寻找自己的路（2）（2/2）
《我的大学，用一辈子去忘记》作者：杨柳青 2017-02-10 18:11
had some sort of breathing apparatus next to her bed that looked strangely out of place, what happened next was something I wasn’t prepared for.
“This is the girl I told you about, Sweetie,” he signed to his daughter. It turned out that Lily was deaf as well. I panicked. How would I communicate with her? What if there was an emergency?
“Her oral skills are good enough that you will be able to understand her, and you’ll probably pick up some sign language. I’ll only be gone, a couple of hours.” He left me with emergency numbers and pertinent information, and then he was gone.
I sat down on the bed with Lily, and her little fingers started flying. I shrugged my shoulders to let her know that I was lost. She smiled sweetly and then started to use her voice. She explained how it was easier to breathe when she let her fingers do her talking. That night I had my first lesson in sign language.
Over the next couple of months, I spent a lot of time with Lily. As I got to know Lily’s dad as a father and as a husband, the crush changed. Now I was falling in love with his daughter. She taught me so much: not only how to sign, but also how to appreciate each moment in my life and how worrying over needless things was just stupid. We laughed together when she taught me the sign for stupid, where you take the closed fist of your right hand and knock on the side of your forehead—as if you’re knocking to try to get in. She laughed as l made believe that I was hurting myself by knocking on my head too hard. And she would sign,“You hurt yourself just as much when you really do worry.” She was wise beyond her years. Besides giving me her love, Lily also gave me direction. I went on to get a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in deaf education.
I remained friends with Lily and her whole f***ly throughout my college years and beyond. The crush I had on my college professor served me very well. I learned a great deal about life at the hands of a young child.
Some years later, I was asked to sign the Lord’s Prayer at Lily’s funeral. Everyone there told stories about how this one small life made such a big difference to so many. And, as Lily taught me when she showed me the sign for, I love you, “Make sure when you use this sign that you really mean it.”
“This is the girl I told you about, Sweetie,” he signed to his daughter. It turned out that Lily was deaf as well. I panicked. How would I communicate with her? What if there was an emergency?
“Her oral skills are good enough that you will be able to understand her, and you’ll probably pick up some sign language. I’ll only be gone, a couple of hours.” He left me with emergency numbers and pertinent information, and then he was gone.
I sat down on the bed with Lily, and her little fingers started flying. I shrugged my shoulders to let her know that I was lost. She smiled sweetly and then started to use her voice. She explained how it was easier to breathe when she let her fingers do her talking. That night I had my first lesson in sign language.
Over the next couple of months, I spent a lot of time with Lily. As I got to know Lily’s dad as a father and as a husband, the crush changed. Now I was falling in love with his daughter. She taught me so much: not only how to sign, but also how to appreciate each moment in my life and how worrying over needless things was just stupid. We laughed together when she taught me the sign for stupid, where you take the closed fist of your right hand and knock on the side of your forehead—as if you’re knocking to try to get in. She laughed as l made believe that I was hurting myself by knocking on my head too hard. And she would sign,“You hurt yourself just as much when you really do worry.” She was wise beyond her years. Besides giving me her love, Lily also gave me direction. I went on to get a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in deaf education.
I remained friends with Lily and her whole f***ly throughout my college years and beyond. The crush I had on my college professor served me very well. I learned a great deal about life at the hands of a young child.
Some years later, I was asked to sign the Lord’s Prayer at Lily’s funeral. Everyone there told stories about how this one small life made such a big difference to so many. And, as Lily taught me when she showed me the sign for, I love you, “Make sure when you use this sign that you really mean it.”