(Preview)

Believe

Adalia stared intently at the pages in her book, trying to tune out the depressing conversation happening in front of her. She stared as hard as she could, and for a minute, looked like she was trying to burn a hole in the paper.

"I've tried to tell her how I feel about it," her mother's interpreter translated to the therapist.

The words on the page were a blur. There was no possible way she could understand them no matter how hard she tried. Her focused eyes skimmed over one particular sentence as many times as it took to remotely comprehend it. 

The voices seemed to grow louder, as if they wanted her to hear them. Louder and louder they grew until Adalia could't understand a single word written. She blinked wildly and stared again with no success.

"I don't think there is a way to explain it to her, Candace." Deb spoke softly. "You'd be better off just doing what needs to be done. Don't let her get in the way of your happiness."

In that moment, tears threatened to escape from her chocolate-brown eyes but were soon replaced by a burning red rage of fire. She wanted to throw the hard-cover book and her and scream at the top of her lungs. Shut up! Adalia wanted to say. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Don't tell her that! She'll get the wrong idea! Just stop! I never want to hear you speak another word again!

She wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Instead she bit down hard on her lip and held her breath, shivering violently from the compulsion she had to yell out her dark thoughts.

The only reason she didn't say it was because she didn't want God to be upset with her. With what little knowledge of the Bible she had, she believed it was a sin to insult someone if their feelings were hurt in the process. At least, that was what her father had told her. 

Daniel, her father, was very religious. Very Christian. He was a kind man, a gentle soul touched by God. He had read the Bible several times when he was a child of about thirteen years old, which was Adalia's current age. Because of this, she had begun to read it as well. One page every night was all she could manage. If it was any more, she would be completely unwilling.

Adalia was sure she had missed several sentences exchanged by the two through Mary, who was the interpreter, but she was too upset to care.

The only thing she heard was the familiar call of her own name. 

"Adalia," Deb said in her phony smile, "what difference will it make to you if your parents get divorced or not? Try to help me out, here."

Dumbfounded by the question, Adalia narrowed her eyes to glare at nothing. How obvious, she thought. What difference does it make? It's a huge difference! What an idiotic question to ask!

Instead of being rude, she simply replied, "It's unexplainable." It was translated from Mary to her mother.

The two sat there, expecting the other to say something more. Adalia just stared awkwardly while Deb tilted her head, nodding and grinning as if she understood. 

Unfitting in the moment, Adalia giggled quietly, trying not to make a scene. She had thought back to Halloween, which was only a few days ago, when she was trick-or-treating with her father. 

After they had gone to a house with a jittery candy-giver that, as a reply to her Thank you had only grunted, she had a funny conversation with her father.

"Was it just me or did he seem really shaky?" Adalia asked when they left the house. 

"I think he was deaf," Daniel replied.

It could be true. Adalia hadn't even considered that possibility.

"Even so," she replied, "when mom hands out candy, she smiles and nods."

Her father began laughing. "Oh! I just remembered a time when we both were still in California working at the restaurant," he said in his thick Honduran accent. 

"Your mother worked as a cook, and sometimes when the employees at the drive-through window were busy getting meals ready, the cook has to help out," he began.

Adalia scoffed lightly and said, "Really? REALLY? Out of all the jobs she had to do, she had to work at a drive-through window? She's deaf for crying out loud!"

Her dad chuckled once again and continued, "Yeah, yeah. And she would nod and smile as if she could understand what they were saying, but of course she couldn't."

Knowingly, Adalia smiled. She had a hunch where this was headed.

"So, when a customer asked for something- I don't remember what it was- and she brought back packages of ketchup, the guy was so angry that he-" He laughed so hard that he paused to gasp. "He threw the ketchup packets right back in her face!" By this point, he was wheezing as he spoke.

Adalia, too, joined in on his fit of giggles. Although funny, it was rather sad. She was only trying to be nice, and he just chucked them at her.

"That was rude of him! Didn't he know she was deaf?"

"No, he didn't even know!" her father smirked.

Adalia's mind shot back to the present. Luckily, no one had asked her why she had giggled like she did, so they must've not seen her. Candace was one to be nosy and ask about that type of thing, but then again, it seems quite normal in this case.

Deb just turned back to her and spoke and spoke until Adalia's mind went black. Several key words made her eyes water, but no one seemed to notice. 

Sucking in a deep breath, she simply waited until they finished.