This is a story about a Deaf woman. Deaf spelt with a capital D means an individual born with no hearing as opposed to a deaf individual who loses their hearing to varying degrees during the course of their life. Most deaf people do not sign although a greater proportion of Deaf individuals do. Although many Deaf people are not proficient in written English this is not universal as evidenced by Isla in my story. Deaf individuals do suffer more from social isolation, anxiety, and depression than hearing individuals.
The sign language that James learns is BSL or British sign language. This is a completely different language to ASL, American sign language but is related to Auslan, Australian sign language, and New Zealand Sign language.
James
My first job after I graduated was in a town in Scotland. I had graduated from Exeter University and my move to the Scottish Lowlands involved a large amount of change.
Whilst I had been at University I had a large circle of friends and participated in several societies including the university film society which showed weekly classic films on a Sunday night, the hockey club, and the debating society. In between I went to the pub with my mates, and of course I studied.
And the week before I moved the five hundred miles north, my girlfriend and I parted by mutual consent, and then I put all my worldly goods into the back of my car and drove for 9 hours to my new life.
The company I was to work for had arranged for me to stay in a local hotel whilst I found a place to live but within a week I was able to find a flat on the first floor of a solid granite building in the heart of town. The flat, which had been recently modernised, was a large two bedroom one with a large lounge-dining room and separate kitchen. Most importantly it was cosy, well insulated, and warm, because the winter weather was bitter cold and unlike anything I had experienced before.
In those days there was not a huge amount to do in the evenings other than go to the pub, or the occasional football match. The local cinema would often show the latest block buster for up to two months and I missed my film nights from before.
But things were not all that bad. The people were warm and friendly. Bruce the laboratory Manager took me under his wing. He was in his mid-fifties with a broad Glasgow accent and had worked at the company since leaving school and had slowly risen through the ranks. At the end of my first week at work he invited me to Sunday lunch, and we started to attend the local football team home games.
And then there was Catriona. The name on her door at work said Dr C Blair but she preferred to be called by her first name. She was an attractive woman: around 45 years old and had been divorced for some time. I understood she had a young daughter who still lived at home. For the first few weeks I was with my new employers I entertained thoughts of seducing her, but it was an unreal fantasy which was very unlikely to come to pass.
Nonetheless, I spent more than a few nights when I fantasised about stripping her naked and then fucking her. And when I did this I would grow hard and then wank myself off.
That was until I first encountered her daughter Isla; the" Ice maiden."
Isla was a Celtic beauty with long red wavy hair, milky white skin, and piercing blue eyes. She was in her early twenties and had a perfect figure with long legs and a tight arse, and her sweaters that she liked to wear hinted at the breasts that lay beneath. She was also Deaf and as I later learnt rarely talked.
I can't remember when I first met Isla, but she had come to the Laboratory to meet her mum and they were in the hallway signing with each other.
Bruce had mentioned to me that Catriona had a pretty daughter who lived with her. He had told me her nick name and said it was given to her because she had never been known to have a significant relationship with another person either male or female. He had added she did love animals and had two cats at home. He hadn't said she was Deaf.
Not that that mattered. As she stood with her mother, her dainty fingers flickering as she signed, I thought she was the most desirable creature I had ever seen in the flesh. She caught me watching her, looked across at me disinterestedly, and languidly looked away.
It made no difference. I was hooked.
I realised straight way that to even get close to Isla I would need to be able to talk to her. In other words, I would need to learn to sign. And the following day I enrolled on a Level 1 course in signing which started in 3 weeks' time. The course was held every Tuesday night in a nearby community college. At least three evening a week and at weekends I studied on my own and after three months I was ready.
One Monday morning I entered Catriona's office, took a deep breath, and spoke.
"I've got something to ask you. I want to ask Isla out. I've been learning to sign."
"You must be keen, "she said.
And I thought I momentarily glimpsed the hint of a smile around the corners of her mouth.
"But why are you asking me? You need to ask her."
And then." Well, you can't use the phone, but I know she'll be in tomorrow evening. Seven o'clock?"
The following evening casually but smartly dressed I pressed the doorbell at their home and Catriona let me in.
