Post by Maëlle Williams on Jan 23, 2016 23:11:22 GMT -8
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 | I hear your words in ways you'd never know. Kindness is innate. Your cruelty is learned. |
Maëlle smiled over her weekend cup of milk and tea, freely conversing with the woman across from her. They talked about mundane things, gossip, friends… the usual over hot beverages and light pastries. Except their conversation warranted… a bit more attention than most. After all, most conversations weren’t silent. Maëlle and her friend were deaf and a part of the deaf community in London. There was an outreach centre that Maëlle almost immediately immersed herself into. British Sign Language sharply contrasted American Sign Language, but being fully immersed at one of the deaf centres allowed her to rapidly pick up the language and have a firm grip on it after her fifth month of life in England. She met regularly with some of her deaf friends, relishing in the fact that she felt most at home when signing and not orally speaking. Hearing people could be so ignorant and pigheaded at times. They were insensitive and had closed minds, always insistent that deaf individuals were damaged or flawed in some way. Maëlle was not disabled by any means. She could function perfectly fine in society, and when people inquired about devices such as cochlear implants, she couldn’t help but view them a little less. They were generally good people, but they weren’t educated enough to inform her of what she should or shouldn’t do, and it was a regular conversational piece that came up between her and her friend. Maëlle decided years ago that she wasn’t interested in cochlear implants (especially when the risks of the surgery were involved), and she instead just wore hearing aids to provide a bit of background noise, though she couldn’t make out most if not all specific sounds. ‘The government medical coverage offered to help fund the surgery, but I told them I wasn’t interested.’ ‘Didn’t they ask you about it when you moved here?’ ‘Yes, and they are bringing it up again because I was attacked.’ ‘That’s stupid! That wasn’t due to your deafness! That was your own stupidity.’ Maëlle cast her a flat look, to which the other replied with a cheeky grin. ‘Thanks. I appreciate your insight.’ ‘You’re welcome.’ Maëlle smiled, shaking her head slightly as she sipped her tea. That was when she noticed some movement in the corner of her eye. There was a small group of younger people situated around a table. Maëlle could see them glancing towards her, making funny gestures with degrading words like (Maëlle could easily lipread from this distance) ‘retard’ and ‘dumb,’ and even ‘don’t worry, it’s not like they can hear us.’ The blond furrowed her brow, ignoring their jibes as she sipped her tea and simply signed, ‘Hearing people… Rude,’ to her friend. She nodded, beginning to pack up her purse. That was when Maëlle saw him sauntering up, but she purposefully ignored him until a hand was stuck in front of her face, causing her to slide her eyes up to his with the most disinterested look she could cast. “I can wave my hands around to talk too!” his lips read blatantly as he flailed around mockingly. Maëlle resisted taking the bait, instead opting to smile and sign the word ‘Ass’ to her friend, who grinned. “Is there anything else you’d like to say, or can we enjoy our tea?” His eyebrows went up before he smiled and protruded his middle finger to Maëlle’s face. “Look I’m signing!” he declared, and Maëlle pushed his hand away bitterly. She simply turned back to her tea, pinching her lips together as she stared down at it, feeling the eyes of the people in the café. Her friend reached forward and tapped her hand, telling her that she had an appointment to make and had to go, and that Maëlle should go too. The blond sighed, shaking her head and wishing the other a good appointment before she left. Maëlle wanted to finish her tea, but she found the beverage less than enjoyable at this point, and her mood soured by the unfortunate individuals she had come across during her stay in London. | |
PYXIS ★
