At ten o’clock the next morning the soft knocking on my door alerted me to the arrival of Alex. Checking my appearance one last time in the mirror I made my way towards the door.
“You put your hair up,” were the first words he said to me when I opened the door. With a self-conscious hand, I touched the twist that held my hair up as I looked at him in surprise.
“Hi to you too,” I answered.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen you with your hair up. It looks so different,” he explained, staring at me.
“Different good or different bad?”
“I don’t know. Good I suppose. Just different. I like your hair down,” he added.
“So do I but considering where we are going I think it best to keep it up and out of the way. Ready to go?” I asked, reaching for my backpack.
“Yup,” he answered, waiting as I locked the door. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” I answered, cryptically.
“How long have you know this Kane guy?” he continued.
“Almost three years. He’s like a little brother to me,” I said as we walked.
“We aren’t taking a cab?” he asked, glancing at the passing cars.
“You that lazy, Alex?” I teased.
“No,” he laughed, moving closer to me. “So what did you mean by little brother?”
“I mean smaller and younger than me.”
“How small and how young?” he pressed.
“He’s five and about two and a half feet shorter than me,” I laughed, nudging his with my shoulder. “No need to be jealous,” I joked.
“I’m not jealous,” he argued. “Just curious.”
“Sure you are. I saw that look in your eyes. You were worried you were going to have to compete for attention. Well you are going to. Kane is my heart. I’m going to marry him someday he said,” I confessed smiling as we turned a corner.
“Stealing all the hearts, Greer?” he teased.
“Always, Jack Daniels. Always,” I answered, smiling as we started up some steps to a small brick building.
“Where are we?”
“Second Chances. It’s a school for the deaf,” I answered, pushing open the door.
“A what?” he asked, following me in.
“Sydney,” I called out, ignoring him for a moment. “A school for the deaf,” I repeated, looking at him.
“I’m confused.”
“Quin was deaf, Alex. We met in sign language class. He was the teacher’s assistant. Kane is deaf as well. I’ve been coming here on my days off for the last three years. I spend time with the kids but mostly with Kane,” I explained just as a beautiful blonde walked into the room.
“Hello, Greer,” she greeted me. I smiled and hugged her quickly.
“Sydney Ryan, this is my friend Alex. Alex, Sydney runs the school,” I said, introducing the two.
“Have you known Greer long?” Sydney asked, shaking his hand.
“We’re getting there,” he answered, glancing at me.
“Do you sign?”
“Not a bit. This whole thing has come as a surprise to me,” he said, shrugging slightly with an innocent look on his face.
“Greer?” she asked, looking at me with questioning eyes.
“I thought Alex needed a glimpse at what it’s like to really be missing something,” I answered. “Where’s Kane?”
“In the library,” she said, smiling as I pulled Alex past her and down the hall.
“Greer, what are we doing here?” Alex asked me.
“You’ve lost something precious and you think life will never be anything but dark now. I want you to see what it’s like to never have something so precious and still see the light,” I answered, walking into the library.
The little redhead sitting at the table was bent over a book of pictures as he slowly turned page after page. Carefully, I approached him. When he looked up his face lit up with a smile.
“Greer,” he cried out, his words muffled and strange to most people’s ears. To mine, it was more beautiful then music.
“Hello, Red,” I signed and spoke at the same time.
“Look. I got a new book yesterday,” he said, his words coming just as quickly as he moved his hands.
“Kane, wait. I want you to meet a friend of mine. Kane, this is Alex. He needs a couple of friends like us. Alex, this is Kane,” I said, pulling the man with me forward and introducing the two with my words as well as my hands.
“What do I do? I can’t sign,” Alex said, his voice panicked as he spoke to me. I looked into his brown eyes to see the fear and concern for his image and for the boy in front of him. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I can read lips too,” Kane interrupted. “You don’t have to sign,” he explained. “Just look at me when you talk.”
“Um, alright,” Alex stuttered.
“Are you Greer’s boyfriend?” Kane asked, staring up at Alex with big green eyes filled with questions and innocence.
“No, just a friend. I hear you’ve got dibs on her first,” Alex answered, smiling at the little boy.
“She’s mine. Remember that,” Kane answered, as he took my hand and Alex’s and pulled us toward the table to look at the book.
Alex looked over Kane’s head at me and grinned. “Competition,” he said, laughing softly.
“Only if you have something to compete over, JD,” I shot back with a smile.
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