Otto’s glasses.
by Miguel Chavez
(mike2000)
It was a very
shiny Sunday morning in Ocean Shores. The
kids, as usual, were very active,
practicing their extreme
moves all over Madtown.
WAHOO!! cried Otto,
while performing a
mcvarial.
Totally awesome, Ottoman! said Twister,
who was
filming his friend’s stunts as usual.
That’s nothing, man!
Wait to see this new move!!
replied Otto, sliding down the half pipe and
gaining speed
for a double inverted jump he had been practicing for
the
last week.
Otto gained momentum and climbed the ramp. He was ready
to
make his stunt, but then he experienced again that annoying
effect:
when he climbed the ramp, the bright, intense
sunlight hit him directly in
the eyes, dazzling him.
Momentarily blind, Otto couldn’t see the ramp and
lost his
balance in the middle of his jump, falling heavily to
the
ground.
Whoa!! OUCH!! AW!!! cried Otto with each bounce he
made
until stopping at the bottom of the half pipe.
Twister, Reggie and Sam
ran to check on him. They found Otto
still sitting on the ramp, with his
skateboard and helmet on
the ground. A painful expression was on his face
while he
rubbed his right ankle; it was evident that he really beefed
hard
this time.
Aw!! That was really rough!! said Otto while Sam
and Twist
helped him stand.
Are you OK, Otto? Anything broken??asked Sam
with
authentic concern.
Just my pride, brother, answered Otto trying
to
smile, but rubbing his butt, still a bit tender due to the
fall
Ouch!!
What happened, bro? asked Reggie.
I dunno, sis! I was ready
to make my awesome stunt when
something caught my eye on the beach. When I
turned to see I
was suddenly dazzled. I just couldn’t see anything for
a
moment, and before I knew I was bouncing like a beach ball
down the half
pipe! In fact, my eyes are still a bit
sore!
Otto took his sunglasses
off and rubbed his eyes with his
fingers. It was obvious that he was still a
bit dazzled; his
eyes were somewhat reddened, and he blinked
continuously.
You have been having these problems for a while
now,
brother. In fact, this is your third fall this weekend, and
that’s
quite unusual on you. Maybe it’s time Raymundo
takes you to the optometrist
again said Reggie,
offering her shoulder to Otto so he could use her as
a
crouch. It was a maneuver she had practiced a lot with
her
brother.
Yeah maybe you’re right, sis said Otto,
putting his
glasses back on. Then he put his right arm
around Reggie’s neck and limped
back to the Shore Shack to
get his ankle bandaged.
While Otto and
Reggie walked slowly away, Sammy looked at
Twister, confused. - Going to the
optometrist again?
Sam asked him. So, Otto had visited an
optometrist
before? Why??
It’s a long story, Sam. answered Twister
while
picking Otto’s helmet and skateboard. It happened some
time before
you arrived here, when I still used to be the
Squid. But maybe you should ask
Otto to tell you.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Some minutes later, the kids
were at the Shore Shack. Otto
was seating by one of the tables. He had taken
off his shoe
and put his right leg on a stool. Tito covered the boy’s
foot
and ankle with ice to reduce the swelling. Meanwhile,
the other kids were
sitting with him around the table,
waiting for their burgers.
Otto had
taken his glasses off again and was rubbing his
eyes with his fingers. It was
something he had done quite
frequently lately.
Man, that really hurts!
I can’t stand my eyes!!
Said, a bit desperate.
Reggie told me you are
having problems with your eyes
again, son. I made an appointment with Dr.
Johnson, the
optometrist, and we'll visit him tomorrow after
school.
You’ll be OK again in a snap, don’t worry. said
Ray, while serving
the cheeseburgers to the kids.
Thanks, dad replied Otto I thought
I
wouldn’t have to go visiting him for a while, but I guess
you’re right;
its time to see him again.
I am a bit confused, Otto said Sammy.
You
all talk about visiting the optometrist again; why, have you
had this
before??
Well???
Otto looked at Sammy for a moment, a bit
undecided. But he
didn’t hesitate long; Sammy had shown over and over
again
that he was a true friend and Otto knew he could trust him.
It
all began about six months before you moved in,
Sammy. I had always had
trouble standing bright lights, but
the dazzles had become even more intense
and I began beefing
quite often and even crashing with objects I couldn’t
see
because I had my eyes closed or almost closed all the time.
Raymundo
finally noticed it and took me to the doctor. They
made some studies and
finally diagnosed me to have a
condition called anterior uveitis. One of its
symptoms is
that I cant tolerate bright lights because my eyes hurt.
The
doctor gave me some medication and suggested that I
might try wearing
sunglasses. That’s why I use these
things all the time; they help me reduce
the glare.
So, you wear those sunglasses everywhere because
you
actually need them? asked Sam, who now understood
quite well why his
friend had that apparently odd habit.
"That’s correct, Sammy. See, I need
them even at night,
because artificial lightning like bulbs or neon lights
are
too bright to me. If I enter a brightly illuminated room at
night I
can have the same kind of dazzles as if I stare
directly at the Sun. That’s
why we have all the lamps
shaded, both in the shack and at home.
Sammy
now understood it. It had always seemed odd to him
that Otto used his dark
glasses even at night or when they
were indoors. And now he knew why the
first thing Otto did
every morning was putting his glasses on, even
before
getting dressed. He had seen him do this on the several
occasions
the whole gang had gone camping together.
After they finished their
hamburgers, Ray cured his son’s
leg with an ointment and a bandage, and after
a while they
were heading to the pier.
While they walked, Sammy
couldn’t help but watch Otto. He
was wearing his sunglasses again, as always;
but now he was
constantly keeping his hand extended over his eyes like
a
shade. He kept doing this all the day.
That evening, when they
returned to the Shack, Sammy went to
Otto and asked if they could go outside
to the pier. He was
concerned about his friend, and had a lot of questions
and
doubts in his mind.
I don’t mean to be an annoyance, Otto said
Sam
But there are still a couple of questions I want to
ask about your
condition.
Otto looked at Sam and realized that he was truly
concerned
about him. Otto smiled; the Squid had become somewhat like
a
brother to them all.
No problemo, Squid! Shoot them!! Answered
Otto
with a thumbs-up.
Well I was just wondering what causes that?
Will
you be OK?? Does it hurt??? Will you ever..
Whoa! Hold your
horses, dude! One at a time!! said
Otto.
Sorry! replied Sam,
blushing.
It’s OK. Well, let’s see. According to the doctor,
my
condition is quite common, and is often associated to other
diseases,
although many healthy people, and this is my case,
can also present the
condition without a clearly defined
cause. But don’t worry, Sam. I’ll be fine
as long as I
get the proper medication soon; else my eyes could
develop
some sort of scars and that would affect my vision. That’s
why
Raymundo always takes me to the doctor as soon as I
begin to show the
symptoms.
Does it hurt?
A little. But that is treated with
medication. Most
likely the doctor will prescribe some drops for my eyes,
to
ease the pain.
Will you ever be cured of that?
Probably.
This disease is most common in young people
than in adults. And with proper
medication it usually
disappears for a long while. It has the nasty habit
of
coming back, though; this is what I am suffering now. But
with the
proper medication it will be gone again soon,
you’ll see.
Sammy looked
down to his shoes. He never thought Otto could
have some sort of illness; but
he was quite impressed on how
well he dealt with it. Knowing that he actually
needed his
sunglasses, he now understood a lot of things about
his
friend.
Otto noticed Sam’s thoughts and comforted him. Placing
an
arm around his neck he joked with him.
Now you know why I have
never made fun of your glasses,
Squid! said Otto, jokingly.
Yeah, I
was thinking that too, Ottoman. Back in Kansas
most kids used to make fun of
me for wearing glasses, and
now I realize it was something weird that you
guys never
even mentioned it.
That’s because I know what it feels like
having to wear
glasses, brother. I don’t like being called a
four-eyed
dork, you know, so I don’t make that kind of fun. I
might be a
pain in the neck sometimes, but I’ll never make
jokes that could come back to
bite me.
Otto and Sammy walked inside the Shack again. Sammy
felt
relieved to know that his friend was going to be fine, and
Otto was
also glad that his friend really understood him and
cared for
him.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The following day, Raymundo took Otto to
the optometrist
and, as the boy supposed, the doctor found that he had
a
relapse of his condition. He prescribed him the proper
medication,
including some drops for his eyes, and diagnosed
that the kid’s vision had
not suffered any permanent
damage. The condition was well under control, and
with the
medication its symptoms should disappear soon.
In a matter of
days, Otto was again skating and shredding as
always. He had ceased suffering
the effects of his disease;
only the sensitivity to light remained present,
as usual.
But he had already learned to live with that. He just needed
to
wear his sunglasses everywhere.
--------
References:
I
found these sites that explain the conditions mentioned in
this
fic:
For information about anterior uveitis:
http://www.pennhealth.com/ency/article/001005.htm
For
information about photophobia, or excessive
sensitiveness to light:
http://www.pennhealth.com/ency/article/003041.htm
