I sigh, readjusting the oversized glasses on the bridge of my nose staring at my reflection in the gold-gilded mirror. The newly prescribed lenses are thicker than before. My eyes are enlarged, making them look almost cartoonish, the frames swallowing the shape of my brows.
“They’re not that thick,” my aunt says, but I know she’s just trying to make me feel better. I blink, not wanting to tell her there isn’t much improvement from the last pair. My reflection is a bit distorted, but maybe it’s for the best. I barely recognize myself anymore.
“It’s okay, Aunt Nan.” I exhale, already dreading the next prescription in six months. At this rate, I won’t need them much longer—because soon, I won’t be able to see at all.
“You still look beautiful,” she says with pride, her voice soft but firm. Behind me, a deep, rattling cough shakes her frail frame.
I rush to her bedside, helping her sit up as she struggles to catch her breath. My heart clenches as I rub her back, waiting for the fit to pass.
When she finally settles, I force a smile. “For an owl.”
“A what?” But I know she heard me.
“An owl.” I tap the oversized glasses perched on my nose, my lips twisting in frustration. They remind me of those ridiculous party-supply store glasses people wear for selfies—large, exaggerated, impossible to ignore.
“You don’t…” she trails off, catching my expression.
Her face softens, her weathered features reflecting the years of worry she’s spent on me. “I’m sorry, Selene. I wish there was a way to reverse it. A surgery to correct your eyesight—but there isn’t.” Her gaze lowers, voice thick with regret. “I spoke to the best doctors, but there was nothing they could do.”
Guilt claws at my stomach. She did everything she could, taking me to every specialist, searching for a cure that didn’t exist. The best in the state—maybe even the country—had all reached the same conclusion. I was born with a rare degenerative eye disease, and I would eventually go blind. Likely before I turned thirty.
I was lucky I could still see with glasses. Barely. But I didn’t tell her that part.
“It’s not your fault, Nan.” I shake my head. “I was born this way.” It sucks, but it’s the truth, and there’s nothing anyone can do.
She sighs, squeezing my hand. “Where’s Micah?”
I was bullied, picked on relentlessly for these thick, ugly glasses. But I was lucky—I had one good friend who saw past them: Micah.
She’s been worried about him ever since I moved to the dorms. She’s afraid we’ll drift apart, that I’ll end up alone when she’s gone.
“Practice.” I glance at the clock. “If he gets out early and catches up on homework, we’ll meet up later.”
Most likely, he won’t. But I don’t want her to worry. She has enough on her plate.
I also don’t want to leave her side if I don’t have to. I deliberately scheduled my classes in the morning so I could spend afternoons here. It’s only a two-hour drive from campus, and I’ve managed to make it work.
“Oh, I didn’t want to keep you.”
My heart swells. “You know I’d rather be here with you.”
“I know.” She smiles, but there’s sadness in her eyes. “But you need to spend time with your friends. Live life. Go to parties.”
I squeeze her frail hand. “I do. But I also want to spend time with you before…”
Before I go.” Her voice is calm, resigned. “But nothing will change what’s coming, Selene. I’ve accepted it.”
I shake my head, my throat tightening. “It’s too soon.”
Tears sting my eyes, blurring my vision. I’ve cried so much since the cardiologist told us there was nothing more they could do: end-stage heart failure. She had six months, maybe less.
That was five months ago.
It’s only a matter of time now.
I don’t know how I’ll survive without —her love, her wisdom, her presence. When she’s gone, I’ll be alone. There’s no family left.
Micah is all I have, and even that isn’t guaranteed. College has kept us both busy—him with baseball, me with school and my aunt. We barely see each other anymore.
Her tired eyes meet mine. “When the time comes, there’s something I want you to do for me.”
I straighten. “Anything.”
“I want you to live, Selene. Fall in love.”
I turn away, the words slicing through me. She doesn’t understand. That isn’t possible.
I’m going blind.
If I find someone before it happens, no one will knowingly choose to be with a blind woman.
My stomach knots. I remember the taunts from school, the endless bullying as my lenses thickened with each passing year. It was like no one could look past them and see me.
No one, except Micah.
“You know that isn’t possible, Nan.”
“Oh, honey.” She sighs, shaking her head. “I know it is. I’m sure of it. One day, there will be a man who sees how breathtakingly beautiful you are. Those glasses are just windows hiding the true beauty underneath.”
I grin, locking this moment into memory. The warmth in her voice, the way she looks at me—as if I’m part of a fairytale she hasn’t read yet.
“He’ll pull them off your face,” she whispers, “and fall in love with your soul.”
“You read too much, Nan.”
She laughs, but there’s something knowing in her eyes as she glances at the gilded mirror—the one that has been in our family for generations.
“He will come when you least expect it. Or maybe…” She tilts her head. “He’s been around you all along.”
I swallow. She probably means Micah.
But for a split second, it feels like she means someone else.
Someone I haven’t met yet.
I pull out my phone, scrolling through the last message I sent to Micah.
Selene: Are we still on to hang out tomorrow?
Micah: After practice.
Selene: See you later. :)