Love Is Deaf, Not Blind

“Mmm, what are you cooking Andy?” Dad calls after slamming the front door shut.

“Umm I’m not totally sure Dad.” I call back. Dad walks into the kitchen, he looks tied, and his mostly salt with a bit of pepper hair has dirt in it. He places a brown paper bag on the bench. Jocelyn gives me a questioning look.

‘My dad.’ I sign to her and say aloud. “Dad this is Jocelyn. I do my placement with her. She’s deaf” I also do the sign for her name.

“NICE TO ME YOU,” He yells at her.

“Dad! She’s deaf, she can’t hear you no matter how loud you talk.” I laugh.

“Nice…meet…you…too.” Jocelyn smiles at him. ‘A lot of people yell when they first meet me. Don’t worry about it.’

“I thought you said she couldn’t hear me?”

“She lips reads Dad.”

“Oh anyway I’m going to take a shower. Have fun kiddo.”

‘Your dad seems nice.’

‘Yeah he’s pretty cool.’ I start to unpack the brown paper bag which contains pantry fillers and put them back. I notice a little bit of flour left in the tub and I grab it ’You have flour on your nose.’

I rub my nose, ’Gone?’

‘Nope it’s right here.’ I flick a hand full of flour in her face. I laughed at the shocked look on her face.

‘You got flour up my nose She’s laughing and I see her reach for the bag of flour. I back away from her but there not much room in this tiny kitchen. I’m backed against the wall and she rubs flour in my face with one hand and in my hair with the other.

She has the floor so I reach for an egg, ‘Don’t you dare!’

’eggs actually good for your hair.’

I don’t listen to her silent plea as I smash the egg on top of her hair.

“You…did…not…just…do…that.”

I laugh, she looks so mad, it’s so cute. ‘I think I just did.’ She grabs the bottle of mustard and shoots at me as she storms towards me. She practically tackles me she pins my arms under her light body knocking me down and empties the bottle on me.

She’s laughing. “Pay…back…a…bitch.”

Dad choose this moment to come back in, I’m on my back on the floor with Jocelyn sitting on my chest.

Dad shakes his head at us hiding a smile, before he grabs a beer from the fridge. “Make sure you clean up when you’re finished.”

Jocelyn is bright red in the face and the moment my dad leaves the room she burst into a fit of laughs. She’s tries to speak out loud in between laughs but I can’t understand a word she’s saying.
I wrap my arms around her back and sit up so she’s practically in my lap and I kiss her.