My mother always told me, I am the most stubborn of her three children.
Peter, Ashley, and then me Jenny.
The whole family wears glasses, except me.
They are all nearsighted, I hate the looks of their glasses.
Their eyes look so tiny, and the lenses distort their facial look.
I am not going to wear glasses and look like that.
After the summer holiday and the dreaded annual eye exam, I am going into my first year of high school.
My best friend is Carol, we have been friends since grade one.
Carol is a very pretty red haired girl with some freckles.
We both like computer games, love field and track, and play soccer and soft ball.
Carol lives only a couple blocks away, and I usually ride my bike when I go to see her.
Its time for our yearly family eye exam, Both Peter and Ashley had increases it their prescriptions, and the lenses in their glasses show a lot of rings, almost the same as my parents glasses, I hate that look. I am mad as H….., I am told I have to wear glasses, I know the optometrist is wrong, I can see just fine. Since I don t want to wear glasses, my mother made me try some frames, and she decided which frame looked best on me. While waiting for the glasses to be made, my mother suggested we go for a pizza. The pizza was good, I really enjoyed it, until my mother started, telling me I have to do what the optometrist told me, and to wear the glasses from the time I get up, till I go to bed. I knew that was not going to happen.
When I got my glasses and put them on noticed an improvement in my vision, and when I looked at myself in a mirror, hated the way I looked.
My mother told me I looked very nice, and to appreciate my improved vision.
When we left the optical shop, I shoved the glasses up in my hair on the top of my head.
My mother gave me dirty look, but did not say anything.
When we got home everybody had to make a comment about my glasses, and welcome me to the glasses club.
The next day, I had to get out of the house, and went to see Carol. She told me she felt sorry for me that I had to wear glasses, knowing how I hated glasses. I could not believe it, that when Carol tried my glasses, she actually enjoyed wearing them. After looking in a mirror, she told me, she loves the looks of herself wearing glasses, and that she can see very well when wearing them. She is going to ask her mother to arrange for an eye exam. After playing some games while Carol was wearing my glasses, I had to go home for supper. Carol gave me my glasses back, which I put back on the top of my head.
When we were back at school, I always wore my glasses on top of my head, if I really needed to see something, I put them on to see what I wanted to see, than back on top of my head. It is surprising how much you can see when you squint. Carol is wearing glasses now, she wears them full time, and loves wearing them. I don t know what is wrong with her.
When we all had our yearly eye exam, my prescription went up, it now reads right eye -2,00, left eye -2.25, and some astigmatism. When my mother saw my new my prescription told me, that I was a fool for not wearing my glasses full time. Your vision is not good enough to go without wearing your glasses. But stubborn me is not going to wear glasses full time, I can see just fine to get around, and if I can t see it, my glasses are always on top of my head. I soon realized that my vision without wearing my glasses was not very good, but I still refused to wear them full time.
Carol called me and asked if I could come over, and help her with a math problem. I jumped on my bike, visibility was not very good, it was a little foggy. I rode as fast as I could to get to Carol s place. When I had to cross the road at the intersection, squinted to see if there were any cars coming, but could not see any cars coming. When I crossed the street, ohh….no, there was a car coming out of nowhere, right at me. What a jolt when the car hit me, all I can remember is hitting the pavement.
All upset the driver got out of his car, where did that girl come from, I never saw her.
He looked at the girl lying on the pavement, and the crumpled bicycle, took the phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.
Operator please send an ambulance to the corner of Broad street and Elm, I hit a girl with my car.
Then he put a heavy car blanket over Jenny, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible.
Soon the sound of a sirens, and the police and ambulance arrived.
The paramedics looked Jenny over, put a neck brace on her, and then put her on a backboard.
They carefully placed her in the ambulance and rushed her to the University Hospital.
Jenny s dad on his way home from work, noticed the accident, stopped, looked at the crumpled bike. He thought the bike looked very familiar, and asked the policeman what had happened.. A girl was hit by a car. We don t know who she is, all we found is a bike and a pair of broken glasses. Those glasses, and the bike look very familiar to me, I think she could be my daughter, where did they take her? The ambulance took her to the University hospital. So he rushed home and asked his wife where Jenny was. She went to Carol s place to help her with a math problem. When they phoned Carol, she told them Jenny was not there. Lets go and check at the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, it was confirmed that there was a girl about 16 or 17 years old, brought into emergency. All we know she has long dark blond hair. Well, we think she might be our daughter. The girl is in the operating room right know, we like you to wait here so when the doctors are finished. you can identify her, we would like to know who she is. So the waiting began. About two and a half hours later, a doctor approached us to come with him, to see if his patient was our daughter. When we walked into the room could not believe our eyes. On the bed with a head wrapped in bandages, bruises all over, her beautiful hair cut, and one leg in a cast propped up, asleep from the medication, is our daughter Jenny. When the Doctor realized she was our daughter, told us Jenny had a bad concussion, and a very badly broken leg. We checked, there is no blood on the brain, we will check more in the next few days, to make sure there is no other damage. Jenny s parents were of course very upset, to see their daughter in that condition. The Doctor suggested they come back the next day, Jenny should be awake by that time.
The next day, Jenny s parents were pleasantly surprised when they came to visit Jenny, she was awake. After Jenny realized who they were, greeted them with a painful smile on her face. While they were talking, Jenny asked her parents to speak louder, I have trouble hearing you. Her mother told her that they had found her glasses, but that they were broken, and had brought her old glasses, that they might do in the mean time. Jenny said I don t know, when I need glasses to see something, I will give them a try. Then a nurse came in to tell them that Jenny had to go for more tests, and to come back later for an update of her condition.
During the next couple of days, Jenny started to realize that her vision was worse than before. She also had a hard time hearing what was being said. The doctor in charge told her that when she was ready to be moved in a wheelchair, she would get an eye and an audio exam, as they were sure that, both her hearing and vision had been affected. Jenny s broken leg felt numb and the doctor was quite concerned about possible nerve damage.
About a week later Jenny was able, with a lot of help to get into a wheel chair. She had her eyes examined, and an increase in her prescription to -3.25 in the right and -3.50 in the left eye, and an increase in her astigmatism. Now she realized why she could not see very much, even when squinting. After a complete exam at the audiology department was told she would have to wear hearing aids. The severity of the collision and the concussion had affected her hearing.
After returning to her room, Jenny realized now how dumb she had been refusing to wear her glasses full time. Now she would be wearing glasses with the stronger lenses that she hated, had to wear hearing aids to hear properly, and a leg that might never be good enough to do track and field. After a good cry and feeling sorry for herself, made a decision, that she would do her best to talk some sense into anybody who would not be wearing glasses, when they should.
About two weeks later Jenny was allowed to go home. Wearing stronger glasses and hearing aids so she could see and hear properly, her beautiful hair cut., she was quite a sight. Walking using crutches was quite a challenge, and she would be wearing her cast for at least another three weeks. Since she lived close to the high school, and with Carol s help went to school in a wheel chair. A bad hairdo, wearing hearing aids and glasses and not to forget her great big cast, was the talk of the school. All this attention was sure not what I wanted, stupid me, all because I did not like the looks of glasses with strong lenses. I now know, I should have been wearing my glasses.
https://vision-and-spex.com/i-should-have-been-wearing-my-glasses-t879.html