The aching was a strange and new sensation like a light burning pain. This worried me and I thought about Ritas admontion not to make stupid things with her glasses. Should I just take the glasses off and send them back to Laura and put an end to my new discovered fervor.
I went out into the garden to calm my thoughts chaos down and looked at the nightsky. I was overwhelmed of an incredible clear starlit blackness. I thought that I never before saw the beauty of the cope above so crystalclear. The aching faded and I knew I wanted to keep on wearing these glasses as long as possible and for the first time I had the thought to do this permanently.
I read long in bed, because I didn’t like the idea of taking off the glasses. Finally I fell asleep with the glasses on. I didn’t know how long I had slept, when I woke up by the still switched on light. When opening my eyes I didnt know on instance that I still wore glasses and was worried why everything around was in a distorted blur. It took only a minute and my eys started to come into focus again. This meant to me, that my eyes must have learned to adjust to the glasses as soon as they had them in front. I took the glasses off, placed them carefully on the desk and shut down the light. Next morning I woke up with a strange feeling in my eyes, it was like having a charly horse inside them. I showered and dressed. Looking in the mirror I saw my blank eyes and immediately felt a longing to put the glasses on again. I hesitated for a moment, because I was a afraid to hurt my vision. But the wish to wear “my” glasses was too strong. I put them on and had the distorted blur again. After 10 minutes my vision had adjusted perfectly. I had breakfast and made another long walk in the near nature. Coming home I watched my face with my new features for a long time and loved it. My eyes felt perfect, no aching or tucking. I thought about my new friend Laura. Her work as a scientist in the university was what I would love to do after school and studying. It was so nice and stimulating for me when we talked about her projects the day before. She was a person I really would like to see more often. But I was in fear of what would happen if she gets in contact with my family? She got to know me as a myopic teen, it would be impossible to introduce her to my family. My heart pounded because of these unexpected problem. My family came home quite late, I was glad to have them back and in the same moment felt sad to take off the glasses. But what a shock: After taking them off my vision was a bad blur. I was hardly able to recognize who came in first. We had a nice welcome and sat down to have a late supper, that I had prepared. While eating my eyes slowly came back to their normal focus. Puh, I was very reliefed after that. I hadnt expected that my eyes would stay in the glasses focus for so long after taking them off. This worried me and I thought about what would happen if I wear glasses for longer times, lets say days or weeks. Would I become permanently myopic. Would I really like that. And there was the problem with Laura. I had made a date next Saturday to visite her in town.
Next day I talked to my mother about my new friend and my plan to visit her. She was very interested, asked a lot and teased me”so you are having your first girlfriend!? OK, I talk to Dad and I am sure it will be no problem for you to take the train and make your first solotrip in town. And then please invite her to come to visite us here.” I was glad she forgot to ask about her age, because that might have worried her. But I was worried about the idea of Laura coming for a visit to our house and finding me without glasses.
Coming home from school the nextday, the first that came into my mind was my glasses, and as soon as I was up in my room I put them on, enjoyed the focusing and made schoolworks with them on. Every day I wore the glasses 2-5 hours and the pleasure having them on grew from day to day. On Saturday early in the morning my mom brought me to the trainstation, kissed me good by and I went on the 90 minute-ride to town. As soon as I was seated- fortunately there were few people around- I put on Lauras glasses, I was so glad to have a whole day with glasses. In town I did not take the bus to Lauras house, walked instead and enjoyed to be among people. Waiting for a trafficlight to turn green, a teengirl about my age stood aside of me and I realized she mustered my face with the glasses. I smiled at her, she blushed and smiled back. “Sorry that I stared at you , but I never saw a guy with such nice glasses” she said. I was overwhelmed to hear that . We walked together for a while having smalltalk until our destinations splitted.
Laure welcomed me warmly, showed me her flat and some stuff she worked on and then we had breakfast. Each of us still had the exchanged glasses on without even mentioning it. Laura had a lot to tell from her trip to Paris and I told her about my courses in school, specially math and physics. I felt very close to her and she seemed to feel the same. We went on a long walk to see the sights of the town and ended after 4 hours in a café.
“Its relly lovely to spend my day with you Willi, we seem to be similar characters that fortunately found each other” she said “We should try to see each other from time to time, what do you think?”
I answered”I feel the same with you and hope we keep in frequent contact” She gave me a big smile and spontanouesly hugged me”next time I come to your place and get to know your family, ok? And then we walk to our hill again” I blushed after that and felt terrible unsecure. She must have seen that and asked”Hey Willi, whats going on with you, is there a problem I should know?” I was unable to speak my heart was pounding and I sweated.
Laura stroked my shoulders, which felt good and said ”You can tell me what moves you, I swear I keep it as a secret, so don’t worry, just talk” I looked in her eyes behind Ritas glasses and tried to speak. I never before had such inhibition to open myselfe but it was the only way to get out of this.
After I had told her my whole story she looked with a smile at me and only said ”Ok I understand, but I never would have expected that its possible to see well with such strong glasses if someone has perfect eyesight.” and after a while ”do you really want to wear glasses every day for the rest of your life?” I nodded.
“Ok,” Laura said after a while” there are two posibilities about my visit at your parents house, first is to do nothing, While my visit you don’t wear glasses and you keep on wearing your glasses secretely like you do now. Second possibillity is, that we tell a story like: I took you to the physical chemistry lab at university where I work. There we had a look through a microscope and through the way you focused the optic for your needs, I found out, that your vision must be myopic. Coming home we tried some of my older weaker glasses and found out, that you have perfect vision with glasses with lets say -2 diopers. After that we went to an optician which had open till Saturday afternoon and he measured your eyes and made glasses for you, which you use in school and while doing your housework. Do you think your parents accept that” “I think so” I replied”they very often say, that I should not read so much with bad light because I could become myopic like aunt Rita” “Ok shall we give it a try ?” I agreed and was happy and reliefed to have Laura as a complice. I asked Laura, if I could stay till Sunday and she agreed. So I phoned home that I would stay till next day, which was ok for my mom and then I sighed and told her the story Rita had suggested, pretending to be a bit sad about my myopia. “Come on Willi, we expected that anyway” she replied “I am courious how you look with your new glasses” Laura gave me a weaker pair of glasses, that I could wear when coming home, out of her collection. They looked similar to Lauras exchange glasses that I was still wearing. Laura invited me to the cinemas and after that we had a nice meal and went to bed.”Its been such a nice day with you Willi, thank you” she said and gave me a good- night kiss. “Thank you too Laura, I enjoyed the day very much. When shall we exchange glasses again, now or tomorrow” “Oh Willi, if you don’t mind, we can just leave it as it is, I really love Ritas glasses and got used to them, my mates at work made lots of compliments, and you look perfect with mine” “Thank you Laura, I love to leave it like it is.”
Next morning we went to a fair , had supper and made appointments for next weekend, when Laura would come to my parents place. All this time I had Lauras stronger glasses on, my plan was to start with the weaker ones when arriving at home.
When my train was due to arrive at my home-station, I changed to the weak glasses, Laura had selected for me. It took some time until I was able to see reasonably through them, It was a pitythat I could not keep to the stronger pair. Mom and Dad expected me at the railwaystation and made a warm wellcome for me, complimented my glasses and asked how much they owed to Rita that had prepayed for them.
Next day, after leaving our home to go to school, I put on Lauras stronger glasses and with pounding heart entered the schoolbuilding. To my surprise nobody made teasing comments about my new outfit, some people made compliments.
Coming home I changed back to the weaker glasses.
After a couple of days I had a routine in changing glasses before and after school and before and after being by myselfe in my room. My family seemed to become used to my bespectacled company and I felt really happy. I told them about my friendship to Laura and that she was as old as mom and dad, and that my wish was to become a scientist like her. “I’m courious to meet her” said mom and so I invited her for the next weekend.
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