Shhh..

Taking the test

"Good evening, Mrs. Hawkins."

"Good evening, Doctor Scobey." She answered.

"Ah," he huffed, looking at his clip-board, "I see you are here for a hearing test?"

"Oh yes, but not for me," she put her arm around the boy next to him, "for my son, Matthew."

The boy had dark brown, wavy hair, and dark brown eyes. With a thin, but sturdy, build. His head hung low, with his semi-curly bangs in his face and his headphones over his ears, making it obvious he didn't want to be there.

"Matthew, be respectful and take your headphones off." She said lifting one headphone off his ear. He whipped them off, his attitude showing.

"Mr. Hawkins, if you could follow me we can take your hearing test." Doctor Scobey requested.

"... Sure, whatever." He mumbled, getting up and walking with Dr. Scobey with a slumped posture.

Mrs. Hawkins sat patiently in the room reading a health magazine.

Not long after they left, the door creaked open showing the doctor and Matthew in the door.

"Thank you for your 'cooperation' Mr. Hawkins. I'll be back in 10 minutes, Mrs. Hawkins." the doctor said, and then left.

"What did he tell you?" she asked Matthew.

"He didn't." he answered.

"Well what were the tests he asked you to do?" She pressed.

"Cover one ear, listen. Cover the other ear, listen. Put on a pair of headphones, and, again, listen. But there wasn't anything to listen to. The thing looked ancient, its gotta be broken."

The longest 10 minutes either of them had ever experienced was ended by the squeaking doorknob and the creaking door, revealing a young, red-curley-haired woman and the doctor in the door way.

"'Ello there!" the woman said with a British accent. " I'm Dr. Scobey's assistant Miss Peters. I'll be helping you understand things that Dr. Scobey informs you of." She said with a smile, her white teeth framed by her lips which had nude lipstick on.

"Thank you, Miss Peters." Matthew's mom answered with a smile. "I don't mean to be rude, but can we hear the results, please?" She asked.

"Yes, of course, ma'am."

Doctor Scobey went on the inform the two Hawkins of the test results Matthew had received. But he said it so complex and scientifically that they couldn't understand him. They looked to Miss Peters for a translation.

"What the doctor is saying is that by the results it shows that Matthew has severe hearing loss, and won't get better." she said.

"What?!" Matthew said with a sting in his voice. "How is this possible? This has to be the meanest joke in human history. The test was cheap, the headphones weren't even working, because they were broken!" he pointed out.

"Actually, Mr. Hawkins the headphones were on. Your just so deaf that you couldn't hear anything." He pointed at his clipboard, "The results you got on the other tests are also conclusive in my diagnosis."

Matthew swiped the clipboard out of his hands, trying to make sense of the sloppy handwriting and the complex vocabulary. This only made him more irritated.

"I want a re-take." he said.

"But, Matt-" his mother started.

"No! I need a re-take." he said emphasizing each word, especially on the word "need".

So Matthew, his mother, the doctor, and his assistant all left the room to go to the testing room.

Matthew sat in the chair and the doctor gave him the headphones once again. He put the headphones on and looked at his mother, the assistant and now the doctor all behind the control panel.

"I hear it!" he burst, "I heard the beep!"

The doctor pressed a button on the control and spoke into a microphone which sounded in Matthew's headphones.

"Mr. Hawkins, we haven't even started yet." the doctor said. Matthew could just barely hear what he said, but understood. He rolled his eyes in response and crossed his arms.

"Okay we're starting now." the doctor added, and then released the button he was pressing, to push the one beside it.

Matthew closed his eyes and listened intently. 10 seconds went by, nothing sounded. He took a breath and relaxed, hoping it would help.

Another 10 seconds, nothing. He was starting to worry, but was careful not to show it on his face, he had an ego to maintain after all.

A whole, silent minute went by, he listened harder and harder, but to no avail. It only made his brain hurt.

"Okay, Matthew" said Miss Peters in his headphones later on, but it sounded like a whisper. "You can take them off now." He took them off and placed them harshly on the desk next to him.

"You see what I mean?" Dr. Scobey asked.

"Oh, Matty!" his mother wailed and wrapped him in a hug.