Eye Exam

"No big deal. I'm fine with wearing glasses. I spend most of my day in front of a computer screen and if this solves the problem—great."

"It'll definitely take care of it for you. And when you look up the lenses won't have any prescription in the upper half so things will be perfectly clear at all distances."

"Sounds good to me," Dex told him.

The doctor accompanied him out, and since Kayla was with another patient, he handed him off to Mercedes.

"And uh, please come see me once Mr. Hall is finished, would you?" he told her.

The look on her face confirmed Dex's earlier suspicions, but he didn't say anything until Dr. Andrews was gone.

"Is everything okay?" he asked once she had him sit down so she could order the lenses.

"Oh, sure," she said unconvincingly and without looking at him.

"Okay. Doctor Andrews seemed a little upset. When I asked about LASIK in the exam room he..."

"You...you mentioned that?" she asked, her voice almost hollow.

"I...I did. Was that not okay?" Dex asked now wondering what was going on.

"It's...it's fine," Mercedes told him as she tried to smile. "All right. Let me get you to put these frames on, and I'll measure your pupil distance and we'll get you out of her, Mr. Hall."

As she worked, he pretended to be looking at other things, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the beautiful woman sitting across from him. He glanced down and saw the reading glasses again, and decided to ask.

"I was just wondering. I'm no expert or anything, but I was doing some research on line about vision problems, and you mentioned needing reading glasses."

"Oh. Yes. That's correct. I've been wearing them for several years now," she told him, her voice still not quite the same.

Dex scratched his head and sort of wrinkled his face as he said, "Forgive me for asking, but doesn't presbyopia normally happen after the age of 45?" he asked, using a big word himself.

"In most cases, yes, that's true," Mercedes asked him.

"Pardon for bringing this up, but are you just the unlucky exception to the rule?"

Mercedes stopped typing then finally smiled again.

"No. I'm actually right in the center of the rule," she told him. "I started needing these five years ago just a couple of months after I turned 45."

Dex shook his head in disbelief then said, "Wait. Are you telling me you're..."

He didn't want to say the number out loud, but Mercedes actually laughed then did it for him.

"Fifty?" she said, the smile back. "I am indeed."

"Wow," Dex said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to just have to take your word for it, Mercedes, but I'm having a very hard time believing you."

"And you just made my day, Mr. Hall," she told him.

She was smiling when she said it then, to Dex's surprise, after a quick look around said, "Which is particularly nice because I may not have a job tomorrow."

"Whoa!" Dex said very quietly. "Why not?"

She looked around nervously again then said just as quietly, "I'm not supposed to ever say anything that could hurt business. LASIK would let you see 20-20 again without glasses so just mentioning it isn't allowed. Unless, of course, the patient asks, then we focus on why glasses or contacts would be just as good if not better."

"Ohhh. Now I get it," Dex said. "But you were just being honest, right?"

She looked over her shoulder again then told him, "Evidently, honesty isn't always the best policy."

"Is there anything I can do? Would it help to talk to the doctor?"

"No. Definitely not. If he knew I said anything to you, I'd be gone the moment you walk out. Then again, I may be anyway, but I can't stand not letting people know they have options."

She checked behind her yet again then said even more quietly, "I really need this job, but it drives me crazy to think about someone spending money that might be better spent on something else if the patient was aware it was a viable option."

"For what it's worth, I agree with you," Dex said sympathetically.

Mercedes was finishing his order as she said, "I've had a very rough go of it financially the last couple of years, and I watch every penny. If someone gave me an option that either saved me money or time or helped me out, I'd be grateful. But then I don't own a business so..."

Just then Dr. Andrews came out with his next patient so Mercedes stopped talking for a few seconds before cheerfully saying, "Okay, Mr. Hall. You're all set!"

He made a point of speaking loudly enough for the doctor to hear as he said, "Thank you very much, Mercedes. You've been very helpful and it's been a real pleasure working with someone so pleasant and professional."

Knowing he was going against her advice, when Dex stood up, he looked right at the doctor and said, "You're very fortunate to have someone so helpful and easy to work with."

Dr. Andrews smiled, but it wasn't genuine as he cut his eyes toward Mercedes then looked back at Dex.

"Yes. You're uh, you're very right, Mr. Hall."

He took one last look at Mercedes who said, "We'll be giving you a call in 7-10 days when your lenses get in."

"Oh. Okay," Dex replied, very surprised to learn how long it would take, and not sure what he'd do in the meantime.

Mercedes noticed Dr. Andrews was still standing there and said, "Um...you might want to grab a pair of 'readers' while you're here. Just to get you through until your glasses come back."

Dex saw Dr. Andrews looking at him so he decided, "What the heck."

"Yeah. Sure. Can you show me where they are? That sounds like a great idea."

"Of course," Mercedes said as she stood up. "They're behind you and to my left."

With that, the eye doctor turned and walked away.

Once he was gone, Mercedes said, "Thank you. Very much."

"So I didn't blow it?" he asked.

"No. I don't know whether or not I still have a job, but between your kind words and buying a pair of readers, well, who knows?"

Dex tried on 3-4 pairs with varying degrees of magnification then settled on one he thought would get the job done and thanked Mercedes again for all her help.

"No. Seriously. Thank you, Mr. Hall," she told him. "You have no idea how badly I need to keep working."

"Well, I sincerely hope I'll see you again when I come back to pick up the prescription glasses."

She smiled a genuine smile then told him, "I'll look forward to seeing you again, as well."

Dex smiled back then said, "Maybe next time you'll call me Dex?"

"Oh. Okay. If you like," she told him, that beautiful smile there again.

"I would. I'd like that very much."

"Okay, then...Dex," she said very sweetly. "Let me just walk you up front and Lisa will take care of you."

"I'd rather have you take care me, but...okay," Dex told her, but not in is normal deadpan delivery.

"Ah, there you go again, making me feel good," she told him before introducing him to Lisa.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Mercedes asked.

"No. I don't think so," he told her.

"All right. It was a real pleasure meeting you, Dex," she said as she offered him her hand.

It was small and soft, and as he shook it, Dex still couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that this very attractive woman could be possibly be 50 years old. Or anywhere close to it, for that matter.

He handed Lisa his credit card even though he had no idea how much he was being charged. He was watching Mercedes walk away then continued looking at her once she got back to the fitting area. The only reason he stopped looking was because after she sat back down, she glanced up and saw him.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, tilted her head a bit, then smiled as if to say, "Is something wrong?"

Dex shook his head again then realized Lisa was asking for his signature.

"Sorry. I think I was distracted," he said as he grabbed a pen.

"She's very pretty, isn't she?" Lisa said to him.

"Mercedes?" he asked as though it could have been anyone.

"Uh-huh. She's beautiful."

"Yeah. She uh, she is very pretty," he said as he handed the pen back.

"Her ex-husband didn't do her any favors, that's for sure," Lisa said in a hushed tone as she handed him his copy of the receipt.

"Oh? How so?" Dex asked, knowing it was none of his business.

Lisa did the 'look around' thing, too, then said, "Let's just say he had a, uh...a bit of a gambling problem."

"Oh. I...I see," Dex said, wondering how bad 'a 'bit' really was.

She then handed him a pair of paper-framed sunglasses for light sensitivity from the dilation and wished him a good day.

When he turned around, Beth and Addison were waiting for him. His eyes were fully dilated, and Addison noticed.

"You look like an owl, Dad!" she told him.

"Oh, right. The pupils are huge, huh."

"Well, I'm gonna look really good in these," he told her as he pulled out the cheap-o sunglasses and put them on.

"You look like you're ready to watch a 3D movie," Addison told him.

"Yeah, except everything is blurry," he said. "That's why your Aunt Beth is here."

"Oh. I thought it was so your girlfriends back there would have someone to poke fun at while they flirted with you," she told him in her typical woe-is-me kind of way.

Dex looked at Addison who was trying not to laugh and shrugged his shoulders causing his daughter to laugh in spite of herself and his sister to ball up a fist as though she was going to punch him.

"Hey, hey! No one hits a blind man!" he told her as he held his hands up in mock self defense.

By the time his eyes returned to normal, it was dinnertime. As he and Addison ate, he was having trouble concentrating on what she was telling him, because he couldn't let go of the beautiful woman who'd just helped him being as old as she'd claimed. He managed to keep up enough to avoid getting scolded by his daughter, but that was about all he could do.

The good news was the 'readers' were good enough to keep him from getting a headache, and that made them well worth whatever he'd paid for them, as he was up well past midnight trying to catch up.

Dex was up early the next morning and back at it, and after another full day, he was back on track, and had largely forgotten about the beautiful, older woman at the eye doctor's.

He put the pedal to the metal and by the time Dr. Andrews's office called, he'd finished the job he'd been working on and had two whole glorious days off before starting a new project.

He and Addison arrived at 2 o'clock to pick up his new glasses, and as they pulled in, they saw someone locking the door.

"Excuse me. I got a call to come pick up my glasses," Dex called to her as he fast-walked up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. We close from 1-2 every day for lunch."

She pointed at a sign right in front of her face, and all Dex could do was shake his head.

"I guess I missed that," he told her.

She started to leave when Dex moved closer to see if there was any other fine print he'd missed when he heard a tap on the glass. He looked right then left but didn't see anyone.

"Daddy. Look straight ahead," Addison, who'd caught up with him, said.

A face was nearly up against the glass, and that person was unlocking the door.

"Dex. Hi. Come in," Mercedes said with a cheerful smile as she opened the door.

"Thank you, but I thought you were closed," he said as he let his daughter go in first. "Well, the truth is I didn't actually know you closed for lunch at all."

"We are closed, but I kind of feel like I owe you, so when I saw you outside, I wanted to try and at least partially make it up to you."

"I'm not really following," he said as she locked them inside.

"Come in and sit down, and I'll explain once I get your glasses."

The office was dark except for a desk lamp in the fitting area.

She found his order and came out and sat down in front of him.

"Hi there, pretty girl. I don't think I know your name," Mercedes said to Addison.

She told her and Mercedes said, "Addison. Very pretty. Just like you."

"Thank you," Addison said. "You're really pretty, too."

"That must run in the family," Mercedes said to Addison while looking at her father.

"Sorry. I'm lost again," Dex told her truthfully.

"Last week, you made my day by saying something nice, and now your daughter did the same thing."

"Oh, right. Yes. I may have mentioned you couldn't possibly be the age you claimed to be."

Dex smiled then lowered his head and said, "I'm still not sure I believe you."

Mercedes laughed then said as she held out his new frames, "Here. Try these on."

As he did, she explained about 'owing him'.

"I was almost certain I was going to be let go after you left, but Doctor Andrews told me selling you the readers let me pull it out of my..."

She looked at Addison then said, "Derriere."

"Oh. Wow. That was a close one then."

Addison was giggling and her father knew why.

"She's a very smart girl with a surprisingly large vocabulary so I'm guessing she knows what a derriere is and probably most of its synonyms."

Her father leaned over and put his forehead on Addison's and said, "Like...butt."

"Daddy!" she said as she laughed.

"I love how close you two are," Mercedes said. "I have to say I envy your wife."

Addison stopped laughing so fast it scared Mercedes.

"Did I say something...inappropriate?"

"No. Not at all," Dex told her. "We lost her mom when Addy was just five."

He rarely called her that anymore, but when he wanted to make a point of some kind, it was his go-to endearment.

"I...feel so...embarrassed. And sorry," Mercedes said. "Please forgive me."

"No. It was a very nice thing to say, and yes, I think my wife would have agreed with you," he said as he raised his left hand up and turned it around. "I just can't take it off, you know."

"Of course. I totally understand," she told him.

She sat up a little straighter, smiled, then asked, "How do those work for you?"

Dex looked up and everything was perfectly clear before he remembered why he needed them, and that had nothing to do with his distance vision.

"Here. See if you can read this," Mercedes said as she handed him a card with very small writing on it.

"Ha! Look at that!" Dex said. "I can read every word of every line and it's all crystal clear."

"Wonderful. How do they feel? Are they too tight or too loose? Do they hurt your nose?"

Dex played with them a little adjusting this way and that then said, "Nope. They're fine. Perfect even."

"Well...perfect!" she told him. "I know opening up for you isn't anywhere near what I owe you for saving my job, but it's probably the best I can do."

"Don't you eat lunch?" Dex asked as he tried getting used to the glasses.

He didn't really need them for anything but reading, but he was thinking the instruments on his dashboard would now be clear, too, if he could learn to wear them most or all of the time. He had a kind of 'reverse progressive lens' that got kept his vision crystal clear as he looked down giving him perfect vision at all distances.

"Oh, sure. I eat," she told him very politely. "I just don't go out too often. I prefer to brown bag it."

"Is your bag in the back?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact it is, but I wanted to take care of you first."

"Well, listen. Addison and I haven't had lunch yet, and we're both starving. Would you possibly like to join us?"

Addison perked up immediately and looked at Mercedes.

"Yes! Please come with us! " she pleaded without begging.

"Oh, I don't know. You two don't need me hanging around."

"Need I remind you I saved your job?" Dex said in that straight-faced way of his, one eyebrow raised high.

The look on his face was more than she could handle and Mercedes started laughing.

"Is your father always so funny?" she asked Addison.

"Yes. Unfortunately he is. His 'humor'..."

Addison made exaggerated air quotes as she said the word 'humor', "Is legend."

Mercedes laughed, but not at Addison. It was just so atypical for anyone that age to talk that way.

"Are you sure I won't be bothering you?"

"If you are we'll let you know. Right, Addy?"

She laughed then said, "See what I mean?" to Mercedes as she nodded toward her father.

"I have to be back before two," she let Dex know.

"We're fast eaters," he told her, understanding how important it was to her not to be late.

Addison was pointing at her dad until he looked over.

"Hey! What's that for?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know—-Mr. Human Vacuum Cleaner," she said as she tried not to laugh.

"Hey! That's mean. And if that wasn't so totally true, I might take offense," Dex told his daughter.

"Something tells me I won't be bored with you two," Mercedes told them with a laugh as she got up again. "Okay. I'll lock up and we can go to lunch, but only if you let me pay for my meal."

Addison gave her an 'uh-oh' look so she stopped moving and asked why.

"Well, my daughter knows I'm an old-fashioned guy when it comes to such things, and I would never allow any woman I just asked to have lunch with me—and my daughter—to pay."

He saw Mercedes looking at him as though she was about to refuse his offer so he held up a had and said, "Sorry. No exceptions."

"Your father can be rather direct, can't he?" Mercedes said to Addison without taking her eyes off of her handsome father.

"You could say that," the girl replied as she smiled at her dad.

"What can I say? I believe in chivalry."

He stood up, struck another goofy pose, then said in a British accent, "Is such conduct now considered a high crime in The Colonies?"

Addison was already laughing while Mercedes was trying not to.

He gave her the eye, and she lost it.

"Okay! You can pay," she told him.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Addison asked once he'd opened the car door for their guest and helped her get in.

"Why don't we let our guest choose?" he suggested.

She was pulling on her seatbelt and said, "Oh, my. You're letting a woman make a decision?"

This time Dex was the one looking like a stunned mullet.

When Mercedes finally laughed, he realized she was kidding.

"Gotcha!" she told him.

"Yes, you did. You did indeed."

"I'm not a picky eater," she told him. "Especially when someone is kind enough to pay for my food."

She smiled at him in a way he hadn't yet seen, and Dex returned it based on the feedback he was getting.

"How about you, o' daughter of mine? What sounds good to you?"

"Do you like Sushi?" Addison asked Mercedes.

"I love Sushi," she said as she turned around to look at her. "Do you?"

"Totally!" Addison told her very enthusiastically.

"I'm not sure why that surprises me so much, but it does."

As Dex pulled out onto the main road, he said, "She does indeed love Sushi. She'd eat it three times a day if I let her."

"Well, okay. Sushi it is then," Mercedes said.

"Yume?" Addison suggested.

Yume Fusion Sushi & Grill was located on Blanding Boulevard and was just three blocks away.

"It's the only game in town," her father replied.

"Do you have a favorite, Addison?" Mercedes asked.

"Nigiri," she said immediately.

"She's a shrimp lover, that's for sure," her dad said.

He glanced over his shoulder and said, "Shrimp for the shrimp, right?"

"Ugh!" Addison groaned at her father's lame attempt at humor.

"I don't think you're a shrimp," Mercedes told her.

"Thank you!" Addison told her. "At least I have one friend in this car!"

Dex opened his eyes wide then said, "Okay. Now I'm hurt," as he dramatically put his right hand over his heart.

"Your father should have been an actor," Mercedes said, really to both of them.

"No. You see, we need money in order to survive, so, no, definitely not," Addison said before her dad could respond.

"Man. Tough crowd," he said causing both of the 'girls' to laugh.

"Do you mind if I ask what you do, Dex?" Mercedes asked politely.