Deaf Magnet

Yeah. Its my first day of high school. I'm nervous because, well because I am deaf. It's eight o' six and my interpreter is not here yet. She's a lazy cow. School starts at eight ten, or so my schedule says. Today is the day that all of the freshman go to school first.

I'm sitting at a table in the cafeteria when this girl walks up to me. She waves and I see her lips move. I wave back, and point to my ears. She looks at me funny. So I take a sheet of paper out of my folder. On the paper I write:

Hey. I'm Annette.

The girl smiles and writes: Oh. Hello. I am Cookie.

I read what she wrote and look at her confused. I sign cookie, which is just your left palm facing up and with your right hand you shape a C and then put all your fingers on your left palm and move them in a circular motion.

I write cookie and then show her the sign cookie. She writes on the note that her name is Coquis, a spanish name, but its like cookie in english.

She looks up and waves bye. I wave back and then see everyone else gather there stuff and leave too. Now I am all alone. I sit there because I don't know where to go, everyone is gone, and my interpreter has yet to show up.

I'm sitting in the cafeteria for what seems like twenty minutes, when a lady in an tan suit walks up to me. Again I see her lips move and, now at this point I really wish I could hear.

I sign to her. She puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head to the side. On her side is a bag, she takes out what looks like a cellular phone. She presses numbers on the keypad, and puts it to her ear. After about three minutes, she looks at me again, and the motions for me to follow her.

I pick up my backpack and follow her out of the door. We walk down the hallway, to an office. She picks up and notepad and pen and then gives it to me.

I see what she has written: What is your name? And what class are you supposed to be in? Where is your Interpreter?

I write back: Annette Harlow. Biology. I don't know, haven't seen her yet.

She reads it and then moves the computer mouse, the screen lights up and she types a bunch of stuff. I sit there in my little corner chair feeling akward and out of place.