Sight Lines

Sight Lines

I should have realized that going out on a blind date at my age was a bit shortsighted. I was to meet her for a sightseeing trip in downtown Manhattan. I was told I would know her by sight, sight unseen, by her hair color. It would be dyed multiple colors. I should have told my friend that I consider people with hair dyed different colors, not a pretty sight. 

I got to where we were supposed to meet at Bryant Park and had the foresight not to wear my sunglasses, as they would have made it impossible to distinguish hair color. I didn’t set my sights very high for this date. 

And there she was, directly in my line of sight, a sight to behold. Despite the color of her hair, my heart started beating rapidly. If she had a personality that matched her looks, this was love at first sight. 

I walked over and introduced myself to her. She seemed pleasant at first but the more we talked, the more I lost sight of this wonderful woman I had imagined. When she took out a cigarette and began to smoke, I realized that I hated the sight of her. 

I wanted to just yell, “Get out of my sight!” but never got the chance. 

She had already decided that I was a sorry sight and just left, without a word. Some personality.

As I turned to leave the park I caught sight of a woman who looked very familiar. It turned out it was an old friend of mine from high school. It stirred up good feelings. She was outta sight. I went over to her and before I even started talking, she said hello to me. She said she knew me by sight, that I was a sight for sore eyes, and that she was just thinking about me. She claimed she had second sight, and knew that Bryant Park was the place where she had to be today and at that particular time. “When you set your sights on something, you have to follow your dreams,” she said. 

This time as my heart started beating rapidly again, I realized that sometimes you don’t have to go looking for what you desire. While you’re being farsighted, what you need might be right there hidden in plain sight. The goal is not to lose sight of your own dreams when the opportunity arises. 

Needless to say, the day progressed beautifully. And as the days passed the sight of each other filled us with much joy and happiness. 

In hindsight, maybe going on that blind date wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened to me. The oversight was thinking that that particular blind date would be the woman I would end up being with that day. 

If you happen to be walking in the park, you will be able to recognize us immediately. You’ll catch sight of us sitting on a park bench or walking hand in hand or arm in arm along the pathways. Our eyesight may be getting weaker, but our love is definitely growing stronger every day. See you there. 

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Author’s note: This was written as part of a writing workshop, “Awakening Your Senses”. This week’s story spark was: “Sight”