Karen

You could hear her sighing over the phone with a breath of relief as I said that. "You rat" she said. I apologized to her for that and she giggled. She gave me her address and I entered it into my address book so I would have not only her phone number but her address too. She told me Kate wanted to speak to me.

"Hello Eddy. I wanted to tell you, Karen and I told mom and dad about you and us meeting in London. Mom acted a little excited but dad looked a little concerned. He told us that before he would let his daughter, or any of his daughters go out with someone he had to meet them first. I think he thinks we can't think for ourselves."

"Kate, tell your dad I would feel the same way if the roles were reversed. I'd love to meet them and get their approval. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, not right now. I'll give the phone back to Karen" she said.

When Karen got back on the phone, we chatted about this and that and nothing at all. Truthfully, I felt like a teenager on the phone with his first girlfriend. That was the strangest thing I have felt in years. But it was also the most fun thing I have done in years. I was so excited I floated like I was on cloud nine until about one o'clock in the morning. Since I knew when I went to bed it was already Sunday morning I knew I had to get some sleep if I were going to impress her parents. I could not sleep for love nor money. I decided to just go for a jog to clear my head and hopefully tire me out. I got back home and it was now three AM. Sleep was still hard to come by. I needed to be on my best game when I met her parents later that day.

I arrived at their home with one-half hour to spare. When I knocked on the door, Karen was already waiting for me. She was smiling. It was just so beautiful. I hugged her and kissed her on her left cheek, then she escorted me inside. I was introduced to her parents, Sally and Dan Childs, as her new boyfriend. I know the reaction they saw on my face as my eyes went as wide as saucers and I smiled wide as I looked towards Karen. I wanted to be her new boyfriend. I wanted to be her last boyfriend too. I wanted to be everything in between those two terms of endearment.

Karen's dad shook my hand. Her mom also reservedly shook my hand but Kate gave me a sisterly type of hug. I felt right at home. Her dad mentioned that we adjourn to the den while dinner was being finished up. "Let the inquisition began!" I thought.

"Eddy, I think you know how we feel about our daughters" saying that with a little too much authoritative accent. "Both of the girls are our pride and joy. I won't sit back and watch either one of them get hurt in any way. Whether it being mentally and most assuredly physically."

"Mr. Childs, I promise you that is the farthest thing from my mind. For some reason that I cannot really explain I have grown fond of Karen since meeting her. I can assure you that if and when we go out, you will know exactly where we'll be. I even told Kate that if she would like she can tag along to make sure my intentions are honorable."

Mr. Childs grinned at me when Kate came into the room and announced dinner is being served in the formal dining room. Mr. Childs grinned and we went to eat. It appears the formal dining room is also the everyday dining room. Kate was being a smart ass but it was still funny.

We had a wonderful dinner. I started to help clean the table when Mrs. Childs told me that I was not to help do that. She and Kate could do it so Karen and I, and of course Mr. Childs could get more acquainted.

"Eddy, would you like an after dinner drink?"

"Yes sir that would be nice" I replied.

"First off, call me Dan. Now what's your poison? We have brandy, whisky, rum, rye or just plain beer" he said.

"Well if it's all the same to you sir, I'd like a diet Coke. I never was one to give much to drinking. I'd gotten drunk one time in my life. That time was when I graduated high school. I woke up with such a headache that just the sunlight shinning through the curtains in my bedroom hurt like Hell. I've probably had two, maybe three alcoholic drinks since then. Only then they were real special occasions. I didn't like that feeling then and I promised myself I'd never do it again."

It must have been the right thing to say because he smiled and had Karen bring me a diet Coke. It was something to watch her navigate herself around the den without bumping into anything. Though she had not been home since before her injury she seemed to know where everything was. It was truly amazing. She moved with such grace it was captivating. At least for me it was. When she returned she came right up to the front of the couch I was sitting on and handed me the drink before she sat down on the other side of me. Beauty, grace, captivating smile, brains, it seems the only thing missing in her life besides the obvious was love. I fully intend to remedy that, but only if she'd let me.

Things went smoothly at the Childs' home that Sunday evening. Her parents "allowed" me to escort Karen to dinner the next Friday evening. I also asked Karen if she would like to have lunch with my parents this coming Sunday. She accepted and we made plans. Now I had to tell my mom and dad we were going to have company for Sunday lunch. We generally went out but mom said she would love to cook for everyone.

"Eddy, why don't you go ahead and invite Karen's family over too? We can all get together and get to know each other better" mom asked. Dad just nodded in agreement.

I called Karen. "Karen, my parents want Kate, your mom and your dad to come over this Sunday for lunch. I ain't sure what she and dad have planned, but could you ask your family if they would like to attend?"

"Of course they will. Even if I have to twist their arms they'd like to come" she replied.

"Great, it's a date. Tell both your parents I appreciate it. What type of food do they like? Mom wants to make a good impression."

"Dad likes to grill steaks and mom likes to make all the fixings and trimmings. So talk to your parents and ask if there is anything we need to bring" she said.

"OK sweetheart" I said without thinking.

"What did you just say? Karen asked.

"I'm sorry. It just sort of slipped out" I said.

"No, that's OK, because I like you too" she said.

Could she really be in love with ME? Even though she was blind surely Kate has told her how not-handsome I am. I guess it's just good to see with the heart instead of the eyes. Had she not been blind, I probably would have never had a chance to get to know her, like I doing right now.

"Karen, last weekend you called me your boyfriend when you introduced me to your parents. This weekend when I introduce you to my parents I am going to tell them you are my girlfriend. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No I don't. I don't have a problem with that at all" she said. "In fact, I kind of like that."

"Me too" I said. As we hung up on the phone I think I knew I was already in love with this woman. It has to be too soon to feel like that, but I'll be damned if I wasn't falling in love with her. I was happy! I was happy for the first time in a very long time.

The next week was the longest week of my life! It seemed to just drag on and on and on. Even though there was plenty of work to keep me busy, I just could not wait to see Karen both Friday night and Saturday at noon. Friday arrived without a hitch. She and I went to dinner at a Texas Road House Restaurant. I wasn't sure how things would go. When she asked me to cut her meat for her I almost choked on the un-sweet tea I was sipping on. Only then I realized she meant her Porter house steak she had ordered. I laughed at myself and later when I told her what I had done, she too laughed.

This girl was such fun. She was humorous to be with. Even though she may be blind, she had an insight that was second to none. We continued to date over the next few months. I was falling in love with her as much as she was falling in love with me. I knew there had to be something I could do to help her. I just didn't know what that would be. The VA doctors told her they could find absolutely nothing physically wrong with her. It was almost as if she willed herself to be blind. There had to be something I could do.

I discussed this with her parents. I discussed the topic with her doctors. I asked her doctors if possibly a psychiatrist might be able to help. Possibly even a hypnotist to open up her deep feelings of guilt for being the only one of her group to live after the attack. They agreed to at least look into the possibilities of some deep underlying guilt causing the problems. I'm sure they appeased me by saying they hadn't thought of that themselves. I know they thought of it but like I said, it made me feel insulted by their attitude.

After discussing it with the hypnotist he agreed to give it a try. He did tell me he wasn't sure it would work, but he would give it a try. I was scared for Karen. I was not sure what feelings would be stirred up. I was also scared to think that if she got her sight back, would she still want to be with me. The hypnotist and I came up with a program idea that we could try. I could create a program to be used on the computer to put subliminal messages on a disk so she could play it in the back ground, on a loop.

The information we put on the disk was very subliminal, to the point that all she thought she was listening to was some soft music. Laced in the music were sounds of war. Explosions, people yelling, people in anguish, people going through hell and the likes of that. Later on she would begin to not hear those sounds and the only thing she would hear would be something like Asian music. It was very relaxing. Both the hypnotist and I listened carefully to the sounds to make sure this is what he felt she needed to hear.

Once everything was settled we talked to her psychiatrist about what we had put together. He agreed to at least give it a try. The only stipulation he put on the deal was that he wanted her in a controlled situation. That controlled situation would be in the hospital and only in the hospital. He wanted to make sure that if she started to feel the stress of the war she could be awaken and still maintain her sanity. Now all I had to do was convince her family.

"Mr. Childs" I began. "One of the doctors at the VA hospital and I came up with a plan to help Karen. It could be somewhat risky but it might help her regain her ability to see. You know her condition is not physical. They can find nothing physically wrong. They believe it may be a mental condition blocking her eyesight."

"Eddy, I know you are a smart guy, what do you y'all have in mind?" he asked.

"We are going to put her in a hypnotic state while she sleeps. It's our hope she will realize she is not guilty for not dying while all her friends did die during that raid on the compound." I explained what process we were going to use and how it was to be utilized. I wanted him to know why I was doing it. "Karen means to world to me right now. My concern is that if she does regain her sight, she may believe I am not worthy of her love because I don't exactly present the ideal look of a man deserving of her because of her beauty."

"Eddy, I know my daughter. I truly believe she loves you very much. True she doesn't know what you look like but she knows your heart and that is what she has come to love."

I breathed a sigh of relief. He also agreed to give it a try. We still needed to talk to Karen and have her talk to the doctors. Everyone was optimistic, everyone but Karen. Karen was scared. When I talked to her about her fears, I told her about my fears. I loved Karen with all my heart. My very fiber was entwined with my love for her. She relented and agreed to try the process.

We held hands while the psychiatrist and the hypnotist told Karen about the procedure. They explained why they wanted it in a controlled environment and what they thought she could expect if this all worked. I prayed to the God I knew, and prayed that all would turn out as hoped for and expected. I prayed that if she did regain her eyesight she would not leave me.

The day we went to the hospital was my day of reckoning. If this worked, this may be the end of our romance. By this time we have been together nearly six months. I was sure of her love, but I had my doubts merely because of my looks. She was so beautiful I felt I was out of her league.

The procedure was to last for at least a week. None of us were really sure what the outcome would be. We only hoped and prayed for the best. They had bandaged her eyes to keep any shock of light from frightening her. As they removed the bandages she kept her eye lids closed. She slowly opened her eyes. She started crying. She could see a little light but could not make out images with any clarity.

The optometrist believed her eyesight should return to normal soon. How soon we just did not know. While the procedure was somewhat of a success I was still skeptical. I wanted her to see and then I didn't want her to see. I took time off from work so I could be with her as much as possible. I wanted her to see me as the first thing she would see IF she regained full sight. I was scared. Only time would tell.

I spent the next two weeks in her room while she was awake. We talked about everything under the sun. I kept bringing up the fact that I was afraid she would not like the way I looked. She assured me that would not happen. Like I said earlier, she had an insight that would see the good in most every situation. When I was not there, her mom, her dad or her sister was there. Even my parents filled in at times. They kept a picture of her and I that was taken on Valentine's Day a few months earlier. If I was not there they all promised me they would make sure she saw the picture.

At two o'clock Sunday morning I received a call from her dad. Karen was awake and wanted to see me. I broke every law I knew of to get there. When I walked into her room at three, she was sitting on the side of the bed crying. I asked what was wrong. She jumped up and RAN over to me. Grabbing me and hugging me and kissing me like there was no tomorrow. I started crying and so did her dad.

"Eddy, I love you" she said. "You helped me to see again. You wouldn't quit when everyone else did. You have no idea what that means to me."

I had a hard time saying anything while crying with tears of joy. I knew also that we needed to thank the God I prayed to. Even the doctors on duty that night said a major miracle had occurred. When her regular doctors arrived the next morning the entire floor was abuzz with unusual activity. The entire staff was floating on air. You could see a major change in everyone. The hypnotist and the psychiatrist were both amazed at what happened. They agreed that what the hypnotist and I came up with was the deciding factor in her recovery. They needed to reconsider changing their method of treatment for other Veterans with similar conditions.

The psychiatrist told us he wanted to see her twice a week for the next four weeks to ensure there were no mental after effects. We, as in Karen and I, made the trip every time she needed to attend. I was not letting her out of my sight if I could help it. She finally told me to go to work! She needed to rest. Reluctantly I did just that.

After a few months her eyesight has been getting better and better. I decided to visit her house after work one evening. When I drove up to the house I saw a truck I did not recognize. As I passed the front window of their house on my way to the front door, I noticed Karen was hugging some guy. This guy was a pretty good looking guy. I just turned around and left. I didn't know what to do. My heart was broken.

After not calling her that evening or the next evening she finally called me.

"Eddy, what's wrong? You haven't called me in three days. I don't know what's going on" she said.

I told her the truth. "I stopped by your house the other day. I saw a pickup truck in your driveway. When I walked up to ring the doorbell I looked through the front window of the house and saw you hugging some guy. I couldn't deal with that so I figured you were dumping me for him."

She started laughing. "Eddy that's my cousin. He just got in from the Marine's the day before. He had heard about my losing my eyesight over there but did not know about the recovery. When he rang the doorbell he was surprised when I recognized him because he thought I was still blind. He was so excited for me that grabbed me and hugged me. That must be when you came by."

She continued telling me "Eddy he wants to meet my hero. He can't believe you did so much for me. He told me that you are going to be famous with the Veterans that have the same condition I have. He also said that is what true heroes are made of."

I felt like an idiot. "Karen, I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Can I come over right now?"

"You better get here soon. He wants to take you and me out for dinner and I'm getting hungry" she said.

Our homes are not that far apart as the crow flies, but when you have to deal with Houston traffic anytime after three o'clock in the afternoon, that sixty-five miles can take two hours. And it did. Maybe I can figure something out to deal with the traffic in this town!

It was after seven o'clock when I got there. Karen ran to my car and jumped up to hug and kisses me. That is when I noticed the guy I saw a few days ago standing there smiling at me. He looked like a pretty good size guy. Glad I didn't have to confront him. One of us would have gotten hurt, I'm sure it wouldn't have been him.

"Eddy this is my cousin Frank Johnson. He is my mother's brother's son. We are proud of him for doing what he does in the Corps." Then turning to Frank she says "Frank this is my hero and savior, Eddy McDonald. I am so proud of what he has done. I owe my future to him."

"Frank it is good to meet you. Did Karen tell you what I thought I saw the other day?" I asked.

"Yes sir she did" he replied. "She also told me how you guys met." He was smiling the whole time saying it.

We went to dinner, just the three of us. We ate Mexican food. Houston is well known for its Mexican culinary. We talked about their youth growing up and of course my growing up too. We got to know each other pretty good. Frank is a nice guy, for a Marine. When Karen excused herself to go powder her nose, Frank asked me "Eddy, do you love Karen? I know she loves you."

"Yes I love her very much" I told him.

"Well if you guys decide to get married, please get in touch with me so I can attend the ceremony. You have no idea how much it would mean to me."

"Frank, we haven't even discussed anything like this yet. She only recently got her eyesight back. We are still trying to figure out what she is going to do for the rest of her life. She wants to train to become a registered nurse. That way she can give back to the Veterans. That is going to take four years. I want her to realize her dreams too."

"Look, if I know my cousin" Frank started out saying. "She probably wants to spend the rest of her life with you no matter what you decide to do or where you decide to live. I know she loves you and so do Aunt Sally and Uncle Dan. Hell even Kate likes you, and that is saying something all by itself."

"Frank, I would like nothing better that to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to make sure she is going to be happy with me."

Karen was walking up so we dropped the conversation. Just watching her walk our direction made me smile. God she was just so beautiful. The best part is that she loves me for who I am and not what I look like. Together we probably looked like the Disney movie "The Beauty and the Beast". I'll give you one guess which one I would be.