right hand through the loop on the cane handle, then grasp my fingers firmly around its top. Flicking my right wrist, holding my cane, it makes several clicks indicating to me it's unfolding - it has three little hinges that allow it to fold up to a quarter it's full length for easy storage. I shake my hand in the direction of the floor until I can hear my cane's tip make it's distinctive tap sound, though muffled by the thick carpet, and anyways I feel the contact as the tip hits the ground, sort of sending a little wave of feeling up into my hand and wrist and arm. I just love holding onto my cane - it feels like a proper part of me, and I'd be lost without. In fact I have a collection of canes, with three in regular use, this little folding one just for use inside here at home, and a twin which is always folded up inside my purse and goes with me whenever I leave, whatever. Then just behind our main door is the spot where I keep my long cane for outside use, this one doesn't fold and is thicker and reaches further out ahead of me to give warnings about what I'm about to walk over. Each cane is like my friend and a part of my daily routine, every day, always. At home, of course, I can manage without, but there are three good reasons for using my little folding cane - it still prevents me from bumping into things, stubbing toes or banging wrists, it pleases mom cos she knows I'm far safer and won't fall so I'm okay home alone, and it gets my mind fully focused on my cane techniques from the very start of the day until the very end ensuring my cane skills remain tip top and my concentration level is always spot on too. ******************************************************************************************** I'm still clutching the urine bottle in my left hand and now the tubing with its two elasticated calf strips should be dangling from the bottle top at one end to my thigh straps on the other, then the tube is still tight to my upper leg all the way into my sensitive parts, where a slight tug tells me all is still okay. So I can set out, with my cane fully operational, and I tap my way carefully past the nightstand, turning sharply to the right where the doorway out from my bedroom leads onto the the short hallway running towards the rest of our small apartment. Here the floor is very different, with a thin carpet running the length of the hall and like a course fibre matting both sides of the carpet strip, up to the walls. The floor here feels a lot firmer and in a way easier for my feet and the point of my cane to ''feel'' the way. The left wall is empty except for a radiator just a pace down the hall, then a sort of empty space where mom always has the two fold-up clothes drying racks, right for mom's stuff and the left one for my skirts & tops which just got washed recently - I wave with my left arm to make sure I'm clear of bumping against these racks cos my cane can go all the way under them to the wall and I'd still have a collision cos they jut out into the hallway. Beyond the last rack I know to count two paces to our outside door, which is also like five paces if I start counting as I leave my bedroom doorway. On the right wall of the hall its different, just doorways first to mom's bedroom after just two paces, and I expect it to be left open as always, but just to check that out my cane hits nothing and my right hand feels nothing but air as I wave it in the doorway space just to confirm my thought. Three more paces down the corridor and I'm able to turn to my right and tap my cane into the space of the open doorway to our bathroom. I can feel the coolness of the bathroom on my face and hear the drip of water into the tank somewhere. The cold tiled floor is also very different to my feet and my cane now makes a really sharp click on contact. There are also tiles completely covering all the walls, so when I reach out to the right with my hand I find the hard, cool, smooth tiled surface, with painted wooden wall shelving in the area nearest to the hallway. The bathroom's my first call, today and every day. ******************************************************************************************** The layout of our bathroom is something I know as well as the back of my hand, as we've lived here since immediately after my eyes were removed nearly five years ago - something which apparently proved my blindness to even the most doubting housing official, so we got rehoused in this modern apartment where there are just two stories, a lot easier for me than the four sets of stairs I used to have to go up in our old place across town. So, obviously I never saw this apartment but I could take anyone on a conducted tour without problems as it's layout is sort of burned into my memory. So with the bath to the left against the wall which backs onto our kitchen, with the shower unit next to it on the wall opposite the door and then the washbasin directly next on that wall opposite to the right of the shower, that leaves a nice big space on the right wall of the bathroom for the toilet and bidet unit and bins for waste, with shelves and cupboards above with supplies. The other little cupboard, with soaps and toothbrushes, and glass for mom's dentures and all her denture products is actually on the outside wall, between the washbasin and toilet. The window is over the washbasin and slightly off to it's left just up to the shower unit. It's frosted glass which means no one can see through and I know that cos I can feel the different glass with its pattern of oval shapes that seems as if it's carved into it. This particular window glass always seems a little damp too, probably cos of the changing temperatures in the water here. The top third of the bathroom window is the bit that opens and mom always leaves it open but on a sort of lock for security. Some blind people with some residual sight can distinguish dark and light, so they can spot where windows are during daylight hours, but without eyes and minus my optic nerves, my blindness is total, so I don't know if it's light or dark, so windows are just the same as walls to me, just different in shape. ******************************************************************************************** Turning into the bathroom I tap to my right till I'm in front of the toilet, which makes a distinctive hollow noise as my cane makes contact. Before I can do anything else I need to dispose of my urine bottle. There I put my cane down on the floor and still holding the bottle in my left hand I sit onto the toilet while I reach with my right fingers down between the top of my legs for the catheter tube where it emerges from my ''pee hole'' and I press a little plastic clip that's always there and is the control for a valve to shut off the tube. With that blocked so I cannot drip out of myself, I can detatch the tubing from just below that clip and then stretching one hand down my thigh till I find first the upper elastic band and unfasten the velcro strip, then lower to the second elastic thigh band and release that too, so the tubing is now completely separated from my body. I feel with one hand down the full length of the tube till I reach the neck of my overnight urine bottle, and just there I disconnect the tubing from the bottle top. Leaving the bottle standing upright on the floor for a minute, I next use one hand to hold the tubing, while with the other hand I pull on the first of the four elastic bands still attached to the tubing by its little rubber loop - I pull off all four by sliding their loops till they drop off the end of the tube. All my incontinence aids are now detached and on the floor in front of me. I bend forwards till I'll holding the luke-warm night-time urine bottle and strain as I take a firm hold on it. Ouch ! My sore tummy just gave me a nasty twinge. Then I twist open the bottle top and tip the contents down between my open thighs into the toilet basin, pouring the urine careful to get it all safely down the toilet. When I hear the splashes give way to drips then silence I know it's been done okay. We cannot afford to throw all my empties out so I pick back up the tube and four elasticated bands and turn to feel for the shelf beneath the big cupboard unit on the wall between the toilet and the door - there I locate a big plastic bowl and I place the empty urine bottle and long plastic tubing and used elastic banding in there. I turn back, feel for the washbasin, where I balance the bowl under the cold tap and run enough water in to cover things up, then turning I carefully replace the bowl on it's shelf where mom will ensure the bottle, tube and bands get thoroughly cleansed before being reused in a couple of nights time. ******************************************************************************************** With my hands free now I grope for the toilet and sit down on it, reaching a hand down towards my privates where I turn the little catheter valve switch so any urine stored up inside me since I disconnected the tube can drip out down the toilet bowl. I spend a moment massaging my aching tummy, and sure enough, my bowls open open and I do all my toilet duties, wiping my botty and carefully disposing the paper down in the bowl. I sit for a moment and feel the thumping in my head - has this headache just got worse than ever ? I reach back and press the flush and hear the toilet work, then I move off just a few inches along the wall, resitting almost straight away on the bidet and press for a full bottom wash, which cleans me back and front, and feels soothing to my sore skin. I don't need to dry myself this time cos I'm heading for my shower next. ****************************************************************************************** Getting up I turn to the washbasin first and feel it so I move just to the left and find the cold shower unit floor with my bare feet. Stepping in I reach back to locate the curtain and pull it on, not for privacy cos that never is an issue in our house, but so I don't end up spraying water everywhere and unintentionally wash the bathroom floor - something I've done anyways a lot of times when I was younger ! He He ! I feel up for the shower head so I know it's rough direction and try to stand underneath and then grasping the two shower taps I twist till water hits my bare bald head then my shoulders. Here in central California the weather is warm or hot most of the year so I only bother with heated showers on coldest winter days, the freezing shower water is so refreshing it sort of makes me completely wide awake in moments. I take the soap and run it over my head, especially letting the soapy water run into my empty eye sockets, which need special care to make sure I've cleaned out all the guck from sleep as well as the little scatter of dust and dirt particles, even grit, which seem to find a refuge in my soft eye tissues and can easily irritate and cause soreness. Then I rub my body and give myself a good cleansing, right down my flat chest with erect nipples now cos of the cold water, further down past my poor achy tummy, to my delicate privates which I wash carefully with soft and gentle finger tips, then my legs and even my feet and toes. Because I don't have a clue about how my body looks in a visual way, my own understanding of how I am is formed at moments like my morning shower when I run my sensitive fingers all over my whole body. I can trace every little part of me, from memory, and certainly anything different would jump out at first touch. No luck today, even though it's my first teen shower - no sign of any bulges on my totally flat chest, no hairs appearing anywhere, nothing but dryness inside my most private place. My puberty has not happened yet ! ************************************************************************************** A large bath towel hangs on the rail in the space between the shower and the washbasin, so I reach out for it and start to dry myself. One weird advantage of having no hair at all is that I can dry myself record quick with no need for shampoo or conditioner and no wet hair to dry after. I take my time carefully rubbing my delicate eyeless sockets dry, to minimise chances ot aggravating any soreness there. The same really applies to the sore skin between the top of my legs which needs extra soft dabbing to get it dry without more hurt as. Then, once I'm dry with the bath towel I'm done, and wow am I wide awake and ready to get moving, but awwwww the pain in my head seems to be really throbbing. I leave my teeth cleaning till I've had breakfast, that way the benefit should last until lunchtime at least. So, I reach down on the floor in front of the toilet, feeling for my cane which I left down there. Blind girls are always said to have good hearing, largely cos we have to listen carefully I think, but for the same reason we also have fantastic memories - we simply have to remember exactly where we put things, otherwise life becomes a complete disaster real quick ! Bending over was not such a clever move, not today anyways - my headache seems severe and I definitely felt a bit faint while I was moving my head down and back, while the tummy ache didn't appreciate me putting pressure on my insides by the movement either ! Ouch, double ouch. Try to stay positive, Shantelle, it's your special teen birthday. ******************************************************************************************** I don't normally fuss about clothes until later, and especially on days when I'm home alone. But my urine bag for the day needs sorting out. Firstly I tap across the bathroom to the cupboards on the wall near the bidet. I find the shelf with my supplies and picking up a clean urine bag already with a short tube for connecting into my catheter at one end and a little plastic tap at the other end, and two elasticated straps, one at top one at bottom end of the bag for attaching it all to my left thigh - all prepared by mom and ready for me to use ! Awwww, she helps me just sooo very much, even when she's not actually here. My sweet mom ! I retrace to the toilet and sit, and before I start I might as well empty any new urine straight down the toilet, so I turn the clip and I hear drops down in the toilet bowl. Then still sitting cos with my legs open it's easier, I reach with my left fingers for the catheter tube as it comes from inside me and with my right fingers I hold the tube from the top of the new leg bag and push the tube up so it slots into the catheter. I check the clip so I am assured is open to let the liquid out into the tube, then I check that the tube is fixed securely into my catheter. A couple of tugs tells me it's in order. If the urine cannot flow out, I can become very sick very quickly, and if the tube comes lose, I can end up dripping and only find out when I feel some wet ! Neither case funny, so double check is important. Still seated I place the soft plastic oblong shaped urine bag against the inside of my left thigh holding it firmly there with my right fingers, while deftly fastening the two elasticated support straps with my left hand. The straps encircle my thigh and fasten with velcro strips, which I double check are pulled nice and tight so the bag wont drop down my leg when I stand up. That's exactly what I do next, and with my cane dangling from my right wrist, I have two hands free to feel my urine bag and give it an extra tug to pull it up so the top strap is right near the top of my thigh just an inch or so below my private area - I decide to refasten the top elastic velcro just to make sure it's nice and tight and there shouldn't be any danger of it sliding down my leg as I go about my day. The bags are about six inches long by four inches across so they stay partly hidden from view when I'm wearing my skirt, though anyone who looks at all closely must be able to spot them, as well as the growing bulge under my skirt as the bag fills up and needs emptying every four hours or so. The most obvious bit is the little plastic tap at the very bottom which allows me to empty my bag throughout the day - the tap pokes out below my skirt whatever but I'm not going to even try to wear trousers of any kind cos the crotch would only rub my sore parts and make them even worse ! Right now anyone could see all my incontinence equipment, as I'm still quite naked ! He he, I am here alone, you know. Maybe now all the bending over is done with and my head and tummy will start to hurt a bit less ? ******************************************************************************************** Then just as I tap my way out the bathroom, about to turn right so I can head towards the door to our main room, I get a shock ! The door bell rings, ding dong, loudly and twice. The bell itself is actually fixed on our hall wall above the door to outside and I'm virtually in front of it. But the bell isn't the one from that door but the door downstairs from the street that you must enter first before climbing the twenty one steps to our floor, where we share the landing with the apartment next door. There is a tiny service lift sort of elevator which is hidden behind the staircase, but only gets used when someone needs to shift furniture or the like. Personally, I don't like this or any other elevator cos when you're going in or even out you can easily walk into anyone already in or waiting to board cos they are still and silent, and you can confuse floors and need to ask, not to mention trip over the exit and entry floor cos sometimes the building floor and the elevator floor are not properly on a level. Ouch. The bell indicates someone is outside and wants entry, but we have a security intercom, placed next to our own main door. I'm just about to reach for the button on the wall which allows me to speak to someone outside when I hear a voice come through the intercom instead. Wow. ******************************************************************************************** The voice on the intercom was saying, ''Hello, is that the Sanchez residence on Leff Street, please ? I have a flower delivery from a Ms. Sharrlene Sanchez for a Miss Shantelle Sanchez. May I enter, I need a signature, please ?'' The voice sounded male and quite young but very polite and businesslike. The security system means I need to press a button which makes a loud bleep and will open the outside door so the man can enter the building. Obviously it sounds genuine. ******************************************************************************************** I feel the wall to make sure my face is over the intercom and I reply in as loud a voice as I can manage, trying so hard to make myself clear, despite shaking with nerves. ''Y-y-yes, h-he-hell-hello th-th-there. I-I-I'm h-h-here. H-he-hell-hello. Y-y-yes, o-o-ok-okay, I-I-I'm p-pr-press-pressing th-th-the b-b-butt-button n-n-now.'' ******************************************************************************************** The delivery man's voice booms again, with. ''Thankyou, I heard you okay and now the door is opening, miss can I ask ? Are you on the ground floor or up the stairs ?'' ********************************************************************************************* Taking an especially deep breath, I concentrate hard on my reply, saying, ''G-g-great, b-br-bri-brill, w-w-we l-li-live u-u-up th-th-the st-st-stair-stairs, a-ap-apar-apart-apartment n-nu-num-numb-number f-f-four. H-he-hell-hello. P-pl-plea-please c-c-come u-u-up.'' ******************************************************************************************** I don't hear any more words but instead the sound of boots making loud footsteps on the concrete stairway outside. Next problem is our own security, cos mom will not allow me to let any strangers into our apartment when I'm home alone, but we have a door with a chain which allows it to open just a few inches, so I connect the chain and then I realise that the key normally in the door has gone with mom to her work. I need to get mine from out of my purse, but that's hanging on a hook in my bedroom. Before I can tap my way down the hallway to retrieve it, I hear the man approach our door and the different shrill ring of our door bell rings out. Standing just the otherside of the door I try to inform him of the delay, by shouting, ''H-he-hell-hello, c-c-can y-y-you j-ju-jus-just w-wai-wait a-a-a m-mi-min-minute. I-i-i n-n-nee-need t-t-to g-g-get th-th-the k-k-key. J-ju-jus-just a-a-a s-se-sec.'' ******************************************************************************************** Before I can say more I hear a loud but clear reply, ''No worries, miss, you just take your time. Thankyou for letting me into the building. No rush, now. Thanx.'' ******************************************************************************************** I'm so impressed by his polite manners, but i must get on or he'll be waiting out there all morning. Tapping my way into my bedroom, I turn to the wall on the right beyond the doorway, and sure on the first hook of three for my coats I find my fingers wrapping around the thin strap of my purse, so I can easily locate the fastener and opening it, sure enough inside is my keyring with the fury teddy bear fob which holds my house door and outside door keys. I snatch them out and turn to go back to the delivery man when I stop in my tracks - a sudden shock comes over me ! I'm naked ! Of course. I just bathed and was about to do breakfast, with plans to get dressed afterwards - oops. Panic. Then I remember my little shorty dressing gown which should be hanging on the back of my wedged open bedroom door. That should do, but is it still there ? I bend down to unwedge the door and moving it away from the wall I feel behind for the distinctive silky fabric of my jacket sized dressing gown. Phewww - it's there. I grab it and remember to push the door back and replace the wedge so no more accidents later. Then I try to push my left arm into a lsleave, but it's the wrong one so I start again, take my time, do it slower, but get it right - that's the regular mantra of blind folks all over the world. I don the little silky jacket and fasten the belt holding it closed round my waist. It's too short to really be decent, not sure but it feels like I've grown since last time I put it on and my bare bum is probably showing, maybe not so bad at the front, but then it hits me, of course, my catheter tube and urine leg bag clearly stick way out the bottom. Too late, I'll just have to try to stand half hidden behind the door. I tap my cane as I make my way back along the passageway, calling out as clearly as I can, ''H-he-hell-hello, I-I-I'm b-ba-back. J-ju-jus-just a-a-a m-mi-min-minute.'' ******************************************************************************************** As I approach the door I can hear the man saying, ''It's fine miss, I'm still here. No worries.'' There is a frosted glass panel in our outside door, which is of no use tto me at all, but mom says you can make out the outline of someone when they stand by the door, so my guess is our delivery man may be able to see my outline, even if I cannot spot him. I grope the door for the keyhole, then fiddle the keys to select the correct one, which I know by the semi-circular round end to this key as opposed to the completely round ended key which indicates the one for the downstairs door. I get the key into the hole and turn it and open the door with its handle, and I can feel the tug of the restrictive chain which only allows about three inches of a gap to appear. I hear the man's voice loud and clear now, saying, ''Hello miss. Thankyou. Firstly I have this bunch of flowers for Miss Shantelle Sanchez.'' I feel the door being pushed open to the limit of the chain and I smell the wonderful scent from the flowers. He's pushing them through the gap, so I try to grasp onto them and feel the crinkly paper wrapped around the flower stems. My cane is dangling from my right wrist, leaing both my hands free for whatever I need to receive. Handy that there is that wrist band on my cane. ******************************************************************************************** Taking a firmer hold onto the flowers, I stutter out words of explanation to the delivery man. ''I-I-I'm s-s-so s-so-sorr-sorry f-fo-for th-th-the d-de-del-delay. I-I-I'm b-b-bli-blin-blind, y-y-you s-s-see.'' I don't hear the sigh which often follows when I've just told someone I'm blind, which is nice as I really am okay about it and am never keen on hearing someone feel pity for me. Nice man ! Then, of course, I remeber her must now be able to see my face through the door opening - I'm standing here with completely empty eye sockets, so actually I bet it's really quite obvious that I am indeed blind. Duh ! Obvious really, Shantelle ! By now I'm holding the flowers and I transfer them to my right hand cos I'm expecting to have something I need to sign, so I free up my right fingers for a pen or pencil. ******************************************************************************************** The voice of the delivery man comes through clearly once more, saying, ''Miss Sanchez that's okay I didn't have to wait long and you are doing just great. I hope you like the flowers, they do smell really nice. Now I have a delivery order form here for your signature, and if you could just sign it, I can be on my way. It says that you received the flowers in good condition and I hope that's okay. I have a pen here.'' ******************************************************************************************** I can feel a pen being placed in my fingers and then I wonder where exactly he wants my signature, so I ask, ''P-pl-plea-please c-ca-can y-y-you sh-sh-show m-m-me wh-wh-where y-y-you w-wa-want m-m-me t-t-to w-wr-wri-write.'' ******************************************************************************************** He says in a nice calm voice, ''Of course, Miss Sanchez,'' and takes hold of my right hand and places it on a clipboard sort of thing which probably holds the delivery note. ''Just here below my hand is exactly the right spot, please.'' ******************************************************************************************** I feel the pen make contact with what is probably the note, and I write my name as stylishly as I can, considering I've never seen my own signature. That done I feel like I've achieved another moment of success in my young life, and as I'm starting to smile with a sense of satisfaction, I get it confirmed when I hear the words, ''Thankyou Miss Sanchez, that is perfect and I'm done. Have a great day and I hope you really enjoy the flowers. May I ask, are they for you, by any chance ?'' ******************************************************************************************** I'm now feeling my nerves evaporating, and a sense of comfort washing over me. I'm glad he asked, cos now I can prolong my happiness for a few moments longer. ''Th-th-than-thank y-y-you f-f-fo-for a-as-ask-asking, y-y-yes, i-i-it's m-m-my b-bir-birth-birthday t-t-to-today. I-I-I'm th-thir-thirt-thirteen. C-ca-can I-I-I a-as-ask, w-wh-what s-so-sort o-o-of f-flo-flow-flowers a-a-are th-th-they, p-plea-please, c-cou-could y-y-you d-des-descri-describe th-th-them ? W-wh-what c-co-col-colors ?'' ******************************************************************************************** My boldness pays off as I hear his kind voice telling me, ''No problem, Miss Sanchez. They are a mix of pale blue lily like flowers called 'Baby Blue Eyes', and yellow five petal 'Blazing Star' and orange 'California Poppies'. They look beautiful and I hope you like the very strong scent. They all come from farms in this region of central California. By the way, miss, I'm no expert, I just read the little card that is attached to the wrapper. I hope you have a lovely birthday and I think it just got off to a good start, but now I must go. More orders to deliver. Thankyou again, have a happy birthday, enjoy being thirteen, byebye, Miss Sanchez.'' ******************************************************************************************** I'm now smiling with a huge broad grin, as I realise what a great moment this has been. ''A-a-aw-aw b-b-bye-byebye, t-t-to y-y-you k-k-kin-kind s-s-sir, th-than-thank-thankyou f-f-for y-y-your k-k-kin-kind p-pa-pat-patience. Th-th-the f-fl-flow-flowers s-sm-smell w-won-wond-wonder-wondereful a-a-an-and I-I-I'm s-s-sure th-th-they l-l-look g-gr-great t-t-too. H-ha-have a-a-a g-goo-good d-d-day. B-by-byee.'' As I step back and close the door I can hear his footsteps already descending the twenty one stairs to the street level below. Wow. I just got some lovely birthday flowers, from my gran too. Awwwww. And I just coped with a delivery man at the door and it all went well. What a nice man, and he was so helpful about my blindness and not a word about my empty eye sockets and bald hairless head, or my stutter or anything about whether he saw any of my body or my leg bag poking out from my shorty gown. Awwww. He didn't seem to flinch, so maybe I'm not such a freak or maybe he delivers to weird looking people every day ? What a sweet man, though ! Hey, now I'm a teen, maybe I really can manage things just the same as everyone else. Yipppeeee. ******************************************************************************************** I turn the key in the lock of the door, so I'm sure it's closed and I'm safe, and I take the chain off so the door will open okay later when I want to go out. I need to get the flowers into water, so I turn right and head down the hall towards our main room doorway, carefully tapping with my cane as I go. Our apartment has a large main room which is in the shape of a capital letter 'L'. The first part has our dining table and chairs, then round the corner is the sitting are with couch, chairs, coffee table, shelves along the walls and two very big windows. In the inside of the 'L' shape is our kitchen which does not have a door, but opens out onto the dining room area - the kitchen's right wall backs onto the bathroom, the left wall backs onto the lounge part of our main room and there's a sink with window over on the end wall directly opposite the way in. The dining and lounge area is completely covered in another nice thick carpet just like my bedroom, which is great for keeping warm toes but a little less helpful when I need to tap or feel exactly where I am or find something on the floor. In contrast, the kitchen area has rubber tiles and is much colder but also harder and firmer so I know exactly what I'm standing on, even I can feel with my feet the exact joins in the tile squares. ******************************************************************************************** I turn into the kitchen area and lay the flowers out on the draining board next to the sink. I need a vase and there should be one back in the main room in the bureau unit between the dining area and the longe section. I tap my way there and bending down open a cupboard and sure enough, my fingers find a flower vase made of thick cut glass. On the shelf above I find a little cloth mat which will act as a base for the vase, and I place the mat on the unit top in the middle and head back into the kitchen with the vase. Easy to fill it with tap water and then a careful unwrapping of the flowers and I pop them into the vase and return it to the top of the unit in the main room, placing the little label I found on the wrapping paper next to the vase - that's probably what the delivery man read out to me ? In the mid section of that unit top I feel the set of three photos of us that mom treasures - one of me, one of me and mom and one of me, mom and gran. I don't know which is which, but I move tham a little to the side so there's space for my birthday flowers. Awwww. Now I need breakfast, but first I want to take off my little dressing gown as it's already heating me up and I would hate to accidentally spill something on it when I make my breaky. I tap my way back to my bedroom and replace my gown on the hook behind my door - although I'm all naked again, it's quite okay, nobody else is here and I can relax in warm August air while I get on with making my little meal, so I tap my way back to the kitchen. ******************************************************************************************** The cooker, fridge-freezer, washer and dish-washer all stand along the sides of the kitchen, mostly topped by work surfaces and above them are cupboards and there's also a couple of low cupboards nearer to the dinning area. I know where everything is, but also we have labels done with my brailer on just about every jar or box or carton or packet, so I know what foods and drinks are what. I was taught braille when I was a young schoolgirl, as my sight was very bad before I lost it totally, so braille has always been easy for me and no hassle, cos it really, really helps. Mom was introduced to it too, but found it so much harder, so when I got a bit older, like third grade, I started to give mom lessons. Now she knows the braille alphabet perfectly and can write labels with no problems. She says I was a great teacher and I say she's my best student - but sadly she cannot really do advanced braille with all the abbreviations that make it so simple and speedy for me. So schoolwork is never something mom could do for me, but with food, clothes and equipment labelling, she's the best ! ****************************************************************************************** To do a breakfast of coffee, juice, toast and cereal with a fruit yoghurt and a banana, takes me hardly longer than a sighted person. I can put my cane down on the dining room table, and with both hands free it's easy as I know where everything is and in no time I can be ready to eat. The kettle makes a noise when the water is hot, the toast pops up in the toaster and all the stuff is so well labelled and also has a distinctive smell, so it's no problem. I can resort to pushing a finger tip into a jar or carton if I'm not sure, but the number of times I tasted salt instead of sugar or juice rather than milk are very few. Down to mom's careful watchfulness and a bit to my own skills too. I also push a finger tip into my cereal bowl so I know how much milk I'm pouring in and into my coffee mug so I don't fill it up all wrong, though I'm super careful of the hot liquid in case it might scald me, so it's like a dip and retract at the speed of light, I think. ******************************************************************************************** I wonder how the time is going and so as I place my breakfast dishes on the dining table I also reach out for the clock which stands at the back of the table and which also has an open face with no cover, so my fingers can feel the hands - wow it's now eight fifteen or so, over an hour has gone since I got out of bed. How long was I talking to the delivery man ? Oh, maybe I just had a really nice long shower. As I lay out my breakfast plates on the table I follow a familiar pattern - placing the cereal dish down in front of my chair with the juice glass at like ten o'clock so my left hand can find it without a spill, while the coffe mug goes at two o'clock so I can use my right hand to lift it to my lips. I place the banana and yoghurt beyond my ceral at about twelve o'clock with the little plate of toast off to my right at about four o'clock. I do this pretty much every day and that way I don't knock over cups or glasses by bumping my hand into them and also I can find the food I want instead of taking pot luck and mixing it all up or taking an age to refind what I'm after. I learned this clock-face system on one of my very early blindness training courses, and I taught it to gran not so long before she went on her first course - it's one reason they all said she was the best prepared new student ! ******************************************************************************************** Next, I just got myself sitting down at the dining table with toast in my mouth, when I thought about my cell phone, which overnight charges up from a plug beind the table and is always there ready for me at the start of each day. It takes a lot out of the cell phone battery each day, with me having to rely on the voice mechanisms so much, but the new phone mom got me last Christmas is definitely a step up for me, cos it actually is specifically for someone like me with no sight at all, so it has absolutely no display area, just the keys (in braille) and various side buttons, so it doesn't use quite as much power as if it had a display like my old phone - wasted energy and no use to me whatever. Since I got the new phone I haven't had any more accidents like before, where the power runs out before I get home - very tricky ! So, reaching beyond my cereal dish and the unopened banana, I locate my cell phone and unfasten the charger wire, and let my fingers wander down the right hand side to the button which activates the voice to read out who sent me any new message come in since I was last on my phone. Today, instead of the odd reminder or little note, there are tons of messages, like over a dozen - wow ! ******************************************************************************************** I guess I can also use my phone like you might do by calling and speaking live or leaving voicemail, but with my stutter that's not really the best way, for me. I have no choice on the fact I have to receive texts then play them out loud, but I don't use the voice method of dictating a text which some blind people do, instead I choose to type my texts using the braille characters on the phone which are the direct equivalent of your letters, so for 'B' I find the middle top button but press twice so it scrolls past 'A', or if I want 'O' then I find the last button on the second row and press three times, so it goes past 'M' and 'N' till it reaches 'O'. Do you ever mess up by forgetting if you pressed twice or three times ? Guess what, I don't cos the phone voice tells me out loud which letter I'm going past - hehe, not all bad you know, just cos I can't see ! So I prefer to send and receive texts. One day before too long I'm hopeful that some techno wizard will invent a simple way for me to read my texts on my phone with a braille display that moves with the message, just like I have on my computer braille display. After all, without need for a screen for me to look at, it could actually replace the area of the screen so make it no bigger. ******************************************************************************************** My family, teachers, helpers and friends all know to text if possible, so I should have been more prepared for the dozen or so messages of basically ''Happy Birthday now you are really a Teen''. The one person who is an exception to this is my gran - she has very little idea how to send or receive texts, despite my lessons before and since her sight deteriorated. She does use her cell phone for phone calls though, so I must remember to give her a call thanking her for the wonderful flowers - thing is I can talk on the phone, but my stutter makes me self-conscious. With gran it's okay though, cos I know she can understand me whatever problems I have spitting out my words. If I wasn't already excited I am now. Awwww, my family and friends are just soooooo sweet. Half my friends seem to want to meet up to celebrate with me, and that sounds fantastic except for three small problems - firstly, my thumping headache and stomach pains make me feel more like curling up and going back to bed; secondly, I'm determined to have a birthday tea and whole evening just with mom cos she's my best friend ever, so I'm definitely not free later; lastly, earlier I'm also busy with the dentist at two o'clock, awwwww ! I don't feel like doing much for the next couple of hours, just chilling, trying out some birthday gifts and checking my texts and emails with an idea to reply if poss - that should fill my time before the dentist ? My mouth hurts while I'm biting into the toast, a bad reminder, I fear. I'm so mixed up, part of me keeps breaking out in a smile - I've made it to thirteen and am so happy at that and so lucky to have such kind and nice family and friends and I really want to share my time with them. But my headache seems far more severe than it's been in ages, and my tummy is definitely not okay, though maybe breakfast inside me might help ? But then, ouch my teeth and gums and mouth feel all sore and yuck too. Well, that should be getting sorted somehow this afternoon. **************************************************************************************** When I've eaten the last mouthful of yoghurt and bitten off the last bit of banana, my feast is over. I need to dispose of my dirty dishes in the dish washer, then grasping my cane I head back to the bathroom to clean my teeth. Wow my mouth feels like a real mess, there's still a yucky taste on my tongue even after toast and yoghurt ! I reach in the little cupboard next to the washbasin, grabbing my toothbrush and tube of paste, which I do carefully by feeling with my finger tips and try to spread the paste on the brush not all over me. I spend quite a few minutes brushing carefully, then reach for the floss from the same shelf and do that in every crevice between all my twenty eight teeth, then I brush again for maybe five minutes. Spitting out all the paste and what tastes like blood I swill water from the cold tap into my mouth repeatedly to rinse it all away. Running my tongue around the familiar territory of my teeth and gums I feel a real pang of anxiety and a little hot sweat on my face. There definitely is blood in my mouth and my gums all feel so tender and hurt, but worst is my tongue feels to be able to move my teeth, especially all the front ones, as if they are coming lose somehow. Finally, I reach for the bottle of mouthwash in the cupboard and using the cap as a little cup take a swig and let the liquid squirm around my teeth and gums before I spit is out again. Yuck. I try one more capful and then a mouth of cold water, but still the minty toothpaste and mouthwash flavor seems to be mixed with the taste of something horrid. I make sure I rinse off my toothbrush thoroughly before putting it away and turning to leave the bathroom, cane in hand, I drop the used floss in the bin near the bidet. Turn left, six paces and my cane finds the doorway to my room at the hallway end. I'm worried as I enter my room and decide to turn left and find the bed before sitting down on it. ******************************************************************************************** Obviously, the dentist appointment is a good thing, even on my special teenage birthday. Whatever is wrong, we should at least find out soon. But what if there really is something badly wrong ? I'm just thirteen today, no way should my teeth feel loose ! I pop my left index finger into my mouth and push against my teeth, just to get some kind of confirmation of what I think my tongue has found out. Yes, for sure. My front top teeth feel really wobbly, my side teeth a bit and my lower front teeth too, only really the big thick back teeth seem set firm. Wow, is this something my dentist can fix ? Maybe he can give me some medication or say what products might help ? Maybe I'm beyond help and my teeth will soon fall out ? Is that how it was for mom ? I think it must have been like that for gran ? Awwwww. ******************************************************************************************** Just as these horrid thoughts are circulating my mind and delaying me starting to finally get myself dressed, I'm brought back to life by sudden loud ringing coming from the main room. I can clearly tell it's my cell phone and so I instinctively get up and tap my way back down the hallway and grope on the dining table for my phone. It's still ringing, so I press a button on the side of the phone and above the sound of the chiming I hear my phone voice telling me who's calling - and it's gran ! Awwww, just the person I wanted most. I instantly press the answer button and the rings stop and instead I hear the lovely voice of my sweet gran. ******************************************************************************************** ''Sshhanthelle, isshh thath you ? Happy Birwthday, sshhweethy. Did you geth the flowerwth thath I asshked them tho deliverw forw you ?'' Gran spoke her words fast and true but with her very distinctive lisp, clearly without her dentures in her mouth, similar to mom but with slightly more of her latino hispanic accent. She so rarely wears her false teeth that I'm just totally used to her lisp and find her ''church voice'' on Sundays with her top denture in place quite strange and much harder to understand. ******************************************************************************************** But next comes the big challenge for me with any phone call, it's not can I hear the other person, it's can I manage to speak sufficiently clearly that I can be at least partly understood ? So, taking a deep breath, I attempt my response, saying, ''H-he-hell-hello g-gr-gran, h-he-hell-hello, i-it-it's m-me-me, Sh-sha-shan-shant-shantelle, h-he-here. Y-y-yes, I-I-I g-go-got th-th-the f-fl-flow-flowers o-ok-okay. Th-tha-thanx g-gr-gran, th-th-they-they're s-s-so n-ni-nice. Th-th-the de-del-deliv-delivery m-ma-man c-ca-came e-ear-earl-earlier. Th-th-they s-sm-smell s-s-so s-sw-swee-sweet. Th-tha-thanx, g-gr-gran, I-I-I l-lo-love y-y-you s-s-so.'' I was straining to get my words out, not cos it was gran, I love talking to her, but into the phone is always tough, and also I was just feeling so emotional about the flowers as a super present for my teen birthday. ******************************************************************************************** Fortunately, gran could make sense of my words, or at least that's how it sounded, as she responded with, ''Grweath newsh, Sshhanthelle, Happy Thirwtheenth birwthday, sshhweethy. I'm sho happy forw you. How arwe you feeling, sshhweethy ? Have you goth any birwthday plansh, sshhweethy ?'' There was a silence as gran took a breath and I tried to formulate my plan for the day. ******************************************************************************************** Then, it came to me in a flash. So I came back with, ''H-he-hell-hello th-the-there, g-gr-gran, y-ye-yes I-I-I h-ha-have t-to-to g-g-go t-t-to th-th-the d-den-dent-dentist a-a-at t-t-two o-o'clo-o'clock t-to-today. W-wo-would y-y-you b-b-be a-ab-able t-t-to c-co-come a-al-along w-wi-with m-m-me p-pl-plea-please ? I-If-If y-you-you c-ca-can ? I-I-I'd l-li-like th-th-that. P-pl-plea-please.'' I gave out a huge sigh of relief when I finished spitting out my words. I hope gran could make sense of what I said ? My head felt to be pounding as I waited for her to say something, and I noticed the knott of my tummy ache just seemed worse as well. Maybe my body is really a nervous wreck ? ******************************************************************************************** But I should not have worried. Gran's voice broke out with, ''Sshhanthelle, how lovely. I'd love tho go with you. Buth, Sshhanthelle, you'll need tho call rwound tho collecth me, I'll need you to help guide me along the sidewalk, sshhweethy. I've sshhthill noth darwed tho go outh on my own with jusshht my cane tho help me. Can you call rwound and collecth me ? Sshhay abouth half passhht one, sshho we have lothsshh of thime, sshhweethy ?'' ******************************************************************************************** I was already smiling broadly by the time gran finished, what a great plan and she could spend part of my special birthday with me, and she could support me at the dentist, and she might be able to tell me more about her own teeth problems way back and if they were at all like mine now. Awwww. A super way to spend part of my birthday, for sure. So I almost shouted down the phone in reply, ''Th-th-that s-sou-sound-sounds g-gr-grea-great, y-ye-yes g-gra-gra-gran, I-I-I'll c-ca-call r-rou-round t-to-to c-coll-collect y-you-you a-ab-about h-ha-half p-pas-passed o-on-one th-th-then, m-may-maybe a-a-a b-bi-bit s-soo-soon-sooner i-i-if I-I-I c-ca-can g-ge-get d-dr-dress-dressed o-ok-okay n-n-now.'' ******************************************************************************************** Then I hear gran's voice again, saying, ''Sshhanthelle, can you rwemind me, isshh your denthisshht appointhmenth a rwouthine checkup orw arwe yourw theeth sshhtill botherwing you ? Hope you don't have thoothache on yourw birwthday, sshhweethy. Oh, Sshhanthelle, do you think I should botherw to wearw my denthurwes if we arwe going to visshhith the denthisshhth, whath do you think, sshhweethy ?'' ******************************************************************************************** My gran is just so sweet, and she fusses over the craziest of little things ! I reply nice and swiftly with, ''N-n-no g-gr-gra-gran, n-n-n-o n-n-nee-need f-fo-for y-y-you t-t-to b-bo-both-bother w-wea-wear y-y-your d-de-den-dent-dentures j-ju-jus-just f-f-for m-m-me ! Th-th-the d-den-dent-dentist w-w-wi-will v-ver-very p-pr-prob-probably s-s-see l-lo-lot-lots o-o-of t-too-tooth-toothless l-la-lad-ladies. H-he-he. B-bu-but I-I-I-I d-do-do h-ha-have a-a-a v-ver-very s-so-sor-sore m-mou-mouth, m-my-my g-gu-gums h-hu-hur-hurt a-a-a l-lo-lot a-an-and m-ma-may b-be-be b-bl-blee-bleed-bleeding. M-m-my t-tee-teeth f-f-fee-feel v-ver-very l-loo-loose a-an-and w-wo-wobb-wobbly t-t-too. I-I-Its d-de-def-defin-definately n-no-not j-ju-just a-a-a r-rou-rout-routine v-vi-vis-visit.'' ******************************************************************************************** I paused as I felt my headache really throb and just thinking of my poor mouth made that seem even more sore. Gran came back with, ''Awwww, sshhweethy, sshho sshhorrwy tho hearw thath. Good thing you goth thisshh appointhmenth then. I bettherw go now and we can both geth bushy then. Love you sshhweethy and hope yourw birwthday isshh rweally nicshe desshhpithe yourw poorw mouth. Awww. Bye, Sshhanthelle, love you, byeee, sshhweethy, byee.'' ******************************************************************************************** The phone went dead even before I could get another thing out, so I pressed the end call button and decided now my phone was fully charged that I should keep it with me, just in case I got disturbed again by a call and had to tap my way all over the place to get to it - after all I did have a ton of messages to listen to in full, and I did want to get myself into those new clothes now. First I need a time check, and at least the main room clock was handy across the dining table, so I reached out a groping hand in the general direction of the back wall and sure enough I guessed nearly right, as my finger tips brushed the very edge of the clock. I moved them towards the clock face and felt for the hands - did the hands really say it was five minutes past nine already ? My super teen birthday is really flying by ! Time this thirteen years old teen girlie got some clothes on her very preteen body. So I tapped my way along the hallway back to my own room yet again. ******************************************************************************************** This time I decide to ignore my sore tummy, thumping head and weirdly yucky mouth, it really is time for action. So turning to the left I locate the nightstand with my swishing cane tip, and I place my phone there just near the base of the lamp and easy to grab if I need it in a hurry, like it starts to ring again. Now, the bed is just beyond the nightstand, a good place for me to sit while I fold my cane and also pop it on the nightstand top for later. Always, always remember where you put your cane down ! Then I turn and run my fingers over the bed seeking the clothes and up by the pillows at the top end should be my new skirt and top for wearing today ? Yes, they are - my fingers feel the thin cotton material of the new top mum had got me, it should be pink if mom selected the right one. I pick it up and feel it in my hands, nice and soft and new-feeling, with low cut front and back, wow could be awkward to tell if it's on back-to-front ? It feels quite short too, so my tum is likely to show a bit - I like that even though mom used to say things, but clearly she's decided to give way to my fashion sense ! The straps are quite thin but flat so they should stay on my shoulders without curling up into like string, nice cos I'm not keen on tiny straps that can cut into my skin. I think the cut under the arms is also quite low and if I trace the straps down they seem to run continuously edging the material below my armpits. There is a different strip edging the top at what must be the front cos it feels slightly curved down to a point in the center where it then rises again towards the opposite strap. The back has a square feel, with no curve or point to the edging, and so actually I can tell which is back and front after all. Neat ! ******************************************************************************************** I lay the top down on the bed beside me and reach for the pillow area again hoping to find the skirt. Yes, indeed, it's there and is also quite thin cotton with a waist band of double thickness then a thin flared skirt which is definitely on the short side - it should be in pale blue if I remember what mom said earlier. There feels to be elastic in the waist band so it has no fastenings at all, which suits me fine. I hate zips or fasteners cos they can come undone without me realising and if I brush my fingers against the metallic bits I can end up with a cut or graze ! If the elastic waist band is up on my waist then my boney hips should ensure it stays up and protects my modesty. Mom has excelled herself again, though all these little fussy preferences of mine are well drilled into her by now ! I search with my fingers for any labels and it's nice to find the only one on the skirt feels to be cloth and on the inside back of the waist band - handy clue for getting the skirt on straight, plus no price tag sticking out anywhere to embarass me. Phew ! I don't remeber even finding a label on the top, so I pick it up again to check, and there is one, dead central on what seems to me like the flat squared off back edging, again great for getting it on right - no tags either, neat work mom. ******************************************************************************************** So, time to dress. I just lower the skirt in one hand, towards the floor, and step into it, while holding the bed edge with my other hand so I don't fall over. Pull up to my waist, feel that the label is dead center at the back, and yippee, job done. I feel how far down my legs the skirt bottom goes, and it is well short, so the lower few inches of each thigh will show below, but also the lower part of my urine leg bag with the little plastic tap and white elastic leg strap. Ooops. I cannot really win. I've been told by everyone that my legs look great, my best asset some say, definitely nicely tanned to a chocolate brown by the summer sun here, and well toned with muscles from all my running and athletic sporting activities, unlike my flat preteen chest, skinny waist and boney hips. So, I'm happy to show some leg but must pay the price of showing some leg bag too ! Awwwww. As if I should worry - I'm blind and bald too, so it's not like I'm some ravishing beauty. My friends are okay about how I am, and strangers, well tough if I shock them, not my fault really, is it ? Tough. A quick twirl in my new skirt makes me feel giddy, but also it did rise up a fair bit, so it's definitely got a fair amount of flaring. I bet it looks great ! But I'm going to have to watch if it gets windy, cos I might easily end up flashing more than just the rest of the leg bag !! ******************************************************************************************** Now, I should pop on the top, but hold on, what about if I were to celebrate my becoming a teen by trying on the padded bra which mom got me - thing is, I didn't ask her to put it to one side, so where are the rest of my clothes prezzies ? So I need to do a quick room search I think, after I leave my pink top back on my bed up by the pillow so I can find it without trouble later on. Then I turn away from the bed and taking my cane off the nightstand I flick it so it unfolds and I tap across to the wall just in from the doorway to my left. The hooks for bags etc are there with the large round plastic dirty laundry basket beneath, then off to the left are two little chairs, which I don't really sit on, but use for stashing clothes I have taken off or plan on wearing. Spot on, that's exactly where mom seems to have put the other clothes prezzies, as my fingers find skirts and tops along with fluffy new slippers, the new leather purse with the long thin shoulder strap, along with the woolly scarf and hat from gran - which I am certainly NOT wearing today, can wait till thanksgiving at least - and just what my fingers were trying to find, the new padded bra from mom. I am not at all sure what color it is, and I pick it up to explore the shape. ******************************************************************************************** Nice flat shoulder straps which should not cut into my skin join to two almost triangular shaped cups with a fairly broad back strap which seems to fasten with two little metallic hook things in the middle of my back. I feel the cups more closely and notice the outside seems very smoothe and seamless with a little cotton bow over the central spot at the front where the two cups meet - nice. On the inside the cups feel very different, with like quilted fabric, soft to touch, that must fit against my chest. Ahh, then my fingers discover the pocket openings which are on the outer edges where the cups join to the back strap - a double edge to the fabric reveals that you can push finger tips inside and feel something harder, like a cloth covered stiffener. I gently tug and out comes the insert which has a definite saucer shape, thicker in the middle by quite a bit - do they call this insert the fillet ? With the padding removed I can now feel that the previously smoothe and seamless cup feels to have lost shape and becomes just as squidgy as the straps. Wow, the padding makes quite a difference, so I push the insert back into its like sleave and hold the bra against my bare chest. I twist it around my body so the back straps are now in the front and I can fasten them with my fingers, meaning the bra is on me. Twist and the cups return to the front, then all I need is to locate the shoulder straps and push my hands through, one at a time, then raise the straps up till they're in the right place and I'm actually wearing my very first proper bra. Mum tried me in training bras before and crop tops but these cups are shaped and the pads make my chest stick out - wow !!! Neat. ******************************************************************************************** Then just as quickly as the smile had grown across my face, it sort of turned into a frown. What is that thing sticking into my back near the fastener ? I take my arms out the shoulder straps and drop them so I can swivel the bra round and get the back fastener to the front where my hands can feel it all much easier. Sure, there are two labels attached by plastic wires by the feel of it. The labels are made of card and seem to be quite large. I'll need to have them taken off before I can really go out in the bra, otherwise I'll look a bit of an idiot with labels obviously showing. Oh dear, a shame. I feel the plastic tag wire - needs cutting with scissors cos it's too strong for my finger nails to prise apart and I'm not risking hurting my teeth even more by attempting a bite ! I unfasten the bra from my body and pop it on the bed near my pillow besides the pink strappy top, so I can find them all in a minute. I need to search for scissors. ******************************************************************************************** There are sure to be scissors in the kitchen somewhere, but certain cupboards and drawers in there are places for mom to store her stuff, and I'm not familiar with what might be where - oh dear. Hang, on, I should have nail scissors in here somewhere ? Grasping my cane again, I tap across the carpet to the two chairs with the rest of my clothes presents, then I turn to their right, where I have my dresser with drawers for what small items of clothing I wear that don't need to be hanging up in my closet round the other side of my bed. Socks, tops, hankies, even gloves and a couple of sun hats are in the various drawers, with on top the three wigs I own on their own little minature model heads, in pride of place really for any visitor to my room to admire. Bits of jewellery and knick-nacks are also in little dishes there, plus my watch, which it would be a smart move for me to fasten round my left wrist now, before I forget. It has no cover over the face so I can feel the hands, but also it talks the time if I press a button on the side, very useful, so I should never lose track of time. It's just coming to half past nine. If it wasn't for the ache in my tum, the throb in my head and the mess in my mouth, this teen birthday of mine would be going just great. No rush now, that only makes the hurts feel worse, girly. ******************************************************************************************** Next to the dresser, right in the corner of my room, is my big desk and swivel chair, where I do all my schoolwork. The main item on the desk is my wonderful computer, and that's where I mean to spend some of this quiet time this morning, checking my emails for sure, as I bet there are birthday messages from some of my friends, especially the ones who live away from our city. I could send Sarah a thankyou note for the lovely surprise teddy and card done with braille. Awwww. The nail scissors should be in a sort of tin box with pencils, erasers, little rulers and the like, somewhere in the corner of my desk top, maybe behind everything, cos I now realise mom has placed all my other prezzies here on my desk top. I feel the cds, cuddly teddy bears and what must be jewellery and stationery stuff in boxes or packaging, then my nose tells me the bath lotion and perfume spray are here too. Neat haul of prezzies, but no sign of the scissors. Awwww. Make a note, it would be real nice to soak in some of the bath lotion this evening. Should I put on a cd ? Well, I can't really use these new ones yet cos with no eyes I don't yet know which songs are on which, so I need to get mom to help later with some braille labels on the new ones, so they become useful to me. Music might not exactly help my head, either - it's thumping really bad. I think I need to just sit down on my bed for a few minutes, feeling a bit dizzy. Awwwww. Not fair, hurting so much and it's my teen birthday after all. ******************************************************************************************** So, I retrace my steps, cane out in front tapping - it hits the nightstand so I know my bed is just to the right, got it, turn, feel with fingers behind me, sit ..... Awwww, I'll just stretch out and rest for a minute till my head clears ........
ESTÁS LEYENDO
Thirteen Weeks
Novela JuvenilA fictional story set in the central California city of San Luis Obispo, describing the growing pains and dental traumas of a very active and sensitive blind teen girl. Will her thirteenth birthday bring on more health issues or will she find that b...
