Day was lost.
He had always been.
Day was blind.
However, he was not always blind.
His blindness was not the reason he felt lost.
His inability to envision his future was what made Day feel that way.
He had left home, wanting to do something that could make him proud of himself.
He wanted to publish a book. His own book.
The time that he spent at his parents’ house would not lead him to do anything productive because they saw him as a fragile being.
That’s why he thought it was better to leave that place for a change of scenario. He believed that moving into a peaceful and desolate area would make him naturally be able to complete the book that he had in mind for a long time.
He told himself that he was a grown man who should live an independent life on not rely on his parents for any kind of support.
Although his parents opposed the idea of a guy like him living on his own, yet they had no choice but to give in to their stubborn son’s decision against their better judgment.
They decided to let Day go on one condition – he had to accept the money that his parents sent him as a monthly allowance.
They had put that word out so lightly, but Day knew that the huge amount of money he’d receive monthly couldn’t be considered as just pocket money.
He mentally scoffed at that time, but he knew that it was only reasonable considering how he was yet to earn his own living, considering the fact that he was already twenty-five.
Even though he was a journalism graduate, he hadn’t begun working yet. He had passed the university exams using braille, and it didn’t take long enough before he realized that no one would hire him because he had nothing to offer in his current state.
That moment, he decided that he should do what he loved and not wait for anyone to give him a job.
Day had always loved literature. He had read countless books from a very young age – back when he could actually see. He also received a lot of awards for writing competition during his schooling, that’s when his parents realized his passion and let him learn what he loved – journalism.
No one could have predicted what could go wrong for someone as talented as Day, not even Day himself. It wasn’t until he graduated his schooling that he noticed problems with eyesight.
It started off midly, so he didn’t bother much about it. Sometimes, his vision would blur for a minute, and then everything was normal again. When this kept on occurring, Day sensed that something was wrong, but he still didn’t inform anyone about it.
One day, the blurring lasted for half an hour, and that was when he realized that he shouldn’t ignore it any longer. He opened up about this to his family. Without wasting another moment, they took him to the hospital.
Everything went downhill after that.
The spotless life Day was beginning to turn upside down. Day could feel the walls closing in on him when the doctor cast him a sympathetic look and announced that Day had retinitis pigmentosa.
Day was never good with science subjects, so he could only expect the doctor to elaborate further on that. He then learned that he had a genetic eye disorder that would eventually turn him completely blind. The worst part was that he could not be cured.
His whole world crumbled before him.
Day’s case was pretty rare, and his disease was spreading rapidly. The duration of the blurring of his eyesight lasted for longer after that.
It had been difficult for him to adapt to a whole new lifestyle that limited all his body movements. He could no longer run around or play a sport, watch TV, or the worst of it all – read a book.
Then it happened.
One morning, he woke up and opened his eyes. Only the darkness welcomed him.
Day didn’t panic that time. Maybe he was slowly expecting this to happen sooner or later. He sat on the bed as he waved his hand in front of his face for no reason. He didn’t expect his vision to return magically when he did that gesture.
He buried his face in his hands as his shoulders drooped. He didn’t realize that he was crying until his palm got drenched against his face. That morning, he sobbed for hours.
That was the first moment he felt lost.
His already overprotective parents began to suffocate him with their never-ending cautiousness around him.
There was nothing Day hated more than being pitied. He wished that, at least for once, someone would see him as himself and not as a blind helpless person who always needed constant surveillance.
Shortly after going blind, he learned braille. He also trained himself to walk with a stick. He had envisioned leaving his parents’ house that time, so he needed to be completely able to take care of himself to convince his parents.
After months of training, he had mastered both. Day was really resilient for someone who had lost so much.
His parents helped him buy a house for him in a quiet place. They didn’t have the heart to send him away, but they couldn’t win against Day either.
That’s how Day ended up living in this humble abode contradictory to the previous mansion in which he spent the majority of his life. He preferred here better anyway.
Initially, it was difficult for him to move about in a completely new environment. He also missed his parents badly, but he knew that he couldn’t always rely on them anymore. They had taken enough care of him. It’s about time he did it for himself.
It’s been a month since Day started living independently. He improved his locating skills a lot, and now he could walk around in his house without stumbling into an object very often. He always ordered food and other necessities, so he was still not used to any place other than his house.
He thought it was alright since he was here to write a book and not to socialize.
Day preferred reading a book rather than communicating with others. He found solace in literature.
Books didn’t pity him after all.
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