Sometimes she ran needed errands, other times she went to tourist attractions. She had never really known or enjoyed the many historical sites in Boston, even though she was a native of the area. Paul Revere’s house—oh my gosh, so tiny and cramped. And Legal Sea Foods restaurant. The best seafood ever. How could she not know about this amazing restaurant only a block away from the condo? And she finally found a good hairdresser and grocery store close by so she wouldn’t have to drive to New Haven.
She missed the friendly community and all her friends. But Boston was full of interesting places, places she wanted to share with Gini. This was her home now, and she was enjoying it with her baby.
One day at the end of summer, Debbie was cleaning up the lunch dishes after Gini went to sleep when her phone showed R. Young on the caller ID.
“Robert.”
“Hi, Deb. How are you?”
“Well. And you?”
“Can’t complain. Listen, I just got back from an eye conference. Dr. Eugene Adams has developed glasses with video cameras in the lenses. We both know that Gini’s accident probably damaged the nerve fibers that carry signals from the retina in the eye to the brain. Studies have shown that magnification can sometimes help patients with this condition. These glasses put the vision very close to the eye, causing less confusion from a broader, larger area of vision. The first person I thought of was Gini. I’m going to be in Boston tomorrow for a meeting and wondered if I could bring a sample by to show you guys and try on Gini.”
“Of course, Robert, please come. Sounds interesting.”
“What’s your schedule?”
Debbie made a small laugh. “Pretty much the same as in the unit.”
“My meeting should be over around four. I’ll come by after that.”
“Sounds good to me.”
When Debbie hung up, she smiled. It was going to be good to see her old friend; she was sure Gini would be glad to see him.
Debbie didn’t tell Gini Dr. Young was coming until she was up from her nap.
“Ock… tor… ong?”
“Yes, baby. He has some glasses he wants you to try.”
“Uff…?”
“To help you see better.”
“Uff… see…? Dee… bee… lah… uff.” She squeezed her arms around Debbie.
When he arrived, Gini was all smiles. Robert was immediately taken by the dimples. He looked around when they went into the living room. “I hope Ric is joining us. I think he’ll want to see how they work.”
“Oh, Ric,” Debbie said, surprised at the mention of his name. “Robert, Ric only lasted a few days. He hasn’t been here for a long time.”
“Oh… okay.”
Gini stood close to Robert. She had her head down, thrusting her tongue. He knew to be silent while she thought.
“No… be… uff… goo… to… leeve.” There was a long pause.
“Reek… no… be… uff… Er… guiney… wiff… bain… dam… eege.” Again, a pause.
“No… be… uff… bee… bee… die.”
Robert looked over at Debbie. She raised her eyebrows a little, impressed with Gini’s explanation. “That pretty well tells the story. He just couldn’t handle the situation. I hope he got help and is happy somewhere.”
“Reek… be… uff… happ… ee.” She smiled another sweet smile.
Robert took the glasses out of a box and turned the switch on. He looked through lenses that acted as a screen for the video view. Once he made sure they were on, he reached for Gini and led her to the large windows, explaining what he was doing the whole time. He slipped the glasses on and stood next to her.
Gini gasped. “Boe… ta… Uff… boe… ta.” She turned toward Robert and then quickly turned back to the window, saying “boat” over and over.
Then she suddenly dropped her hands. “Boe… ta… be… uff… gah.”
Robert leaned down to check the glasses. The vision was black. He took the glasses and tried several times to turn them back on but couldn’t get them to work again.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I think the battery’s dead.”
She looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Boe… ta.”
He reached his arm around her and gave her a small hug. “Debbie, Dr. Adams is going to be at the hospital for a while to train us on some new equipment for eye testing. I’d like to make an appointment for Gini to see him. I will say, these are a little pricy, but if she’s a good candidate, I think they will help her.”
“Yes, yes. Make the appointment. She was so excited to see the boats.”
Gini walked to Debbie and hugged her. “Dee… bee… lah… uff.”
“I’ll call you later after I look at the doctor’s schedule. It was good to see you both again.”
“Oh… yes…”
Robert gave a small laugh and lifted Gini’s head by her chin. “Sweetheart, I’m glad to see you are healthy and happy.”
She signed, “I am happy to be in my home.”
He walked to the door. “It’s a nice place.”
The next day Robert called, and he and Debbie figured out the best time for Gini’s appointment.
“So Ric just left?”
“Oh, Robert, he tried, he really did. He thought for sure once they were here together all would be as before. But Gini completely fell apart. And when she lost control of her bowels, I think that did it. He saw the damage then, not the woman she used to be. Also, this condo has too many
