Charles opened his bedroom door and walked downstairs. He tried to disguise a slight limp, the result of a shard of metal that had pierced his thigh. Cassandra would make a fuss, and Charles was not inclined to endure her over-coddling at seven o’clock in the morning.
He walked into the kitchen and looked for the ceramic mug of steaming coffee that always waited on the table in the sunroom. It wasn’t there. Instead were a full coffee pot, a pitcher of water, a clear glass coffee mug and an opaque plastic cup.
“Cassandra, I realize you have planned a day replete with an assortment of mental and physical challenges. Is it asking too much if we could delay the torture du jour until I have a mug of coffee?”
“Of course not, but first I want you to pour the water into the cup.”
“Why? I don’t want any water. I want my coffee.”
“When you pour the water into the cup without spilling any, you can pour yourself a cup of coffee.”
Charles didn’t understand Cassandra’s latest rehab scheme, but there was a purpose. There always was.
He sat at the table, grabbed the pitcher and poured the water. He missed the cup by three inches.
What the hell?
He tried again and got closer. His aim improved and on the third try the water splashed into the cup.
“May I please have my coffee now?”
“You spilled the water, but I’ll take pity on you this morning. Go ahead and pour yourself a cup of coffee.”
Charles smiled. Perhaps Cassandra did have a heart. He picked up the coffee pot and poured. The result was same as before…coffee puddled four inches from the glass mug.
“Goddamn it,” Charles said putting down the coffee pot. “Okay, other than confirming the obvious fact I’m half-blind, what’s this about?”
“You’re not half-blind, Charles, far from it. But you have only one eye, and your depth perception isn’t what it used to be.”
Charles wasn’t amused. “So pouring water and coffee all over the damn table and making a fool of myself is going to change that?”
“No, but if you keep practicing until you don’t spill any your depth perception will improve.”
Charles felt foolish. “I’m sorry, Cassandra.”
“There’s no need to apologize, but you would really have flown off the handle if I asked you to pour the coffee into your black ceramic mug.”
Charles looked puzzled. “Why?”
“Because this morning I set up contrasting colors, water in an opaque cup and coffee in a glass mug. If I asked you to pour black coffee into your black mug, you would have missed it by a foot.”
“Thank you. I appreciate what you’re doing for me. It’s just frustrating as hell.”
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