So it was to school, after years of babbling and crawling. I
was loaded with a brand new bag, water bottle, uniform and spectacles. This new
heavy lens on my eyes hurt more than the headache that resulted in me wearing
it. I knew I looked funny in it and funnier when I wore it with the cord at it
ends handing around my neck.
Little did I know that funny wasn’t the word until the whole
LKG A gasped at me when I entered the first day at school, poor me, I happened
to be the only one in class with glasses. Finally I smiled at the end of the
day when the principal came around with a big eyes and bigger glasses. Not everybody
is named a nerd even before they learn the alphabets right. I have cried-why
me? on irritated days and also sulked at others on strong days.
This start continued all the way through the 8 schools I studied
during my 14 years of schooling. Though coping up different states and
languages was hard, I always felt at home because I was nick named “kanadi” “chashmish”
“nerdy” “geeky” “buddi” which all meant the same. So I got this identity of the
four eyed girl and I wore it with pride.
It was alien to see me without it. If I forgot it any day,
the whole world enquired if I was ok and what had happened to my glasses. In
college, when the regular bespectacled people shifted to contact lenses, I still
didn’t part with my glasses. Gosh..I couldn’t think of removing the lenses when
I was sobbing over a movie or before dozing off during a lecture or before
enjoying the winds at the beach. So I remained me, living and dreaming with it.
But still conscious when all I could see was the flash on my glasses invariably
hiding my face in all photographs. The stubborn scars due to the continuous use
of the nose pads of the glasses refused to fade over bottles of honey, rose
water and almond oil, a costly affair.
Then came a fine historic day, during the regular check up,
when both eyes cleared a 6/6..Wow..wat a miracle!! The optimist opthomologistic
rechecked her readings and told me casually that I might not be in need of any
spectacles.. It took me time to gather my senses and asked her it was ok and
that I have been using glasses more than two decades of my life..!! The chief
consultant was called and after going through all the prescriptions printed in different
states, by different doctors, he stated it just not possible that my –power
could have improved. But how??why?? were
left unanswered. Nevertheless, the verdict was no glasses !!!!
I left the hospital happy, that finally my four eyed dream
of freedom from glasses was achieved, true freedom..sans laser..sans lenses…hurray!!
But it was like a limb was cut off…suddenly there was no weight on my nose…but
a heavy heart. Even now…after a fortnight I wake up reaching for my glasses and
smile sleepily suddenly when I realize I don’t need them anymore..Kudos to my
four eyed dreams..!!
zzzz..................