Horses clip clopped past, carrying their bounty of passengers through the streets of Vienna. Anna stood in an alcove just facing the enormous cathedral with her eyes closed and listened to the city breathe. There were others besides her sitting close taking a break from walking around. It was midday but it was almost winter, and rather chilly. Anna pulled her clothes tighter around her and felt the city around her move.
Birds rushed from the ground to the rooftops as children and tourists ran after them, rushing for a perfect picture. She smelt sweat from backpackers who walked all over the city with their giant rucksacks, and perfume from a nearby group of girls, coffee cups in hand, sunglasses and scarves rustling as they marched through on their high heels. She heard footsteps coming towards her and she reached out her hand. The light in her darkness placed a bottle of water into her outstretched hand. “It’s so beautiful,” Dalton said talking about the cathedral. “Yeah?” she said, her eyes still shut behind her own sunglasses. “I wish I could see it.”
Anna was blind.
Anna was born blind. Before she met Dalton, she never needed or wanted to see. Dalton had spent all his savings to take her here, the city of the arts. He wasn’t a very poor man, but he was an artist and sometimes you hit the jackpot and other times you don’t. Dalton’s full name was Zachary Dalton, but for some artistic reason or another he went by his last name. Only his mother called him Zach anymore, and Anna too sometimes when she felt like it.
“It’s like, really big!” He said looking up. “It’s, urh… all sharp towers at the top, with all these carvings and stuff around it. And little spiky things all on top as well. Very… Gothic like.” Anna faced his direction and laughed. “For an artist you have a horrible way of describing things,” she said. “Well,” he pouted, “I’m not good with words. Just good with my hands,” he said looking down at them. He would trade his gift, his life’s passion, to be a surgeon to fix her eyes.
“Would you like to go inside again?” He asked.
“No, I loved it inside, it’s so serene. But there are just too many people out the front. It’s stifling waiting in line.”
“There’s an observation deck at the very top, would you like to go?” He asked.
“There’s too many people out there,” she said, feeling like she was repeating herself. “And I’m sure when we go up, all it will be is windy. I like it down here in my little corner.”
“Well, your little corner is somebody’s doorway you know,” he said looking at the huge door behind her.
“No one has asked me to move yet,” Anna pointed out and giggled. She put her water bottle into her handbag and slipped her hand into his. “Now stop talking, you’re ruining the sights,” she smiled at him and once again listened to the city and felt it live.
Many tourists giggled and chatted away, all the while taking an overabundance of pictures, the sounds of their camera shutters clicking away. A few of them dropped their things onto the cobblestones as they tried to fumble for cameras. Little children cried out, lost, after sneaking away from their parents to go look at the horse and carts. The world around her moved as she stood in her corner, a small unseeing spectator. Her world was dark, except for the noises and the smells, coming to her in small waves. To her it felt like a rippling effect from drops of water in a small ocean.
“I hate to break your concentration, but we’ve been here for a while now” Dalton said, “and our flight departs in four hours, and we have to get back to the hotel to get our stuff.”
“Okay,” she said grudgingly, “give me two more minutes.”
“Shall we buy another souvenir?” He said looking at the vendors propped around the place, enticing people to come look at their wares. There were even a few opened stores nearby that had plenty to offer in ways of trapping unforgettable moments for those who couldn’t come themselves.
“We have plenty of trinkets,” Anna smiled. “Let’s just go home. Happy Anniversary again by the way.”
“And you too. Two years go by fast huh?” He said sheepishly.
“When married to you, everyday is a fun adventure,” she said.
When they got back to their tiny apartment in London, Dalton shut himself in his studio. Anna understood, he needed to work; after all, they didn’t have any savings anymore. She did feel forlorn though after those lovely days wondering a city street where you could imagine you were somebody else, anybody else. You could feel the lives of everybody: from regular city dwellers to historical famous composers, rushing here and there, or artists pondering their next move. In London you didn’t really get that, you just felt rushed. All the time rushed. The world spinning too fast for a tiny bubble to keep afloat.
After a few days Anna was fine. After a few weeks Anna felt lonely. Dalton hardly came home except for maybe a change of clothing and a quick shower. He would however, to his credit, call her once in a while to make sure she was alright. He would also always give her a quick kiss before he left home.
One day while Anna sat by the window listening to the radio, Dalton ran into the apartment. “Anna, Anna!” He yelled. He grabbed her by the hands and led her out the apartment, the radio still on. It took her a lot of persuasive power to get him to lock the door before they darted off.
He brought her to his studio door, smelling strongly of oil paints and clay. “Okay, okay,” Dalton said. Taking a deep breath. By that time, Dalton’s excitement felt contagious. “Oh, what is it!” she laughed.
“You know I’m bad at words! Give me a second to think. Okay… okay…”
Anna laughed. “Take your time, you lout.” Dalton took a deep breath and began.
“I can’t give you your sight. But I can show you mine.”
He opened the door and led her into the room. “Remember this before you touch anything. For scale, we are about the size of a… um… a spoon standing up.” He put her hand down gently on the top of a spike. She felt it’s grandeur from the first touch she took. She felt how high up it was, all it’s windows, it’s carved little angels, balancing precariously atop triangular structures she was sure must have a name. She walked around the tiny building. “It’s the cathedral isn’t it,” she said her breath catching.
“Yeah it is,” he said watching her closely. “Do you like it?”
“How can I not?” she smiled at him widely and began to ask questions.
“What’s this place?”
“That’s the observation tower, at the bottom where you are right now was where the horses are.”
“What’s this meant to be?”
“Scaffolding,” he laughed. “I wanted your experience to be as true as possible. They are renovating some parts still, apparently.”
“What’s this circular thing?”
“That’s a window, pretty impressive thing if you ask me and a pain to replicate as well.”
“It’s so wonderful Zach,” she said still facing the cathedral.
“I can’t take the credit for the idea though. There was a tiny model there, and you could have probably touched that. But I don’t know… it’s not the same. I wanted you to feel all the details. Also there were a bunch of tourists there pretending to be giants and dinosaurs so I’m sure you wouldn’t have liked going there.”
She walked towards him and gave him a hug. “I like this much better, I’m sure,” she said into his chest. “I’m glad,” he replied giving her a kiss on top of her head.
“I wish,” he said, “I wish I could trade everything I had to let you see.” She pulled out of his embraced, and held on to both his hands. “Don’t be silly. Why would I need to see, when I have all the sight I need, right at your fingertips,” she kissed the tips of all of his fingers, and smiled up at him. “Zach, I don’t need to see to know I am the luckiest girl I know.” Then she went back to her new giant toy.
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