Changing Tides

The road had risen to meet Al, the man with one eye but no vision. A move to the Jersey Shore from the northern part of the state five years ago, in 1985, had blessed him with a change in the Karma that had plagued him since the horrific chemical accident on October 1, 1974 that left him blind and scarred. His new neighborhood, Spring Lake, included a boardwalk that ran along the Atlantic Ocean. The constant salty aroma of the ocean drew him daily, and within a month of living in his adopted hometown, he knew landmarks and walked alone from home to the oceanfront with confidence. It was a warm, late morning, on a sun-soaked June 1990 day when he bounded out the front door of 401 St Clair Ave, like a man with sight. The ten-minute journey to his boardwalk destination was imprinted on his mind as he briefly stopped at each corner to listen for cars. He strutted along with his chin in the air as his cane tapped in front of him searching diligently for any unnatural or natural objects. At the incline that served as the public entrance to the boardwalk, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the sea birds, the boards under his feet, and a light, soft breeze, combined to create Al's happy place that removed the real world with all its problems issues and unnatural events. Al had picked up his walking pace and almost jogged. He smiled like an idiot until his face smashed into a large obstacle and he found himself shocked as he stumbled backward. Caught off balance, he gave into gravity and plopped down, stunned. He did the only thing that came naturally: he lost control. Releasing anger was a character trait Al Plevier thought was lost to him. After the accident he learned the emotion of acceptance without regret or anger. He still had no regrets about any part of his life, but now, as a new chapter started for his family, he rediscovered the man he used to be that had been hidden behind recurring traumas and his ability to survive them.