You absolutely despised being blind. Whenever you happened to walk across the street or sit anywhere that was crowded with people, there was always a good chance you would hear things like...
"Wow! The sunset's absolutely gorgeous!"
"Have you seen the new guy at school? He's super hot."
"Dude, you'll love the special effects they put into that movie."
"I've always wanted to go to the zoo and see all the animals up close."
"My favourite colours? I would have to say pink and red."
It just wasn't fair. You envied everyone and anyone who had the blessing of sight, especially the ones who took it for granted. You were blind since birth, thus you never got to see a sunset, you never knew what 'hot' guys looked like, you've never seen a movie without audio subscriptions, you didn't know what any animal looked like, and colours? You had no idea what those were. But... what could you do? Nothing could grant you the gift of sight. And you would have to live with it the rest of your life.
-
You were walking down the street of a park by the lake. It was dusk and the sky's beautiful shades were illuminating on your skin, but of course, you were unaware of it. After about half an hour, your legs started to get a little sore, so you used your cane to detect a bench. When you did, you slumped down with a harsh sigh.
"Is there something wrong?"
You jolted up a bit by the unexpected voice. You turned to your right and could sense a person sitting on the other side of the bench. You could always sense people... so why/how did this person manage to catch you off guard? Judging from their voice, it was a man speaking and that he wasn't from around the area since he had a different accent... a nice one.
"Uh... no. Everything's fine. I was just tired," you explained.
"Ah, I see. My apologies for disturbing you."
"It's fine. You didn't disturb me."
A couple of minutes when by in silence. You could still sense the man was sitting beside you. In an attempt to distract yourself from the slowly growing awkwardness, you closed your eyes behind your dark shades and felt the soothing, crisp breeze flux on your cheeks.
"Excuse me again, Miss," the stranger uttered, breaking the silence and your peaceful haze(but you didn't mind). "What is your name?" Your head turned to face him.
"(Y/n). (Y/n) (l/n)," you replied with a kind tone and smile.
"Ignis Scientia," the man stated back.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Scientia," you said as politely as you could.
"Please. Call me Ignis."
"If you wish."
Another silence covered the area, the only sound present was the chirping of birds and the occasional rapid steps of joggers passing by.
"Hey, Ignis, can I ask you something?" you asked.
"Yes, (y/n)?"
"I know this is a weird question to ask, but I've always wanted to know... What does a sunset look like?"
"A sunset?" he repeated, clearly confused by your question.
"Well... yeah, I mean, as you can probably tell that I'm blind."
Yet again, another moment of silence loomed. You were wondering why he wasn't replying. But then, he chuckled a little. You were completely confused.
"What's so funny?" you asked.
"Nothing, nothing, "he replied quietly, "It's just that this situation is most ironic."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I also cannot see." Your eyebrows raised as high as they could go. Now that you thought about it, this was the first time you had met another blind person before, or at least that you knew of. Meeting someone else who has the same disadvantage as you made you feel like you weren't left out, that you weren't the only one who had to suffer with the cursed disability, that someone was on the same boat as you.
"Oh... I see. Heh. That is pretty ironic. Two blind people, not knowing that the other one couldn't see until now."
"Indeed."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but were you always blind?" you asked with caution.
"No. I was able to see for the first few years of my life. However, I was involved in an accident that cost me my sight," Ignis explained. He said it so calmly, as though it didn't bother him at all.
"Oh..." you uttered, feeling guilty that you made him share his tragic detail. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No need to apologize. How about yourself?"
"Me? I was born blind. I've never seen a thing. The closest thing I have to sight is my touch."
"I see. I'm very sorry to hear that. It must be very challenging for you."
"Not really. After all, when you've had something all your life, you grow accustomed to it. It must be harder for you since you've been able to see."
"Hm. You have very good wisdom," the man complimented. You felt your cheeks grow hot, you didn't know why.
"Thank you."
"Hey, Ignis! C'mon, time to go!" you suddenly heard a voice calling. It sounded like a man's voice.
"Well, I'm afraid I must take my leave," he stated as he got up from the bench. You sensed him facing you. "Would it be possible for us to meet again?"
You smiled.
"I would like that," you replied joyfully.
"Do you come to this area often?"
"Almost everyday." Unbeknownst to you, Ignis smiled as well.
"Then we will meet again soon."
Little did you know that that was the start of a beautiful relationship.
END
