MUTED. (rewritten) 2017

two,

I help out my mom most of my free time, because she gives out food to the homeless and needy. She makes the food homemade and she usually packs it up into plates and gives them out daily.

She spends all night making hundreds of plates, and she's very popular in the community. I'm actually not the only child. As a kid, I had a older sister named Cierra. She was the only one who understood me. She ran away at 13. I was 3. From that day I have not seen, or heard from her. I just wish she was still around. She wouldn't act like she couldn't understand me when I signed to her. She talked to me like a human being, as I should be spoken to.

I silently yawn and stretch. It's almost the end of the day, and since my mom knows I'm suspended she's been having me out here all damn day.

"Tiffani come on. Think of the good cause you've done! You've fed all these needy folks." She smiles. I roll my eyes, I know it's a good cause but I wanna go home and go to sleep.

"Two plates." We hear a woman say. I don't look up and I grab two plates full of food with a roll and two teas. I look up and see a shorter woman with a cigarette hanging from her mouth and..

Two braids?

He looks at me, then he looks away quickly. I raise my eyebrow. But it's none of my business, so I empty my mind, and give the woman napkins, giving her a fake smile.

"Does that cake have peanuts in it? I can't eat those." She says with a attitude. I look at her, not knowing what to say.

"No. No peanuts ma'am." My mom answers.

"I was talking to ole girl here. She never talks. Is she deaf?!"

"Auntie Kim!" Two braids say, shaking his head. "I'm sorry." He says grabbing his aunts hand and leading her to a empty table. I couldn't help but to stare at the lady they brought the food to. Two braids gave her his plate and watched them both eat. He sign languages to his mom and she does back. He is a spouting image of her.

He looks very hungry. I look at all the extra plates we have. I swallow my pride and grab a plate with extra food and a tea and some napkins. I walk up to them without being noticed. I tap two braids shoulders and he studies me, then smiles. I hand him the plate and he grabs it.

"Thank you." He says, smirking. I nod and turn my heel.

I was very tired of serving so I just told my mom I was leaving. I get in my car and I drive off. For some reason, Two braids was heavy in my mind. Is he homeless? why did his mom hit him yesterday? Why does his mom and aunt look exactly alike?

I pull up to my house, and I see my father is home. O, joy.

"Your mom is still serving?" He asks.

"Yeah, she should be home late." I sign. He watches my hands. My father never wanted to accept that I'm mute. He wanted me to talk like a normal human being he says but my situation is not about him.

"Okay Tiffani. I set you up for a new therapist. This one will get you talking in no time." He says, and I shake my head, and walk upstairs to my room.

They will never understand. They think therapists and shit will work for me, when it's not. I don't want any therapist or doctor appointments. I'm sick and tired of it. I just want them to accept me, but of course that is never going to
happen.

I walk upstairs, turning on my shower in my room. I get undressed, looking at myself in the mirror. I sigh and wrap a turban around my head. I step into the hot shower and wash myself with my strawberries and cream organic soap. Then I wash between my area with a unscented summers eve. I wash myself three more times then I get out, feeling the cool air. I put on my robe and let up my window. I check my phone. No messages. Then I scroll through Instagram. Nothing new. I turn off my phone.

I wake up, and go do my morning pee. I've never been suspended, and to be honest, I want to go back to school because this shit is boring.