Chapter 1
“Sometimes, souls cross paths without seeing each other, but hearts… they never miss an appointment.”
“Yeah, as I was saying… I didn't even have to get three sentences out before she handed me her number.”
“Whoa! That’s so unfair. And to think I’d been following her for two weeks, man!”
“Don’t sweat it… I’ll give it to you.”
“Wait, weren't you supposed to be interested in her?”
“Nah. She’s a 10, but the tattoos aren't my style.”
“Mashallah! Thanks, bro!”
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be Catholic?”
Beep.
He actually dared to hang up on me.
Dany, the guy on the other end, is my best friend. We’ve known each other since primary school back in Haiti. Him at 6'1" and me at 6'2", we were the kind of guys people called "lady-killers." But we weren't those "mafia boss" types girls obsess over on Wattpad; we were just tiss-mé , mixed-race guys with a certain charm. Back in our final year of high school, we’d stay out late to have fun, usually at Dany’s request. He’d been obsessed with "living his best life" ever since a brutal breakup two years ago.
Me? I’m Vens. A hardened bachelor since birth, 23 years old. I mostly just tag along to Dany’s parties and help him pick up girls,which is why my contact list is bursting at the seams. I’ve never found a girl who could make my heart skip a beat. I’ve met plenty… all beautiful, stunning, sexy, dark-skinned or blonde… but I’ve never found one I could truly call "sweet."
I was saving that word for the one who could actually rattle me. A girl who looked like yon ti sen (a little saint), as we say in my language. Someone who doesn't hang out with guys like Dany and me, someone who doesn't know the kind of "pleasures" I’ve lived through. It’s selfish of me, I know, but I want the one whose eyes reflect the innocence and simplicity of life.
……
It’s Monday.
I woke up with a start. It was already 9:30 AM.
Wouch! I hissed, grabbing my phone to call Dany. He knows perfectly well he’s supposed to come by every Monday morning to wake me up. His pounding on my door is way more effective than any alarm. There’s only one excuse for him being late.
“Yeah, hello… oh brother! I totally forgot! I bought a subscription to get that new skin I told you about the other day, and I finally had time to try it out last night!”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m hanging up, I’ve got to get to the restaurant.”
I scrambled into the shower. Once finished, I heated up the rice from yesterday, making sure to get that graten, the crunchy burnt rice we love so much back home. I packed it up and headed out.
When I stepped off the bus, it was 11:00 AM.
I walked at a relaxed pace, in no hurry to open my place. And yeah, I’d dropped out of my studies because I got tired of writing all the time. I decided to use my fingers to please people’s palates instead. With my parents' help and Dany’s support, I managed to open this restaurant.
I was surprised to see a girl waiting so early in front of the door. At the sound of my footsteps, she turned toward me, and I was stunned… truly stunned.
She looked biracial, with deep black, curly hair styled in a massive afro. Even without makeup, she was radiant. She wore baggy pants, but you could still guess a beautiful silhouette, and with her chocolate-brown graphic tee, she was impossible to miss. But what captivated me most were her eyes. It’s rare to see someone with eyes that grey, a piercing, icy grey.
“Contacts?” I thought, stepping closer to get a better look.
Our gazes locked. Dammit! She was staring straight at me with those grey eyes, looking cold and saying nothing. Like a thief caught red-handed, I froze. She didn't flinch. I caught my breath and said, “Good morning.”
She jumped, her eyes searching for… I don’t know what.
“Ah! She wasn't staring at me at all. She was just lost in thought,” I told myself.
“Could you step to the side a bit? I’d like to open the door.”
Embarrassed, she took a large step back and knocked over a flower pot. She knelt down, so agitated that she didn't know where to put her hands to pick up the broken pieces.
“Sweet,” I thought, and I was genuinely surprised by my own reaction.
“Don’t worry about it. You can stand up and come inside since I’ve opened the place. I’ll take care of the pot.”
“Good morning. I’m waiting for someone… he was supposed to come to the restaurant with me.”
“Well, come on in.” (Her voice… it’s so soft!)
“I lost it.”
“What?”
“My cane. I lost my cane. I can’t move forward.”
In that moment, the broken pot I had just picked up slipped through my fingers. This girl who attracted me the second our eyes met, the one I found "sweet" for the first time in my life… is BLIND.
