[ussbansheec] Good Signs
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:34:52 -0400
_Good Signs
_by Korem Antos, Araya, and Jaska & Patrick, Li Vilya, and Benjamin Kabuki
Jaska had been dreading the dinner for any number of reasons, the least
of which was that formal dinners tended to bore the hell out of him to
begin with but this one was going to be worse. He hated meeting
strangers, people who might stare at him as if he were a freak or an
oddity. His father, knowing his son quite well, discerned why the just
turned sixteen year old was being moody and sat down with him. No one,
Korem Antos told his son, can make you feel uncomfortable unless you
allow them to, especially if it's in your own home. This is your home,
Jaska, he said, be comfortable. His dad, Jaska mused, had a point. And
any way, he liked Zachan well enough. It was hard not to when the guy
was eternally ebergetic and pretty nice, too. He'd even made an effort
to learn sign just so he could talk to Jaska normally.
Brushing back his longish straight blond hair, Jaska didn't stray from
his bedroom. He had homework to do and it was proving quite daunting.
Staring at a blank PADD wasn't getting anything done but not even trying
would certainly piss off his teacher and his parents. It wasn't until
the lights flickered that he realized time had gotten away from him. It
was about time for the guests to have arrived for the dreaded dinner.
He went to his door, knowing that either one of his parents or his
sister was there.
"Did you finish the report yet, Jaska?" his father asked in both sign
and speech.
Jaska sighed and shook his head. "Nothing," he signed. "I'm trying,
Dad, but it's hard. It's giving me a headache."
"I know, son, I know," Antos told him. He knew the boy had a tendency
to be lazy but he also knew his son had a sharp mind. He'd get the
thing done one way or another. He gripped the young man's shoulder in a
gesture of support. "Leave it for now. If you're still stuck after
tomorrow evening, I'll give you a hand, alright?"
"You're the best, Dad," Jaska signed after giving the man a quick hug.
In reply, Antos ruffled the boy's hair. "Now, are you ready to meet our
guests?" he signed. "Zachan's parents and siblings are here."
"Do they..." Jaska tapped his earringed ear. He was, by no means,
embarrassed or ashamed of his deafness but the explanations were tiresome.
Antos nodded. "They know, Jaska, so let's go."
Jaska's first sight of Zachan's family was of a tall man in what looked
to be a light gray uniform. The man's hair was plaited in a single
braid that trailed down his back and his eyes were as blue as Zachan's.
He was talking to a small boy whose hair was equally dark and who had
the same sapphire blue eyes. The man turned and offered a smile while
holding out his hand. Antos moved from Jaska's side so that he was in
his forward vision.
"Jaska," he said, using both sign and speech, "this is Reverend Kabuki,
Zachan's father, and his brother Benjamin. Ming, this is my son Jaska."
"Pleased to meet you, Jaska," Ming said simply while the little biy
offered a wave and a familiar sunny smile.
Jaska noticed something that pleased him greatly. The man was looking
directly at him, rather than at his father. That tended to happen a lot
and made him feel like an inanimate object. "Me, too, sir," he signed.
"Zachan told me you were something close to a cross between a vedek and
a ranjen."
"Close enough," Ming replied with a chuckle.
The little boy was still smiling and then he asked, "Is that how you
really talk?"
"Benjamin."
Jaska could tell from the expression on the reverend's face that the
name had been spoken sharply, a reprimand, no doubt, for a perceived
rudeness. Knowing his father would still translate, Jaska looked at
Ming first. "It's alright, Reverend, no harm done when he's only asking
out of curiosity," he said simply. Then he fixed warm brown eyes on
Zachan's little brother. "I was born with no hearing and, if you can't
hear yourself, it's hard to learn to talk. So, I use sign to talk. I
can also read lips so if you look directly at me, I can tel what you're
saying even if you don't sign."
"That," Benny said, wide-eyed, "is so cool! Zachan said you and your
sister showed him some. Can you show me, too?"
Jaska's grin widened at that. "Sure, no problem!"
"Alright, Jaska, let's get them into the dining room before the women
think we're hiding," Antos chuckled.
If Zachan got his eyes from his father, then it was easy to see where he
got his hair from. Jaska thought that Mrs. Kabuki (or was that Mrs.
Li?) was very pretty but he was absolutely stunned when he saw his
sister, Arwen. She was beautiful and he couldn't talk to beautiful so
he withdrew into himself. Curious little brothers were one thing but
such a striking girl was completely another. The withdrawal didn't go
unnoticed, though. It bothered his mother enough that she made an
excuse to practically drag him into the kitchen. Jaska stood there,
arms folded over his chest, staring at his feet.
Araya tapped his shoulder, demanding his attention. "Korem Jaska, what
is wrong wit you? Your father said you were chattering away when you
met the reverend and the little boy yet you haven't said one word since
you walked into the dining room. I know you have better manners than
that," she scolded in sign.
Sullenness did not come across very well in non-verbal language but the
look was in Jaska's eyes, the same ones that had been so animated and
warm a short while before. "You wouldn't understand, Mom,." he protested.
"Try me," Araya hmmphed, her eyes narrowing, "or you can go pout in your
room."
"Mom, she's beautiful," he began, his expression pleading. "I can't
talk to girls to begin with and she's gorgeous!"
At that, Araya felt her heart break just a liuttle. Zachan's sister
really was rather pretty she supposed and that sort of thing made most
boys trip over themselves. That was the only area in which she knew her
son was not like other young men. He would never just smile and flirt
with a girl and it hurt her and she hurt for him. "Oh, Jaska," she
murmured before she put her arms around him. At just sixteen, he was
almost as tall as his father though he had a lot of filling out to do,
yet she patted his back as if her were still a small boy. Releasing
him, she touched his cheek. "You're a fine looking young man, Jaska.
You're a good student when you aren't being lazy and I know you love to
talk to people. Take her and the younger ones to the street festival
after dinner if the parents don't mind."
Doubt warred with the fact that Jaska really did want to go to the
festival. "But you and Dad already said I couldn't go until I finished
with that report."
"If you don't want to..." she teased.
"No, no," Jaska said quickly, shaking his head vehemently. "I do! It's
fun and how stupid can I look there..."
"You /aren't/ stupid, Jaska. You can go but only if you /personally/
ask the parents /and/ the girl," Araya told him.
"Okay, okay, I get it," he hmmphed.
Araya gave her son a fond swat to usher him back to the dining room.
She was pleased to see her pep talk had done some good. Jaska was still
not his outgoing self but he had at least stopped staring down at his
plate and, if he thought Arwen wasn't looking, at her. Finally, she
watched as Jaska nudged his father and Antos nodded.
"Ming--Vilya, my son wants to ask a question and he wants me to
translate," Antos said.
"Oh, sure," Ming replied, turning his attention to Jaska. "What's on
your mind, son?"
"I was going to go to the street festival and I wanted to see if you'd
allow Arwen and the others to come with me," was what Antos translated.
The two younger children's faces lit up immediately. Benny grinned at
Jaska then looked at his mother. "Please, Mom? It was so much fun when
Grandpa took us last time."
"Are you going to behave yourself and mind Jaska and Arwen, Benjamin?"
Vilya asked mildly.
Jaska actually laughed. He saw the look Vilya gave her youngest and it
was the same look he'd gotten many times from his own mother.
"Interested?" he asked Arwen.
It was the laugh that did Arwen in. She knew that Zachan liked Dinnia
enough to marry her and, when she met the woman, she could understand
why. She was so very pretty and nice. She thought the brother was
cute but no way near as friendly, even when Benny said he was funny.
But then Jaska laughed. She knew he couldn't laugh like hearing people
but his version of laughter shook his shoulders and totally transformed
his face. Anyone that cute and who could put so much into such a simple
thing as laughter was worth a lot.
"Definitely," she said, her eyes shining. "Don't worry, Mom. Benny'll
behave if he wants to ply any of those games."
~~~~~~~~~~
At some point in time, Jaska forgot to be nervous and self conscious.
The younger children were just plain happy to be able to get away from
the grown up dinner (and he could certainly sympathize with that) but
Arwen seemed to be content just being with him. As they walked toward
the festival, she tapped his arm and held out a stylus and PADD. "Your
sister said you might need this," she wrote.
Jaska flushed slightl and took the stylus, reddening even more when his
hand touched hers. "Only if I want to make sure I'm clear when I talk
to some people," he wrote. "You don;t know sign and it also helps with
some of the merchants who don't know me."
"Can you show me some?" Arwen wrote then she looked at him. He was
close enough to smell and that smell was very good, like fresh scented soap.
The grin lit Jaska's face again. He signed to her then took the stylus
again. "I said I'd be happy to. I promised your little brother, too."
"Oh, hmm..."
Jaska saw the look on her face but he didn't quite believe his eyes. He
tried signing but couldn't seem to be able to untangle his fingers. He
grunted in frustration then started writing while trying to keep his
eyes on Arwen. "You look disappointed." He stopped, almost chewing on
the end of the stylus and he felt his face flush red. Don't be wrong,
he chanted mentally. Prophets, please don't be wrong. Attempting to
settle himself, he wrote, "Trying to keep me to yourself?"
"Kind of," came Arwen's reply as she peered at him from uner long dark
lashes.
Under her tanned complexion, her face was as red as his own. Yes! He
sent up a mental cheer and prayer to the Prophets. He laughed again,
shoulders shaking and eyes bright, and was rewarded with one of Arwen's
smiles. "Good!" he signed. Taking the stylus, he translated then
added, "It might be kind of hard to talk but van I hold your hand while
we're here?"
Arwen nodded and made sure she was looking at Jaska as she said 'yes'.
She happily ignored the chorus of 'oooos' from her siblings as Jaska
took her hand, a grin on his face. Later, she couldn't remember ever
having had such a good time. Jaska paid attention to her, watching her
constantly. She that was partly due to the fact that he /had/ to if he
wanted to communicate with her but it was the quality of his attention
that made her happy. He /wanted/ to watch her. And he was so nice and
friendly to Benny and Catherine, as if her genuinely liked them rather
than doing so to make points with her. He definitely made points with
Catherine, though, when he won her a huge stuffed animal at a game booth.
~~~~~~~~~
It was dark by the time the four headed back to Jaska's home with Jaska
and Arwen both making sure the younger two kept safely within sight. As
they got within distance of the house, Jaska sighed. Arwen's parents
were out front, chatting to his parents and sister. Benny and Catherine
ran ahead but Jaska touched Arwen's arm.
"I had fun, Arwen," he signed, his hands barely lit by the dim street
lights. "Do you really want me to come to your grandfather's tomorrow?"
He had signed and then written but Arwen understood more of the sign
then she would have earlier. She nodded then, on sheer impulse, she
stood on the tips of her toes so that she could kiss his cheek. Her
cheeks flushed as Jaska staed at her, his hand touching the spot she'd
just kissed. Before he could say anything, though, she turned toward the
house. Her father had called. Even still, the smile never left
Jaskasa face as Arwen greeted her parents nor later on when he was
getting ready for bed.
She's pretty, he told himself. She's fun. He was in bed already, hands
folded under his head as he stared at the ceiling and played over the
evening's events in his head. He was unaware that his father was
leaning in the doorway, a fond smile on his face as he watched his son.
Finally, Antos flickered the lights. Jaska was startled out of his
Arwen inspired reverie but he sat up, becoming his father closer.
"Come in, Dad. I'm up," he signed.
Antos had to smile. He hadn't seen his son look so happy in a very long
time. As he had when Jaska was a little boy, he sat on the edge of the
bed and, by habit, reached to smooth down the spiky mess of blond hair
on the boy's head. "I take it you had a good time, child?"
"She likes me, Dad!," Jaska began, his hands fairly flying. "She's
pretty and she's smart and she even said she had an idea about how to
help me with that report."
Antos hmmphed to himself. The whole family seemed nice enough but he
found himself liking Arwen even more now, simply because Jaska had never
gotten this excited over a girl before. "She seemed very nice, Jaska.
If you like her that much then make sure you treat her right. Be a
gentleman."
"Don't worry, Dad, I will," Jaska replied. "She likes me, Dad! Can you
believe that?"
"I told you before, Jaska--there's nothing about you that the right girl
wouldn't like." Antos laid an affectionate hand on his son's cheek. It
had been a shock for him and Araya when they learned that their son was
born deaf and, now he could admit it, he had been disappointed for a
while, too, because his boy wasn't perfect. The realization that Jaska
was a wonderful, vibrant child--a gift from the Prophets really--took
over, though. It still irritated Antos when people said his son was
defective. It was hard enough for a teenaged boy to be brushed off in
any situation but a perceived handicap made hurt feelings even more
painful. "You're my son, Jaska," he said as he stood up. He kissed the
young man's forehead then added, "and any Korem's likable. Now, dream
well, child."
--
for without hope I cannot live, remember the past but do not dwell there, face the
future where all our hopes stand."_- Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
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