To say that this was a beautiful day would have been to understate things to a great degree ... it was glorious!
In late spring, it was warm, with just a hint of a breeze, just enough to tussle one's hair. The air smelled sweet ... not overly floral ... but just a general sweetness in the breeze. This day was a gift; one that makes you feel good to be alive.
She was very pretty!
She was sitting alone on the park bench, reading. I was struck by the overall look of her; her blonde hair and clear blue eyes that seemed to have captured the sky in them. She had such delicate features and was lithe of figure and limb.
The breeze would occasionally lift her hem of her yellow sundress just enough to see a flash of thigh. Her dress had thin shoulder straps, which showed just enough cleavage to give you a hint at how lovely her breasts might be. They seemed to be firm, round, and a little larger than you might expect with such a diminutive girl.
I fell in love with her instantly—I had to know her. My heart quickened as I approached her. As I sat next to her, I started with a casual comment,
"Good morning, lovely day isn't it." She said nothing, but kept her attention fixed on her reading. I frowned a little at my complete lack of success in capturing her attention.
"May I ask what you are reading, Miss?"
Nothing! I decided to be more insistent,
"May I ask what you are reading, Miss? I said loudly enough to catch the attention of a man fifty yards down the path. Without raising her eyes, she took out a little writing pad in a well-used leather cover, opened it and scribbled a note. It was then that she slowly raised her eyes to me, as she handed it to me with the slightest of smiles. It read,
"There is no need to shout, but if you are patient with me, I read lips!"
Oh my God, she is deaf, I thought. But, I was too taken with her and was insistent on at least the pleasure of a simple conversation with such a stunningly gorgeous creature. So I moved in front of her, sitting on my haunches and wearing a sheepish smile as I said,
"Hello ... Miss. My ... name ... is ... Michael!" I said with kind of an exaggerated articulation.
She covered her mouth with her hand to hide a giggle. Then she raised an eyebrow slightly as she wrote,
"I am deaf, not an imbecile Michael! Nice to meet you, I'm Elsa."
A little embarrassed, and now speaking normally, as I would to anyone else I said,
"I'm sorry Elsa. You are very pretty."
"She said "Thank you Michael, you have a nice face."
She gestured the same message in American Sign Language (ASL) also. I was to learn that she does this so that people with whom she communicates regularly will start to recognize the signs. She uses the note pad only sparingly when she doesn't care to speak, or is embarrassed by her voice. Non-hearing people cannot hear their own voices, and so cannot correct the sound of their voice like hearing persons can.
"I'm glad you like it. I did inquire about the book you were reading, just as a conversation starter.
She smiled, and turned the book up to show the title. She was reading
Mansfield Park
by Jane Austin. I had always considered Jane Austin novels to be books for women ... I think most men do. A former girlfriend insisted that I read
Pride and Prejudice
and I just get into the story.
What a terrifically well-defined character Elizabeth Bennett is! She was a strong and independent woman for her time. The somewhat dark and brooding Mr. Darcy was the perfect foil for her disgust at his arrogance. His pride and her prejudice against him made you wonder if they would ever get together.
I told Elsa,
"I have read it. It is a great read ... but I am certain that you have read it before. That's the thing I learned from her novels, that you see something different in them with each reading ... I have read
Pride and Prejudice
twice!
I saw the most beautiful smile cross her face as she said carefully,
"Michael, I agree with you completely. I feel the same way. I have indeed read this one several times as you suggested."
I smiled back at her and decided to go for broke,
"I was just on my way to a nice little coffee shop down around the corner here (pointing). Would you care to join me?"
She looked me up and down, and I thought, "Shit! I struck out with a pretty girl ... again!" Then she smiled and nodded yes, snapped her book closed, and stuffed it in her carry bag with her notebook. I took her hand to help her up, and we walked the block and a half, with her arms wrapped around mine.
She liked me!
We had a nice little conversation over coffee and raspberry scones. She is quiet, but intelligent, and seemed to be well educated. I found out that she is twenty, and finishing her studies as a librarian, a profession where she would not have to over-use her voice.
I also found out that she has a very devilish and somewhat bratty sense of humor, and teased me when she thought I was becoming too full of myself. She does not have a boyfriend or—what is the euphemism—a 'significant other.'
She told me that a girlfriend had given her a couple of concert tickets she couldn't use, and asked if I was interested in going with her. It was for a concert by the local chamber orchestra, playing a Brahms and Shubert, program. I wondered why a deaf girl would be interested in concert tickets. I said,
"Yes, sounds like fun!"
She breathed a sigh of relief with a pretty smile, and gave me a peck on the cheek. Then she lowered her eyes, and blushed. That little touch of crimson on her cheeks made her look incredibly beautiful.
She told me that she has been deaf since birth, but she has two hearing parents. She often prefers not to speak in the presence of strangers, or those who simply have difficulty understanding her, and that is the reason for the notebook. Some hearing people are 'put off' by the sound of her speaking voice, but I find it rather clear from someone who cannot hear what her voice sounds like. I grew to love the sound of her voice.
She told me that I instinctively did the right thing when I started to speak to her, to introduce the topic of the conversation first to give a deaf person some context to follow. She said that most common signs like 'please' and 'thank you,' are relatively easy for people to understand whether they know ASL or not, so she uses a combination of speech and signing along with body language to communicate.
As we talked, I was careful to face her, since I didn't know sign language yet, and found out that dating 'hearing' boys and men got to be a problem after a while. Mostly, they would give her up with the difficulty of communicating. They were sometimes gone when she didn't 'put out' on the first date. I told her that I could not promise anything, but that I liked her and would try hard to communicate with her.
I walked her back to her place, which was a brownstone apartment building, and as we stood on the top step, she turned to me and said,
"You can give me a goodbye kiss if you would like, Michael!"
My lips just melted into her soft sweet lips. I just wanted to go on kissing this pretty girl, but we had just met, and I did not want to scare her away. I brushed a strand of blonde hair from her brow, smiled and said,
"See you Friday, Elsa."
She smiled and nodded. As I jogged down the stairs, I thought to myself, "Damn! Just ... damn!" She is sweet, smart and she has a wonderful sense of humor. I vowed to try very hard with his one. I could hardly wait until Friday, but had five days to wait.
The outdoor chamber concert was great. She wore a light blue summer sundress; but carried a soft white sweater in case it got chilly. We found a seat near the back, and as we sat and listened, I found that just a slight touch on her shoulder would get her attention. I would describe the music to her at various points, and always received a smile and nod of understanding.
I like Brahms, but chamber orchestras usually play some of the smaller, more obscure pieces. Although I was unfamiliar with most of the selections, I enjoyed them. I also enjoyed the light that played in Elsa's eyes as she watched the musicians.
They had a local soprano singing a couple of Schubert songs (
lieder
) and during the first one, I used my finger to turn her face to me saying,
"This woman is singing a song in German." I said, trying to let her know what was happening.
She smiled at me and giggled saying,
"
Ja! Ich verstehe!
"
"Okay, so you understand German! Thanks for making me feel like a fool!" Her smile sweetened and she put her hand on my arm and she quickly added,
"Not a fool, Michael, you were sweet to help me enjoy!"
She might be deaf, but she enjoyed the spectacle of the outdoor concert: the lights, the people, and gleaming instruments. I felt that she was hearing it in her own way. And, of course she understood the German singers. My face is still a little red from that one!