Out of the Blue

I never assume anyone ‘speaks’ my new language, American Sign Language. I never figure that most folks know how to finger spell -- because they don’t.

 Still, as I clock more days, months years in the no-hear zone, even with my roots well within reality, I find myself fully expecting most folks to know even just a wee bit.

Seriously, I’ve come THIS close (picture 2 laminated sheets of paper OR anyone, of any gender, allowed to stand as close to Penélope Cruz as they wanted -- how close would that be) when unable to lipread one of the Powers That Be at work to telling, (not asking), them to sign it. I mean...sheesh...doesn’t everybody sign?! Ah, not so much.

Lip reading is one of those Jedi arts that most of us painfully human sorts can’t fully, 100% totally master -- not in this or the next 12 lifetimes anyway. Normally I’ll say/ask ‘I’m not catching that third word/that last phrase, can you use other words/say it differently?’

Get a partner and try this out (no, really. I’ll wait...........................................)

OK, ready?

Say ‘sheep’ without using your voice and DON’T tell them the word before you say it. Did your friend get it? No? Try ‘lamb.’ Any better? OK how ‘bout ‘vermin’ -- now say ‘vomit.’ ‘Bark’ versus ‘growl?’ ‘Extraordinary’ versus ‘extortion? You see where I’m going, si? A lot of words look way too similar to call.’ Try ‘nachos’ as opposed to ‘crudités.’ OK, bad example (we'll take 'nachos' on most any day)

Meanwhile back at work, if I still can’t get it, I hand over pen and paper and ask them to write it down, bitte. This all seems to work fairly well.

Today though -- a bit of surprise.

A delivery guy stops by my desk on his way to the loading dock. This big, burly mountain of a man, dressed in an oil stained adult onsie (OK, overalls) comes up and says something to me. I was busy as hell, didn’t catch what he was after -- told him I was deaf, asked him to write his need down and I’d be happy to assist (‘happy’ -- my default state or so it seems).

Did he take the pad and pen? NO, meine freunde, he began signing his request to me!!! Easy as you please, the man switched from spoken English to ASL. You wanna know how accustomed I am to that? NOT AT ALL! 

Pretty sure I’d have been less stunned had he broken out in a chorus, plus dancing, of Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.

Naturally, I asked him where he learned sign (community college) and why (girlfriend’s sister is deaf). What a nice, NICE guy he was!

Damn, that small connection today was better than getting a surprise bouquet of bright, warm daisies.

Unexpected and just fabulous.