Page 1 of Playing By Ear

Chapter 1

Peregrine Hull stared out the taxi window, telling himself he was embarking on a great adventure.

The buildings of Glasgow’s City Centre passed in a blur, but not because the car was moving particularly fast. “Nearly there,” the driver said. “Just passed Bath Street.”

Perry unfolded his long white cane. “Drop me at the corner of Sauchiehall, please.”

“Aye, nae bother.”

As the taxi slowed, Perry thought of a dozen excuses to have the driver turn around and take him home, a hundred reasons to once again avoid what awaited him:

Getting stared at. Getting lost. Maybe even getting hurt.

Nonsense. He’d chosen the Buchanan Street shopping area because it was familiar, and because there were no cars. He’d chosen a weekday midmorning because it wouldn’t be crowded. When the spring holiday week started this afternoon, the street would be crammed out with shoppers.

If he could survive anywhere, anytime, it was here and now.

Besides, he couldn’t face his Orientation and Mobility trainer if he chickened out. He’d promised her that this would be the day he ventured into public on his own with the new cane—walking the full length of the pedestrian shopping district, buying a coffee and a new book, then taking the train home from Queen Street Station.

No more excuses. Though rain had been forecast, that was par for the course in Glasgow. Might Rain could be the city’s slogan, though it wouldn’t help tourism.

“Here we are,” the driver said as the taxi slowed to a stop. “Need any help?”

“No. Thank you.” Perry paid the driver, then grasped the door handle, pausing long enough for a whisper of doubt.

Maybe one more training session.

He shoved open the car door and stepped into the world. As the taxi pulled away in a huff of exhaust, Perry drew in a deep breath to calm his racing pulse. Then he stretched the white cane out before him and strode into his newly liberated, newly terrifying life.

He swept the cane using the open/close palm technique that had become second nature during his months of O&M training, keeping his arm relaxed at his side to avoid shoulder stiffness. Unlike during his immersion-style lessons, he wasn’t wearing an eye covering to blot out all visual input. Today he wore his favorite sunglasses, which fitted to his cheeks and temples to shield his eyes from the glare of sunlight (though today it was more like cloudlight).

Through his cane, he felt the transition between the pavement’s flat flagstones and the wee metal tactile line bumps announcing the pedestrian crossing. The traffic signal beeped permission to cross, so he stepped into the light trickle of bodies making their way to the other side.

Perry resisted the urge to watch the cane’s tip as it passed back and forth through the narrow tunnel of his remaining sight. He didn’t need to see it to know it was working.

“Let it see for you.” His trainer’s words came back to him. “The cane is the only eye you need.”

At the top of Buchanan Street, where the Dewar statue sat outside the Royal Concert Hall, a young keyboardist (Samantha?) was singing a Taylor Swift song. It was a pity the city required buskers to move every hour. What a pain in the arse to shift all that equipment.

Perry sensed pedestrians noticing his progress. Their voices changed trajectory as their heads turned, even halting mid-sentence as his cane captured their attention.

His favorite coffee shop appeared, easily distinguishable by its bright-yellow awning and the scent of fresh-roasted beans. Next door, in front of the Skechers shop, a familiar guitarist (James? Jimmy? The one with the purple guitar) was playing the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”

Perry knew where the café’s door handle was, but he made himself find it by holding his cane vertically and sliding it against the door. It was good practice, and his trainer had told him never to fumble or grope for things. “Blind people should look as cool as everyone else,” she’d said, “if not more so.”

“Perry, welcome back!” said Ruby the barista, whose hair color matched her name. “I see you’ve got a new friend.”

He held up his cane and gave her a smile. “Got fed up of bumping into things. Like walls, people, moving vehicles…”

“Oh my God.” Ruby’s neon-pink nails flashed as her hand covered her mouth. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. The car was barely moving. It was the kick in the arse I needed to start using the cane. And I’ll have so much more freedom now.”

Her teeth stood out from her rosy lipstick as she grinned. “Your mum must be proud.”

“Mostly relieved, I imagine.”

Ruby laughed. “You’ll be having your usual?”