Looking For A Legend (Book 1)

Looking For A Legend Chapter 6 - Elijah

Eli was nervous to be standing in front of the lecture hall where Dr. Utkin normally stood.  He repeated the same actions he’d done only ten minutes before: fiddling with the black suspenders attached to his grey slacks, checking the buttons of his crisp white shirt, smoothing his hair, then straightening the stack of papers on the lectern.  His stomach rumbled with nerves and Eli tried to cam himself with a cup of tea.

The door to the hall creaked open as Eli’s translator entered.  Silently, he was thankful the office had sent Eli a matronly woman to translate for him.  Eli gave her a brief smile as he straightened the two lines of tables, placing a transcript at each seat.  His translator gave him a sympathetic smile as he returned to the lectern.  She introduced herself, in fingerspelling as Madame Giroux.  Utkin often complained about Madame Giroux and her frequent badgering the dean for more funding for the French studies, and usually suggesting that Utkin’s research take the cut.

Eli handed her a copy of the transcript, and introduced himself by fingerspelling his name, then with the hand sign for his name, the sign for the letter “e”, a thumb aligned under curled fingers, then wiggling his fingers toward a flat palm.  Self-study with an “e”.  Eli cut her off before she could sign to him again.  He shook his head, while crossing his hands in front of himself, then moved his hands circularly, index fingers circling in a vertical pattern.  Eli made fists with both hands, and lowered both from chest to waist and tapped his ear twice.

“Oh, they told me that you needed an interpreter.” Giroux was slow to read his signs.  She must have made much use of her sign language skills.

Eli knocked with his fist.  He then shook his head; his fingers extended perpendicular with his mouth and finished with fingers curled into circle against a flat palm.

“I see.  So you would like me to read as you deliver your speech?” She asked.

He made a clockwise gesture over his heart.

“If that is the case, why not just ask a student to read it?”  She was getting on Eli’s nerves. But when his facial expressions spoke for him, he knew how to keep his looks under control.

With his smallest finger, he gestured to his cheek, then made a pinching motion with his index and middle fingers against his thumb, then finally, held his hand near his head and curled his extended index finger.

Students began to filter into the room, distracting Giroux from her next objection.  He smiled at the parade of young adults as they took their seats.  A few looked over the transcript, but most carried on their personal conversations.  Eli took another sip of tea.  He nearly spit it out when a smug, handsome blonde man – the same that had come crashing through his door, walked into the hall.  He had his smug arm around an attractive young woman.  Not the same young woman that he had been sprawled across Eli’s floor with.  Once again Eli practiced control over his facial expressions.

The room went silent as the last student made her way into the room.  She tapped a path in front of her with a white cane and a friend led her to an empty chair.  Her eyes were hidden by a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.  Aside from being blind, she also stood out from the other girls with her wardrobe.  While not many girls enrolled in the gifted studies program, there were numerous young women at Denvellia.  Too Eli’s dismay, not many of them seemed to care what they dressed themselves in to attend their classes.  Unlike the numerous young women that would step out of their dormitories and apartments in their pajamas or gym gear, this last student wore a designed label pink knit top over a white button down top, and a grey skirt.  Eli was smitten with this girl.  It took Madame Giroux nosily clearing her throat to break Eli’s attention from her. 

With one last sip of tea, Elijah stood before the class, and began to sign, letting Giroux speak for him.  He was nervous, and had never felt so many eyes on him before, but pushed through.

“Good morning, everyone.  I am Elijah Coats, Dr. Utkin’s student of three years.  Dr. Utkin has pressing personal business, and will return later in the semester.  Until that time, I will be leading our studies.  Over the next several weeks I will work with you to develop your research.  After a period, all but five of you will be cut from the program.  It is unfortunate, but we are a small department, and Dr. Utkin only accepts the best students.  I know first days are hard, a mix of nerves and excitement.  We’ll start with introductions.  As I said, my name is Elijah.  I have my bachelors in sociology from the University of East London.  I am mute, and I am gifted.  I can hear just fine, so please do not yell or speak overly slow at me.  It just makes you look foolish.  I communicate through sign language, writing or texting.  If you need to contact me, you will find my number and email below.  Now, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves.”  Madame Giroux finished for him.  Eli leaned against the lectern, only paying half attention to anyone but the beautiful blind girl, hidden behind the dark glasses.