Page 62 of The Sign for Home

Tabitha signed “finished” with a flick of her open hands. The audience, in various states of “wrecked,” leaped to their feet, stompingthe floor and wiggling their raised fingers in the sign forapplause. Liz drummed her flat hands on Tabitha’s back in matching Protactile applause. I joined in. Tabitha absorbed the joyous strumming on her body, with happy tears rolling down her cheeks. She was there in the room. Completely there.

26RAINSTORM (PART 2)

Hanne types onto your SBC and her words rise into your fingertips.

“Sorry I took so long. Now I’m as wet as you! I found your cane and wallet! Why were you staying so late at school?”

“I was MUST to finish story for class. Instead I search internet. Get very distract.”

“What kind of story?”

“Secret story about most important sad day of my life.”

“Secret stories are the best stories! Can I read it?”

“Not allowed tell story. Forbidden. I will get bad grade instead.”

“Don’t be silly! Cyril says you write wonderful things! I can help you if you want. I’m always helping my son. Wait here. I’m going to dry your wallet on top of the espresso machine. We need to dry your clothes before you catch cold. Then I can look at your story.”

You need to get away from Hanne. The chills you feel may not be just because you are cold. They could also be the presence of the Devil trying to tempt you. Maybe this is why thoughts of the Blue God have been haunting you. When Hanne returns you type:

“I go now. You point me bus stop. I wait there.”

“If you really want to, you can. But the street is flooding and there is lightning. It’s not safe out there. We won’t tell anyone we talked. It’s only you and me here anyway. After we dry off, I’ll drive you home. I promise.”

You could insist she call Brother Birch or Molly. But you don’t.

“Okay,”you type.“But when rain stops must go home.”

“Perfect!”Hanne types.“Take your shirt off and I’ll throw it in the dryer in the back. I’ll also get you a towel to dry off.”

You will not let the Devil have his way. You want to type “no,” but Hanne has already removed your outside shirt and is tugging your wet T-shirt over your head. For a matter of seconds you can’t breathe until the shirt is off. You have never been shirtless in front of an adult woman except your mama, female nurses, and the dorm boss at school. Your cold body shakes as if you are having a small seizure. Hanne throws a dry towel around you and rubs your chest and back very hard, warming you. You smell her breath, her hair, her wet clothes. When she finishes, her one hand is resting in the little hairs at the center of your naked chest. Your heart pounds against her palm. She quickly removes her hand. Then she pats your chest muscles and pulls someone else’s dry T-shirt over your head. It smells like a new shirt, and you wonder where she got it. The shirt makes you feel safer.

After that, Hanne dries herself and gives Snap water and some oatmeal cookies. She gives you a hot chocolate and a delicious doughnut and cinnamon roll. You explain that you don’t have any money with you, but Hanne says it’s free for you because you are friends. Then you remind her that you’re not allowed to be alone with a grown woman who isn’t a relative or your interpreter.

Hanne types:

“Okay. I totally understand. Do you want to give me your family’s phone number? I can call them now. I’ll just say I’m a stranger and then they can pick you up. Would that work?”

You sit there, uncertain what to do. You wish Hanne hadn’t given you that choice.The Devil is very powerful.

“No. It OK. LATER drive me home. But shh. Secret. OK?”

“Okay, definitely our secret. Maybe you can just tell them Cyril drove you home?”

Then you explain that Molly told Brother Birch bad things about Cyril, so that is also not a good idea.

“Molly said this because Cyril is gay?”Hanne asks.“Is this why he’s not allowed to drive you home?”

“He not Christian man.”

“True, but he’s a very, very good man.”

Hanne is Cyril’s real friend. That’s why she is defending him. Maybe with his real friends Cyril isn’t so selfish and closed off. After a moment you type to Hanne:

“Cyril just interpreter. Not my friend. He keeping his secrets. OK. I understanding. Private. SHH. But later I tell Cyril some of my secret, but Cyril say NO! I will NOT TOLD ARLO private life. Not fair. Rule: If I told secrets You told too. Right?”

Hanne thinks for a long time. Then she types:

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