“That’s very admirable.” He rubs his chin.
Wait, why does his chin look clear? Did I shake my head and not even notice? Before I can process the clarity, the spots in my vision return.
Excitement courses through me. Is my eyesight coming back? Will I be able to drive again? See my girlfriend every single day?
God,please. I don’teven know how to ask for something this huge,butif I can have my eyesight back,please,please,please,let it be so.
“Does anyone ever donate strictly to the youth leagues?”
My mind searches for the answer. I’ve listened to Morgan’s recordings multiple times, so my mind has to hold the answer. What did she say about where the funds go?Ah yes.
“That’s definitely possible. You can also split funds if you want a portion to go to our outreaches and to the hockey side, or to the business side, like for advertisements.”
We finish our discussion as the intermission between first and second period ends. Mr. Warren gets up to make a plate of food, and I fix my gaze unseeingly before me.
“Is everything okay?” Val whispers.
I nod, then place a kiss on her cheek. “Everything is going smoothly.”
“You looked at me funny.”
I laugh, but the sound is forced. “Funny how?”
A heavy pause fills the space. I want to confess everything toVal, but until I know if these aberrations are permanent or not, I don’t want to get her hopes up. It’s bad enough mine are already elevated.
“You know what?” She sighs. “Ignore me.”
“That’s the opposite of what I want to do.” I place another kiss on her cheek.
The spots and blurred vision remain throughout the rest of the game, making it difficult to follow. If it weren’t for the announcers and the excitement in Craig’s and Val’s voices, I’d have no clue what’s going on.
As it is, Val’s great at commentating and keeping me abreast of what’s happening. The team pulls off a five-to-two win.
“Thanks for joining us tonight.” I offer my hand to Craig, who shakes it.
“This was an excellent game. I appreciate your time.” He drops my hand and speaks again. “It was nice meeting you, Val.”
“Likewise, Mr. Warren.”
“Remember, call me Craig.”
“Thanks, Craig,” Val says.
“I’ll be in touch with your office, Crank.”
“We look forward to hearing from you.”
I wait a moment to give him time to leave ahead of us. “You ready?” I finally ask Val. All of a sudden, I’m exhausted, and it’s like I can barely keep my head up.
“Yeah? Your head hurting again?”
“A bit.”
“Let’s get you back to the hotel so you can rest.”
But maybe my head hurts because I can’t stop testing my eyesight. I keep scanning the crowds to check if I see them, but all it’s doing is straining my eyes. Maybe Val is right, and rest is what I need. We get in the car, and I sigh at the silence that greets us. I nuzzle the side of her face, and she giggles, but then quickly stops when I kiss her like I’ve been wanting to all evening.
The first sip of coffee soothes me and helps last night’s restlessness fade a bit. I slept horribly. My dreams alternated between pure rightness with Val and unimpaired vision to being blind and alone. I’m not sure why the dreams were so up and down, but the result is exhaustion. I’ve been having weird dreams since we came back from up north, and they’re starting to get to me.
