Blindmans Bluff

Linda was a health nut and ran the beach twice a day, every day, rain or shine. She lived a block away and loved the sound and smell of the ocean as she ran. Since the company she worked for had computerized, she only had to go into her office once or twice a month. This gave her a lot more free time, as she didn't have to drive two hours each morning and evening. She also found that she could get more work done in less time, without all the distractions caused by her fellow workers. She thought she had the best of all worlds.

It was early June, the weather was starting to warm nicely as the sun shined almost daily, the early spring rains almost over. For a week now, she had noticed an older man sitting lotus fashion on the sand as she made her turn at the end of the beach. He was a big man and it surprised her that he could sit in that position. She thought it odd, he sat, and stared out over the waves, his head and body erect but perfectly still. Even when she ran by, he didn't move or follow her with his eyes. Most men did, which is what puzzled Linda.

She was five nine, and slender, she knew she looked good in her short shorts and skimpy halter top. Even though she didn't particularly care for her small breasts, they were hers and she made do with what she had. Anyway she didn't have to wear a bra or worry about them sagging. She was proud of her looks but not vain about them. She did like to show herself off to her best advantage and sometimes, she let her exhibitionist streak free to play. It excited her to accidentally, on purpose, flash some unsuspecting guy, every now and then.

After a few more days, this guy became a challenge to her. She even jogged one day in her skimpiest thong bikini and he still didn't look at her. Maybe he was one of those Hindu guru types and in some kind of trance, but he didn't look the type. He had a wide face with high cheek bones that looked more American Indian than eastern Indian. His hair was dark and long, tied in a pony tail down his back. His thick mustache and goatee were white, in stark contrast to his deep tan and dark hair. He was an enigma and intriguing to Linda. A mystery to be solved.

The next day she wore her normal shorts and halter top when she went for her morning jog. As she made the turn at the end of the beach, she stopped and bent at the waist, placing her hands flat on the sand between her shoulder width, spread feet. Her ass was pointed straight at the man and she could feel the soft material of the shorts pulled up tightly into the crease of her ass and her sex. She knew he could easily see the outer lips of her pussy. Even she could see them in this position. She watched the man from between her legs, his head didn't move, the dark sunglasses he wore pointed straight at the ocean. Damn, she thought, what's with this guy.

Maybe he was gay she thought, as she straightened up and then bent to stretch her body down each leg, her small breasts almost touching each knee. Even if he was gay, he should at least glance this way. He may not look because of her sex but he should at least appreciate her flexibility. His head didn't move.

Completely perplexed and curious as hell, she walked over to stand a few feet from him. After a second or two, he said, "Hello Miss, are you enjoying your jog today? You weren't getting a cramp or anything, so why did you stop and stretch today?" His head still hadn't moved.

Linda frowned, wondering how he knew she had stopped to stretch for no reason, no physical reason that is. She ignored his questions and said, "I thought I'd stop and say hello, you're new here at the beach, aren't you?"

For the first time his head moved and he nodded, "I just moved down here a few weeks ago. I own the house in back of the dunes here."

Linda turned and looked at the tall two story beach house sticking up above the small dunes. She knew it had been vacate for a long while, the old couple that had owned it had died a year or so earlier. "That's a large place for just one person, isn't it?" She asked, fishing for information.

He chuckled and replied "Yes it is but the price was right. The older people who lived there before were my parents, when they passed away, I inherited it."

His answer paralleled her thoughts so closely, she shivered. "I saw them around but I didn't know them to well. They seemed to be really nice and I was sorry to hear they had died." Linda said cocking her head to the side slightly, he still hadn't look up at her.

"Yes, they were good people." He said softly, smiling for the first time.

Linda glanced at the house with its large covered front porch and then back at the man. "Why don't you watch the ocean from the porch, you'd have a better view."

He chuckled and replied, "I'm not watching the ocean, I'm listening to it, and I can hear better from here. The sound is different up there and the wind interferes."

"Huh!" Linda said.

The man chuckled again and said, "I'm blind, I have been for about thirty five years now."

"Oh!" Linda said and then realized that she was blushing. Then she wondered why she was blushing about flashing a blind man. She chuckled at herself.

"You find that funny?" The man asked.

"No!" Linda said hurriedly, "No, I was… Uh, that is… Well…" Linda was now at a loss to explain her chuckle without revealing the truth. "Let's just say I was chuckling at myself and leave it at that."

He grinned and replied, "How intriguing, now I'm curious. Being blind has its advantages and disadvantages." For the first time, he turned his head and looked up. "I know I missed something good this time. It would be just like my usual bad luck for you to have flashed me or something." Then he chuckled.

Linda drew a sharp breath and waved her hand right in front of his face. He didn't move or flinch, he just smiled. "Waving your hand around my face won't make any difference. I could just have good muscle and body control, so you couldn't be sure either way."

"How did you… Oh, you felt the air move." Linda said. "Hey, if you're blind, how did you know I was a woman when I walked up here? I'm not wearing any perfume and you called me miss, like I was young. How do you know I'm the same person that jogs here every day? A lot of people jog here."

He laughed and looked back at the ocean before he spoke. "I've been blind long enough to learn a few tricks. Yes, a lot of people jog here but you have a distinct sound to your stride, you must have injured your left ankle when you were younger. You favor that foot, the stride is shorter on that side. You also have long legs from the sound of it. The sound of your voice tells me you are around five nine or five ten. The sound of your running and your steps as you walked up told me you were a woman. Since you run every day and never breathe hard, you must be young or at least younger. Now that we have talked a little, I'd guess you're in your early thirties, tall, slender, and blonde."

"Ok, smarty. What am I wearing?" Linda asked with a laugh.

He grinned and replied, "That's one of the disadvantages, I know you're barefooted but beyond that, you could be wearing a snowsuit or totally nude." He took a deep breathe and grinned, "Nope, not a snowsuit, you're not sweaty enough for the heat. You're not wearing much because I can smell a lot of you." He turned his head in Linda's direction and sniffed a couple of times, and then he grinned, "You did flash me and you find it exciting." He stated flatly. Linda gasped and backed up a few steps, which made him laugh. He shook his head slowly and said, "No, my sense of smell isn't that good. It was the sharp breathe you took earlier and most women flash for just that reason, its exciting. You have to watch us blind, dirty old men, we're tricky."

Linda chuckled and then it turned into a laugh. After a moment, she moved back closer to him and squatted down. She spread her knees wide apart and rested her forearms on her thighs. The crotch of her shorts was pulled up between her pussy lips. Any man would be goggle eyed at this display and grinning like hell. The man's head remained level and he was still smiling gently. "You are something else." she said after another moment. "I'm beginning to think you see more than most people with two good eyes."

He grinned broadly and replied, "You mean like the fact that you're flashing me at this very moment and enjoying the hell out of it. Now, I can smell your excitement, sweet and musky, clean and fresh." Linda gasped and closed her knees. He frowned and then smiled, "Damn, I was enjoying that smell; it's been a long time since I last smelled it."

Linda felt herself blush again. "Damn, that's the second time you've made me blush. I didn't even know I could do that anymore. Why a blind man should make me blush is what I was chuckling about earlier."

"The mind is a strange and beautiful place." He said softly. "Do you know that sight takes up more of your mental time, than anything else? Personally, I think that's why we dream. The mind has to have pictures to occupy its time." He stopped talking and turned his head back forward. "The mind is a strong force; it controls our body and its emotions and reactions. You haven't had enough time for your mind to except the fact of my blindness. It's controlling your body as though I can see and have caught you being naughty, so you blush. Not having to look at all those pictures, gives my mind more time to think." He ended with a chuckle. "I sure miss them though. I'm sure you are one beautiful lady and I'd be very honored for you to take the time and thought to flash me. I'd also be very turned on by it, I'm sure."

Linda laughed, placed a hand on the man's shoulder, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Leaving the hand on his shoulder, she leaned back and said, "You're a sweet man, a little spooky at times, but sweet." She chuckled and then added, "I'm Linda, by the way. What's you're name?"

"Hello Linda, glad to meet you. I'm called Rider by my friends and I hope you'll call me that." He said holding his right hand out in Linda's general direction.

She took the offered hand and shook it; it was as big as a catcher's mitt, her hand disappeared in his gentle grip. "Rider, I'm glad to meet you too and yes, I think we're going to be good friends. We're off to a good start anyway, you're making me blush, and I like it." She ended up laughing.

"Can I look at you?" Rider asked. "Feel your face that is, I see quite well with my fingertips."

"Uh, ok, but remember, I don't have my makeup on so I look a fright." Linda said making a joke.

"That's alright, I won't have to worry about messing it up then, women are so fussy about things like that. Feeling someone up, I mean looking at them with your fingertips, isn't like looking at someone out of the corner of your eye, after all." He said and grinned.

Linda laughed and replied, "I'll have to remember that." She was thoughtful for a second and then added with a chuckle, "Flashing you for real would be more of a grope then wouldn't it. That could get me in trouble, for sure."

Rider nodded and chuckled. Moving his feet off his knees, he uncrossing his legs and rose straight to his feet; the only thing his hands touched was the cane that was in his left hand. His move had been one fluid motion, quick, strong, and sure. Linda looked up at him for a second, from her squat position, as her surprise at him suddenly being on his feet wore off. She slowly stood up. He was taller than she had first though, at least a head taller than her. He had looked large sitting down, now he looked huge. The tee shirt he wore would make her a dress, she thought. No, make that a dress for two of her. His shoulders were over two feet wide and his chest stretched the material and then hung down to hide his waist. The blue jogging shorts were loose on him, and she wondered where he got a pair that size. His big thighs had well defined, sculptured muscles and his calves were large and bulged out. His bare feet were about the only normally sized thing about him, they almost looked to small to hold him up.

Her eyes moved up to his face and she grinned, "Damn, how does someone as big as you are, move so fast. Mountains are supposed to move slowly."

He laughed and turned toward her, he looked even bigger. "It's all done with mirrors." He said jokingly. More seriously he went on, "I've surprised more than one person. I work out and practice my martial arts, although some people think they are more black magic than martial arts. I have to have something to do, to occupy myself. My work doesn't take up much of my time."

"Oh, what do you do? I'm in advertising myself. I do the art work and lay outs." Linda said. Rider's large hands came up toward her face as she spoke, the cane hanging from a loop on his wrist. One of his hands was big enough to cover her whole face. "You're just going to touch, right?" She asked, a little of a quiver in her voice.

He chuckled and nodded, "Yes, I haven't goofed up and crushed anyone's skull in a long time now."

As his fingertips brushed her hair, Linda said, "That's good to know."

His fingers were soft and gentle as they traced her face. The fingers and thumbs seemed to cover her face in a precise pattern, almost like one of her drawing programs. They moved past her jaw line and went down along her neck and then out her shoulders.

At that point, he said, "Stand very still, and don't move. Thus won't hurt a bit, I promise." He grinned and his hands moved a short ways away from her body, about three inches and started to move in slow circling patterns. It was so strange; they seemed to follow the contours of her body, back, front, and sides. They never touched her but she could feel them just the same. As one passed in front of her sex, it paused and then moved in small up and down movements for a second. Linda gasped and almost moved back as a tingling started between her legs. The hand moved on and he said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I should have remembered that you were already a little turned on from your flashing and sensitive."

As his hands went lower, he bent forward, his face ending up about three inches from Linda's. She studied his face, and wondered what it would be like to kiss those full lips surrounded by all that hair. She had never even dated anyone with a mustache, much less a mustache and goatee.

He stopped his hands around her knees and stood up. "Now I'll know you anywhere and yes, you are one beautiful young woman. You have a fine, strong body and you take excellent care of it."

As his hands moved away from her body, Linda shivered and tensed up. She quickly wondered why she had only now tensed up and had been so relaxed as his big hands moved so close to her body. "What kind of a magic trick was that? I've seen mapping plotters that weren't that precise. The distance your hands were from me didn't vary, hardly at all and you didn't touch me once. I felt as though I could feel your hands but they weren't touching me. What gives?" She asked.

"All things have a field that covers and encloses them. If I could still see, yours would probably be light blue, with varying shades of pink highlighting certain areas. I just followed the outer edge of the field. What you were feeling was my field interacting with yours. Most people aren't sensitive enough, or should I say attuned enough to feel that." Rider said slowly, as though he were explaining a well known theory or principle.

"Ok, if you say so." Linda said and grinned. "The only time I see glowing people is when I've drank to much tequila. It doesn't last long though, as I usually pass out shortly after that."

Rider laughed and shook his head, "That stuff will kill you. I know; I used to drink my share of it and then some. I had to quit, it started to make me mean, and that wasn't good. I cleaned out a bar one night after drinking a bottle and spent a week in jail, probably the lowest point in my life. I swore off after that."

"Is that when you lost you sight?" Linda asked.

He seemed to look off in the distance and shook his head, "No, I had been blind already for four years when that happened. It's what changed my life and got me back on track. I went back to the VA hospital when I got out of jail and that's where I met a guy named Wounded Bear. He was an American Indian, a Shaolin Priest, a natural weapons specialist, a Vietnam vet like me, and above all, a friend. He started me on a different road, one that used my anger and fears to raise me above my blindness. A road that led me back to where I could see the light."

He stopped talking and just stood as still as a statue. Linda didn't know what to say so she re-asked a question from earlier. "You never did say what you did for a living?"

His head turned slowly toward her and he smiled as he replied, "I'm a writer. I write fiction, mostly short stories for magazines but I have a couple of books published also."

"If you tell me you write children's books, I'll scream." She said jokingly.

"How did you know?" He asked and then laughed. "No, I write action and adventure stories. Most of it with a science fiction theme, although both the books I have published, dealt with war and the effects it has on people, both the ones in battle and the ones at home." He grinned and added, "For fun, I write erotica. It's probably my best stuff but there's just not a paying market for it. I wish there was because I find it easy to write, I'm good at it, and I enjoy it. I don't let many people see it, but the few I have let read it, seem to enjoy it. They are always asking for more at any rate."

"So you have a kinky side too, and here I was thinking I was the only one." Linda said and laughed. "Seriously though, I like a good story every now and then, where would I find your books and short stories. I might even find your porno interesting." She laughed again. "It might be informative, sex, romance, and love from the view point of a blind man, especially from a blind man that sees things so well. Who knows, I might learn a thing or three." She took a deep breath and then went on, "God knows I could use a little help in that department. The caliber of men I've been dating lately seems to be getting worse, not better."

"Maybe you're looking to hard or in the wrong places." Rider said. "Maybe you should let it sneak up on you."

Linda laughed and replied, "I am getting older, but I'm not desperate yet. I've always told myself that I would know it when the right man came along. The only problem is that most of the ones I'm attracted to are either already married or gay. The ones that aren't are not worth having and I'm not going to make that mistake."

"Good girl." Rider said with a grin. "I was married one time, a long time ago. When I came back from Vietnam blind, she was there for me, when I became a bitter asshole, she left me. She made a good choice and I know that now, back then I didn't. By the time I learned, she had found someone else and remarried. She's got a good man and a very nice family, we've even become friends." He smiled but had a sad look on his face. Suddenly he said, "Ok, enough of that. How about if I race you back to your place?" He said with a big grin.

Linda laughed and asked, "What do I get when I win? I don't race just for fun you know."

"I'd worry more about what it will cost you when you lose?" Rider said with a chuckle.

"Hey wait a minute, if I beat you, then I'm taking advantage of a blind man, if I lose, then I have to live with the fact that you beat me. That's a no win situation any way you slice it. Maybe we need to just sit down and talk some more. I'm enjoying getting to know you, even if you are the weirdest blind man I've ever met. Come to think about it, you're the only blind man I've ever met. Are they all as weird as you are?" Linda asked and then laughed.