WARNING:

This is a story of friendship, commitment, love and trust. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between male teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenage boys, please do not read this story. There may be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't read it. Reproducing this story for distribution without the owner's permission is a violation of that copyright.

Author's Comment: I appreciate your e-mails. Again thanks to Ed the editor for editing. And again thanks go to Drew - without his help and advise and comments this story would never have been written. I am still working on chapter 10.

I really would like some feedback on this story what you think - whether you have a better understanding of those who have a vision impairment, etc.

Sam (sam_lakes@hotmail.com)

As always I look forward to any comments.

Blind Love

by Sam Lakes

Chapter 9

I looked forward to my talks with Alex everyday. Sometimes we’d cry for a bit, especially when I had a frustrating day with my training.

I met Joe Michaels, Cyril’s boyfriend, the first week on Tuesday the day after I started my training. I liked Joe instantly and I think he liked me too, actually I think both Cyril and Joe liked me, we seemed to be together all the time – I was invited over to their flat and spent the weekend together. I never have seen Joe because I always have my shades on. Joe gave me the nickname of Hawky and everyone else that we knew started calling me that even the cast and crew that I knew.

Joe is always playing tricks on me like I was walking a long doing quite well, if you please. Joe had found a wet mop so he held it up in the air head height. A cane only warns you of obstacles that are from your waist down, so splat! Right in the face. "SHIT! Damn! Fuck!" I exclaimed.

I heard Joe laughing and Cyril giggling too. I stood there my face sopping wet and all down my front.

I started screaming,"My eyes! My eyes! OooooW! Owwww! It's burning!"

Joe dropped the mop and ran to me.

"Swat!!!" was the sound of my cane as it hit Joe's backside and he let out a yelp.

"I gotcha!" I exclaimed in triumph and commenced laughing.

Joe realizing I wasn't hurt but had just gotten him back joined in my laughter. Cyril came up to us and was in front of me.

Joe said, "Hit him he was the one that put me up to it."

"No way, he's got a cane and would probably challenge me to a duel."

"Ah ha, a du-el, mon ami! En guard!" challenged Cyril.

Rising to the challenge and not realizing the exact position my cane was I swiftly brought it up until it hit a barrier...Cyril's balls.

I heard goans from Cyril, hysterical laughter from Joe.

"Cyril? Are you all right?"

More groans.

"Cyril, I'm sorry I didn't see your balls." More hysterical laughter from Joe.

"Mean, I didn't know my stick was between your legs." Not only did Joe start another fit of laughter but Cyril joined in.

"You are a horny little boy! Putting your stick between my boyfriends legs," said Joe sending both he and Cyril into fits of laughter and causing me to blush.

"Awww Cyril, he's blushing."

I swung at Joe with my cane, of course I missed. He must have ducked and in the process hit the mop, which hit the bucket of water, which turned over and emptied it's contents.

"Damn, I'm soaked," laughed Joe.

I began to laugh my ass off. It took a while for us to get back to normal and get back into my training. When I am with them or with Alex life almost seems perfect.

I loved listening to the interaction between the two, sometimes they joke around, play tricks on each other and there were times when they’d just stop whatever they were doing just to snog a bit. Joe kept trying to get me to take my shades off and I refused, giving him the excuse that I didn’t want to die from fright when I saw his ugly face. Late Sunday afternoon I discovered a guitar and Joe and Cyril were in their bedroom and I figured it was for personal.

I like playing the guitar and I love singing too. Before I got into acting I wanted to be a pop singer, I don’t know if I’d be that good to ever be a super star but maybe nightclubs or weddings…

I found a metronome and set its rate and started playing the guitar part of I Promise You. I sort of got carried away and started singing. Because of my theatre training I don’t sing quietly and I sort of throw myself into it like I do with my acting. I was envisioning Alex being there in the room with me. From I Promise I went into Bread’s song “I Would Give Anything”. I have sung this song a hundred times and it was just a song but now I was singing it to my Alex who wasn’t here.

I was startled by Joe saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever head that song sung so beautifully with such passion. You agree, love?”

“Hawken, you continue to overwhelm me. You should be a recording artist.”

I just figured they were trying to be polite and we all ended up playing the guitar and singing until bedtime.

It’s funny, I have met most of the crew and cast who all seemed pretty cool but I’d never seen one of them I am beginning to recognize people by their voices.

It seemed like Cyril and Joe had become my local publicity agents. Because people were always coming up to me and telling me how cool I was to be really getting into character. Not just the general workers but a couple of directors and producers, of course that made Jack and Mom happy – I had retained my own lawyer to protect my interests – Mom would get 20% of my income and no more, the rest was put into a temporary trust until I was eighteen by the lawyer who was cool. He took 10% plus any publicity he could get off of being my lawyer. Apparently a day or so after I had arranged the deal with the lawyer a story came out in some national rag about how I had hired this lawyer to protect me from my ‘Money Grabbing Mother’. Mom of course was furious – I laughed my ass off.

Tuesday was a terrible day, I think a lot of it was the pressure I put on myself because I knew I had to be ready by Friday (tomorrow) to make my trip to Lingfield and also John had caught Alex talking to me on the phone Monday evening.

After Friday the shades would have to come off because Monday I start shooting and like it or not I am required to be sighted. And I knew it wouldn’t be until after shooting was completed that I would be able to train again and there was the uncertainty of what would be next.

I kept falling and stumbling over objects Joe and Cyril would put in my way and I was becoming more and more frustrated with myself – I knew I was trying to rush things and Joe I guess trying to make light of my frustrations said as I lay on the ground, “Come on, blind Hawky, you should be flying through this. You can do it.”

I just lay on the ground and started crying.

“Hawky? Come on, it’s not that bad,” said Joe sweetly, but it didn’t help. I felt I was failing Alex and I cried harder.

I felt Cyril sit down beside me. His hand found the top of my head. “Hey, Hawken, come on, sit up here, let’s cuddle, all three of us.”

I managed to sit up – I could hear people moving away and felt somewhat embarrassed. So there we sat, me in between Joe and Cyril sitting on the ground with me still sobbing and them trying to console me. Whoever had been watching slowly drifting away. No one said anything.

I finally calmed down a bit.

“I’m so afraid I will never get to see Alex again. Last night I was talking to him – we didn’t realize his dad was listening to our conversation. I don’t think he had listened in long but he told me to hang up and he didn’t want me to ever see Alex again. I got angry and I started calling him names and telling him he is ruining Alex’s life, that I loved Alex way more than he has; that he was a hateful selfish old man who was ashamed of his son being blind and was stopping Alex from becoming independent – I was trying to give Alex hope because I believe in Alex and I knew Alex could be great and accomplish things way beyond John’s pea-brain intelligence could conceive. I told John I love Alex and I would give up anything and everything to be with Alex…but all I can do is fall and fail.” I started crying again.

“Hawky, next week you, Cyril, and me will go see Alex and his dad and we’ll convince him that Alex needs Orientation and Mobility training…promise. Okay?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So, that’s it for the day,” said Cyril, “Let’s go have some fun.”

“But…”

“No buts! So you can take off your shades and see what I look like,” said Joe.

“No…not yet…”

“You know what I would like to do?” said Cyril.

“”What?” I asked.

“Well you know when I said you had a great voice this weekend?”

“Yeah,” I acknowledged.

“Well, let’s grab a sound studio and record you.”

“Great idea!” exclaimed Joe, “I’ll find you a guitar and then well make a demo tape for Alex…I think Alex would love it.”

“Okay.” I smiled.

“Cyril, you take Hawky and I’ll go find a guitar and stuff and meet you at the studio, o-kaeee, Cyril knows what I mean.”

“Yep lovie, exact-a-tickly!”

I should have suspected something because Cyril was sort of all giggly. He got me a stool to sit on and started setting up the mic.

“God, I hope I don’t sound like an idiot. I’ve never recorded myself singing before.”

“Dude, you are going to sound awesome because you are awesome!” I heard Cyril’s voice in the headphones I was wearing. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

Joe finally arrived with the guitar, which I immediately started tuning. I heard some noise behind me but figured it was Joe and so didn’t really pay attention.

“I’m ready – I guess…”

“Cool, dude, we’re just about set here, how about giving me a sound check?”

“Testing 1…2…3”

“No, dude, start singing and I tell you when to stop,” he giggled.

I started playing the guitar and then started singing “You sheltered me from harm, kept me warm, kept me warm. You gave my life to me, set me free, set me free-ee, the finest year I’ll ever know are all the years I I’ll not spend alone and I would…cut! Cut! Where did the drums come from?” I giggled because I realized that Joe had brought in more than just a guitar.

“Hawky, you need to take your shades off, dude!”

“What and look at your ugly face,” I jested, “No way!”

“Awww! You know there’s a whole crowd here that’s just waiting to see your baby blues,” he laughed.

“Oh, yeah right!” I laughed.

“Hey, Hawk or should I say Hawky?” laughed the director of the movie I was in.

“Alan? Are you supposed to be on the set directing?”

“Well, we took a break and the word got around that Hawky was going to sing and well you know I decided I would join the crowd, you know there is a bet on what color your eyes are. I know and a few others but we're not saying,” he laughed.

“Well, I guess,” I slowly went to take my shades off then at the last second I dropped my hands to my sides saying, “you’ll have to wait until Monday.” I giggled.

I heard a bunch of awwws.

“Ready to jam?” asked Cyril.

“Hit it!” Everything went quiet and I started singing…It took me about a six takes to finally get it right. I thanked all the musicians and they said anytime. Eventually there was just the three of us.

“Cyril, can I add a message to the beginning of the tape?”

“Sure, dude.”

He gave the cue and I started, “Hey Alex, I wish you’d been here today because you are so much a part of me and I wish I hadn’t made your dad hate me…because I know it just ends up hurting us. I feel like I have always loved you and I know no matter what I will always love you. I was having a miserable day today and Joe and Cyril and all my friends wouldn’t let me stay down in the dumps – they got me to record this song for you cuz it’s the way that I feel about you – I would…give…<sniff> everything that I own just to have you here with me and to share my life and my friends…If I have to wait till I’m eighteen, then I will. I love you…”

Joe led me into the control room where Cyril was busy creating a CD of the song.

“I suppose you want us to deliver this to young Alex using the Studio’s delivery service? It will be there in two hours or so.”

“Can you!” I ejaculated.

“Of course but it will cost you?”

“Nope! I am not taking off my shades!”

“Then at least tell me why?”

I sighed and blushed a bit.

“Cyril, he blushed. He is so cute!”

I really blushed!

“Okay, it’s because the first thing I want to see when I take these off is Alex.”

“Aw! Cyril, isn’t that so sweet! Just makes me want to hug and kiss him.”

Later that evening, my phone rang.

“Hello, this is Hawk Sugarstone,” I said glumly.

“H-Hawken,” cried Alex.

“Alex! Alex, my love, why are you crying?”

“I-I love you, Hawken. I want to be with you forever. They delivered your CD and Dad read the note and then gave me the CD and I listened to it. It’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me. Oh Hawken I love you so much…Dad said I could call you.”

We must have talked for half an hour before Alex had to hang up. My hopes re-established – I told Alex I had another surprise for him on Friday and he’d just have to wait.