The way of your movements( Fruk)

1

Silence

It was all I heard at this point.

I used to be able to hear everything around me, but now, at the age of thirty, I lost all my hearing finally. It was odd, but it has been almost a year, so I have gotten used to how quiet everything was. I do not need my hearing aids anymore, but I still wear them so people can see that I do not hear them. The good thing is that I talk while using sign language, so people get the hint pretty fast. I have run into a bit of confrontation because of it.

I started using hearing aids after a bad accident when I was younger. There was this loud explosion...

At first, my hearing did not go away; it just seemed normal, but as the months passed...then years passed, it became harder to hear basic conversations, phone calls, and music. I missed listening to birds, water, and anything I took for granted when I was younger.

It was hard adjusting...but I managed

I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder, and It caused me to jump a little bit. I turned my head slowly, seeing my good friend Yao. I smiled, realizing it was him, and he smiled back. I have known him since grade school; he has always been there for me. He had things in his hand and began putting some in his bag.

He curved his hands with his thumbs in a rounded motion and pointed at me. "I am good; I just wanted coffee," I signed back. He smiled at me and asked if he could take a seat. He returned to sign again to me, "A-r-t-h-u-r, w-h-a-t a-r-e y-o-u d-o-i-n-g l-a-t-e-r," He signed slowly. I smiled at him and quickly took a sip of my coffee. "I am going to catch the train across town to this new shop I heard about. They have lots of old things... I heard," I started laughing at my joke. Yao rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. "D-o y-o-u w-a-n-t m-e t-o c-o-m-e?" He signed. "No! I should be fine! Thank you," I smiled at him.

~

Once he and I parted ways, I took the train as planned. No one tried talking to me, which was good. It was always such a hassle to try and explain. I could tell when people tried to speak louder, and I understood their confusion when I talked. Then people feel bad and treat me like I am not capable.

Trying to "help" me or treat me like I am blind.

I am deaf, not an idiot.

I walked out of the train and dealt with everyone who pushed each other. I looked around and watched people talking to each other, families saying goodbye, Children laughing, and couples flirting. I wanted to know what they were saying to each other again. It made me smile looking at people.

I continued to walk out of the station and into the street. I always had to watch my surroundings, so I always felt paranoid. I have been easily scared, and I flinch a lot. However, with all the stress that comes with being alone, I carry stress balls, and for everyday stress relief, I usually try and take deep breaths.

When I first lost all my hearing, I dealt with many mental health issues, and I still do. I guess the only difference is I had to force myself to live with it. It was a struggle, I was never the type of person to be anxious all the time, but now I was. I only had Yao when it came to friends. I live alone, and I work an online job that pays enough. I do not have much social life, and I am sure someone can imagine my romantic life.

Non-existent.

Yao always tells me, "Arthur, please meet people, go out with me, find a hobby," and the list goes on. I feel that there is no chance for me. No one wants to make an effort to try and talk to me. It made me feel unimportant.

I continued to walk past this construction zone, and I always made sure to look around for signs. It was another five minutes till I arrived at the shop I wanted to go to. I looked both ways at the street and was about to cross the road when I was suddenly shoved. My eyes widened as I felt my hearing aid fall out of my ear. I quickly looked around the area to find it, but I soon began to freak out, not seeing them anyway.

Where the hell did they go?

I watched as people passed me and looked around the ground.

Those things are expensive!

I suddenly felt a hand grab my arm and suddenly pull me. I tensed up and turned to look at who had grabbed me, and I was amazed.

He held onto both of my arms and shook me angrily, suddenly pointing to his left. I lifted an eyebrow, confused, and turned my head, seeing a sack of powder had busted open where I was standing. No way! Was that about to hit me, and I did not notice?

I looked at the person, shocked, and It looked like he was lecturing me. He had his silky blonde hair in a ponytail and looked beautiful. He began to look at me, confused, and continued to move his lips around. He looked up at some construction workers and started yelling at them, then back at me, and then looked down at the sack. I think the shock of nearly being hit by that sack threw me off; I could not say anything.

Maybe if I try to slip away, he won't notice?

I watched as he continued his lecture, and I felt annoyed. I wanted to leave already.

My eyes looked past him, and I saw my hearing aid on the ground. My eyes widened, and I quickly walked past him to grab it. It did not look damaged, so that was good.

I bent down to reach for it and saw the man's shoes coming closer. Once I had the item in my hand, I turned around, smiling at the man. He looked at me, confused, and then down to my hands.

"Thank you for helping; I am deaf; I am sorry if I did not answer you at first," I spoke and signed to him. His eyes widened, and it looked like he might have been apologizing to me. I put the hearing aid away in my bag and took another one out.

The vibration and a flashing light caught my attention, and I looked down at my phone. The man stood there and looked at me as I reached for my phone. It was a text message from Yao.

"I am free now, can I meet you at the shop you were going to? Send the location," It read. I responded to him with the location of the store. I finally looked back up at the man, who was still staring at me. That was weird; Usually, people leave by now. "Goodbye," I waved.

I turned away from the man, but he suddenly stopped me again by grabbing my wrist. I quickly pulled away from him, confused, and began to walk away. That was weird; why would he suddenly grab me like that? Thankfully Yao had a car, so It should not take him long to meet me. He might get there before me. I turned around to see if the man was still there, and he was. He stood there looking sad and regretful; maybe he did not mean anything malicious.

~

When I arrived at the store, Yao was already there too. "Sorry, I was nearby, and I really wanted to hang out," he signed."The more, the merrier," I smiled, signing back. Yao looked past me with a lifted eyebrow, and soon enough, I turned too. The man from earlier came out of nowhere and looked at Yao. He started saying something to him, and Yao began to sign to me. "This strange man says he is sorry and feels terrible about yelling at you," he signed.

"Did you yell at him?" Yao signed. He did this sometimes, signing conversations for me so I knew what was happening. He was making his responses too, which helped. "I am sorry... he was about to get hurt... I did not mean to scare him," was what the man was trying to say. "So you followed him?"

I wanted to laugh, but Yao had a point. Did he feel so guilty that he had to follow me here? "please, tell him that I want to make it up to him,"

"You can not communicate with him,"

"Please! just ask him!"

I looked at the man, who seemed so bent about the situation. Yao looked at me, waiting for a response. I looked back at the man, and he tried to smile a little bit. "Maybe try not to be creepy next time," I laughed and signed. His eyes widened at what I said, and I began to take out my phone. He seems like he means well, and I need more friends. "Here, I will text you, but do not call... for obvious reasons," I laughed. Yao rolled his eyes at me; he was tired of my jokes. The man took my phone and began to put his number on it.

When he finished, he returned my phone, and I looked at his name. It said Francis, and he added a red heart. I laughed a little at it but accepted it. I should start taking the time to read lips. I recognize a few movements, but I should practice more. It would make talking to people way more accessible.

"It is nice meeting you, Francis; I will text you," I smiled, waving at him. I pulled Yao away, and we walked into the shop, leaving Francis behind. He seemed like a nice person! I could not wait to get to know him.