The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive
young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. 
She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the
seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty.
 Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her
cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind.  Due to a
medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was
suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and
self-pity.  Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned
by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on
everyone around her.

"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted
with anger.  But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she
knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return.
A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit.  Just
getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion.
And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart.
When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was
determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed
to become independent again.  Mark's military background had trained him
well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the
most difficult battle he would ever face.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get
there?  She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get
around the city by herself.  Mark volunteered to drive her to work each
day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.  At first,
this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless
wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task.

Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working - it
was hectic, and costly.  Susan is going to have to start taking the bus
again, he admitted to himself.  But just the thought of mentioning it to
her made him cringe.  She was still so fragile, so angry.  How would she
react?

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the
bus again.  "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly.  "How am I supposed to
know where I'm going?  I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done.
He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus
with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it.  And
that is exactly what happened.

For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan
to and from work each day.  He taught her how to rely on her other
senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to
adapt to her new environment.  He helped her befriend the bus drivers
who could watch out for her, and save her a seat.  He made her laugh,
even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or
drop her briefcase.

Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab
back to his office.  Although this routine was even more costly and
exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time
before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own.  He believed in
her, in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who
wasn't afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.
Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around
Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best
friend.  Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, his love. 

She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate
ways.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...  Each day on her own went
perfectly, and Susan had never felt better.  She was doing it!  She was
going to work all by herself!

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual.  As she was
paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy
you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not.  After
all,who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to
find the courage to live for the past year?  Curious, she asked the
driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and
protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking
about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" The driver answered, "You
know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a
military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when
you get off the bus.  He makes sure you cross the street safely and he
watches you until you enter your office building.  Then he blows you a
kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away.  You are one blessed
lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks.  For although she
couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence.  She
was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than
sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that
can bring light where there had been darkness.