Blind Faith

"Isaac was ten years old when I first met him. He was a kid learning to live with blindness and his first guide dog. If I remember correctly, The dog's name was Cody. It was many years ago, and my memory is not as good as before." Dr. Fields said, shaking his head.

I frowned, "Blind?"

The old man nodded, "He was involved in a car accident when he was eight years old. His mother died in the accident, and he was sitting in the front seat and was severely hit by the airbag."

There were mixed feelings in my heart, "Oh, my God."

Dr. Fields nodded again. "Looks like the air bag hit him right in the face. It caused his retina to detach or something like that. Then he fell into a coma and spent the rest of his life in the hospital." A long time, at least that's what I've been told. Either way, he's lucky enough to survive."

Oh my god.

Dr. Fields took a deep breath and let it out heavily: "You know, they can cure his eyes now." He shook his head while speaking, "Retinal detachment can be cured now Yeah, if they'd found out about it in time. But he had a broken bone." He rubbed his face, "Multiple places all over his body, and he was unconscious for a long time." He sighed again, "He's just a kid .”

He certainly didn't have to explain to me how much medical technology has advanced in the past 20 years.I know this is like veterinary medicine, how far is the medical means and capabilities 20 years ago compared with now.

"However," the old man continued, "it wasn't the worst thing to have to deal with the loss of his mother, his sight, and a few years later his guide dog, Cody, fell ill and died. I think Isaac was probably 14 years old." Dr. Fields shook his head, "The poor kid is completely broken."

The only thing I can say is still: "My God."

Dr. Fields nodded and said, "And then Isaac got a new guide dog, Rose." The old man smiled, "That's really a beautiful dog. Black Labrador, smart, strong as a The cow. Isaac loved him. They were always inseparable. I think in many ways that dog healed a lot of pain in his life."

His smile disappeared, and he shook his head and sighed: "But Isaac's father has never been able to get over the shadow of his wife's death, and he is completely indifferent to his blind son. He still passed away while Isaac was in the middle of the process." Dr. Fields sighed again, "Hannah has been taking care of Isaac all these years. It still is now."

This time it was my turn to sigh, and it was not difficult to guess what happened next: "What happened to Rose?"

Dr. Fields breathed out slowly: "Rose was incapable of working as a guide dog during the period before her death. She was old and her movements became slow, but when her hearing also began to When it degenerates, it will pose a safety risk to both itself and the owner." He shook his head while recalling, "Isaac insisted on keeping it with him no matter what. This situation lasted for two years before it passed away. But until his death, he refused to think about getting a new guide dog. That was almost two years ago, too."

"Oh my God. That sucks."

"Yes." Dr. Fields nodded in agreement. "And now he has Brady. They've been together for six months."

"He's a very good dog."

"A beautiful dog, too," added the old veterinarian, "but it's not Rose. At least not to Isaac."

I asked, "So that's what he's doing now? Finding fault with Brady?" Why would he do that?Why would the vet allow him to do this? "Why did you allow him to do this?" I asked him, not caring if I sounded rude. "Why do you have to obey him and let the dog suffer?"

He sighed, "Brady is the best cared for dog I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Those checks can't be avoided, so I basically give him a physical every two weeks. I would never do anything that could hurt Brady." about Dee."

I know the old doctor has a great reputation, and I know he doesn't hurt animals.And he's right, Brady's physical condition is impeccable.

"So what exactly is Isaac trying to find?"

Dr. Fields shrugged and sighed, "I think he's looking for an excuse, a reason why he shouldn't have the dog."

"It's not mandatory to have a guide dog," I told him. "Isaac chose to do it himself. If he didn't want the dog, why did he go through such a troublesome selection process?"

Dr. Fields laughed, "Oh, he wanted Brady. He definitely wanted the dog very badly. But I think he keeps keeping away from him because he's afraid of breaking his heart again." The old man laughed sadly, "I guess he thought if he didn't let himself care, he wouldn't get hurt."

I slumped back into my chair, feeling a knot in my stomach, and whispered, "This is so sad."

"Yes." Dr. Fields nodded. "I was just thinking that if I keep doing this and give him enough time, maybe he can realize that the problem is not with Brady."

No, the problem certainly wasn't with the dog.The problem is people.This is true in most cases.

I sighed again, "So I'm going to see him in two weeks?"

Dr. Fields nodded, and he said, "That's right. He wanted another calcium powder. He said he knocked over the last one. Could you please bring it to him tomorrow? See if I'm not here How were you doing then?"

"Okay," I agreed, "that might be a good idea, he doesn't seem very fond of me."

Dr. Fields laughed. "Oh, that's only because he doesn't know you yet. Just wait, he'll get to know you."

***

I called Hannah first and told her I'd be picking up Brady's Calcium on the way home from get off work.She said it was fine because Isaac would be working a little later on Thursdays.I didn't realize what she just said until I hung up the phone.Isaac has a job.I also don't know why I'm surprised by this.But I do.

In fact, the more I think about Isaac, the more interested I am in him.When I pulled up in front of his house on the agreed evening, I wondered how I would be received.I took a deep breath and walked to the front door clutching the small jar of calcium powder for Brady.Before I could knock, Hannah opened the door and smiled at me.

"Hey Carter, come in."

I walked through the foyer into the living room where we had been that day, and then toward the kitchen.I picked up the calcium powder and showed Hannah before putting it in the cupboard.

"I said it before."

"Oh, thanks." She kept her usual smile. "We just got home too. The traffic tonight was terrible."

Just as I was about to ask where Brady and Isaac were, I heard the familiar sound of paws on the tiles, and then the door shut.They must have gone to the backyard just now.Then Brady walked in the door wagging his tail with a smile on his face, and I smiled at him too.

Then Isaac walked in too.

He was wearing a slim gray suit over an unbuttoned white shirt and the same pair of designer sunglasses I had on when I first met him.God, I can't even close my mouth.He's good enough in casual clothes, but what about formal clothes?Or a very slim formal suit?He looked like he stepped off a man's guide.He's really...beautiful.

"Is that you, Dr. Reese?" he asked.

Before I could close my mouth, Hannah gave me a look and I knew she was on to something.She caught me staring at her brother so obsessively that she was almost drooling.

"Hehe," she whispered, but quickly covered it with another sentence, "Yes, he sent the calcium powder." She grinned.

"Yeah," I said, watching as Isaac cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind my visiting so late."

"Nevermind," Isaac replied. "I heard the sound of an unfamiliar car and I assumed it was you." Then he asked me, "What car are you driving?"

"Oh," I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts back on track, "it's a [-]WD Jeep."

Isaac was about to ask another question when Hannah interrupted him: "Why don't you guys sit down and I'll get you something to drink?" Then she pushed us into the living room one by one and said with a smile: "You guys keep talking, I'll bring in the drinks later."

Isaac murmured a few words about his sister, but walked honestly to the edge of the sofa and sat down.I sat down next to him, and he immediately asked the question he was about to ask.

"How old are you?"

"27."

"What university did you graduate from?"

"UConn," I said, and I added my full name, "University of Connecticut."

He nodded: "Favorite sport?"

"Ice hockey."

"Are you a spectator or a player?"

"The audience. I'm not fast enough to play." I told him with a smile.This kind of interrogation is a bit interesting.At least he was talking to me.

"But you can skate, right?"

"Yes."

"What color is your hair?"

"black."

"your eyes?"

"brown."

"The color of the skin?"

"what?"

Isaac tilted his head, "What is your race? Are you black, white, Asian or European?" He pouted impatiently, and said to himself before I could answer, "This is very Fair. You know what I look like, and I should know what you look like."

"Is this important?" I asked him.

He smiled, but it didn't sound very pleasant: "How could it matter to me what you look like? Why should I care? You know I can't tell the difference between white and black. They both mean a lot to me. It's the same." He took a deep breath and said, "I'm just trying to picture you in my head."

"I'm white Caucasian..." I'm not sure how to explain that, I've never tried, "I spend as much time outside as possible, so I get a little tan."

"What are you doing out there?"

"Camping, hiking," I replied. "Well, I used to hike a lot when I was back home," I corrected, "I haven't really looked around here yet. But I'll do it when I get a chance."

Isaac nodded, then fell silent for a while before asking, "Are you married?"

"No."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

I hesitated, "No."

"You hesitated."

I smiled, "Do I have one?"

"You have," he replied. "It shows that you are either lying or this is a sensitive subject for you."

"You'll forgive my brother," Hannah said, serving two glasses of iced tea.She handed Isaac a glass, and said, "He's a straightforward guy who doesn't care about other people's emotions at all."

Isaac shrugged. "There's no point in going around in circles. After all, I don't have the luxury of gauging someone's sincerity by their facial expressions."

Hannah snorted, "You don't have the luxury of being polite."

Isaac sighed, and I chuckled as I watched Hannah walk back to the kitchen.They just happen to be how I imagine siblings get along.And I found that I was a little obsessed with Isaac.He was naturally good-looking, even beautiful, but that was not the only thing that fascinated me.He's blind, that's right, but he's very confident, proud, even arrogant.This is the defense he puts around him to protect himself.I know it well.

I couldn't help but wonder what the real Isaac Branigan was like.

His lips were pursed in thought, but before he could speak, Hannah interrupted our conversation by calling me from the kitchen: "Carter, are you staying for dinner?"

"Uh, no," I replied, and looked up at Hannah. "Thank you for the invitation, it's very kind of you. But I have to go. There's a very impatient lady waiting for me at home."

"I remember you saying you didn't have a wife or girlfriend," Isaac said, sitting on the couch.

I laughed. "The impatient lady I'm talking about is a border collie cross named 'Missy'. He's my dog."

"You never said you had a dog," he replied.

"You never asked either."

Isaac snapped his mouth shut first, then almost pouted.Hannah laughed.

"It's funny, isn't it, my dear sister?" Isaac asked angrily.

She laughed again, "That's right." Then she turned to me and said, "Thanks again for bringing the calcium powder."

"It's nothing," I replied. "I actually enjoyed this little interrogation."

"You mean him, the Spanish Inquisition?" she joked, coming towards us.

①In the 15th century, Spain set up a religious torture organization to persecute non-Christians and witches. Later, the West used it to refer to people who like to ask questions or torture.

I chuckled again.

Isaac, apparently too amused to ignore the teasing, stood up and turned to us, took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

There are too many.But suddenly I don't want to ask.I don't want to ruin our night together by asking the wrong thing.

"On a."

He tilted his head, surprised at my answer.

Isaac raised his chin in a haughty, defiant gesture, "Ask."

"Did I pass?"

He was silent for a while. "Pass what?"

"The Spanish Inquisition? The twenty-question test you just gave me. Did I pass?"

Isaac turned away, "Maybe."

I laughed, and Hannah raised an eyebrow at me silently.

"See you next week then." I told him.

I don't know why his affirmation meant so much to me, but I kept smiling all the way home.