"Penny of the Silent Path" part 3

By Rita Widmer

AN: Thank you Karisma once again for your review. As soon as I got your review ideas popped in my head for the next chapter. Reviews make me want to write. Enjoy and please keep reviewing so I keep writing.

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David turned towards Mrs. Dunn and Penny, and knew that Mrs. Dunn could see the truth in the audiologist's eyes before he even told them. Penny didn't have any idea what was going on, but the look on her mother's face worried her. She felt that something wasn't right. She couldn't speak, so she used her only way of communicating with emotion. She held on tight to her mother hoping to be protected from what might happen to her.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dunn, but your daughter has lost most of her hearing. She may hear sounds that we may never be able to hear, but nothing that a voice is capable of capturing for her. I know you must be tired of hearing about schools, but that is my first recommendation. Since David has made it pretty clear to me that is not likely to happen, and that he wants to help you out, I have another answer that may help."

"Anything that you can do for us would be great help, Doctor. I'm not the only one that must get tired of not being able to communicate. She must be tired of it also."

"I happen to know a man in Shrewsbury that is an expert on sign language, but he is very expensive to see. David, he maybe able to get you started on learning sign language. It is, I think, the best way to go with Penny. Teach her to talk with her hands, and then work on speech. The doctor's name is Dr. Earl Richardson."

"Thank you, doctor, for all your help. We'll need to talk it over, and figure out what the next step is in educating Penny," said Brina.

"My pleasure, please keep me updated on how she is doing," answered the audiologist.

"I will do that. Thank you for making time for us," said David as he shook hands with him before they left the room.

Half the drive was spent in silence as the two adults mulled over what the news given them. It was not impossible to help Penny, but there was so much they would need to do before she would be a regular speaker of the hands or the voice.

Brina turned slightly in her seat to look at David more closely. "I will understand if this is too much for you to deal with. You need not keep helping out Penny if you feel any way that you shouldn't continue."

He turned to look at her, and flashed a slight smile. "This is going to be work for both of us to teach her. I can't do it alone, and neither can you. A dear friend of mine spent most of her life unable to speak, but she had the ability to hear. Her ability to speak without talking amazed me, Mrs. Dunn. I want every child to never know what it is like not to be able to speak, and express what's in them."

"I'm up for the challenge if you are, Doctor."

"I'm always up for a challenge, and I believe your daughter will be too. I'm going to get a hold of the doctor that was recommended, and work with him to learn sign language. That means I may not be able to start teaching her for a couple of weeks. I don't want to start at the same level of sign language as she."

"Would it be better if I learned some now too? Maybe we can help each other learn before we start teaching it to her. If I know what you know then I could use everything you teach her all day long."

He became pensive over her idea, but spoke up a few minutes later. "I think that would be the best, but let me get started first then I'll start teaching you once I get some of it down. Can you wait for awhile more to start teaching Penny?"

"I can do that, Doctor, knowing that there is a day when I will be able to communicate with her and that will be a great day for both Penny and I."

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David never realized how hard it was to learn another language. For two weeks he had been spending his time learning sign language. He had even recruited Kilmeny's help with learning it. She would test him on words to make sure he was learning them by heart, and would be soon ready to start teaching to Penny.

The date had come for him to return to Silent Path, and teach Mrs. Dunn how to do sign language. He was far from being an expert on the language, and was really a student himself in the language.

Surprising himself that he was actually very excited to go back there. He wanted to go back not just to help with Penny, but be with them and spend time with the family. He shook his head at his thoughts, and made his way to Silent Path.

The door was opened by a smiling Penny, who he would find out later, had been waiting by the door for him after seeing him coming up the walk. If the smiling girl wasn't surprise enough, but he also found himself being hugged by her.

He looked up slightly helplessly at the girl's mother hoping for an answer.

"I don't know why she's so happy to see you, but I'm glad you are back here. I'm very excited to get started on learning," said Brina.

"She must feel your excitement, and she wants to partake in that happiness."

"I've felt different knowing that there is hope for her now. No longer will she be silent, and there's so much I want her to know that I can't convey to her in words."

"She will understand them one day. Give her a chance to learn them."

"It's time for dinner. Won't you sit down and eat with us? Then it will be her bedtime, and you can start teaching me."

"As long as I don't put you to any trouble."

Dinner was a nice affair for all of them. Penny tried making them smile with little antics she would pull on them, and then mother and daughter worked to clean up while he enjoyed the outdoors.

He came in when he was beckoned from the window. "Penny has gone to bed now. I thought you would like to get started now."

Learning to speak with your hands is never easy, but Brina felt at times like laughing and other times she got frustrated with her troublesome hands. He was teaching her the alphabet.

She laughed hard when the doctor tried to show her another letter, and his own hands wouldn't do it right with a couple of failed tries.

"If we have this much trouble, how is she ever going to learn?" asked Brina, still with the hint of laughter in her voice.

"Her hands are much more nimble then our old used hands. She'll probably catch on faster then we do once we help her understand the association between the signs and the object or thought that goes with it."

By the end of their evening, she had started getting down part of the alphabet. He stood up to leave her once again.

"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Dunn."

"You're welcome, but please stop with the formality. Call me Brina. We're going to spending a lot of time together, and I hate such formality."

He found himself savoring the name on his tongue before saying, "Good night, Brina." He went out the door, and there was that pang once again in his heart.

TBC...