Treasure the happiness from our beloved ones

Treasure the happiness from our beloved ones

“See you at Open House tonight, Amy,” Evelyn shouted from the school bus window. “Don’t forget to ask your mom if I can come over tomorrow!”

“OK!” I called back. I wished I could feel excited about my first Open House at my new school, but I was worried. What would other kids say when they find my parents can’t hear?

And I wanted Evelyn to visit, but then she’d see how different my house was. My parents use a video phone so they can use sign language to communicate with callers. We also have a light on the wall that flashes when the phone or doorbell rings. Would Evelyn still like to visit my house after she knows that?

That night, Dad drove us to the brightly lit school. We stopped in front of the bulletin board in the hall. “Look at Amy’s picture!” Mom said, too loud! She does that when she’s excited, because she can’t hear herself. Some older kids turned to stare at us and I wanted to hide.

I led my family into my classroom and looked around. Evelyn was not there yet. Ms. Jennings walked over to us. I introduced my teacher to my family and explained that my parents were deaf. “Oh,” she said. “Well, how do you say welcome in sign language?” “Like this.” I swept my open right hand in toward my body, palm up. She repeated the motion. “Thank you,” Mom said, smiling. “Nice to meet you!” Ms. Jennings looked surprised. “You speak very well,” she said. In sign language, I repeated what Ms. Jennings had said in case my parents hadn’t read her lips.

“Was it difficult teaching Amy to talk?” Ms. Jennings asked. “Not really,” Dad said in sign language, and I translated so Ms. Jennings understood. “She went to daycare with other hearing kids.”

Some of my classmates were watching us and whispering. Then I noticed Evelyn and her mom standing by the door. “Hi, Amy,” Evelyn waved to me and approached us. “I didn’t know your parents are deaf.”

Feeling awkward, I couldn’t think of anything to respond. I stood rooted to the ground, wondering if Evelyn would still visit my house. Regretful and depressed, I did wish that I hadn’t brought my deaf parents to my new school. At that time, Evelyn walked to my parents and swept her open right hand in toward her body, palm up. My mom replied wearing a big smile, “Thank you!” They could communicate merrily in sign language, which surprised me a lot. After a while, Evelyn came up to me, and apparently she saw my surprise. 

“A woman in my dad’s apartment use sign language too,” Evelyn explained. She held my hands warmly, adding, “I learned sign language from her and we got on well with each other.” Upon hearing her words, I sighed with relief because she didn’t think my parents were odd. That night, my parents invited Evelyn to visit my house the next day, and she readily agreed. On the day Evelyn visited my house, we all enjoyed ourselves. Evelyn is a kind and friendly girl. I like her very much, and so do my parents.

Feeling awkward, I couldn’t think of anything to respond. I could feel the heat rushing to my face. She greeted my mom gently and asked me whether I could do her a favor to teach her to use sign language because I was able to use it to communicate skillfully. I felt totally relieved that Evelyn didn’t laugh at me. I nodded my head happily and I saw a smile of admiration flashing across her face. However, I still wanted to know the reason of her learning sign language. 

“A woman in my dad’s apartment building use sign language too,” Evelyn explained. She added that she really wanted to communicate with her freely. Finding that I was puzzled, she explained that she didn’t live with her father, for her parents had been separated for many years. My mind went blank as I had only focused on my own misfortunes but not on others. This unforgettable experience impressed me deeply that every family has its difficulty and the only thing we can do is to treasure the happiness from our beloved ones.