Last chapter everyone. Thank you to everyone who read this story and enjoy this chapter. I know it's short it really should have been combined with last month's chapter I just didn't have time.
Ch. 7 Finding the Happy Life
(OWEN)
When Clare pulls up to U of T I'm very confused. She parks and we get out, she takes my hand as we begin walking through the campus. I see a lot of happy students, well mostly happy students some look frustrated, people are talking and studying. We come to a classroom and she opens the door. The room is filled with kids around our age and a man in his early forties.
"Owen this is Mr. Foley he teaches ASL here and every student in this room is deaf and attending U of T," Clare tells me and signs at the same time. She fingerspells my name instead of using my name sign so everyone knows my name.
~You're all deaf?~
~All of us, some were born deaf and others became deaf later because of illness~ A student tells me.
~I'm studying to be a physical therapist~
~I'm in the accounting program~
~I'm studying art history~
~I'm in the astronomy and astrophysics~
~Being deaf doesn't stop us from doing anything we can be anything we want. We rely on interpreters in our classes. We can all read lips but that's hard to do when you can barely see their lips and they're constantly moving around the room~
~Or when there's a presentation or a slideshow in the dark it's almost impossible to know what's going on without an interpreter. Someone to speak to us for the teacher~
I talk with everyone for a couple of hours, Clare and the ASL teacher help interpret since I'm still learning. Even though they're deaf and not mute it feels good to talk to them, people that understand what I'm facing and the frustrations I have dealing with the rest of the world. After we leave the classroom I stop Clare from walking, picking her up in my arms and kissing her deeply.
~Thank you I feel great now~ I sign but I want to say more and don't know all the signs yet so I get out my phone. I know you told me there were things I could do and it wasn't hopeless but I still felt like it was. I couldn't really picture it. After talking to all of them and hearing all the various degrees they're pursuing. How things are more difficult but they haven't given up. How interpreters that can hear know ASL and understand them are vital to them. I have renewed hope and so many ideas. I want to be an interpreter at a school like U of T or several, I want to help kids that go deaf or mute through illness or injury to learn sign and coach a junior sports team for deaf and mute kids.
"Those are all wonderful ideas Owen, you can do them all and I know you'll be great at them all."
~Dinner at my house? I want to tell everyone about today and I want you there~
"Happily," she smiles and we walk back to my car. I drive us to my house and we go in.
"Well you two look happy," Mom comments when we walk in.
~Very happy~
"That's wonderful to hear," Mom smiles understanding what I said.
~When's dinner?~
"In about half an hour," Mom replies.
"Let's go do homework in your room until dinner," Clare says.
"Oh kids the lawyer called, Jerry Walls been determined to be criminally insane. He'll be held at a mental hospital for the criminally insane for 24 months and then reevaluated to determine if he can stand trial for the murder and the carjacking," Mom tells us.
"You mean I might have to come back in two years to face him in court again?" Clare asks and sounds a little afraid with fear in her voice at this thought.
"No it isn't very likely, the lawyer said he's likely to spend the rest of his life in a mental institution. He has more than one mental health issue. If they do decide to take it to court he'll probably stand trial for the murder first and then there may be no need for them hold a trial for the carjacking. I wouldn't worry about it," Mom assures us.
I put my arm around Clare and we walk back to my room. We set our stuff down and sit on my bed. I take Clare into my arms and kiss her softly.
~I won't ever let anyone hurt you~ I assure her.
"I know that," she grins and kisses me again. We make out a few minutes before getting to our schoolwork. We do homework until Mom calls us to dinner and we greet my dad who got home a little while ago.
~Can you tell them what we did today and what I want to be please~ I request of Clare.
"Of course," Clare smiles. "I took Owen to U of T today to meet the ASL teacher and some deaf students. I thought it would help him to see that his future isn't over just because he can't speak anymore, and it did. He said it really helped him to be with other people who face some of the same issues he does. And after speaking with them and learning how vital interpreters are to their lives he wants to be an ASL interpreter at U of T and other schools. Interpreting lectures and presentations things like that for deaf students. He also wants to coach a junior sports team of deaf and mute kids," Clare tells my family with a proud grin.
"Well I think that's just wonderful Owen, it sounds like a great career for you and a very fulfilling one. And that was a very clever idea Clare, you've really been wonderful in helping Owen adjust to this new way of life," Mom grins.
I smile at Clare and we share a kiss before we begin eating.
(CLARE)
"I'm proud of you," I tell Owen kissing his cheek after he puts his graduation cap on.
~Thanks I'm proud of me too~ Owen grins.
We've been dating for two months now and he's graduating today. Not only have we been practicing ASL every day but Mr. Foley has let Owen sit in on a few classes. Owen has already signed up for a summer ASL class at Centennial. He can hold a decent conversation all in ASL now and he uses his phone very little when we're talking or he's talking to a deaf person. He still uses his phone to communicate with most people since they don't understand ASL. Owen has been accepted to U of T to get his Master of Arts in Language and Literacies Education which will allow him to be an ASL interpreter. He's really excited about it and his family and I are very proud of him.
"You better get to the stage and I better get to the seats with my family," I comment kissing him gently.
Owen kisses me again and I walk out to the auditorium seats sitting with my parents. I wave to Owen's parents sitting in the row across from us. Adam is sitting next to me and his parents next to him. Principal Simpson walks on stage and welcomes everyone before welcoming Caitlin Ryan who is giving the graduation speech. Then Fiona gives her valedictorian speech before Simpson starts giving everyone their diplomas. I clap for Fiona, Dallas, Bianca and even Eli. I of course clap for Jake, I clap for Katie too and then it's Owen's turn and I jump up clapping and cheering for him. He goes up to Simpson but before getting his diploma turns to the seats and looks at me.
~Clare My ASL Angel I love you~ he signs and my heart skips a beat. We've never said I love you before. I stand up with a huge smile on my face and blow him a kiss.
~I love you too Owen~
He grins blowing me a kiss and then takes his diploma. A few more people get their diplomas but I don't clap again until Drew gets his. All the graduates bow and toss up their hats then they leave the stage to see their families. I hug Jake, Drew, Bianca and even Dallas then I go over to kiss Owen.
~I really do love you~
~I know I really love you too~
Owen's parents get lots of pictures and hug him a lot and then they leave Owen and I go to the BBQ being held on the sports fields. We enjoy the BBQ with our friends and the other grads and then there's a party at Marisol's. We spend several hours at the party, dancing and hanging with our friends, Owen talks mostly in ASL and I interpret but he types on his phone a little. Adam and Bianca have watched us enough that they can get the gist of what we're saying. We don't get back to his house until after two in the morning. Mom knows I'm sleeping here, she's not happy about it but she knows we're not having sex. Anyway anytime she argues with me that I shouldn't sleep at my boyfriend's house I remind her that he saved my life and I saved his.
Everyone else is asleep so we come in quietly and go to Owen's room getting ready for bed. He turns off the lights and we sit on his bed, the only light is the moonlight and streetlights coming through the window because he left the curtains open.
~I love you~ he signs.
~I love you too~ I grin before taking his lips for a soft kiss.
****Epilogue****
(OWEN)
"…okay we will pick this up tomorrow," Professor Andrews says dismissing his sports medicine class. I finish interpreting for the two deaf students in the class and walk over to them as everyone else is leaving. I always walk out with them in case they have questions.
~Thanks Owen if you didn't sign his lectures I'd miss so much~ Oliver signs.
~Me either Professor Andrews is constantly moving around the room I can never read his lips~ Rea agrees.
~That's why I'm here~ I grin.
~See you tomorrow Owen~ Oliver signs and they both wave.
I have no more classes today but I do have a practice to coach in an hour so I get in my car and run home to eat before leaving for practice. I graduated from U of T six years ago and now I work as interpreter, I freelance for all the U of T campuses and Ryerson, I'm kept pretty busy and sometimes I freelance for other things like plays. When teachers know they'll have at least one deaf student in their class they know they'll need my services and generally hire me for the semester. Sometimes a student's family will hire me to be their interpreter for all their non ASL classes for an entire semester or a year even.
"Daddy!" Jana yells excitedly running over to me and jumping into my arms. She throws her arms around my neck and kisses my cheek.
~Hi pretty girl~ I sign after putting her down.
"I was wondering when you'd be home," Clare smiles walking in and giving me a kiss. "I made you a sandwich," she says pulling it from the fridge.
~Great I'm starved~
"I knew you would be, I'll get Drake ready for the game," Clare says and signs.
I sit at the table and eat my sandwich, Jana tugs on my jeans so I pick her up and put her in my lap while I eat. Clare comes out with Drake dressed for peewee football.
~Hi dad~
~Hey buddy ready for practice?~
~Yes~
"Can you watch them a few minutes I need to pack Jana's diaper bag?" Clare requests.
~Yes~
Clare smiles and kisses my cheek before rushing back to the living room. Clare and I have been married for seven years. Clare is a reporter and she became a successful children's author last year. Drake is six, we adopted him when he was eighteen months old, he was born deaf. Clare and I discussed kids for a long time before deciding to adopt and we knew we wanted to adopt a deaf child. Jana turned two last month, she was our little surprise because Clare was on birth control and then we found out she was pregnant. Drake was really excited to find out he was going to be a big brother and he loves Jana. Since we've been signing to her since birth she can sign much better than she can talk.
"Okay ready to go?" Clare asks coming in with the diaper bag.
~Yep. In the car Buddy~ I tell Drake while holding Jana. It's not easy to sign and hold a child but when you have two of them you learn how.
We get in the car and I look at my family, my wonderful amazing family and think how lucky I am. The carjacker was determined to be unfit to stand trial and will probably be in the mental hospital for life and we haven't thought about him in years. I'm happy and I've been happy since Clare saved my life after I saved hers. Now we have a beautiful life with a beautiful family that I love very much and I am incredibly happy.
So that does it for this story I hope you all enjoyed it. Replacing this on Thursday October 8th will be Truth that Burns so Bright it can Melt Winter Snow.
