Grace thought, This boy—loving him and being loved by him and by his grandfather—this and the other dear people are what make my life worth living.

26

One Crisis After Another

With all the talk about scams, Amelia almost forgot that Mike had admitted to her that he had been to see her eye doctor and had gotten a diagnosis of fast-growing cataracts. He was terrified of surgery.

“I knew someone, once, whose cataract surgery was botched. His sight was worse afterward. It was terrible. I’m not taking that chance,” Mike said.

“So you’re going to go blind, Mike? You’re a photographer. You need your eyesight to create, to make a living. My ophthalmologist is a wonderful surgeon. Let me make an appointment for you. I’ll drive you and go into the examining room with you. If you decide to go ahead, you’ll stay with us while you recuperate. Years ago, my Thomas had cataracts removed from both eyes, and he was just fine. His sight came back perfect. It’s a safe procedure these days.”

Mike remained adamant, until one afternoon, alone in his lab, he stumbled and fell, spilling a pan of chemicals onto the floor. The liquid splattered onto his arms, hands, and face. It stung his skin and powerful fumes saturated the small, closed room and caused his eyes to burn. Scrambling to his feet, Mike made his way to the sink. Again and again, he splashed cold water on his hands, face, and eyes, and lay wet towels on his arms and across his eyes. Then, groping his way along the wall, he reached the phone and dialed Amelia.

“My God, Amelia, I’ve had an awful accident. Please, come quickly. I need to get to the eye doctor as fast as possible.” His voice rose hysterically and Mike broke into tears. “It’s an emergency. Will they see me without an appointment? Oh, God, hurry, hurry, Amelia.”

“I’m sure someone in his office will see you, Mike. I’m on my way. Keep washing your skin and eyes with fresh water. Don’t go back into that darkroom. Don’t try to clean up the mess, you hear me? Stay out of there. I’m on my way.”

“Amelia, you think I’m crazy? I wouldn’t put my foot in there for love or money. Hurry, please.”

Amelia left a note on the fridge and ran out to her car. It took all her self-control, and the knowledge that a ticket would delay her, to stay within the speed limit. At sixty miles an hour, she felt as if she were crawling. Twenty minutes later she arrived at Mike’s workshop.