C5 Chapter 4

The next day, I asked Meredith to bring me back to the center. She was more than happy to oblige. She must have noticed something different in me yesterday. Sure, my eyes were swollen, but I did feel lighter. Slowly, I was able to face my demons. I was able to unload a little of those suppressed emotions… the emotions that prevented me from functioning properly and looking at life positively no matter how many times I tried to smile or laugh and say that I was okay.

When I hopped off the car and entered the grounds of CMC, I immediately walked to the path that led to the garden I shared with Hunter. When I got there, I was surprised to see that he had a basket with him and a guitar case.

“What’s all these?” I asked.

“Figured I was starving you, sitting here all day. So, I thought we should have some sustenance,” he replied, grinning.

“And the guitar is for?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t…” he trailed off. I figured that he meant that he hadn’t played the guitar since his accident. He wanted to give it a shot today.

As I looked at Hunter’s handsome face, looking lost and confused, I thought that if only I could make him find a reason to live each day of his life, I would feel okay. I would probably gain back a little of the light I thought I lost. He didn’t deserve to be in this institution. He belonged in school, with pretty cheerleaders swarming in his circle, hoping to catch just a little of his attention.

“I’m starving,” I said. I opened the picnic basket, took out the cloth and placed it on the table. Then I took out the sandwiches and the bottles of water and cartons of juice he brought. “Who fixed all these?”

“I’m friends with the chef,” he answered. “He’s the only one who kept me happy in this place.”

I laughed. “I could understand that.”

“What did he put in there?”

I recited the contents of the basket as I took them out. I pulled out the last piece of item. I was surprised to find that it was a rose. I sucked in a deep breath.

“What is it?” he asked.

“A… flower. Rose to be exact,” I replied. “I think… he’s mistaken this for a date.”

Hunter fell silent for a while. Then he said, “Yeah. I didn’t ask, so it isn’t a date.”

There was an awkward silence that followed. I looked at Hunter and his face looked a little flushed. I haven’t been on a date before, and my mother never lived long enough to talk to me about it. Meredith wouldn’t know how to talk to me about boys. She didn’t even know how to talk to me about my mother. Imagine her opening up a topic about the birds and the bees!

I placed a box of apple juice and a sandwich in front of Hunter. “Bon appétit,” I said.

“Merci. Toi aussi.”

After eating, I fixed the table. Hunter tried to help, but I told him to stay put.

“Allison…” he started to argue.

“Hunter!” I said firmly. “You don’t have to prove anything to me. I am not judging you. I don’t pity you for not being able to move around as much as you possibly can. The only thing that I feel sorry for is… that you can’t see what a beautiful piece of heaven this place is… and I will always be thankful that you shared it with me.”

He fell silent. He drew in a deep breath, as if he was contemplating on arguing with me but decided not to. “Alright. Whatever suits you,” he murmured, finally leaving me to clean up the mess and putting the items back in the picnic basket.

“So… what’s with the guitar?” I asked. “You play before?”

He nodded.

I took the case and opened it. I found a beautiful guitar with a combination of black and violet gradient prints. I took it out and sat beside him.

I started strumming and then blending the strings to make sure each gives out the right sound.

“You don’t forget how to play,” I said to him. “Music comes from the heart. And your hands… know exactly what to do, even if you cannot see the strings.”

I started plucking the strings and produced a steady, melodic sound. Again, I remembered my stepdad. It was one of the things he taught me. Our favorite bonding moment would be to play guitar together.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I played our favorite piece.

Cats in the Cradle.

It was a difficult piece for me at first, but I got better with time. Like Hunter, I haven’t played the guitar since my stepfather lost his sanity.

Hunter listened to me intently. I didn’t sing. I just let the music take over my hands… the way I told Hunter to let it take over his. I was afraid that if I sing, my voice would tremble and I would start crying uncontrollably.

When I finished playing, he was shaking his head slightly.

“What?” I asked.

“You must be some kind of kick-ass chick, huh.” He beamed at me. “That was beautiful. I didn’t expect that you would know how to play—and really, really well. I haven’t met a girl who could play as good as you do. Most girls I knew would rather paint their nails, not break them by playing the guitar. Now, I’m challenged.”

I laughed. “Okay, Rockstar. Let’s see what you got.”

If before, he was reluctant to play the guitar again, now I could see the excitement on his face. He took the guitar from me and started feeling the strings, making sure he got all of them located. And then he started plucking the strings to play a familiar song.

‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’

It was my turn to be dumbfounded. He may be blind now, and he feels like he has nothing left going for him… but his heart and his hands never forgot how to live. His guitar skills were beyond amazing.

I was smiling when he finished playing. He inclined his head to mine, turning his ear to me, as if he was waiting for something.

“What?” I asked, laughing. I know what he wanted and somehow, I wanted him to wait for it just a little while longer.

“Oh come on!” he groaned in frustration.

Finally, I stood up from my seat and started clapping. I even put my fingers in my mouth to whistle. Yes, he was that good. He deserved an applause.

He stood up from his seat, too, and then he bowed. “Thank you, thank you!” After that, we both laughed… genuinely and heartily… like we both didn’t think we would still be able to play the guitar again.

He sat back on the bench and played another song. It was something that I knew as well. A smile crept into my face. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was singing, “You got a fast car… I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere…”

That song touched me in many ways. I knew Hunter felt the same way too. At first, I thought it was quite ironic for him to play a song called ‘Fast Car’ when he lost so much in a car accident. But then again… that was a good sign, wasn’t it? Acceptance was always the first step to moving forward. Like playing ‘Cats in The Cradle’ was a form of acceptance on my part that things were never going back to the way they used to be, but that didn’t mean I won’t find happiness again.

When we finished, he turned to me. “You could make a career in show business, you know?”

“Why is that?”

“A kick-ass chick who can play the guitar and sing as well as you? Darned, you’re going places!” he praised.

“Well, so long as I don’t make live performances.”

“And why not?”

“I’m Scarface, remember?”

He set his guitar aside and reached up his hand to touch my cheek gently. “Hey…” he whispered. “I swear, someday, you will play and sing in front of a crowd and you will wow every single one of them.”

“Well, I hope you’ll be one of them.”

He nodded. “I may not be able to see you, but I sure would hear you.”

I sighed sadly when I pulled away from him. How I wish that would be true. That I wouldn’t be scared to show my scars in public and Hunter would be able to see me play.

It was almost five o’clock when we headed out of the woods. Meredith was coming to pick me up soon.

“Well, it was indeed a lovely day,” I said to Hunter. “I don’t think I’ve smiled more in the last couple of months.”

“Me too,” Hunter agreed. I stared up at him. He was looking at my face, although I know he couldn’t really see me behind his sunglasses.

“What’s the color of your eyes?” I suddenly got curious.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly touched his sunglasses and perched it up his head. He stared down at me in probably the most mesmerizing blue eyes I had ever seen. They were expressive… as if they were meant to see through my soul. And they were framed with long dark lashes I didn’t think possible for boys at all.

Perhaps, if people would look closely, they would see that his eyes were cloudy due to the damage in his cornea. But from afar, no one would be able to tell that those beautiful, bright blue eyes… could see nothing but darkness.

“Blue,” I breathed.

I think I forgot how to breathe as I stared up at him. Hunter is... beautiful. Even without his eyesight… he was perfect.

“Allison…” he started. And I thought he sounded nervous. “Could you… I mean… tomorrow… umm… could you come back tomorrow? Spend… the day with me again?”

I blinked back and then I decided to tease him, “Hunter Vaughn… are you asking me out on a date?”

I really didn’t think he was. Because… how could he? He was beautiful even though he was blind. I’m not blind so I could see the monstrous-looking scars my stepfather left me. There was no way he’d be interested in me…

“Yes,” he replied. “Yes, I am.”

I stopped short, not really expecting that answer. “Umm… do you even know how I look like? I look horrendous,” I said. That was a lie. I didn’t really look horrendous if one could manage to look past my scar. I had long, dark brown hair and long dark lashes surrounded my hazel green eyes. Okay, maybe I didn’t look as bad as I wanted him to think, but with my scars, I was definitely no Barbie doll.

Hunter shook his head. “I may be blind, Allison. But believe me when I say that… I see you.” His voice was serious… sincere. “And you… look unbelievably beautiful to me. Like an angel sent down from heaven.”

I bit my lip because I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t get many compliments these days. So, when I did… it really touched me.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He smiled. “So… is that a yes?”

“It’s an… ‘I’ll think about it,’” I teased. “Goodbye, Hunter.” I turned and headed to the parking lot where Meredith was watching me curiously.