Page 21 of The Sign for Home

Martin told you to put both your hands on his shoulder, then he put his hands on Big Head Lawrence’s shoulder, and then Big Head Lawrence, who had the better vision, pulled out his white cane and, like the enginecar of a very small train, began leading the three of you across the gym floor, out a side door, around a corner, and to the dead end of an empty alley.

“Nosy sighted Deaf kids always watch and gossip, gossip, gossip!” Martin signed, now signing large and freely. “Here private place! Now pay attention!”

Martin told you the ins and outs of making sticky pee, and how to hide it from the dorm bosses by only doing it at night or in the shower. Big Head Lawrence warned you to wipe the sticky pee on your sock, because if you did it on the sheets the dorm bosses would get mad. Then Martin and Big Head Lawrence told you all the other things they did at night for F-U-N, like telling stories after lights out and making plans to play dirty tricks on the sighted students.

“Like what?” you asked.

“Like hiding all the soap in the shower room,” Big Head Lawrence signed.

“Or stealing syrup from the cafeteria and putting into the shampoo bottles!” Martin added.

They soon admitted they never actually played these tricks, but if they did and they got caught, Martin said he would just laugh, give the middle finger to the sighted students, and run. This made you all laugh so hard that your bodies slid down the brick wall onto the asphalt, a giggling, bouncing pile of boys. Big Head Lawrence’s body smelled like crayons and medicine. Martin’s wiry buzz cut scratched your face like warm itchy happiness.

“Shhh! Our plans for dirty tricks… no one knows,” Big Head Lawrence warned. “If sighted kids find out… Bam! KO! Must careful! Especially with Deaf Devils!”

“Deaf Devils?” The very name sent chills through your entire body. “You lie?”

“No lie,” Martin insisted. “Deaf Devils is gang… bad Deaf boys. Theyhurt everybody, especially disabled and DeafBlind. Once they push Big Head Lawrence into big outside garbage! Very dangerous because if hurt head he maybe will die forever.”

Big Head Lawrence debated Martin on that, but he agreed that the Deaf Devils were the worst bullies in the entire school. Martin heard that one of them (a boy whose name-sign indicated he picked his nose a lot) had even demanded a Deaf boy with cerebral palsy turn over his chocolate cupcake dessert. When the boy refused, the bully pushed the boy to the ground.

“Wait! Wait!” Big Head Lawrence interrupted. “Worse! CP boy cried, cried, cried. The Deaf Devil bully pulled off boy’s hearing aids and threw them down on hallway floor. Other student overlook the hearing aids… crush them under feet!”

Could this be true? Could any bully be that cruel? Your new roommates did not appear to be lying. The fear traveled from your spine into your stomach. Would these Deaf Devil maniacs hurt your roommates? Would they hurt you?

“Last year they hurt Martin!” Big Head Lawrence signed, pushing Martin to the side. “Many times. Deaf Devils steal his cane and hide it. And when Martin sitting cafeteria, dreaming-dreaming, not pay attention… Deaf Devils put too much salt on his lunch food. Martin cry, cry, cry.”

“But I eat anyway…” Martin added.

“Principal punish Deaf Devils—why not?” you ask.

“Because all kids afraid to tell principal or teachers,” Martin told you. “If tell, Deaf Devils will lie and hurt worse. Or maybe they make it look like you do something bad. Then principal sends you to Dogwood, and no one ever sees you again!”

“Dogwood?” you asked. “What Dogwood?”

Big Head Lawrence explained that all the students were afraid of Dogwood House. That was the dorm at the back of campus where “special students” with either mental illness or severe disability were housed and keptaway from the rest of the students back in the olden days. But someone had told Big Head Lawrence that if a student was very bad, like if he stole something or was found playing sex, then they would send the student to Dogwood House as punishment. Martin added that some of these bad students go to Dogwood House and are never seen again.

“If Deaf Devils very bad boys always,” you ask, “why teacher not send to Dogwood already?”

“I don’t know!” Martin signed, almost annoyed that you asked. “Because they very sneaky! Just avoid Deaf Devils! And, whatever you do, don’t go to Dogwood!”

Martin didn’t need to say any more. You were convinced. The Deaf Devils were clearly monsters. But going to Dogwood seemed even worse. You patted your friends’ hands to get their attention.

“If Deaf Devils try put me in dumpster or spoil my food… I punch!” For emphasis you punched the air and puffed out your chest. “Deaf Devils—I will KO! My old school I beat up bullies many times. I strong. Feel!”

You offered your flexed arm for Martin to squeeze. He did, and then let his fingers meander to your chest and back, which he explored in detail.

“Wow! Strong like Superman,” Martin signed. Then he took Big Head Lawrence’s hands and showed how your body was firmer and a head taller than them both.

A moment later both boys removed their hands abruptly, and you could tell they were speaking only to each other. Had your lies about beating people up frightened them? Even though you had just met them, your heart ached from being excluded from their private conversation. Just as you were about to tell them the truth about never having hit anyone in your life, Martin’s fingers tapped your arm.

“Good news!” he signed. “Me and Big Head Lawrence decided. We three best friends now!”

“Best friends?” you asked, confused.

SignBEST FRIENDS: Pointer and middle finger cross, pointing toward sky, palm toward body.

Martin repeated the sign, thinking you didn’t know it. But you did. You just never had cause to use it before. Your only real friend until that moment had been your mama. All the other children you had encountered in your life at the hearing school or at Kingdom Hall had been forced to play with you, if they played with you at all. But now you had two best friends, who could sign better than anyone you had ever met, living in the same room as you! You held your stomach, attempting to trap the feeling of happiness from ever leaving. Martin slapped his hand on your shoulder to get your attention.

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