A Series Of Short Stories (Complete ✓)

Loving Deaf

Sound is music for the mind.

Cadence ~

Sound is a gift not given to all. The sound of a mother's loving whisper in her child's ear while she cradles them close to her chest. Siblings call for the family dinner at night before walking outside to sit by the fire. The soft crackling of the fire soothing them as they roasted marshmallows. The laughter as one catches on fire and the father has to blow it out. Christmas morning when the kids come racing down the stairs to open their presents, the sweet rip of the wrapping paper and the laughter ringing throughout the home.

I never experienced any of that.

Born without a bone on the inside of my ear lead to me being deaf for the rest of my life. My mother explained to me when I was but a small child that we couldn't treat it. I was stuck never hearing my voice, my mother's, or my own child. I could never hear the voice of my lover as they murmur a sweet goodnight into my ear.

You learn to accept that you'll never hear, and sometimes it's not that bad. I never have to hear a child shrieking on a plane or the screams at a concert. Just sometimes, sometimes, you wish to have all the negatives to get that one positive that we all take for granted.

~

My roommate came into the dorm shrieking his lungs off. His mouth moved quickly as he tried to find an empty spot to put his belongings. I couldn't read lips well, but he was talking about how he was missing something. He turned around and started to speak to me, but I looked down at my lap in embarrassment.

"I don't know what you said sir, I'm deaf." I whispered weakly, never knowing if I'm speaking too quietly or yelling. I picked up my book again, doing my best to ignore the person who decided to move into my private dorm.

Cadence -

Why did someone move into my dorm when quite obviously he didn't know that I can't hear?

Mr. Gentile -

Your father notified me that this would be alright. All the male dorms are now filled up, unless you want me to put him into a female dorm please bear with me. I will keep you posted.

I put down my phone and laid down on my bed. I felt the bed dip but I ignored it until my roommate decided to continue to pester me, by poking my arm nonstop.

"I apologize for earlier. I was allowed to move in here because I learned ASL growing up." His hands moved in a hurry and I didn't know how to respond. Instead, I nodded and laid back in my bed. A shiver ran up my spine as I felt him lay down next to me. A small piece of paper landed in my hand and I unfolded it.

I just want to be friends, I don't mind if we become anything more, I just want a friend.

I bit my lip before placing the note on my nightstand and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to the feeling of someone's arm around my waist. Shivering, I wrapped the blanket around myself and shuffled into my slippers. My waist was still locked against my roommate's arm and I shimmed out. I grabbed a sweatshirt and slipped it on. Not noticing how large it was I continued to try to push up the sleeves.

"Good morning," my roommate motioned behind me as he sat up. His hair stuck up in all directions as his gray eyes glanced up at mine. I nodded and yawned, covering my mouth with the sleeve.

He stood up and walked over to me, nudging the note into my hand. I clutched the note in my hand, leaning against the desk for support. My hands became clammy as I increasingly got more nervous, and I didn't know why.

"I'll be your friend." I murmured, holding the note close to me. He grinned and brought me into a bear hug. I hugged him back before feeling a vibration in my back pocket. My phone buzzed as my friend Alexander texted me. Who's your roommate? The text read and I showed it to my roommate.

"My name is Darrell Williams." He motioned with a smile, then I texted back Alexander before going to change.

Darrell waited by the door for me with a smile on his face. I shyly opened the door, feeling his gaze on my back. He lazily wraps an arm around my waist and guides me to our first period. The door opened slowly and I let Darrell go in first. We took our seats and I made my way to the back.

School ended with the bell ringing, its flashing lights blinding me as I looked at it. Darrell met up with me by the cafeteria as we walked back to the dorms. He held me close, allowing me to close my eyes as we walked.

"How was your first day?" He asked me as he locked our door behind us. I shrugged and took a seat on my bed. I buried my face in my pillow and yawned. I eventually turned over and looked up at Darrell. He had been talking about his day for the last 10 minutes and I chuckled.

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't remember me."

I looked up at Darrell, confused. What was he talking about? I sat up and crossed my legs, keeping my eyes on Darrell. He sat on his bed across the room and pulled out his duffel bag. Carefully he pulled out a small worn book. The book had a tie around the side, it slowly came undone making me even more anxious.

The pages were yellowed and the edges worn with years of use. It smelled like old wet paper and I crinkled my nose. It was a scrapbook, multiple pictures of someone's childhood all mashed together. I knew it was Darrell's, but I didn't understand why he was showing me this.

Until he flipped to the last page.