A little older

Whitney and I were getting ready for our presentation to the second-graders at Chicago’s Francis Xavier Warde school cafeteria Monday morning when the first 25 arrived. “Sit real close,” their teacher told them. “We need to make room for the others.” The kids in front were close enough to strike up a conversation with me as we waited for the rest of the second-graders to arrive.

Watch Whitney lead me out of class.

“We read your book!” one exclaimed. Another piped up. “It was good!” Don’t ask me why, but their compliments made me think of that question a fourth-grader had asked me the week before, during a school visit in Michigan. “That picture on the cover,” I asked the Chicago second-graders. “Does it look like us?” After a chorus of yeses and yeas, one little eight-year-old pipsqueak spoke up on her own. “I’ve gotta be honest with you,” she said. “You look a little older.”

Ouch.

The other second-graders started streaming in then — there were 100 in all — and I gave my short presentation before getting to the best part: the questions from the kids. Some examples:

• How can you write books if you can’t see?
• How do you know what you’re wearing?
• How do you drive?
• Do you walk everywhere?
• If you can’t see red or green, how do you know when it’s time to cross the street?
• How long did it take you to get here from your house?
• How do you bake bread if you can’t see?
• What breed was Hanni?
• What breed is this one?
• How far do you like to walk with your dog every day?
• If you were somewhere with your dog where you could use the stairs or take an elevator, which one would you pick?
• What is your favorite breed?
• What if there was an escalator?
• Do you get to name your dogs yourself?
• Does your husband help you cook?
• What made you go blind?
• How do you know what you’re wearing?
• What is your favorite thing to bake?
• How far away is your house from our school?
• Can you get dressed by yourself?
• How do you swim if you can’t see?
• When you’re baking, how do you, like, measure stuff if you can’t see?
• Do doctors have a way so you won’t be blind anymore?

I answered that last question with two words. “not yet,” I said, following up by assuring the thoughtful little girl that even though I can’t see, my life is pretty colorful: I am part of a huge loving family, my husband is crazy smart and always there for me when I need help, I read and write books, teach writing classes, swim laps, bake bread, play piano, go to plays, meet with friends, take long walks.

That last bit, about taking walks, gave me an idea. Maybe it was time to lift the harness on Whitney’s back,demonstrate how a Seeing Eye dog works.

And so, for our grand finale, I commanded “Whitney, outside!” The kids watched in awe as my magnificent nine-year-old Seeing Eye dog led me safely around chairs, bookshelves and children sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor to the door out of the room. I turned around to wave goodbye, and we left to thunderous applause from the kids. Out in the hall, I got down on the floor to give my dog a hug. “Good girl, Whitney!” I whispered. “We still got it.”