The "White Out" Incident

In her book, Kristin has a run in with super glue that reminded me of a crazy night years ago. when Liz and I lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment in the Bronx.

It was a dark and stormy night, right out of a Snoopy story.

My daughter sat at the kitchen table, still dressed in the little blue sweat suit that was her kindergarten gym uniform , working on her latest work of art. I never even saw the White Out bottle till she screamed.

In opening the bottle, she had to pull the lid with some force to get the brush past the gooey neck of the bottle. When the brush came free, White out sprayed across her face and into her eyes.

The White Out sealed them shut.

OH MY GOD!!!

Fighting the pain in my chest, where my heart was exploding, I leaned my screaming child back against the kitchen sink and lifted her up, with her face up to the ceiling looking up at kitchen faucet, and put the water on full force. Then I pried my baby’s eyes opened and flushed them, with the full force of the faucet- never mind that I could have drowned my poor screaming child. At least I used the cold water.

Please God, don’t let her go blind…

As I set her down on the kitchen floor to call the doctor, I was trembling. Ray had dated a friend of mine and had been my eye doctor for years. I called the office and begged to speak to him- something I had never done before.

When he came on the line, I described what had happened and what I had done, and begged Ray to check my baby. It was nearly closing time in his office, and he had never seen my daughter as a patient, but he said to bring her over.

“And Geraldine, don’t rush. Drive carefully. We will wait for you.”

So now I was crying.

Please God, don’t let her go blind.

It took forever, or so it seemed, to get to the medical office plaza. The rain was pounding down, and it was so dark.

The sight of us walking into the office! Me still in my work scrubs, looking clearly insane, and my daughter in her gym clothes, soaked to her waist.

Ray very gently examined my terrified little girl. He had her read the shapes chart. He shone the special light in her eyes.

He said there was no sign of white out left in her eyes. And there was no damage to her vision.

Ray could probably see the tension leave me. It was as though I had been holding my breath.

“Good job, Mom.”