Without A Voice (Based On A True Story)

A Summer To Remember

I glanced up and was in the presence of true beauty. She smiled a shy smile, and I did the same. Her long black hair was freed from the ponytail she had during practice. She wore a snug, white t-shirt with cartoon characters on it. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She tilted her head to the right, displaying an adorable confusion.

"James?" she said. I shook the cobwebs from my brain.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." I joked. She chuckled. "Can you repeat that, please?" We both laughed for a moment. Her laugh was very infectious.

"I asked if I could sit with you?" I scooted to my left and threw my bag on the ground in front of me. She sat down and my heart started to race. I wouldn't be surprised if she could feel it through the wooden planks.

"So, um... How did you get here?" I asked nervously.

"I took the bus. And you?" She was very calm. How I wished I was that nonchalant with people.

Same. I flinched when I realized I signed my response. I froze, trying to process my next move. "S-sorry. It's a bad habit." She giggled.

"It's okay, James." she said, "I know you're deaf. I don't mind." My eyes widened as I looked at her. I was not expecting that kind of reaction. No one reacted positively to me being deaf since Mr. Kent. She looked at her phone and noticed a new text message from one of the girls. She then showed it to me:

'Sorry, Kourtney. We're all too tired from practice to go to the beach. Maybe next time.'

It took me two seconds to realize the real plan going on. I chuckled to myself in utter stupidity. They wanted to get me and Kourtney alone. They planned this trip knowing I would go, and Kourtney lived close enough that it wouldn't make a big deal if they showed or not. How stupid am I? Nice one, guys.

I looked at her expression for any clues. She hasn't figured it out, so I decided to play along. She replied to her friend and looked up at me.

"Well, what do you want to do?" she asked. I looked towards the beach.

"We're already here." I said with the biggest smile on my face. "It's a nice day. Wanna just hang out and have some fun?" She and I stood up and made our way to the sandy shore.

We found a great spot away from all the other beach-goers. We changed into our swimwear and sat on the sand. The sun was blazing that day, perfect for tanning. We lied down next to each other and just talked.

She asked me about my disability and I asked her about her life. She and I felt a better understanding of each other's personalities and quirks. I taught her some common signs, like 'hello', 'goodbye', and other general phrases. But then she asked me how to sign a phrase that gave me butterflies.

"How do you sign, 'I love you'?" I wasn't sure if it was the sun or the question that made my whole face red. My body felt numb, like I was paralyzed. I shyly, but slowly, showed her how to sign the phrase; my hands trembled uncontrollably. She signed it correctly on the first try and I nodded my head.

"Y-you're a quick learner." I said staring at the sky. I was too nervous to look at her. She tapped my shoulder. I slowly turned my head to face her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. I was far from okay. First, I have never signed/said 'I love you' to anyone except for Mother and Father. Second, at that time it felt like I wasn't teaching her how to sign it. It felt like I meant it and was telling her. I knew that it was way too soon to know my true feelings, but I felt comfortable signing it. I started to realize that we were just looking at each other, not saying a word. I don't know what possessed me to say this, but it broke the awkward silence.

"Hey, Kourtney." I lied on my stomach in a push-up position. "Race you to the water." I pushed myself off the ground and bolted towards the water. She caught up to me after I reached the water, celebrating my victory. She laughed harder than I ever seen her, making me laugh to. She pushed me jokingly and I fell into the water. I rushed towards her and wrapped my arms around her hips. I dragged her into the water with me. We both looked at each other and busted into laughter.

"Hey, James!" she said excitedly. "Race you to the deeper end." She splashed water in at me and dove into the water. I chuckled and swam after the cheater. I am not the best swimmer, so it took me a few moments to meet her. "I win." She teased. We laughed while floating in the deep, dark-blue water. We both couldn't feel the sand beneath us. We then started to talk about small details in our lives: friends, interests, future plans. That casual feeling of human interactions, that was what I wanted. 

As the sun started to set, we made our way to the bus stop. She and I rode on the same bus route, but in opposite directions. I waited with her until her bus showed.

"I had a really great time with you, James." She blushed. I reciprocated the feeling.

"Me too." I said. "See you at practice tomorrow?" She giggle and nodded your head. "Cool, you better not cheat or do anything funny." She laughed. I loved the sound of her high-pitched, innocent laughter. She agreed, and then her bus arrived. "Get home safely." I said as I waved goodbye. She did the same as she boarded. I walked a few blocks to my bus stop with my heart filling with joy. I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Kevin: Thanks for not showing up. You're good wing man. I chuckled to myself as I sent it. A minute later, I received a response: Nothing gets past you, Cap. Hope you had fun. See you at practice. I smiled, put my phone in my pocket and waited for my bus. 

Things were going great with me and Kourtney. We spent a lot of time hanging out, getting to know each other, and bonding. We texted more and more each day, slowly gaining comfort around each other. It was the happiest summer I ever had. Sadly, I realized that she was only here for the summer. She would be returning to her school at the end of July. But, I knew we had a good foundation and would continue talking to each other. I hoped that one day we could see each other, and possibly progress our relationship. I didn't gather enough information yet, but I had a feeling she was "the one".