“Why don’t you use a stick?” he asked, leading me down the driveway. “Or a guide dog or something?” Believe me, I’d love to. It would allow me a little more freedom. “If I need to go anywhere, someone helps me,” I told him. “My parents don’t like me to draw attention to myself.” They thought people would stare at me. I wasn’t the only visually impaired person in town, but I was pretty sure I was the only full-on blind one, and I knew their fears without even asking. And they were right. It made people uncomfortable. I’d been through enough awkward conversations to know when someone just wanted
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