AN: Long time no update o:
Chapter three.
xox
Mercedes couldn't hold still in the backseat, she kept squirming around. Mercedes' mom just smiled. She was glad that her daughter had made a new friend. "I'm so happy for you sweetie," She said, and Mercedes continued to squirm, and to chatter.
"I can't wait until Saturday! I'll learn to talk to Sam and he'll understand me and then I can understand him."
"Don't forget that I'm going too."
"And I can talk to you in sign language! It can be like a secret code for us. Tina and me were supposed to make one of those but she hit me when I didn't understand what this was," She wiggled her four fingers back and forth,
"Did she?" Her mother was a bit surprised to hear that.
"Yea, but she didn't hurt me, plus, I pulled her hair." She said and raised her chin.
"Mercedes Ann Jones!" She looked back at her daughter through the rear view mirror with stern eyes.
"We said sorry." She pouted slightly and looked down. Once again, her thoughts went back to Sam.
Before she knew it, her mother pulled into the driveway of their home, and Mercedes trotted through the house, still half-daydreaming. She tossed her book bag next to the door, and then kicked off her shoes. Mercedes' mom watched with amusement as her little Mercedes hopped on one foot and then the other almost comically to remove her socks, and then she dropped them from her hands and continued to her room.
Angela Jones shook her head and followed the trail of clothes that Mercedes shed, shouldering one of the straps of Mercedes' small book bag, and then bending to pick up her shoes and place them in the mudroom followed by her socks.
"Mercedes, make sure you change your clothes and get down here and finish your homework before your father gets home!" She called after the small girl who was now up the short flight of stairs and already in her room.
Mercedes called down to her mother in a muffled voice and Angela took that as acknowledgement, and decided it was time to start dinner. She placed the book bag on a dining room chair and went to the kitchen and began chopping vegetables for a salad. Mercedes had already changed and was in her room looking at her toys, her little eyebrows were furrowed in concentration when her older brother barged into her room.
Michael sneered when he saw his sister and was about to tease her for playing with her dolls when she looked up. "Mikey, I made a new friend today."
"You mean a friend that isn't your annoying friend Tina?"
"She's not annoying!" She stuck her tongue out at her brother before continuing to tell him about Sam. "He's really nice and he taught me how to say this!" She started signing rapidly very quickly.
Partially excited and partially nervous she would mess up. She made her hand into a very tight high-five and saluted Michael, and then she took her hand and placed it on her chest and then Mercedes took two fingers on each hand and tapped her left index and middle finger on top of the right index and middle finger twice.
All the while, she spoke. "Hi, my name is," and then signed the letters that would spell her name out. "Mercedes." She beamed when she saw her brothers puzzled expression.
"Your friend is deaf?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but he's really nice and he's gonna teach me how to do sign language so we can talk more." She smiled and then glanced to her door when she heard her mother call their names.
Michael did not know what to say really. He was glad she was making a new friend; she needed more that were not Tina. Michael tapped his sister on the shoulder.
"We better get down stairs before mom gets mad." He flicked at her and grinned impishly. "Last one down is a rotten egg!"
With that, he ran out of his sisters' bedroom, with Mercedes close behind.
"The first ones gotta eat it!" She countered and stuck her tongue out at her brother as they both raced downstairs to start their homework.
Sam fidgeted in the back of his seat, waiting patiently. His mom taught him not to sign while she was driving, because she did want to see what he had to say but she couldn't focus on driving and listening to him at the same time.
However, once Mary Evans pulled the car to a stop at the red light, he had his mother's attention, who beamed at him as he prattled on about how excited he was to spend time with Mercedes. Sam's hands rushed in a flurry of plans and questions he had for his mom.
"What toys should we play with?"
"What if she doesn't like my other school?"
"What if Mercedes doesn't like me after sign school?"
Mary smiled from the front seat then turned her head to look at her son. "Don't be silly, Sammy. Mercedes is a really nice girl." Someone beeped their horn, breaking the concentration she had on her son. Mary resisted the urge to respond negatively and reached back to poke his nose. She signed that she loved him and then turned to continue on their way home.
Once the two made it home, Sam took his shoes off, placed them by the door, and then took his book bag to his room.. Sam went to his room, and placed his book bag on his room and changed his clothes. He placed his clothes in the basket in the bathroom. All the while, half excited and nervous for tomorrow, he sat at his desk and began to start his homework; his mother came in a few minutes later and asked him if he wanted to help her cook. He agreed enthusiastically and they both began to make dinner, Sam helped his mom make meatballs for the spaghetti, while they made dinner. Sam talked to his mom about tomorrow.
"Do you think she'll want to play with my trucks?"
Sam's mom giggled and told him that she might.
After dinner, Sam helped his mom clean up the kitchen and then retrieved his homework from his room. Sam started his homework while his mother pulled a laptop onto her lap and began to type away.
Now he was nervous for another reason. Every night after dinner, his mom and Sam would sit down and video chat with his father who was stationed in Germany. Sam's father worked as an Engineer who trained other soldiers, so he was away most of the time, but Sam was always excited to talk to his dad. Mary began to speak into the laptop, smiling and gesturing with her hands.
"It's good to see you're on time tonight, Dwight." Mary said, teasing her husband. The two shared a laugh.
"How's Sammy?"
"He's doing really well. He met a new friend today. A girl." Mary smiled and Dwight faked surprise. "Oh, he's growing up so fast."
"Would you like to speak to him?" Mary asked.
"Of course."
Mary gestured to Sam who came over and sat beside his mom. She positioned the laptop between the two. Sam's eyes lit up when he saw his dad. Sam made his hand into a tight five and saluted his father and then spread the fingers and placed his thumb next to his temple.
"Hi, dad."
Dwight saluted his son back with a big smile on his face. It seemed like forever since he has seen his little boy. He hated that Sam was growing up without him but he had rather Sam and Mary settle down in one spot while he was still on active duty. He did not want Sam growing up moving from place to place because of his choice in occupation.
"So your mom said you met a new friend today at school?" Dwight signed.
Sam's face lit up as his small hands moved a mile a minute letting his dad know everything about his new friend Mercedes. Dwight could barely get a word in as his son increasingly became more and more animated as he spoke about her.
Moments like these made Dwight miss home even more. He wish he could be there to experience all these things with his son but he just couldn't right now. Even though he was sad and missing him he was glad that he made the decision not to move his family around so as much as they used too when he was stationed so far away.
When he and his wife learned of Sam's condition they were both devastated. At first they blamed themselves that maybe they did something wrong but soon learned that just because Sam is what others consider 'disabled' their son would never grow up feeling as if he was. Both Dwight and Mary signed up for every sign language classes that they could find and when Sam was old enough to understand, he joined them too.
Then Dwight found out he was going to be transferred out of the country when Sam was just a little over three years old. At first, he did not want to leave his family but he also didn't want to take Sam away from his doctors and teachers. Therefore, he and Mary had a long talk about the staying in America while went overseas. He figured he had already moved Sam around too much in his young life.
Dwight, being away for so long, hadn't had much time learning sign language, but his wife, Mary, spent time with him after Sam went to bed teaching Dwight as much as possible before the call had to be ended.
Dwight watched as Sam talked about how he was super excited to spend time with Mercedes the next day and how he was going to teach her to talk to him. Dwight finally got word in, he told him how proud he was of him and happy for he was to meet a new friend. Sam beamed and glanced up at his mother, who was watching silently with an affectionate smile on her face. She noticed the time and looked from Dwight to Sam.
"Okay, it's time to get ready for bed," she told Sam, rubbing the top of his head as he sighed. She let out a little giggle and watched as Dwight said goodnight to his son, the same way he always had. Dwight put his fingertips against his chin and made an arch, touching the back of that same hand on top of his resting hand, palms up. He then took the top hand and made another arch motion, as if the sun was going down. "Good night, beautiful boy." He took his hand and to make the sign for beautiful, spread his fingers in front of his face in a wave, and then took the other hand and touched his thumb and four fingers together.
Sam said goodnight and headed off to get his p-jays for his bath. Mary finished the call with her husband and helped Sam get ready for bed. Once Sam was tucked into bed, Mary sat beside him and pulled a small book from the bookshelf beside his bed and laid in the bed so Sam could see the book and watch his mother read to him.
She smiled at him and he moved over to give his mom enough room. She took her right hand out and used her left hand. With her right hand she took her four fingers and pressed them against her chin and then with the same fingertips touched the palm of her hand. She paused for a second, and then lifted the hand making a 'C' she placed it against her lips and then lifted it, as if the 'C' was floating in the sky.
"Goodnight, moon," She began. Sam knew the story well, it was his favorite story that his mom told before he went to sleep. When she started the story, he signed it with her. Together they took turns reading the pages to each other.
"Good night, cow, jumping over the moon." Mary said to Sam. He smiled, knowing that it was now his turn to say goodnight. He placed his four tiny fingers on his chin and touched it lightly and then touched the palm of his hand with those fingers, and lifted that same hand and flexed his hand and spread his fingers and made the sign for red by making a "come here" motion with his index finger in front of his lips for 'red' and the sign for balloon that followed.
"Good night light, and the red balloon,"
They continued going back and forth until the story was finished. When the story was over, she kissed her son on the forehead.
"Good night, my little mouse." She wiggled her nose against his before standing and leaving her son to sleep. When Sam's mother left the room, Sam squirmed in his bed. He couldn't possibly see how he could sleep when he was this excited for the next day. Sam was determined to stay awake, but he felt his eyes start to get heavy, and soon he fell asleep.
AN: Review time. Thanks to those who are still reading this! (:
