Chapter 14: Boo!

At lunch time Friday, Ken sat alone in the cafeteria, eating his lunch and thinking, "This is one of those days."

To start, he woke up late. He NEVER woke up late. Evidently there'd been a momentary power failure that night and his alarm clock lost its settings. He had to rush through his shower and eat a banana on the way to school. He didn't even get to check his email.

On the way to school after the rush was over, he thought about the afternoon reading session with Amanda. The reconciliation and walk in the park had gone well, and he looked forward to more time with her after school.

But then, first period, in physics class, he got back a quiz he'd thought was easy and found that he'd screwed up an assumption and gotten everything wrong. A big fat ZERO! He NEVER failed quizzes or tests in science; he never failed anything. Beside being frustrating, it was embarrassing since this teacher always handed tests back in grade order, and the class was used to Ken being first, not last. Fortunately, the teacher always ignored the lowest quiz score when calculating final grades, so this wouldn't affect his overall grade, but it still contributed to his sour disposition.

After first period, he passed Kelly and Todd in the hall. He'd finally gotten used to seeing them together, and while he no longer felt physically sick, it still hurt. This time was different; Kelly smiled at him and said, "Hi," before Todd pushed her -- a little roughly -- down the hall away from him. Since their breakup, she'd just sneered or smirked at him. This was the first smile and civil word she'd given him since the talk on her porch. He had no idea why she'd been such a bitch for the last couple of weeks or why the change now.

And here he was at lunch. He hadn't had to eat alone at school in practically forever, but today, John was off on a biology field trip, Sandy was sitting with some of her girlfriends, and the rest of the computer club members were nowhere to be seen, so Ken was alone. Murphy's law seemed to be cumulative.

After lunch, as he was walking to his Calculus class, he was suddenly shoved hard from the side into the row of lockers. He bounced off them with a clanging sound and fell to the floor looking up at Todd glaring at him, face almost purple.

"Stay away from my woman, geek." The football player prodded him in the ribs with his foot as a further threat before sauntering away. Ken couldn't think of any possible reason for the attack. Would that oversized, under-brained jock really take offense because Kelly just said hello to him as they passed in the hallway, or was Todd, the Neanderthal, just doing his bit to make an already rotten day a little worse?

He wondered if life was just becoming too complicated. The computer competitions, breaking up with Kelly, getting to know Amanda, college application deadlines, classes, grades... was too much going on in his life? Could it be time to simplify? Then again, maybe this was just a bad day.

The last few classes of the day went all right, or at least nothing happened to make the day worse, and when he thought about his reading time with Amanda his mood began to improve. They'd gotten permission from her parents and Miss Harris to go off campus for the reading appointment. He met her at the entrance to her high school. She greeted him with a hug and quick kiss, and they drove to her house.

Like all teenagers, their first stop was the kitchen, where Ken poured a couple of glasses of cranberry juice for each of them to have a drink before they made their way back to the living room to do their assignment. They sat on the couch next to each other, and he reached into her book bag.

"I'll get the book... no more drop-the-book games," he said with a chuckle. She agreed and leaned on his shoulder, her hands holding his arm as he began to read, with feeling! He felt her slowly rub the side of her face against his shoulder while she moved her hand up and down his arm, and he couldn't help but pause in his reading and kiss her head.

"This is so much better than sitting in that stuffy little room." She said with a soft sigh. He agreed and before he could start on the book again, she slid down until she was lying on her back on the couch with her head on his lap, cheek against his stomach.

"You look way too comfortable like that. I'll warn you right now, if you start snoring, I'm going to tickle you."

"I don't snore," she commented with a yawn.

It seemed completely natural for him to hold the book up in one hand and begin to trace little designs on her tummy through her sweater with the other hand between page turnings. More important, this just felt... right. He realized that all the frustrations over his miserable day were... well, they just weren't there anymore. He didn't remember the bad feelings going away, but in Amanda's presence they just seemed to have evaporated. With her lying in his lap, this didn't seem like such a bad day at all.

Looking down at her face, he noticed a look of pure bliss -- eyes closed, face relaxed, edges of her mouth turned slightly up toward a grin. Except for the smile and an occasional comment, she looked like she was sleeping and enjoying a very nice dream.

As he approached the end of another pair of pages, he realized that the hand on her belly had moved up, seemingly on its own, and was now gently caressing the underside of a breast. It really didn't want to leave the firm mound to turn the page of the book, so he just leaned back on the couch and let it continue its exploration while he put the book down and sent the other hand on its own journey through Amanda's hair, then to an ear, and then her face. When it reached her lips, she kissed his fingers.

"Ken, not that I'm complaining, but we don't seem to be making much progress in the book right now." She whispered.

"Yeah, I know. I think we're done reading for today."

Both of Ken's hands went to her sides and pulled her up into a kiss. First just little quick dabs of kisses on her lips, then he moved to her cheeks, then her closed eyes, then on to her nose and chin. While they were good kisses, and the cheeks, eyes, nose, and chin appreciated every one, she finally managed to turn her head to again capture the kisses on her lips. Those lips were very soft and very cooperative as his pushed a little harder against them to feel their warmth and taste their flavor -- the flavor of strawberry lip gloss mingling with the taste of girl. His tongue peeked out of his mouth and touched those soft, warm lips, which immediately opened slightly to capture the intruder between them. He heard or maybe felt a sigh. Was it the girl in his arms? Was it him? He really wasn't sure and it didn't matter at all.

Just because the lips were so delightfully occupied didn't mean the hands were idle. One of them held her close while the other found the bottom of her sweater and slid under it, up her warm skin to delicately traverse her side and belly and then find the bra-covered breast it had so recently left. That small hill was silky smooth under its covering with a hard, gumdrop-shaped nipple on the summit. His index finger began circling that gumdrop, tickling and tantalizing it and its twin on the other side of her chest. He knew it would taste as sweet as it felt. Amanda started to squirm and shiver in his arms as the kisses and the hands had more and more effect on her.

Her arms went around his neck holding her to him. One moved slowly up to the back of his head, while the other began rubbing between his shoulder blades. That hand on his head left no doubt where his lips belonged as it held his tightly to hers. Within the joined mouths, her tongue began to dance with his -- first, just little touches, soon progressing into a full contact slow dance as sensuous as any ever seen on a dance floor.

While the smooth fabric of the bra gave the delicious mound a pleasing texture, it shielded the hand from its true goal, so it retreated, then crept up under the elastic to find the hot, smooth skin it sought. Now that it had direct contact, it could cover the whole breast in its palm and rub and touch that hard little nipple at the top. From her reaction, he knew she enjoyed the touches as much as he did.

Amanda shuddered and squirmed more frantically, causing the hand on her back to almost lose its hold on her. Her hand dropped to his lap for stability and found itself grasping his very excited, very hard cock. This was something she had never felt before. When she realized what she was touching, she yanked her hand away from his lap like it was a hot stove, her face a mask of embarrassment.

"Ken... oh my God... what are we doing?"

His hand reluctantly moved from her breast around to her back to hold her more securely, and between quick kisses to her face he whispered, "You feel wonderful."

"You do too... but..." and her face turned redder as she found herself too embarrassed to speak. After a moment she continued, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

He wiped a drop from her cheek, "It's okay; I shouldn't have done that. I don't want to rush you, but you feel so good that I got carried away."

"I got carried away too, but we need to slow down a little." Then she smiled through her drying tears and with a giggle said, "Not too much though."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." He smiled, and the slight laugh in his voice let her know about the smile.

"Hey... my mom and dad told me I should invite you to dinner Sunday. I guess with you spending more time here, they want to get to know you a little better. If you can't, it'll be okay, but I think they'd really like it, and I'd know I would."

"That would be fun. I need to work tonight and tomorrow, but I'm off on Sunday. Any idea what time I should show up?"

"We usually eat at around six-thirty on Sundays, but you can come anytime."

"Maybe we can find something to do in the afternoon. Do you know if you're free?"

"You know I don't get out much... sure I'm free."

That settled, they just cuddled on the couch until he had to go to work, his arms around her shoulders and back, her face against his chest. They quietly talked about school and the weather and plans for the weekend. Since he was working both Friday and Saturday nights, they couldn't go to a football game this weekend, but they would plan something for Sunday before dinner. He'd call her.

Talking finished, they just held each other for a while, and now and then he leaned down slightly to kiss her head, drawing a comfortable sigh or wiggle from her.

That evening was the first time in nearly a week that Ken and Patty were working on the same night. He told her that her advice, as usual, was right on and promised to tell her all about his reunion with Amanda when they could arrange their breaks at the same time.

Later, when the crowds were enjoying their movies and the lobby was empty, he and Patty took their breaks together, sitting on a bench in an out-of-the way area of the theater. He told her about the grand plan he'd come up with for making sure he'd be able to talk to Amanda again, even if it did involve another two weeks of reader service. He chuckled telling her that Miss Harris had been relieved to let Ken take another shift with Amanda. She hadn't really wanted to inflict the girl's temper on anyone new. Patty laughed a little when he told her how Amanda had dropped the book in surprise when she'd realized who her "new" reader was.

Patty thought the walk in the park was terribly romantic, and when he told her that they'd gotten permission to move their reading sessions to Amanda's house, she giggled and asked just how much reading they were doing. He assured her that they were making good progress with the book, and then had to laugh a little and admit that reading wasn't the only thing happening those afternoons.

A sudden, serious look appeared on her face and she asked, "How do you feel about this girl? It sounds like you're spending a lot of time with her. I hope you aren't leading her on or setting her up for a big hurt."

"I really like her. I never would have thought I could have fun with a girl who couldn't see... in fact, I'd never really considered dating anyone with any kind of physical challenge... most people probably never do. But it feels so right to me now, and most of the time I'm around her, I don't even think about her blindness. Sure, I remember that I have to help her, but even that came to feel natural pretty quickly, and when I'm talking to her or walking around with her, or even when I'm reading to her, all I notice is the soft, warm, pretty girl I'm with."

"Do you think you'd like her as a girlfriend?"

"I'm thinking of her that way most of the time already."

"You'd better be good to her."

Later, after he'd returned to work, he kept asking himself if he wanted Amanda as a girlfriend. Did her blindness make any difference to him? Would there be a time when it would bother him? And he realized that just as he'd told Patty, he liked Amanda for who she was; what she couldn't do made very little difference to him. He decided that, yes, Amanda would make a great girlfriend. Ken spent the rest of the evening with a happy spring to his steps and a frequent grin on his face.

Late Sunday morning he called Amanda to ask if he could come at two thirty to pick her up for an afternoon date. Some internet research and a few phone calls had revealed that the small art museum in town had a program designed for blind patrons. A docent of the museum would give a special tour of the sculpture and crafts area, and it included being able to touch many of the exhibits. He'd found that one of volunteers trained for that program would be on duty from one to five, and he had made a reservation for a private, three o'clock tour. Knowing of Amanda's interest in art, he thought this would be a great outing for them.

They arrived at the museum and met Sarah, their guide, at the information desk. She asked a few questions about Amanda's affliction, including how long she'd been unable to see and to ascertain the severity of her blindness. She had a pair of white cotton gloves for Amanda and offered a pair to Ken, too, in case he wanted to participate in the touch part of the tour. She explained that while she was sure their hands were clean, the museum didn't want to risk an accumulation of body oils on the exhibits. These gloves were the same ones the staff wore when handling any artwork.

For Amanda, the tour was a real revelation. It included a furniture exhibit, a crafts area, and the final stop was the modern sculpture gallery... an interesting mix of modern art -- mostly abstract -- in a variety of materials. Sarah would guide her to a work, tell her a little about it, sometimes with a caution about how and where to first touch it, and then let Amanda explore it on her own. While Amanda already had a good background in art, she'd never realized how much the shape, texture, size, and material could affect an item's feel as well as its looks. There was even a science lesson when Sarah showed them that one piece made of wood felt warmer than another made of metal because of the way the materials conducted heat. Sarah never described or interpreted the objects, giving Amanda the freedom to form her own impressions. She pointed out that the old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," applied as much to Amanda's experiences in the museum as anyone else's, and that her interpretations of the exhibits were every bit as valid as those of any art critic.

As Amanda guided her fingers over two uniquely shaped thrown pots, Sarah asked them if they noticed anything particularly special about these pieces. Ken said that they didn't look much different than the other works to him and Amanda mentioned that while they had a unique style of surface textures that must have been worked in after they were taken off the wheel, she couldn't feel anything else. Both were surprised to find out that the pieces had been made by an artist who was blind.

One item especially caught Amanda's interest. It was a medium-sized, floor-standing sculpture in lacquered plaster with a variety of surface orientations and cavities. The surface was very smooth, and her gloved hands glided over it with almost no effort. As she explored, she built an image in her head and began to wonder why she couldn't do something like it.

Ken took the opportunity to explore the artwork with his hands too, and hearing her comments, he tried to keep his eyes closed to somehow understand Amanda's experience. It was difficult to do as he realized just how much he relied on sight to understand the world around him. Even when he tried to "see" things Amanda's way, he was handicapped because he'd already formed a visual impression while approaching the object.

The visit was a wonderful success. Amanda got more and more excited and animated after each piece they visited, and as their tour finished at five, Sarah let Amanda know that the museum conducted occasional art classes for people with visual impairments. Before they left, Ken helped her fill out a card to be notified of similar future events and classes.

When they arrived at the truck, she surprised him, almost jumping into his arms. "That was fantastic! I never thought going to a museum again would ever be worth it, but I loved it. I wonder if I can take a class and actually do some kind of sculpture again." She burrowed her face into his neck and after a few moments of holding and swaying slightly, he noticed her sobbing quietly.

He patted her back, "What's wrong?"

"I can't believe I've wasted all this time. There's so much I could have been doing if I would have just tried, but I felt sorry for myself and got so mad at the world and everyone in it for doing this to me... God, I am so pathetic! Why do you waste your time with me?"

"I don't think you're pathetic. It's just taken a while for you to understand that your life didn't end in that accident. Several times during this tour, I tried closing my eyes to get some sense of what it's like to be you, and I couldn't... I'd already formed a visual impression of what my hands were roaming over, and that changed the way I felt things. It also got me thinking... I can't imagine how I'd deal with losing my sight. If, God forbid, I woke up in the hospital tomorrow, unable to see, and no hope of regaining my vision, I don't know how I'd react, but I do know that I can't judge you for your reactions. You understand?

Amanda hugged him tightly. "You mean you could end up acting like I have?"

"Yeah, or maybe worse... I truly have no idea if I'd be able to cope as well as you have. Besides, I spend time with you because we have a lot of fun together." After a moment he added, the smile evident in his voice, "And I never would have gotten to touch the artwork if I hadn't been here with you."

She lifted her face, her moist eyes shining. He dabbed at her cheeks to wipe away a few tears before bringing his lips to hers for a soft, slow kiss.

At dinner that night, she positively glowed as she related the whole tour experience for her parents. At one point, Ken noticed an obviously emotional Kate touching her own cheeks with her napkin. After the meal, while Kate and Dave kept themselves busy in the kitchen with the dishes, Amanda led him to the fireplace, and running her hand along the top of the mantle, she found a small, black, surprisingly life-like clay cat.

As she put it in his hands she explained, "I made this when I was about twelve or thirteen. It's always been one of my favorites, and when we went through the museum today I thought about it a lot. You can feel the smooth texture on the body and the rough area around the face where I tried to do the whiskers. I think the clay makes this one feel warm, or maybe it's just because it's above the fireplace. I used to dream of being an artist and making things like the stuff at the museum. I lost hope when I lost my sight, but I realized today that maybe I can still do this."

Monday afternoon, Ken again saw Kelly in the hallway at school. This time she was walking alone and he worked up the courage to say hello. She looked back at him, the expression on her face a combination of sadness and relief that he really wasn't sure how to interpret. She stopped him and after saying, "Hi," asked him if they could talk sometime.

"Fine, let's talk at lunch time."

"I can't do that. It would be way too public. Can't you meet me at my house or something?"

"Maybe sometime, I need to get to class now. Talk to you later."

He walked to class feeling a little troubled. Why would Kelly want to talk to him, and after the way she'd acted, did he really want anything to do with her? She had a big stud of a football player boyfriend now. Why waste any time on Ken the geek?