Scribblings of a deaf and residually blind boy
The invite
He’s acting shy, not of me but my phone
No words on his plate, just a bright face to show
His hands hug his innocence behind his back, but his eyes shoot a beam of eagerness towards something hidden within the screen of my phone.
He’s winning this battle; the dilemma between the safety of my phone and his satisfaction
So I make a quick decision and let the phone light up towards his direction
With hands quicker than my hesitation, his arm wins the tag of war against my protective grip
I guess it’s time to let go; he deserves the joy of the moment
The flirtation; he’s a kiss away from the phone
He’s lost in the complexity of this glowing block suffocating under his grip, so I coached his focus
Slow start, but we are making progress baby!
A couple of alien text to my WhatsApp contacts
A snap of us and another special kid
Then some alien scribblings on my ‘fiinote’ that earned him this publication
But all too soon…
It is time to win him off this addiction
I ask him his name in sign language; knowing very well any act he weaves back at me with those skillful fingers will leave my illiteracy in sign language exposed
But pure luck; he makes a sign back pointing to the wall
There it is; my mystery friend has his biography posted on the wall
It says, in addition to his sight and hearing, he’s mentally challenged too
But it’s amazing what these kids can do, it’s amazing the progress they make learning to master the basic skills of survival and being self dependent
Then the final goodbye
He waves back but sadness mask his face as he takes his eyes off me to a focus in the sky
Looking like an act of prayer
Now wondering, what he’s missing, is it me or my phone?
But I picked a lesson on happiness from him
To take what I want with firm grip when the opportunity gives in; to pick a ‘selfie’ moment of smile through every challenge, and look up to the sky when I lose it all.
We have no excuse not to be excited about the little things in life!
