Tails of the City

By Tee Johnson

[Note: In the midst of chaos, it is difficult to comprehend the humor of any very serious situation.  But there have been many times that my visually impaired friends and students have recounted stories which were very funny when told years later.  Here are few stories submitted by Tee Johnson, who is totally blind, of Santa Monica, California.]

Cat Named Bochie

When I lived in Milan, Illinois, I owned a black cat named Bochie. Normally, he would sit next to me on the arm of a wicker chair.  He was a real baby.  He never liked to go outside and when he did go outside, he would act as if it was my fault.  He stayed in "his" bedroom, a spare room, and wouldn't come near me for days.

When I went out of town, someone would look in on him and give him food and water.  But, his resentment was evident by "the message" he left for me in the middle of the floor to walk through each time I came back. When I would make a sandwich, he would want some of the cheese that I put on it.  One day, he was not around when I made the sandwich.  I could not figure it out.  I looked for him everywhere.

I had an old refrigerator with a big meat-keeper on the top shelf.  I said to myself "I wonder if...."  I opened the refrigerator and found him sitting on top of the meat-keeper.  After that, I put a bell on him so I knew where he was all the time….

 But It Is My Dog!

I boarded a bus one day with my guide dog while living in Rock Island, Illinois.  There was another rider on the bus who appeared very agitated and evidently was emotionally disturbed.  She said that my dog was really the post man's dog.  She was convinced of this and alternately sat next to me and stood in front of me telling me that it was the post man's dog.

I finally had to get off the bus and wait until another one came along.

 Se Habla Espanol?

While waiting for a bus with my guide dog in Chicago, a person came up to me and told me about a newspaper article describing how a dog had saved a person's life.  He asked me if I had read the item.  I told him that I was blind and this was my guide dog.  He then asked me if the dog could read bus signs.   I told him that the dog could not speak English…

 Near the Yellow Car

My husband, who is also blind, asked a passerby on the street in West Los Angeles to help him locate an address.  Seeing that he was blind, this gentleman took his arm and carefully guided him up and down the curbs and around all the obstacles along the route.  He made every effort to ensure that my husband didn't run into anything.

After several minutes of careful walking, they arrived at the street near the address my husband was looking for.  The gentleman then pointed down the street and asked my husband "Do you see the yellow car?  It would be a couple of doors down from there."