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Chapter 52: A FRESH START
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They Say Love is Blind Chapter 1: LATE AGAIN
It seemed like every day Tory was late for work. She'd already missed the first bus and was about to miss the late bus. She called the second bus the late bus because no matter what, she was destined to walk in to the office at least one minute late. But at least if she was only one or two minutes late it meant that she might be able to slip in unnoticed.She saw the bus rounding the corner and was forced to break into a run. Her neatly pressed hair was going to end up a mass of nappy curls.Tory sprinted, hoping not to twist an ankle, trying not to think about how embarrassing she must appear to the other commuters. She wasn't exactly small but despite her extra weight she moved with a speed born of desperation and managed to reach the bus before it pulled off.Breathlessly she searched for change and then almost fell when the driver began to take off before she was settled. She was forced to sit down in the handicap, elderly section so that she could dig through her oversized purs
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 2: THE MAN ON THE BUS
The man from yesterday was there sitting right next to her. "Good morning," she spoke politely, still trying to catch her breath."Good morning," he replied. His husky deep voice sent chills down her spine. Something about it was very sexy. "Sorry again about yesterday." He didn't reply but his lips curled into a slight smile of amusement. The bus came to a stop and Tory quickly gripped her belongings and hurried to her normal seat at the rear of the bus. When she was settled in her seat she didn't bother to check the mirror. She already knew how she'd look. She peeked at the man, not wanting to get caught staring, but he was hard not to look at.Again, he watched the scenery as it passed with no interest in the other commuters. She tried to imagine what a man like that did for a living. She did it with everyone that rode the bus as a way to pass the time. Mr. Cutie didn't wear a suit, or uniform. He wasn't a construction worker; he was dressed too nice for that, but maybe an ele
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 3: SOMETHING NEW
"We have a fishermen's stew which has whitefish, white beans within a tomato stock. We have a Portuguese chicken which is mildly spicy, has rice, cheese and stewed in a tomato stock-" Tory watched the young woman intently as she rattled off the popular items. "But what do YOU like?"The waitress paused and allowed her eyes to linger on Tory. She smiled in a more relaxed manner. "My favorite dish is definitely sopa de couves."Tory was nodding her head. She had no idea what that was. "I'll have that please."The waitress gave her one nod. "And to drink?"Tory passed her menu to the waitress. "I'll let you decide."The woman retreated with the menu and Tory took in her surroundings in more detail, admiring the mural on the wall of an Island with palm trees and people looking suntanned and happy. Soft music played something that sounded like a strange jazz and Spanish fusion. The room was painted in vibrant tones and colorful pieces of art dotted the walls. It was trendy yet comfor
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 4: ON TIME
When her alarm clock rang, Tory was prompt to get out of bed. She ate half a grapefruit and an egg white omelet. She then dressed in a pantsuit that accentuated her breasts but downplayed her 'everything else.'Looking in her vanity mirror, she styled her hair then set it with hair spray, applied lipstick and a bit of eyeliner. She looked at her watch knowing that she had plenty of time to catch her 'regular bus'...and then chose to relax with a cup coffee instead. Confidently, Tory slipped on charcoal pumps to match her suit and strolled down the street at a leisurely pace. She sat on the bench and actually waited for the bus to arrive. There would be no entertainment at her expense today!When she stepped onto the bus, the first thing Tory did was to look for her favorite bus passenger and wasn't disappointed. He was in his usual seat. She sat down next to him before paying her fare, pretending to search for change.He turned slightly in his seat. "Good morning." His voice was
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 5: ANOTHER TRY
The next morning when the alarm went off, Tory thought fleetingly of calling in sick. She felt sick; her stomach was empty from skipping dinner the night before, but more than that her heart felt empty. So what if a man that she barely knew wasn't flirting with her? Only that it had made her so happy to think that he was and now that the feeling was gone, there was nothing else.Big deal; except that it had made her think back to high school when she liked some stupid jock or some egotistical popular guy who wouldn't notice her in a million years. And that is why she had cried herself to sleep last night.Dragging her pathetic self out of bed, Tory showered, then ate some toast and drank some juice in order to stop her stomach from complaining. Go to work, Tory, she said to herself. You have been late far too many times to just take off over some self-pity crap!Moving into action she thought about the late bus and having to see Lee. She didn't want that! She didn't ever want to see
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 6: TRYING SOMETHING
"I'm nice too. Stop trying to scare her away." He was joking but his words caused Tory's heartbeat to quicken. "Tory, this is my sister, Macey. And Macey, this is Victoria; Tory.""Sister?" Her mouth was hanging opened. If Macey noticed that she was acting oddly, she hid it well, asking if she wanted lemonade to which she just nodded silently. Macey hurried away with a slight bounce to her rounded posterior.When they were alone again Lee stared at her intently. "I have four sisters. Two of them own this restaurant and the other's work for them. I eat here almost every day." He smiled. "I grew up on this cooking, so I guess I'm addicted to it, I'm not sure if that's an endorsement or not." Sister. She wanted to kick herself. Lee's sister returned with fresh lemonade for her and an iced tea for him. "Do you know what you want?" She asked Tory who was trying to understand the question, her mind still addled at her huge mistake."Oh!" She hadn't even looked at the menu."Shall I
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 7: BECAUSE YOU RUN FOR THE BUS
Maybe she would kick herself for this later, but the answer to that one simple question was the most important thing in the world to Tory right now. "What made you even notice me? I'm sorry if I'm putting you on the spot-""It's not that." He turned to face her again. "It's just that I'm not usually this forward. I mean, I don't know anything about you yet...and the answer to that question might offend you."Offend her? She didn't know if she should prompt him to continue, or not. But she remained silent. His hands clasped in his lap and he sighed deeply. "I noticed you because you run for the bus every day.""What?" She looked at him in confusion.He sighed. "You run for the bus every day and when you get on you sound like you've just made love...and have been thoroughly satisfied." Tory's heart jumped in her chest, her cheeks flamed. He continued. "The first time I heard that...I could barely stand up to get off the bus. I look forward to that sound every day, Tory. And then,
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 8: BELA
Tory chuckled. Lee had a sense of humor and he didn't seem to view his blindness as an untouchable topic. They came to the curb marking the end of the block and Tory abruptly stopped walking. "Okay, in about three steps from here we're going to come to the curb."Lee's lip curled in amusement."Thank you, Tory. Just take the step first and I'll follow." She did and smoothly he followed. She gave him an impressed look."What?" He asked, turning to her. She was speechless. Sometimes like this, it was like he could really see her. "How did you know that I was looking at you?"Once she had guided him back to the next curb and stepped onto the walk, he stopped and turned to her. "Close your eyes." She did, after a slight hesitation. "Are they closed?""Yes." He didn't speak. She concentrated on the darkness. Then she felt something move past her face and her head flinched back a fraction of an inch."Did you feel that?"Tory opened her eyes, "Yeah. What did you do?""What did it f
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They Say Love is Blind Chapter 52: A FRESH START
"Why?" Francie asked. "Why can't you wait a few years? We're just starting to know our new sister and now you want to take her away from us!""Uncle Lee, it won't be the same without you here!""You can't leave now, Lee!"He held up his hands grimly. "I don't want to lose you guys, either. But if you think about it, Flores would be a wonderful place to raise that baby that is in Tory's belly, as well as all of the other ones that we plan to create. So you see-"Someone screeched in joy and then suddenly everyone had left their seats to hug and kiss the couple.Ten sets of hands touched Tory's belly although she didn't want to say that the roundness there wasn't due to a baby bump. In light of this new information there was a change of heart. The baby would be Portuguese and that was that. The parents had no say. It would be born on Flores and then they could return to the states at a later date. It was settled. Tory and Lee just hugged and grinned. Whatever; as long as the argui
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 51: MY SISTERS
She sat down and pulled him down on the edge of the bed next to her and placed her head on his shoulder. "I can ask you the same thing, honey. Most men that would look at me would just see an overweight, under-employed college drop out...with a pretty face."After a quiet moment he nudged her head with his. "Hey, stop talking about the mother of my baby like that. I happen to be very attracted to overweight, under-employed college dropouts with pretty faces."They sat that way for a while, quiet, holding hands and thinking about how lucky they were to have each other. "Tory…""Hmm?""I need to show you something."She looked at him. He seemed worried. "What baby?""I need your computer."She led him to the computer. She had the built in voice activation turned on so that he could use it to check his emails. He sat at her desk while she watched him peck away expertly. "Is everything okay?" She asked. He looked up at her. "Yes. I found this and when my parents were here I sh
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 50: TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
He nodded and stood. "I'm so sorry. I was being childish and lashing out because…" he ran his hand through his hair in distress. "Because you can't control the world? Earth to Lee; Even us sighted people can't." After a few moments he reached out and she gave him her hand. He pulled her towards him and hugged her. "Tory…you deserve so much more than this. You should have someone who can-""Take care of me?"He nodded. She swallowed. "Would you rather…" She stepped out of his arms. "Would you rather be with someone like Rosalind?""Tory!""Someone who can anticipate your every need and who doesn't need to be taught how to care for you? Someone who would leave her husband so that she can be with you in the right way?""For the last time, I don't want Rosalind!""Good. For the last time, I don't want anyone but you. Got it?! I don't want a guy just because he can see! I don't want to be in love with anyone but you!"He looked towards her quietly. His posture relaxed and then
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 49: LONELY
The most difficult thing about being in love with a blind man is remembering that his being blind is the least of it all. Being in love with a man that had his own individual thoughts, feelings and reactions was just as much of a consideration. Tory rolled onto her side in her lonely bed and tried to sleep. She tossed and turned before falling into a restless sleep well after midnight. The ringing of the telephone woke her up and she checked the time, 9 am. She reached for her cell phone and saw that it was Lee. Her heartbeat spiked but right before she was going to answer she put the phone back onto her bedside table. Yeah, I'm chickening out. But it was more than that, she was actually a little angry. His rejection last night had been devastating. She wasn't ready for an angry confrontation—not until she at least had gone to the bathroom.She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and then lifted up her nightshirt and stared at her stomach. Today she would make an appointment for
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 48: TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF CONTINUED
Tory spent hours at the hospital getting tested and treated for what turned out to be a mild case of pneumonia. Her doctor wanted to admit her in order to put her on an intravenous course of antibiotics but she begged him to allow her to go home. He met her half way and gave her a three hour I.V. and then released her. By that time it was well after six and she was nearly fit to be tied with anxiety and worry. In the hours that she'd had to sit and think while accepting the I.V. Tory replayed Lee's words, examining them from all angles and she came to a difficult realization. She needed to tell him everything about her rape. Maybe he would think that she was dirty for having an STD; the clap, and living with it for months. It was a stigma that she couldn't live down, especially since her mother and father had to be told once she was emitted to emergency. What if Lee looked at her with the same shock, disappointment and disgust?Tory stopped walking, suddenly feeling overwhelmed as h
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 47: TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF
Lee chuckled. "You are really out of it today. Are you feeling okay?""Yeah, I'm just…I quit my job this morning.""Did they hassle you?""No, it actually went pretty smooth.""Good. I wouldn't want to have to pay them a visit. I can do a lot of damage with my cane." Tory smiled and then reached for his hand and held it. "So, do you want to go ring shopping?"She forced herself to put her past behind her where maybe she could bury it again. She smiled at her man. "Hell yeah! Let's go ring shopping!" They found their rings that very day and were told that they would be ready for pick up in about a week. They scheduled their final doctor's appointment for the same day and then after the check up and the ring pick up, the plan was to visit the restaurant and show them off to the family. Lee had already called everyone to a gathering and Tory suspected that he was going to propose again but this time present her with the engagement ring. She was becoming spoiled at his attention bec
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 46: A PASSIONATE FAMILY
"Tory," Rosalind said quickly, "I'm not trying to interfere in your life! We all love Lee and just want the best for him-""Rosalind! Cala-te praí! This conversation is over! She doesn't want to be friends with you and that is it. For the rest of you, I need to tell you, that you are driving me NUTS! I can't freaking breathe without one of you calling or stopping by! I love you, but this has to end! Now, I know you worry but it's not needed."There was some vocal disagreement and Lee argued back. Rosalind got up and left the table. She collected her boys and then left the house. "Lee, I can't believe that you think that we can just turn off our love for you!" Francie stated. "STOP IT!" Mr. Torres stood and slammed his fist on the table. "You children are worse than the ones playing in the other room!" He looked at Tory. "Please forgive us. You must think we're a crazy family."She smiled. "A passionate family. A loving family…but yes, a little crazy, too." There was a single c
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 45: GAME OVER
"Rosalind, watch your mouth.""I don't mean any disrespect. These are just the words of a broken hearted woman." She stood. "Excuse me. I'm going to take cerveja to the men." Tory counted to ten…and then to twenty before she felt it was safe to stop gripping her chair handle so that she wouldn't jump down Roz's throat! "Who invited her?" Macey muttered after a few quiet moments. Everyone chuckled. At dinner Lee was having a tough time feeding himself because it was too difficult to cut the beef with the cast. Tory took great pleasure in feeding him and shushing him when he complained that he could do it. She delivered a kiss to his cheek to quiet his protests and then the men laughed and complimented him on figuring out how to be served so efficiently. Tory joined in the good-natured razing and despite the careful glares by Rosalind, Tory felt like everything between her and the Torres family had returned to normal. During dessert, Rosalind commented that she would be willing to
They Say Love is Blind Chapter 44: WHAT'S MINE IS OURS
"Tory, if I had my fondest wish, it would be for you to quit work and to allow me to take care of you financially."She made a face. "But then you'd have to give me an allowance…""No. Why would you need an allowance for what is essentially ours? The only thing I'd ask is that if we make any major purchases we discuss it first. Other than that what's mine is yours; ours.""Well…" she bit her lip. "I do have these student loans...""Tory, I make a hundred and twenty thousand a year without even trying. I can make double that just by transcribing more books. Visually impaired people are always going to want books, even in the digital age and there is never going to stop being books that people need transcribed. I have great benefits and my boss is also a personal friend of mine. We've been buddies since we met at the blind academy when we were both sixteen. When he started this company I was the first person he contacted and I've been with him for ages. So I'm in a secure job, my fi
