Hindsight
A Short Story
Hindsight
Twenty years from now:
The surgeons had really done a fantastic job, Newt thought while applying her lipstick in the mirror.
She’d often receive compliments describing her as beautiful. Her best friend said it was her high cheekbones that could cast a shadow or her lips that made the ripest tropical fruit look pale and spoiled. The occasional man she could be bothered meeting for dinner would say she was stunning — of course, she’d never allow a date to go any further than a public dinner or a drink. She was always left wondering, was she beautiful or was the reconstructive surgery beautiful? Was her face just a surgically designed mask?
Newt’s friend also described her as having an inner strength that could weather any storm. Her therapist described her as exceptionally resilient with an innate ability to bounce back. Compliments on her personality were always appreciated and empowered her far more than any compliment on her appearance. She gazed through the mirror and back at herself. She contemplated the lack of physical scars. But also how there was no escaping some form of scarring, not now and maybe not ever. She would forever carry them internally.
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She was always amazed that her face hadn’t aged over the past eleven years. The plastic surgeon really had gone above and beyond. Although, she’d never get used to her eyes. A beautiful and angelic face, set with demonic eyes. She stared into the dark pupils and the spiralling hazel iris which were more unique than any fingerprint. Her stomach was cramped with another spiralling that swirled in her gut. Guilt, shame, anxiety, she could take her pick, she had it all. But still, she took it all in and tried to appreciate everything in her vision. After all, today might be the last day she’ll ever experience the gift of sight.
She steadied the shake in her hand as she finished touching up her make-up. However, she could not steady her imagination. After all, not many people had lost their eyesight, let alone twice.
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Newt picked up a book from her dressing table and ran her fingers over the intricately embossed hardcover. She flicked through the pages. It still had the musty smell of the second-hand bookstore where she had found it. She would miss reading very much — curled up with a blanket, a piping hot cup of tea, and a sweet treat ready at hand; or reading scary stories by candlelight to her young niece. She slid the book into the bookshelf with a snug sound. The book fit into place with only enough space for that one book.
She returned to the mirror and smoothed the crease out of her skirt. She thought back to when it all started. Ten years ago, hers was the first court case of its kind. There had been leaps in medical practices and surgical techniques which made it possible for any organ to be successfully transplanted into anyone without rejection. It was meant to be a gift, the opportunity for a second chance.
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***
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She could recall it all with ease. Like most traumatic events, it was etched into the very fabric of her brain. All those years ago. For five months, life had been good. She’d managed to escape an abusive relationship and with the help of a therapist, she was getting her life back on track. Then her ex-boyfriend tracked her down. With one flick of his wrist — sulphuric acid sprayed across her face, burning and blistering her skin. All she could do was writhe in agony, wailing until her larynx broke and continuing with hoarse screams until she passed out.
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Newt awoke days later in the hospital. The medical staff and specialists informed her that they would be able to heal and repair the damage to her face. However, she would never see again. Her eyes had been burnt beyond the retina and into her skull.
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Her vicious assault was reported nationwide. Within a week it had gone global, not just because of the severity of the attack but also because of her perpetrator’s juvenile and callous attitude towards her. The country was outraged. This led to the first legislation of its kind and the creation of new laws. In this case, it was to surgically remove a perpetrator’s organs and transplant them to their victim — it was argued that this would balance the scales of justice. Blind justice with the aid of medical technology might be able to restore sight to an innocent victim, such as Newt. The media dubbed it An Eye for an Eye legislation.
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Social justice and keyboard warriors attacked and shut down any argument or discussion that disagreed with restoring the damage done to victims. Newt became the face and name of the movement, and to restore her eyesight. Accusations of victim-blaming or taking the side of perpetrators smeared the names of anyone who objected. Those on the side of social justice were loud, aggressive, and demanded justice for Newt and for all the other victims.
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The proposed legislation was passed and Newt’s court case was the first. It dragged on for a year but eventually, the landmark decision was reached. The law would see Newt’s eyesight restored. And no one objected, in fact, the majority of people were happy with the outcome. Justice was served.
Newt’s surgery was a success. And her perpetrator was to serve the remainder of his sentence in prison, and the rest of his life sightless and in the world of the blind.
Newt remembered just after the success of her court case, a fourteen-year-old boy was stabbed through the heart. He was kept alive with a life support machine and kept in a medically induced coma. His heart was beyond repair and he couldn’t live without life support. His assailant was apprehended and charged under the new laws. The introduced legislation and Newt’s verdict had set a new legal precedent.
Assailants involved in cruel and horrific crimes could legally have their organs removed and given to their victims to maintain judicial balance.
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The young boy was given a heart, and his assailant died on the operating table. This death was not considered a legal execution; instead, the assailant was simply left to die as a result, just a consequence of his actions.
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The majority of public opinion moved inexorably in favour of the victims. People thought justice was served and now victims could reclaim what had been ruthlessly and mercilessly taken from them. Not only that, but there was also a general feeling in the community that this new law would serve as a deterrent to violent crime. Over time, Eye for an Eye verdicts became common and were even adopted by other countries.
Since then there have been thousands of successful Eye for an Eye cases.
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***
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When Newt saw what the time was, she scurried to the mirror and checked herself one last time, and left her apartment. She crossed the city by tram. Her lawyer insisted that she came alone to her office. As per her instructions, Newt made sure no one had followed her. Even though it was her choice, some influential people didn’t want Newt to go ahead with her radical plan.
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One last time, Newt checked to make sure no one had followed, before hurrying down the side of her lawyer’s office to the rear entrance.
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She knocked and the door opened to Alexandra. ‘Good timing, Newt. The Coffee’s percolating and I’ve just served up some scones.’
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Waiting inside was Newt’s physician, Dr. Fabien.
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He had gentle eyes that could put any nervous patient at ease. He was a single father and when he spoke about his two children, he talked with admiration and pride. His hair had long turned silver. He did everything with confidence and intent. He’d often talk about his earlier years as a medical student and how nervous he was then, but Newt couldn’t imagine him as a young and shy intern.
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Alexandra was a strawberry blonde and her hair was always pulled back tight and flat. She looked as gentle as an assault rifle. However, behind the bluntness and her straight-to-the-point attitude was a woman who cared immensely about her clients. Her profession had made her as hard as folded steel and she loved to win. She was more like a gladiator or an athlete who belonged in the arena, not a lawyer confined in an office.
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‘You know, I think you might be the strongest person I know,’ Dr. Fabien said to Newt.
She smiled, ‘thank you.’ She didn’t feel brave, in fact, she felt nervous and jittery. Rather than courageous, she believed this was her responsibility, her duty.
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‘She definitely is.’ Alexandra said far more subdued than normal, while staring off into empty space. ‘How did we come to this?’
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‘That’s what I’ve been thinking. But it is why we’re all here.’ Dr. Fabien replied. ‘Because of these goddam laws and those who endorse them.’ He stopped and looked at Newt. ‘Sorry, I meant no disrespect.’
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‘It’s fine, Doctor. We’re all in this together now, for better or worse,’ Newt said. ‘Biblically, an eye for an eye was a punishment. If you take someone’s eye then you will lose yours. Then our society found a way to make it about justice rather than punishment. But we were still just as naive and foolish as those ancient cultures.’
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No one said a word, no one needed to, Dr. Fabien just nodded. Newt flicked through her notes. They were crumpled and covered in scribbles. Almost every page had a ring from a tea or coffee mug.
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‘I know why you want to do this Newt,’ Alexandra stated. ‘But that son of a bitch ex of yours deserves no mercy. I’m sorry but it’s true.’
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‘Yeah, I know,’ Newt responded. ‘But I learnt to let go of my anger towards him a long time ago. And doing so made my life so much better.’
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For over six months they had been preparing Newt’s testimony. And now, it was finished. To recant her original testimony and reverse the court’s decision.
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Newt contemplated the additional pain and suffering these laws had caused. She thought about the wrongfully convicted people who had become victims and put under the knife, only a handful, but that was enough.
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‘I feel sick every day,’ Newt continued. ‘That’s why we have to do this. I’m the first one, the first case, and I have to make it right. Even though it will mean losing my sight again.’
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‘This is why you’re strongest of us all,’ Dr Fabien said. ‘I don’t know many people, including myself, with the strength to go ahead with this.’
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Silence, like a morning fog, again swept over the lawyer’s office. There was not much else to say, and reflecting only left Newt with a bitter taste.
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‘Well, it’s time. We better get ready,’ Alexandra said.
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They all stood up together. Newt threw herself against Dr. Fabien with an embrace that almost knocked him off balance. ‘Will you be there with me?’
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‘Of course, all the way,’ he said.
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‘Yes, but if this goes ahead. I want you in surgery with me, and when I wake up?’
‘I’ll be there, before, during, and after.’
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She held the embrace for as long as she could, at no point did he let go until she did. She stepped back and dried her eyes for what would most likely be the last time. ‘Okay, I’m ready, let’s do this.’
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***
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