It was in the first month after I moved with mom and dad to Hamburg, that my Cousin and her girlfriend came to visit us there. It was summer vacation and the three of us spend a good time together strolling through the city and driving across the harbour with ferryboats. We were all about the same age 14,15 years old. Irene my cousins friend had glasses with her that she didn’t wear except for short occasions. It was obvious that she was not able to see good without them, but she didn’t want to wear them constantly. She told me, that she didn’t like to be seen with glasses. I told her, that I thought she looked good with them and so did my cousin. But it didn’t convince her. I thought about how I could encourage her and had the idea to offer her to wear her glasses instead of her to demonstrate that its OK to be a glasswearing person. " Take them whenever you want" was her reply. So before we left for our next trip through town I said " all right, give the glasses to me I wear them on our tour the whole day and give them to back to you as soon as you want to have them back" She gave them to me with no comment. I put them on. They seemed to fit okay but I was surprised how strong the optical effect was. Things seemed to be much smaller, my field of vision was bend in the periphery, everything was quite out of focus. I was unable to read things or recognize smaller objects. “Whow, they are stronger than I thought, how can you see without them?” I said to Irene when we walked down the street to the next underground station. Irene shrugged her shoulders and continued her actual conversation with my cousin. I felt quite unsecure walking with my impaired vision. Going down the stairs of the underground station was a big challenge. I walked cautious down with my hand on the stair railing. The girls watched me with what seemed to be gloating smiles. I had the wish to take the glasses off, but this would have been an embarrassing defeat. So I tried to submit to my fate. After we sat in the train, I got a bit calmer. Not being in motion was easier. The two girls I was with, made no comments about the fact that I wore the glasses nor did they ask how I felt with them on. We talked about the movie we had seen the evening before- in the dark of the Cinema Irene had worn her glasses- and laughed about funny scenes we remembered. Although not seeing good at all I started to feel a bit more comfortable with the glasses and s slight feeling of excitement, came on me, I felt like in an unexpected adventure. Sitting in the tube with the two girls and everybody sees me as a boy wearing prescription glasses. A strange expierience, but to my surprise not unpleasant at all. The ride on the train lasted almost an hour. After some time there was a hot stiching sensation in my eyballs. It frightened me and I instinctly closed my eyes, while still talking with the girls. After a minute the uncomfortable pain passed. I opened my eyes again and was surprised that my ability to focus through the glasses was remarkably better. The train entered into a station and I was able to kind of read the name of it on the opposite wall. This was new. It felt strange and a bit arrousing. But another sensation came up: In the beginning a slight and continues increasing tensness in my eyes. It was not pain as before, it was more like a muscle working hard. And the acuity of my Vision seemed to improve more and more. While still talking about all kinds of stuff during the rest of our ride, I was in away enthused by this change. It Sure made things easier for me on this day. Arriving at the harbour station we left the train and I felt more safe walking, even going upstairs. We walked to the fishmarked and observed the fishermen bringing in their Prey and the people searching for a good piece of fish. We went later to one of the cafes of the market to have a drink and go to the toilet. Washing my hands in the toilet I saw myself with the glasses for the first time. I was amazed about the change of my Look and stood long in front of the mirror turning my head to all sides and trying to capture the change in my appearance. The glasses gave me a more mature and sturdy look. They were rectangular, broader on the top and more narrow below, dark brown, with rounded edges. I liked the look immediately. The mineral glasses reflected the light and my eyes looked quite smaller behind them, there was a cutout in my Faceline. On the sides of the lenses were noticeable powercircles, that I had before noticed at other people wearing glasses. I realised with surprise, that my vision was close to perfect now. My heart started to beat hard: My god, I am wearing real prescription glasses with significant strength and my eyes were adjusting to them in a way that I can wear them without impairment. What if this adventure leads to be a permanent glasses wearer? Maybe I should better take them off. But I had made kind of a strong announcement to wear them till Irene asked for them. I went back to my companions- they were just giggling about something- sat down and smiled at Irene. After I had her attention I said “Now see, nothing awful happens to me wearing glasses, why don’t you give it a try?” Her face changed to a petrified expression, she shook her head and turned away from me. So we paid and walked on. When Irene went to an announcement poster of a rockband to read the details - she had to get her eyes quite close it to decipher the text. I was on my own with my cousin for a moment " What shall I do, I can’t wear these glasses all day?" I asked her. “If you don’t want to be a fool for the rest of these days, you can’t do anything but leaving them on " She said with a mockingly tone. " By the way,we both think you look very good with Irenes glasses, they suit you better than her” I turned away from her, because I didn’t want her to see my face in that Moment. I felt embarrassment, panic and in the same moment enyoed the compliment. And a strange Joy because I would keep on wearing glasses the whole day, panic, because I feared my parents would find out. We walked along the shore of the river, had rests to enjoy the sun and thought about go for a meal in a pizzeria and later go to a public dancefloor. I called my parents from a public phone and asked if they would allow us to do that. They gave us the permission and told me, that they would be allready asleep when we come back, because they both had to go to their jobs early in the morning. So we strolled on looking for the right place to have a meal. I was in the meantime almost perfect used to wearing Irenes glasses and felt very confident that I had not backed down. The two girls gave me puzzled looks from time to time, as if they couldn’t believe how I was wearing “my” glasses with a matter of course since more than 8 hours now. We found a nice little restaurant and sat down. The waiter gave each of us a menu. Irene was diving deep into the pages to be able to read it. I had to hold the menu quite far away to be able to read the small letters. The tense feeling in my eyes, that had subsided since longer came back with great intensness. I had to control myselfe not to close my eyes for relief and after a while was rewarded with crystalclear acuity reading the menu. " I take the gnocchi with sage, a salad and water" I said to my companions-with a confident smile. They looked at me with surprise. Maybe because I had changed from the stumbling Guy in the morning to a relaxed glasses wearer. I smiled at them with a pose of superiority. After the meal we had a coffee and enjoyed the evening sun. My cousin had a long look at me and said"It is strange but at the moment I can’t imagine how you look without glasses. They seem to be part of you in the meantime. Irene looked at me with a spiteful look " These glasses seem to be like made for you. You can keep them. I’ll ask my parents to buy contacts for me anyway. I hate these glasses." I was speechless . It took a while until I found back to say something. " I can’t accept that. These are your glasses. Its true , I am used to wearing them now and feel that its OK for me. But what would my parents say, my god!? And you need glasses so obviously, that I can’t understand why you are so reluctant to using them. You have to go so close to things you want to read and I noticed a couple of times that you almost ran into people and other obstacles." Irene reacted dismissive and said let’s go dancing. My cousin looked gloating at me and shrugged her shoulders. I could have made an end to my optical field trip at this Moment, but I was too proud. We danced under the evening Sky till it was time to take the last train home. We were in a heightened mood riding home. The two girls were left and right from me and leaned on my shoulders. “Say Bruno, can you see really good with my glasses?“asked Irene.“Can you read the text beside the trains door over there, beside the emergency Button?” I read the small letters fluently. They were explaining how to reset the button after use for the subway officials. The girls were surprised, because they both were unable to decipher the text.“Lend me the glasses for a moment” asked Irene. I gave them to her and fell into a blur. Irene tried to focus through the glasses on the text, but failed and gave the glasses back to me. I was glad to have them on again and see clear again. I was shocked. Was I dependend on glasses allready? Irene said in a neutral voice: “OK, Bruno, I have a gift for you. These glasses are yours now.” My cousin looked astonished " What will your parents say, when you come home without glasses?” I tell them they fell into the toilet on the train home” replied Irene. I knew I could have just taken off the glasses at that point, give them back and refuse Irenes Gift. But I felt so confused and stuttered " Do you mean that serious?" Irene nodded. “I don’t know what to say. I wear these glasses the whole day now. In the first hour I regreted what I suggested but now my eyes, after some struggle, have completely adapted to them and I am almost a bit enthusted to wear real prescription glasses. Its mad in a way. Well thank you very much Irene. I think I will wear them till you leave as long as my parents are not around and later whenever I like to. Irene smiled at me with a wink” maybe some day permanently?" We came home, the house was dark and quiet. We sat together for a while and on Irenes request I read to us a book. My eyes started to get tired and I went to bed and put “my” glasses into my nightstand. We all woke up late. My eyesight was thank god perfect again, but my eyballs felt like having muscle cramps. Looking in the mirror everything looked normal. Coming down to breakfast without glasses the two girls looked at me with severe faces. I knew what that meant and went to get my glasses. My eyes protested and I felt a strange but intense pain just for some seconds. Then the tense sensation came back and my eyes started to focus through my lenses. What a warm welcome, when I came down. My eyes addapted quite fast to the glasses and after a while they felt relaxed again. I was kind of happy in a permanent heightened mood. We spent half the day at Home, played, cooked a meal and then went out to go swimmimg and enjoying the summer. Until the two left we managed to spend most time without seeing my parents. When we did I had to spend time without my in the meantime beloved glasses. After the girls were gone it was only two more days till school would start. I spent this weekend with my parents and was glad that my eyes were able to see well without glasses, but I found out that I really missed them.
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