Coming Home

Auriella Jade Sanders held the faded letter in her grasp tightly and studied every word that her father had laid on paper in his scraggily handwriting. Coming home? Was he actually coming home this time? Her father was always promising in the previous letters that he had sent that he would be coming home soon, but that never happened. Her father had mailed the current letter in her hands two weeks ago, which meant at any moment he could be home. Auriella was fourteen years old, and had only seen her father when she was just a little baby. Her father had joined the army after her mother, Valary Diebendetto – Sanders, had died due to kidney failure.

Due to her mother’s death and her father being in Afghanistan, Auriella lived with her grandparents Grandpa Gary and Grandma Kim Sanders. Auriella didn’t mind living with her grandparents, every other person thought that they were her parents anyway. Her Grandma had taught herself and Auriella sign language at a young age so that they would be able to communicate to each other. A few of her friends at school had also learned to sign to make Auriella more comfortable at school. She always had some jock come up to her and try to sign to her, but it always resulted in her rolling her eyes and walking away. Auriella had brown hair with a red tint in it, big hazel eyes, a strong chin and cute dimples that she got all from her father. The only thing that she didn’t inherit from either of her parents was her being deaf. A malformation of Auriella’s inner ear while she was developing caused her deafness.

Grandma Kim cam through Auriella’s bedroom door and lightly tapped her granddaughter on the shoulder and signed to her, ’Time to get dressed. We have to pick up your father today at the airport.’

‘Grandma, does Daddy know about me not being able to hear?’ Auriella signed while fear and sadness clouded her eyes.

Kim gently patted Auriella’s shoulder and kissed her forehead before answering, ‘You shouldn’t worry over such a small detail, Auriella. Now hurry along and get yourself ready. We’re leaving in an hour.’

Auriella nodded her head as her Grandma left her bedroom. She then went to her closet and started picking through her articles of clothing. She finally settled on a pair of jeans, a sweater, and flip-flops. Then, she went to the bathroom to shower and clear her head for a bit.

Auriella turned the water on hot, almost scalding, letting the water vapors fog the mirrors up as she discarded her pajamas. She stepped into the shower as the hot water splattered onto her olive skin tone. The thoughts of her father consumed her mind as she washed her hair and body.

‘Would he take me not hearing him well, or would he be angry and refuse to talk to me because I’m a handicap? Would he still love me? Or would he leave? Will he even look at me once he knows that I’m deaf? He’s not going to want to stay, I can’t hear him. What good is it to have a daughter that can’t hear commands that you give her? He probably wouldn’t take the time to learn sign language. Grandma Kim could teach him, but if Daddy is as stubborn as Grandpa Gary, he won’t learn at all.’

Auriella’s thoughts had died down as she stepped out of the shower and let the bottom of her feet against the cool tile. She tied her hair up in a towel and got a second one off of the towel rack to wrap it around her body. Once she was died and changed, she decided to tackle her mane of brown locks. Her long hair was still damp, so she decided to put it into a side fish tale braid. As far as make up went, Auriella only put on powder, mascara, black eyeliner and a sheer gloss. She grabbed her purse that was by her bedroom door and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Auriella sat at the kitchen table in the quiet as she waited for her Grandparents to come downstairs. She sighed while pulling out a thick book from her purse and began reading its contents. Reading was the only thing that Auriella could do besides drawing, typing, and writing. She couldn’t listen to her ipod, play sports, or play an instrument. Auriella went to regular school and mostly read the lips of her teachers and peers. Her Grandma, being a former high school teacher, tutored Auriella in some subjects as well.

Auriella was almost halfway done with the fifth chapter of her book before she saw her Grandpa make his appearance from the foot of the stairs and into the kitchen, next to Auriella.

“Ready?” Her Grandpa asked. Auriella read his lips and nodded before tapping her forearm twice, asking him where her Grandmother was.

“She’ll be down here soon, Aurie.” Grandpa Gary kissed his granddaughter’s forehead before going in the direction of the garage.

Grandma Kim came down the stairs right as Auriella finished the fifth chapter of her book and placed it on the table. Her Grandmother tapped Auriella on the shoulder before she signed to her, ‘Grandpa has the truck ready. All set to go?’

Auriella nodded as she looked up towards her Grandma, worry clouding her hazel eyes, ‘Do you think that Daddy knows about me being deaf?’

Kim frowned a bit, but then walked over to her granddaughter to embrace her. She broke the embrace and held Auriella by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, ‘No matter what happens between you and your father, you will always be loved and I can guarantee you that he will love you just as much even if you could or couldn’t hear. You will always be loved.’

‘Thank you, grandma. Let’s go. Grandpa’s been waiting.’ Auriella sighed as she walked out into the garage and climbed into the backseat of her Grandpa’s truck.

The drive to Long Beach airport was a short one from their home in Huntington Beach, but everything seemed to go by even faster today; as if the whole world knew that her father was coming home and they wanted to see his reaction to his daughter being deaf. Auriella wanted the car ride to last forever, not because she didn’t want to see her father, but she didn’t want to face him at all.

Auriella had gotten up to chapter nine in her book as her grandfather pulled into a parking stall at Long Beach airport. She opened the truck door and the chilly February air kissed her rosy cheeks, sending shivers down her spine. The three of them walked into Long Beach airport and went up an escalator and then began the long trek to gate G-43; all the way at the end of the hallway decorated with little shops, asking travelers to pay for little knick-knacks that were priced more than it cost to make them.

Her grandparents had stopped in one of the small shops and Auriella signed to her grandma that she was going to go sit at the gate and wait for her father. Auriella folded her arms across her chest as she felt her flip-flops shuffle across the linoleum floor of the airport. She reached the gate in a matter of moments and sat down in a seat and took her book out from her purse and began reading again.

Hours seemed to pass as Auriella flipped the page in her book to begin chapter twenty. Her grandparents had returned from the shops, empty-handed from what Auriella could see out of the corner of her eye, and had taken their seats on either side of her. She peeked over at her grandpa’s wristwatch and read the time; 12:45 PM.

Auriella closed her large eyes and licked over her lips before turning toward her grandma and signing to her, ‘What time does Daddy’s plane land?’

Kim asked her husband before answering Auriella, ‘Any minute now, he should be coming through the gate.’

Auriella nodded to herself and then let a long sigh pass through her thin lips. Her grandpa noticed how distraught his granddaughter was becoming and started to gently massage her shoulders, knowing that this would relieve her of her worries, if only for a small while.

Auriella rested her head on her grandpa’s shoulder as she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. She quickly opened her eyes when she felt her grandma nudge her gently, causing Auriella to look in her direction. Kim was pointing to the line of soldiers coming from the gate and signed to Auriella, ‘Look whose flight just landed.’

Auriella followed her grandma’s finger and her eyes bulged. It was him. It was her father. He had freshly shaved honey-blonde locks on his head and some stubble on him face. Auriella saw his strong facial structure and hazel eyes, smiling a bit when she made the connection that she had inherited those features from her father. That was her dad. She noticed that he was with a couple of other soldiers, and found it odd when he put his whole hand under his lower lip and them brought them away. Auriella was confused by what she had just seen; her father had signed ‘thank you’. A flood of questions released inside of Auriella’s brain as she continued to watch her father.

Did he know sign language? Was that the only thing that he knew? But why would he use it? He isn’t deaf like I am…is he?

All thoughts ceased as he father began striding towards her and her grandparents, his parents.

Matt dropped his bags on the tile and started jogging towards his daughter, lifting her off of the ground as he embraced her. He hadn’t seen his baby girl since Valary has passed away when she was just a baby. Auriella wasn’t a baby anymore that much Matt knew for sure, she was becoming a beautiful young lady and it brought tears to his hazel eyes.

He set his daughter back on her feet and smiled down at her, his stomach filling with butterflies with every second that passed.

‘My, have you grown into a beautiful young lady, Auriella. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were a baby and I was holding you for the first time.’ Matt signed to his daughter, who just looked at him with doughy eyes. He knew all along that his daughter was deaf, thanks to Kim. Matt wasn’t disappointed in the least; he actually loved the thought that he could communicate with his daughter in her own language and not jump through hoops just to say something.

Auriella looked at her father as if he was a rock star. Her father knew sign language, and he was taught very well! Matt must have been practicing for years because no one can become that fluent in sign language unless they practiced everyday and signed all the time for everything.

‘Thank you, Daddy. You don’t know how mush this means to me that I can speak to you without any problems.’ Auriella signed as tears blurred her vision. Her father’s eyes were getting teary as well and he pulled his daughter to his for another hug.

Matt held his daughter for minutes, not wanting to let her go for fearing that he might not see her again. His parents had taken his bags and were starting to walk to the parking lot where grandpa Gary’s truck was parked. Matt saw his dad and mom leaving and broke his hug with his daughter.

Matt turned his back to Auriella and bent his knees slightly. He patted his shoulder twice before he signed to her, ‘Hop on, Aurie.’

Auriella smiled and jumped on her father’s back. The two walked through the airport and she rested her head on her father’s back, cherishing the moment that they were sharing for as long as possible before they reached grandpa Gary’s truck.

They finally got to the truck and Auriella sat on the left side next to the window and her father sat on the right. Auriella looked over to her father, who was looking out the window. She tapped his knee to get his attention and he turned his head towards her. Auriella smiled and signed to her father.

‘I love you, Daddy. I’m glad that you’re back home for good now, and that we don’t have to be apart ever again.’