Hi All, this is my first ever glasses story… It’s a working progress and I invite you to join writing sections of it… I have written the first two scenes. I invite you all to write 3rd scene onwards… Let’s see how each of us can illustrate our imagination all starting from a common seed… (pardon me about poor grammar/ punctuation/ capitalisation etc, I was more focused on starting to write, as a person who avoids writing all the time).
Here you go:
Scene 1 - Arrival at the airport
As the wheels of the plane touched the ground, a feeling of excitement ran across Jen’s mind… wow, it has been 3 years since I last landed here! she told herself. She was waiting for this much-needed break from all the hustle and bustle in the city of New York, to where she moved 10 years ago for college from San Francisco. She has been keeping in touch with her aunt and the family throughout, especially because her aunt had a daughter just months older than Jen, Kate. As she walked out of the terminal, the memories of good times they had together were flashing in her mind.
Kate was waiting at the arrivals and waved. From the distance, Jen noticed her beautiful sunglasses, with shining frames and slightly dark lenses. Being a bit of a fashionista, Jen always enjoyed having buying accessories, sunglasses being one.
Scene 2 - Taxi
Btw, nice sunglasses! Jen said… Ehm… you think so? Kate asked. Yeah of course! they match your face and what you wear… You know how hard it is to find sunglasses that match our face, hair and body at the same time right? Jen went on… Kate broke into a hysterical laugh… Jen was perplexed. She poked Kate. Stop mocking me!
After a few moments of laughter, Kate bit her lip in a playful manner and took the sunglasses off. Look at me girl! This woman is blind! What? Jen exclaimed. Kate responded with her radiant smile and said… Well, not really, but kind of!
What do you mean? Jen got curious…
Well, my dear, these are not just sunglasses! They are my everyday glasses - with auto tint in sunny weather.
Jen stared at her with wide eyes. How come? She asked… you have always had great eyes. Remember that one time when you saw me from like a mile away as I was chatting with Rick from our high school? The nasty fellow! You saved my life by telling me what he did to his ex. Nevertheless, tell me more. Why glasses?
Hm… yeah, the jerk RIck! Ok, this is how it happened. You remember I switched jobs last year right? I moved to a new hospital closer to where I live… Long travel after night shifts at the previous place were killing me. After a couple of months at the new place, they did a system update to all our computers. We got some flashy new monitors with “HD 1080p” stickers on it. Something to be excited about work at last! I thought to myself. But within about 2 weeks I noticed that I was getting a dull headache at the end of work every day… I took a painkiller and went to sleep; to wake up afresh the next day. Maybe I’m taking work too seriously I thought… I should find a hobby!
I had always been thinking about making my own jewellery, so I joined a jewellery design course which gave me a good dose of creative inspiration and an opportunity to distant my mind from the matters at work. The first two weeks were more about the theory of design and drawing practice. Oh babe I loved it!
I can imagine! Jen said… Remember you used to make funny little necklaces with beads and stuff?
Oh yeah, you are right… ok, getting back to the story…
Towards the third week, we started practical work. I was super duper excited. As I was working on bending some thin wire to make an earring, I felt a strange sensation that I have never felt before. I was a bit dizzy and the wire seemed to double. I stood up and walked to the water cooler to refresh. As I returned, Emma; our instructor - a sweet lady with beautifully braided silver hair & glasses often on forehead, asked me… how is it going, Kate? I was like well, not too bad… just felt a bit dizzy while bending these wires, maybe I didn’t have enough sleep last night. Emma smiled… hm… maybe my dear… by the way, do you wear glasses by any chance? Ehm no, why? I asked.
Emma smiled and said… Well, don’t misunderstand me. But I noticed a couple of times how your eyebrows would wrinkle as you were doing the drawing lessons last week and while bending the wires today. I was just wondering if you were finding hard to see. Oh it’s ok Emma! Probably you are right! I’m getting old… I told her with a broken voice.
Oh dear… don’t think like that… She smiled in a sweet manner. And she said, well I know for a fact that our work is so intricate. If you don’t mind, you can try out a magnifier from that shelf.
I was always curious why those doctor’s inspection glasses were kept on the shelves of the jewellery studio. Now the dots got connected! Ok, let’s see. I told my self and got back to work… after finishing the first earring I looked around a bit… Everyone else was busy with their own projects. Emma waved at me from her table, looking over her glasses. As I got back to work, damn I got that sensation again. A bit dizzy, double vision and hard to focus on the wire I was supposed to bend… Maybe the magnifiers will help… I thought. As I walked to the shelf near Emma and took one in my hand, Emma gently asked me “Do you know how to choose one dear?”
I said well I thought all are same! Emma smiled and told me, here, start with the lowest power. I took it from Emma and put it on my head… well I wasn’t too unfamiliar seeing this, because I already worked in a hospital and have seen some doctors using them to inspect the patients.
I got back to my sear and continued work. The moment I took the wires in my hand to bend I exclaimed to myself. Wow! These look big! And they have a texture on the body! Anyways, I finished what I was making, and wanted to show it off to my friends on Instagram. Removing the earrings that I was wearing, I put the pair I made, and turned on the camera on my phone to take a selfie. Damn! I was still wearing those dorky glasses a.k.a. the magnifiers!
Can you imagine? I have forgotten that I wear them within just an hour! For the sake of fun, I took a selfie with them on and looked at the phone. Wow! Instagram never looked this good! I thought to myself. And I just noticed how the letters on the phone were a tad bit crisper.
Once going back home, I got busy with making some dinner and went to bed after some Netflix.
Next day at work, Sarah, my colleague admired, Hey Kate, some cute earrings! I was like, guess where I got them? She knew that I’m going to jewellery making classes, so she guessed easily; “You made them? Wow! Good job Kate!”
Then I went on to say how the wires looked doubled, used the magnifier and forgot that they were on me until I took a selfie. Sarah gave an empathetic smile. Why? I asked… Well you know Kate, I noticed by was hesitating to tell you. Lately, you were frowning as you work on the computer and seemed to push the phone away from you as you read a text or something.
Really? I asked. You know, the font on our computers have gotten a little smaller after they brought in new computers! Sarah smiled and said, well it can be true. But my dear the glasses I wear make them slightly bigger and my eyes hardly feel tired because of the blue light blocking these have. Maybe you can borrow mine when I go to the field meeting with our boss, I will only be using my sunglasses.
Well, why not? I told… being someone always cool with experimenting new things. And just after lunch as Sarah was leaving to the field meeting with the boss, she left a beautiful glasses case on my hand. “Take good care of my babies, girl!” she winked. I opened the case to find her glasses, sitting between a beautiful velvet cloth and a small card. It read L: +0.5 R: +0.5 ADD: +1
At that time, these numbers meant nothing to me. I just put on her glasses and looked at my computer. Bam! What a difference! The colors felt cooler and the edges sharper. Logging in to our system I could see some subtexts which I haven’t noticed much before. I spent the whole afternoon enjoying the sharper view, and time to time compared without. “hm, it’s nice to have but probably I don’t have a need!” I still can read the screen, it’s just that the glasses made them clearer!"
After work, I left the glasses in Sarah’s drawer and left the building. As I got into the car and loaded google maps to see the least congested route to my home. Damn! the glasses have made me blind. I felt “what did I do to my eyes!” I looked at the buildings far away… well, nothing much different. I looked at the large hoarding across the car park, hm, not bad, I still can see. Then I looked at my phone… It was not as bad as before, but slightly blurry… Oh! I will do this exercise a few times and it will all be ok. I thought. Given I have little time, I decided to do the exercise as I drive. I went home doing the drill. Look far away, look at a hoarding nearer and looking at the phone with google maps on, repeating many times.
Next day as Sarah entered through the door to the office, I screamed in a fun way, “Woman! you made me blind!” Sarah laughed looking at me in a mocking manner. Well, my dear face reality. You need glasses!
The recent events flashed through my mind… The magnifiers at jewellery studio, the headaches after work, forgetting the magnifiers until I took Instagram photos, and the google maps incident last evening.
Maybe you are right Sarah, I told her, in a sorrowful tone.
Two days later, I had a doctors appointment. The doctor was slightly surprised how I managed thus far without glasses because apparently, the machine he used gave readings that I have been in need of them for a while. Then I told him the incident at the jewellery studio and with Sarah’s glasses. He asked if I know the prescription on Sarah’s glasses? I told it was something like L: +0.5 R: +0.5 ADD: +1 yet I don’t know what it means. Then he explained to me. + apparently means the lenses of the glasses are to see near the stuff. Add means the lenses have a separate section to see the things even nearer, for example, the books we read or a phone we have in hand. The doctor contemplated a little. I asked why doc, what’s up? He said he was really wondering if I should get bifocals, but given that I have tried them before he would just go ahead with them.
And that is how my girl, I got glasses! Said Kate… The boring long story right?
Jen, who was still in awe, replied: “hey not at all! I do remember mom and dad wear glasses ever since I turned 10 or something, but I never knew how they got to the point of needing them… in fact, your story is the first-ever story I have heard from someone who discovered they need glasses. I’m mesmerized by the design and the look of your glasses… do you mind if I try them?”
Sure, Kate said handing over her glasses to Jen…
As Jen took the glasses from Kate she admired the golden frame, the brown semi-transparent earpieces and the glasses which reflected a bluey light. She put them on and looked around… well girl, you are kidding me! These glasses make no difference! Oh, it’s because they are made for my eyes, silly! Said Kate.
Then Jen took out her phone and looked at her Instagram feed with them on. Wow! Wait a minute girlie! She said. Why? Kate asked.
My phone looks bigger Kate! And so it text on it! oh my my!!! I love this!
Kate smiled… “Who knows, maybe you need glasses too! We are cousins and our moms being sisters too wear glasses!”
But dear, they wear them because they are kinda old, am I right? Jen said as she broke in to a hysterical laugh.
Anyways, I’m gonna keep these on until we go to your place! Jen said, as she continued to admire the view through the lens scrolling along her instagram feed.
Kate closed her eyes and fell into a small nap as the Uber driver continued to drive towards the destination.
Scene 3 - Kate’s Home
Scene 4 - Visit to Art Gallery
Scene 5 - Dinner After Art Gallery at the Restaurant
Scene 6 - Two days later, departure at Airport
Scene 7 - On the flight
Scene 8 - At Jen’s home
Scene 9 - Jen calls her mom
Scene 10 - At the eye doctor
Scene 11 - At the optician
Scene 12 - At Jen’s Home
Scene 13 - At Jen’s office
Scene 14 - Meeting Andrew, a long lost friend (final scene)