First just to be clear this story is fantasy. I say that because in a couple of stories I’ve mentioned wanting to either not live or killing myself and nothing is farther from the truth. I was born in 1969 on the day of the first moon landing to a Mother who was only 17 at the time. My Mom had to have a “shotgun” wedding which was common back then. The man who married my Mom and was listed as my Father on the birth certificate quickly figured out that was impossible. The man was in the army at the time I was conceived. My Mom tried to claim I was premature but he became skeptical when I weighed 11 punds at birth. The man left my Mom about 6 months after I was born. All this is not to say my Mom was a bad one. With my Grandparents help my Mom went to work and at night took courses to complete high school which she was given no choice to drop out of when pregant. Things are thankfully different now but back then a pregant could not go to high school in most districts. My Grandparents who I found out later never had much money or owned a house both passed away within 4 months of each other when I was 8 and money really became tight. Schools did not require physicals back then so I was only taken to a Doctor when absoutely necessary. In 1979 at age 10 I began to think things in the distance were not as clear as they once were. I know this was in 79 because that is the first year the Daytona 500 was on live TV with flag to flag coverage. The 500 for a few years had the last part shown live but never the whole thing and it beat the Indianapolis 500 on live flag to flag by 7 years. The school vision screening was scheduled for the day after the Daytona 500 and I was looking forward to it but school was called off due to snow in southern Indiana for the whole week after that day due to snow. While we didn’t have as much snow as the eastern seaboard states we had plenty. After about a week back school when have our rescheduled vision screening and to my surprise I pass without a problem. When the school nurse conducting the screening ask if I had any trouble with my eyes I mention about things not being as clear as they were and I am told you will probably need glasses in the future as it looks like you could becoming near-sighted. I later learned another name for this is Myopia. Hey I was only 10 at the time but I frankly was pretty sharp for my age. At the start of the second semester of the 79-80 school year we changed seats and I went form near the front to the back of the room All of the sudden I realized I couldn’t see the blackboard. Instead of being taken to an eye doctor that I later learned was called an Optometrist I was taken to a regular MD where I was tested on a Snellen chart. I knew I couldn’t read all the lines I had before and just thought I needed glasses as the school nurse said was possible. Once we got home by bus (Mom never drove) I got devastating news. I was told I had an eye condition that was non correctable. I questioned even being several months away from turning 11 why a doctor that did not specialize in eyes would know that. I was told we never question any Doctor. I had to sit in the front row of the class so I could see the board. At first I was happy go lucky about my diagnosis but at roughly age 14 when other kids started talking about getting their drivers licenses at age 16 I realized I would never get mine. I considered killing myself and ways to do it such as slitting my wrists or riding a bike into the path of a large truck but thankfully I chickened out for a couple of reasons. One is the effect it would have on my Mom if she found me with slit wrists and two as for the truck deal a friend of mines single Mom had hit and killed a kid who had rode his bike in front of her. The woman was completely absolved of any blame but required 3 years of counseling before she would even think about driving again and later when he got his license quit driving making him take her everywhere or riding the bus. From age 14 to 15 I became bitter and withdrawn. About the only thing I did right was keeping my grades up in school because I really enjoyed being the debate team and had to do so for that. During the summer of 85 our debate team was written up in the local paper because when school started we were going to a compete in the state finals in Indianapolis and I was the only incoming sophomore on the team and the youngest member. We were on one of the Louisville TV stations and I was asked what visual impairment I had. I said I don’t know because I was only examined my an MD and not an Optometrist. When I got home that day My Mom who was off work that day was not home and I didn’t think nothing of it until the phone call with the most devastating news of my life. My Mom had been riding with a very kind neighbor lady and they were in a bad wreck being hit by a drunk driver who was under a lifetime suspension and was not supposed to be driving. The neighbor was killed instantly and my Mom was in very critical condition. I was picked up by the police and taken to the hospital and into the ICU where my Mom was. I stayed there all night getting just a little sleep in the waiting room and thinking I pray she comes out of this and I will change my ways about being bitter and withdrawn. When I was allowed into the room at 6am my Mom was now semi alert said come closer as she could barely talk. My Mom said I’m not going to make it and I started to say yes you are and she put her hand up to stop me and says get an and then something I couldn’t understand and then flat lined and the medical staff was unable to revive her. I thought the next word started with an e sound but wasn’t sure. I went back to the waiting room crying as here I had just lost my only parent who I had been close to bet regretted the way I had been about the last year. About that time the taped segment came on the TV from our debate team and I was heard telling my story. Remember I never knew who my Dad was because it was not who was listed on my birth certificate. A woman approached me hugging me and I explain my only known living relatives were a great Aunt and Uncle well up in their 80’S and with many health problems. The woman who was there with he Dad who was recovering from successful open heart surgery said whoever you go live with have them bring me to my office. The woman hands me her card and it says Dr. Polly Metz Optometrist. I hold the card somewhat close as I had to do all reading material and she moves my arm and the card farther away and says can you see it and I say no. Dr. P. then asked how I found out about my eye condition and I say I couldn’t read some lines at my regular Doctors office and all I was told is the condition in non correctable. Dr. P. then asked if I had ever had an exam by an eye doctor or Optometrist or even any kind of eye specialist and I say no. Dr. P is livid saying how in the $%^& can an MD diagnose an eye problem. Soon a social worker is called and I’m asked about any relatives I can go with and I say there really is none able to take me in. Dr. P asks to talk to the social worker in private and then her and the after she makes a phone call her and the social worker comes to me and says you are going home with this lady for now. Dr. P. and her husband a teacher that I had in 4th grade never had kids but have taken in many wayward youth over the years and I didn’t realize who he was until I was introduced to him as she used her maiden name in her practice and that is what was on her card. We went to my apartment so I could get some clothes and then to Dr. P’s house which doubled as her office but this being Wednesday was her day off. I had gotten very little sleep the night before so I declined going out to breakfast saying I wanted to get to bed for a while. Dr. P did fry me a couple of eggs insisting I need to eat and then showed me where I could get some sleep. This breakfast happened about 11am and I was out by 11;30 for about 4 hours. I got up and all 3 of us (me Dr. P. and her husband) went out for a nice dinner at steak house that had the best baked potato I’ve ever had to this day along with a very good ham sandwich. I was worried about how much it cost because I had a little money from doing odd jobs but not much but got laughed at by the couple who paid it all including the tip. This was the first time I ever had anything to eat out except fast food. After we get back to the home office combo Dr. P. unlocks the door to her office and takes me into a room and has me sit in the big chair. Some letters and numbers are projected on a wall and I’m told to read the lowest line I can which I did. Dr. P says that is the 20/100 line and then swings this spaceship looking contraption over my eyes and starts trying some lenses. I picked out the best ones for me and she says that is 20/20 with some letters on the 20/15 line but I don’t know what that means. Dr. P after doing some more tests looking into my eyes and so forth says there is nothing wrong with your eyes that glasses won’t fix. I said you mean my Mom lied to me for about 4 years? She says yes but I had told her about what I later learned was the deathbed confession my Mom was trying to get out. Dr. P says she was probably trying to tell you to get an eye exam. Dr. P then opens the curtain telling me to look out the window and then put some lenses on me and says look out it now and when I saw the difference I let out holy the same word Dr. P said about the MD. I then ask Dr. P the biggest question that was on my mind that day and that was will I be able to drive? I had been told by my Mom I would never be able to drive but that was wrong. Dr. P explains yes there are some things you can’t due such as be an airline pilot or certain military tasks but with glasses you will be able to drive. After Dr. P talks to her husband she explains we are going to a place where they make glasses in an hour which was common in 1985. Dr. P explains she does sell glasses but it takes a week to 10 days to get them in and she doesn’t want me to wait. I said I’ve got about $20 will that cover it. Again I’m laughed at saying the couple will pay and be reimbursed by the state. My eyes were dilated and I couldn’t see up close but I’m told that will wear off in a couple of hours which it does. On Thursday morning I’m taken to the one hour optical place and pick out a pair of glasses. The shop is busy and says it will be more like 2 hours so we go get a late breakfast and wait some more. We go back to optical and I pick up my glasses and again can’t believe how well I can see. When Dr. P closes her practice that day she brings me in and says pick out a frame and I will make you a spare pair of glasses. I again ask about costs and of course it gets laughed off. I literally did not take my new glasses off my face from noon until about 11:30 when I took a shower and went to bed. I even put them back on walking from the shower to the bedroom even though I could see well enough without them. I never knew the prescription but I was told I was right at about age 11 when I thought I needed glasses and with money being very tight my Mom came up with the lie. I found out later that 3 or 4 Optometrists and 2 eye specialists had called the TV station wanting to examine me for free. The station gave Dr. P the names and all being local she knew them. Dr. P calls every one of them and tells them I have been taken care of and only need glasses. As school starts at a different school then last year due to being a sophomore I stay with Dr. P and her husband thru mid October getting my “spare” of glasses and I enjoy switching between the 2. Our debate team finishes 2nd at state to a very fine school. In mid October the social worker comes to see me and says she has an offer of a family who wants to finish raising me. In the short time since getting glasses I had become completely different. While of course I was still grieving the loss of my Mom the bitterness and being withdrawn was gone. I was much more outgoing. I continued the debate team and even felt more confident with my glasses that I wore from the time I got up until I went to bed. When in the required sophomore gym class I was asked if I could see well enough without glasses for gym and I lied and said no. The only times I took my glasses off was when sleeping and in the shower. The family that wants me to come live with them was the man listed as my Dad but it was not possible. About a week before my Mom’s passing we had ran into this couple who were both quite successful but were never able to have kids due to her reproduction system. The man who had told his wife all about being briefly married and divorced and me simply asked how we were doing? My Mom still bitter says none of your business and the couple started to move on. I had been working out and by this time was about 5 feet 10 so I was pretty stout. I of course sided with my Mom and was ready to knock him on his butt. My Mom begged me not to and I respected her wishes. Social services had verified this couple as ok to take me in and since I had changed since that day I was actually happy with the arrangement. Dr. P and her husband had explained to me that they were not interested in being full time parents and I understood. I move in with the couple that I’m now calling Mom Dee and Dad (I couldn’t call anybody else just Mom) and am frankly treated like royalty. I always watched pro wrestling on TV and wanted to go but we never could afford it. Even though the couple were not wrestling fans they took me to the Louisville Gardens almost every week. I was set up with a regular Dr., Dentist and when the couple wanted to set me up with their Optometrist I said no I want Dr. P and they said ok. I did not want for anything and we ate out often and I had a generous allowance. I had lost my weights in the move and I was given a new set when I said I like to lift weights. I ran some but not on the track team as the debate team took up too much time. Back then a first aid course and a classroom drivers course were required for one semester each for sophomores. When I signed up for the first semester which was before I found out the only think wrong with my eyes was needing glasses I took the first aid course the first semester. This wound up working out ok because with not turning 16 until the July after my sophomore year I could get what I once thought impossible until the August after my Sophomore year that being my drivers license. In car drivers ed. was picked by age and I had a better chance the second semester and was picked. When I went to get my permit wearing glasses of course I was asked if I thought I could pass without them and Dr. P had said no way and that is how I responded. I get my permit and since I’m just 15 it is restricted to drivers ed. until the successful completion of the course which I do getting an A in the classroom part and a B on the in car part. That bit of good news meant no dreaded in car test. I finish my sophomore and practice with the debate team because were in the state finals again. After completing driver’s ed. I’m allowed to drive with a parent or guardian in the front seat and instead of the family car my Dad takes me out in his vintage Corvette to teach me a manual transmission shifted on the floor. I do kill the engine a few times taking off but I soon get the hang of it after (this is about the only time my Dad of Mom Dee yelled at me) getting yelled at about not looking at the shifter. Whenever I’m out with either or both parents they make me drive because they want me to get the experience. I come home from debate practice on evening in the Summer and an older Ford truck belonging to the man I’m now considering my Grandfather is in the driveway and I think I will be happy to see him and I am. I’m then told the truck is here for a reason that my Dad is taking me driving in it. The truck is a 3 speed manual shifted on the column nicknamed a 3 on the tree. This is said to be the hardest manual to drive and if you can you can drive any manual. I get the hang of it pretty quick as I already know the basics from the Vette My 16 birthday comes and I’m given almost a whole new wardrobe since I have grown some and balked up form lifting weights. I’m also given a new and improved set of weights and am told I have something really big coming in a month. I until this year lived in almost poverty said this stuff must have cost a fortune and you say there’s more? I’m told since they wanted 3 or 4 kids and could afford them I’m being spoiled. The big day that I thought just a year ago would never come of course that being getting my drivers license. I take and easily pass the written test and with my glasses that have become a part of me the vision screening. Mom Dee had taken me to the test and when we came out of the BMV my Dad was waiting on me. My Dad was driving the other big surprise a 1981 Camaro. I said insurance must have cost a fortune and again I’m told don’t worry about it. The car has a manual transmission and very low miles. My Dad then gets in the family sedan with Mom Dee and says we will meet you at home. If you want to show the car to friends go ahead and if you are not going to be home for supper please call. I go to a few friends houses showing off my car and then home for supper. It was then I realized all the times making me drive when sometimes I didn’t want to paid off. I felt completely confident driving alone 10 minutes after getting my license. When I pick up a member of the debate team and her Dad whos car had broke down I’m told you don’t act like most rich kids by the Dad. I then tell them I’m going down this street to show you something and it was not in the best part of town. I said until my Mom was killed in a car accident those apartments are where I lived from age 8 until the summer before my sophomore year. This was during my junior year when I’m on spring break and from working on cars with my Dad who you might have guessed was very into cars from the Vette I told them I think I know what is wrong with it. The car a 79 Chevy Malibu was getting gas but not fire and that vintage GM cars were notorious for have the module and rotor go bad in the ignition system. We get the parts and go back to the car. I had told them if that turns out not to be the problem it is a good idea to replace them anyway. We go by my house and get the tools and old clothes for me to change it. The Dad knows nothing about cars but it’s a simple change just 3 or 4 screws and one wire. I make the change and the cars fires right up. The Dad wants to pay me and I say no I have everything I need from very generous parents. I was told at the next debate practice that the Dad had just gone back to work from being injured in a motorcycle accident and was very happy I could fix his car for just parts. I told her if I had known that I would have bought the parts. I go on thru high school with the debate team winning state both my junior and senior years. Just before my senior year my parents started talking to me about college and I say 4 more years of school does not appeal to me. I had looked up what it takes to become an optician and it only takes 2 years. I took that course and to this day work as an optician making good money. I married a critical care nurse and we had a boy in 92 and that by choice was our only child. Our Son prefers working with his hands and makes good money as a certified auto technician. When my Son earned his master auto technician certificate my Dad said I have a graduation present for you. My Dad took him into the garage and handed him the keys and title to the Vette. My Dad is getting up in years and is not able to work on cars anymore. Even though most cars were automatics by the time my Son started driving I insisted he become today one of the 19 percent that can drive manual. I needed a truck for some stuff around the house so I bought an old Chevy truck with a 3 on the tree and that is what I taught him on. My Son who seems married to his work and restoring the Vette in his spare time has only had a couple of dates in the last few years. He admits he talks too much about cars and that turns most girls off. My Son did get glasses at age 12 and then contacts at 14 due to playing baseball. He still wears contacts sometimes but since he has to wear safety glasses at work anyway doesn’t bother with contacts most of the time. My wife has always had good distance vision but did get progressive glasses with the top clear because taking them off when time is critical was too much trouble. I went into progressive at age 43 but sometimes take them off to read.