Listen With Your Heart [May Continue in Future]

CH 15

Henry's POV

"Give me the remote Henry" I heard Tom say, walking into the living room later that same night at around eleven "It's my turn to choose what we watch. Go watch tv in our room" I replied. Usually I would just give in to what Tommy wanted but I was still super pumped about my first real show and running an adrenaline high; 'buzzin' as Pops would say.

"Give me the remote! The tv is bigger out here" I heard Tom say again, louder, nearly shouting. "Piss off Tom, it's my turn" I snapped, also raising my voice. "Where is your brotherly love? Don't you want your brother to be happy?" Tom asked, changing tactics. "Fine I don't even care, be the selfish ass you always are" I said tossing the remote on the floor and heading into the kitchen for a snack. "Oh you're going to the kitchen? Can you make me a sandwhich? Thanks bro" I heard Tom say.

"Make you a sandwich? Sure I'll make you a sandwich" I said as I stomped to the kitchen, slipping into my English accent since I was angry. "Here's your damn sandwich" I shouted, flying at him with some bread in my hands. Tom landed on the floor with a thud, not expecting me to attack him since I wasn't Oliver.

Since I caught him off guard, I was easily able to sit on his chest, using my knees to pin down his arms as I started shoving a slice of bread into my brother's face; I used my other hand to assault him with one of those long, thin french breads, crumbs and flakes of bread flying everywhere. Tom was screaming, hurling insults and threats at me as our two dogs were dancing, barking, around us on the floor, adding to the chaos. "How did you like the sandwich? Sorry I didn't take off the crusts!" I shouted to be heard over everything.

Everyone became still and silent as water splashed on us; looking up we saw Pops standing over us, holding an tall, empty glass. "You mop" he said pointing to Tom "You, go to the store and buy us new bread, use your tip money. Take the dogs too, they haven't been for a walk yet. Now." he said to me. "The only store open this late is seven eleven" I said as I rolled off of my brother. "I know" he said "So I'm going with you."

"Ha-ha" Tom teased "You're going to go with Pops." Tom shut up as Dad came into the living room and said "You're also going to clean the litterbox and scoop the poop from the backyard for making fun of your brother" Dad said.

-

Pops and I walked down the street with the dogs; it wasn't that I was afraid of the dark, I just didn't like to be alone outside of the house at night. Getting murdered wasn't on my to-do list anytime soon, or ever. "Pops can I ask you something?" I asked, finally asking the question that has been bugging me for a while "Do you and Dad still keep in touch with our birth mother? I'd very much like to meet her one day."

Pops looked at me "Why?" "Because I'm just curious what she looks like, there aren't any pictures of her anywhere...I'm mainly curious what color her eyes were since they're only thing that's different about my brothers and I, and you." Pops thought about for a while "Would it help if I described her? Because no, we don't have any contact with her anymore...um...your father and I did that because...we...it was hard to take you away from her since she had grown attached to you three during the pregnancy...so a clean break was needed." Pops explained

"Then yeah a description would be nice I guess" slightly disappointed that I would never meet her "What was her name?" "Her name was...umm...Harrietta, and she was one of the most beautiful people I've never met. She had black curly hair that hung well past her shoulders, striking green eyes and a laugh that sounded like angel bells. She was so kind and gentle. She was taller than I was..."

I laughed "Pops you just described Dad." Pops just smiled but didn't say anything; I guess it would make sense my parents would choose someone like Dad to be our mom. "Can I also ask why you got a vasectomy? It's a surgery that won't allow you to father children anymore right?" Pops nodded and was silent for a while before he just said "It was just a choice your father and I made, no special reason." I nodded, happy that Pops wasn't cheating on Dad and with my curiosity satisfied I changed the topic "So have you and Dad started planning for our birthdays yet?"

Oliver's POV

I was in love with Zander.

Ok maybe not, but I really liked him.

Zander was actually in my deaf class at school but I was so annoyed about the deaf class and the situation that I didn't realize he existed. Zander was Alejandro's friend and even though I've only spent a couple of hours with him I already knew that I was infatuated, and I think he liked me too. We sat in a booth at the restaurant, sitting on the same side with Alejandro on the other; I was leaning into Zander while he had an arm wrapped around my shoulder. Zander actually gave me a name-sign, a nickname, a sign that was unique to me; the 'O' handshape across the chin since he liked my smile.

Zander was Native American, part of the Shoshone tribe that lived in the Lone Pine Reservation in Inyo County, in the California desert near the border with Nevada; he was born and raised there. His parents and tribe sent him to the deaf school here in Riverside however when he reached schooling age since they didn't have the resources to give him an education because of his deafness. He still had a lot of pride in his heritage though and went home for holidays and such; he knew a little bit of Native American sign language but was more skilled in American sign language due to his schooling.

Zander was very attractive, he had straight dark brown hair that looked black in low light. His dark, brownish skin was a unique shade; not quite as brown as Alejandro or the other hispanic people I knew but it really wasn't red like in cartoons or drawings either. His eyes were also slanted, not as dramatic as Asian eyes, but they were heavily almond shaped. His one minor fault, in my eyes, was his body. His body was tight and fit, much like Tommy's, but I preferred something to be able to cuddle with; he played water polo and ran track, hence his body.

The waiter came over and asked "Can I take your order?" Zander pointed to do Alejandro "He'll have the bacon burger, no onions" he pointed to me next "He'll have the tuna melt and I'll take the grilled chicken sandwich" he said before the waiter wrote down our order, nodded and walked away.

"I wish I was like you" I signed to Zander. He chuckled and lifted one of his hands to speak since the other was around my shoulder "No you don't, I'm hard-of-hearing with one foot in the hearing world and one foot in the deaf but not accepted by either. I don't hear well enough to be a part of mainstream society but not deaf enough to be accepted there either."

"What about hearing aids?" I asked, pointing to my own. He shook his head "Even with them I can't hear well enough to have a conversation with anyone unless they shout, plus they're really uncomfortable, also it's exhausting to try to listen and understand speech." "It is?" I asked "Why?"

Zander thought for a moment "Do you know what 'inflection' is?" he asked, fingerspelling the word. I shook my head and he signed "Hearing people change the tone and pitch of their voice when they talk to communicate meaning...like...when a person asks a question, at the end of the sentence they will have a slightly higher pitched voice then when they started. And don't even get me started on sarcasm and humor, it completely goes over my head...does that make sense?"

I shook my head, I've never heard any of this, no pun intended. Zander tried another approach "You lip read right?" I nodded and Alejandro just shook his head "I have no idea how, I tried learning a while back and just gave up." Zander nodded in agreement before turning back to me "Well, how do you know when someone is asking you a question?" he asked. I thought about it and finally said "They make strong eye contact, and start the sentence with very specific words at the beginning: who, what, when, where, why, how, can and did".

Zander nodded "It's very subtle right?" I nodded again and he said "Think about something that subtle and then apply it to sound...and that's kind of what it it's like." "Wow" was all I was able to say, not fully able to wrap my head around that. I still admired him though, and was jealous of his hearing ability.

After dinner Alejandro was driving me back home but I saw Pops and Henry walking down the street with the dogs. I tapped Alejandro on his shoulder and pointed to them, he nodded and pulled over to them. I stepped out of the car but turned to Zander's window "Can I...have your number?" I asked shyly. He smiled widely and nodded before he said "Only if you'll be my boyfriend." I pulled out my phone and recorded the numbers he signed before shooting him a text so he had my number too. "I'll text you later" he said with a wink before Alejandro drove away.

"Who was that?" Pops asked. "My boyfriend" I said with a smile.