Married, on paper.

23. A phone call

A lot has happened over the last weeks. After i had shown ma the letter and photos we cried together... She kept saying how much he looked like me... How sweet he looked and when i told her he was deaf she agreed we all needed to learn ASL so we could communicate with him in the way he was most comfortable with.  When i told her they were coming here she sprang into action saying i could not possibly welcome them to an empty home... 

I still had not replaced all the stuff i had given to Genevieve. My house was still mostly empty. I just not had had the energy to go and pick out new stuff...  But she was right. So, ma and i went furniture hunting... The only things i still had was my couch and bed... All the other thing i had gotten rid of, given to Genevieve as i just needed it to be gone... I still had some of my old things in storage... But overall, everything needed to be bought again... Only this time i would do it myself... To make my home a home a place to retreat and be comfortable without having to worry about making something dirty... I also replaced my bed... A new bed for a new start... and i immediately slept much better.

I did not expect it was possible but within a week my house was a home again... There had been a talk with my brother and sisters and to say it was emotional was an understatement. They were all chomping at the bits to meet Oliver but i told them it might not happen for a while. I know that Mya did not want to overwhelm Oliver and we were not telling him right away he was my son... Shanna had found this ridiculous, but Carly understood having kids herself... Knowing that with the stress of a hospital visit it quickly could overstimulate him and that was the last thing i wanted... I wanted him to think back at coming here fondly. So, i made it clear to anyone to not say anything, to not ruin this for me... Shanna eventually agreed although begrudgingly after i had told her i would never speak to her again if she would fuck this up for me.

I am sitting at home on my new couch watching a game when my phone rings... I look at the screen but dont recognize the number... For a moment i want to decline the call but all of a sudden it hits me... It is Mya... I quickly answer and turn the TV off wanting my attention fully on this phone call...

"Hi..." I say and it stays silent for a second... "Hi..." Mya's beautiful voice sounded through the phone, but she sounds nervous. Hearing her voice was like music to my ears... "Am i interrupting?" She said nervously and i close my eyes as my whole body reacts... "You... Never..." I say softly and i can hear her take in a sharp breath... "How are you?" I ask to break the silence that had fallen. Why is this so awkward. We used to talk for hours... Even our silence had never felt awkward. We could sit on the couch all night not saying a word and still enjoy each other company just happy to be together... 

"Busy..." She says and takes a deep breath. "Busy?" I ask and she hums... "I have a lot to do before we can leave for Boston..." She says and i smile as she just confirms that they will still come here... "How is Oliver...?" I ask a little unsure but i can hear her smile... "He is a pain in my ass today... Wouldn't get up to go to school... He is nervous for his doctor's appointment and acting out a little bit..." Mya says and i smile... "That is understandable... Going to the doctor is not something you do for fun..." I say and she sighs... 

"How are you holding up?" She asks and i take in a sharp breath... "I am good... Just a bit nervous and excited i just hope he likes me..." I whisper my voice hoarse as it is my biggest fear that he will end up hating me... "He will love you..." She states and i smile... "I had a question..." I say and i can hear her walk around... That hadn't changed... When on the phone she would walk around until she had found a spot to get comfortable in... It made me smile as i had no plans on hanging up. I was going to talk to her as long as she would let me...

"Ask away..." She sighs and i can hear her plop herself down somewhere. "Does Oliver use ASL?" I ask and she chuckles. "He does... He has what we call hearing breaks... Sometimes he gets overstimulated, and he takes off the processor of his implants so he can't hear anything anymore... He puts it on the fridge and that tells me that he has a hearing break... He loves the silence sometimes... So, when he has one of his hearing breaks it is the only way to communicate with him." Mya tells me and i smile at the fact that when i comes to Oliver she talks full of pride and confidence ... 

"Good... Because me and the family have started taking lessons..." I say and Mya gasps... "Really?" She whispers surprised and i hum. "We want Oliver to be able to communicate the way he is most comfortable with... Even Carly's kids are learning..." I say and i can her a soft sob... "That is so sweet..." She whispers and i chuckle... "Yeah well it is harder than i had thought so dont expect me to be fluid." I say and Mya laughs... 

My heart skips a beat hearing her laugh and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. "Yeah, it is difficult isn't it... It took me some time to... But once you got the hang of it, it is kind of great... Sometimes Oliver and i only communicate in sign language all day... It is good practice..." Mya says and i smile... 

"Are there things i can do to make him more comfortable here... Something he likes..." I say and Mya takes in a deep breath... "I was thinking you two could play a boardgame... That is something he loves, and it takes the pressure off having to talk... Not that he is going to have a problem with that... He will talk your ears off given the chance..." Mya says and i smile... "God knows how he got so to be such an extrovert... We both know we are not..." Mya says sarcastically and i chuckle... "Maybe 2 introverts cancel it out... Make one extrovert..." I say and Mya chuckles... 

"Once when we were at the grocery store and while waiting in line, he was talking to everyone... Telling them all how the day before he had peanuts in his poop..." Mya says and i laugh loudly... "Seriously... This kid has no filter sometimes..." She sighs and i chuckle... "Trust me when he is a teenager the roles will be reversed, and you will be embarrassing him..." I say and she laughs... "Can't wait..." She says and i know she has this mischievous grin on her face. It feels nice to talk like this... 

"Where are you staying?" I ask and she tells me the hotel that i know is closest to the hospital. I write it down planning to give her an upgrade... "Can i do something for when you both are here... Do you need a car or something like that? A ride from the airport...?" I ask and she hesitates for a second... "No strings attached..." I add... "I was going to rent a car..." She mumbles and i smile... "I have a big SUV... It is a safe car... You can borrow it... I can pick you up from the airport..." I say hoping she will say yes... "Can i think about it?" She asks and although i feel a bit disappointed that she is not saying yes i smile. "Of course... No pressure... I just want you to know anything you need. You just have to say the word..." I say and she is silent for a second... 

"Okay... It would be nice not having to ride to the hotel myself after what i guess is going to be a tiring flight..." She says and i light up... "Just text me when you will land and i will be there... Waiting outside so to not attract attention..." I say and i feel a shiver run down my spine at the idea of her allowing me to pick them up... 

There is another silence but this time it does not feel awkward... "I really am looking forward to seeing you... The both of you..." I whisper and another sharp breath is being taken on the other side of the line. "Yeah?" She says and i blush at the way she says it... "Yeah..." I say and another moment of silence... "Chris?" She says and the way she says my name has my whole body react... "Yeah?" I say again and she sighs... "No never mind..." She mumbles and i wished i could see her face... If i could see her face i knew what she was thinking...

"Mya?" I ask and the line goes silent for a second... "You know you can tell me anything right..." I whisper and again silence... "It is nothing..." She whispers softly and i can hear she is struggling to hold herself together... 

"Do you think it would be possible to have a talk when you are here?" I ask and she sighs... "Yeah of course..." She whispers and i smile... Then she says something that makes my heart almost jump out of my chest... "I missed this..." and then the line goes dead leaving me stunned staring at my phone but with a smile on my face...