Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“I don’t feel like I have to. I’m askin’ because I want to. I’ve never known anyone who is deaf like you. I like being educated on a disability I know nothin’ about. It makes me more aware.”
His eagerness to learn was really sweet and considerate.
“Well, what d’ye wanna know?”
“Ye mentioned a sickness took your hearin’, but I can’t remember which one.”
“Bacterial meningitis,” I said. “I had it when I was eight, and it ruined me hearin’.”
“Ye were only a baby. That’s horrible.”
“I honestly can’t remember a whole lot of it. I recall flashes of me time in the hospital and me granda frettin’ over me, but other than that, it’s a blank. I just remember wakin’ up and everythin’ bein’ silent. It could have been so much worse, so I was lucky damaged hearin’ was the only long-term effect I suffered. When I was physically better and went back to school, I got to have me own SNA, who helped me navigate me new world and taught me sign language. At that point, me hearin’ was already bad as it is now without me aids, so learnin’ to sign was very important. It’s a possibility in the future I may lose me hearin’ completely.”
I hoped I kept it out of my tone just how scared that possibility made me.
“And can ye sign fluently?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It’s like learnin’ any other language. Practice and repetition.”
“Can ye teach me to sign?”
My heart fluttered with his question. “Sure. We could give it a try.”
“Brilliant. We can set up days when ye can spare a couple of hours and school me.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to say other than, “Okay.”
“How do your aids work?” Dante asked after he had used the last of his garlic bread to swipe up the remaining sauce on his plate. “How d’ye control how they work?
“Buttons. When I pushed the button on the right aid, it increases the volume in both devices.”
“And if you press the button on the left aid, it decreases the volume in both devices?”
“Exactly. Me set are an old model, so the functions are pretty basic.”
“How d’ye know if it’s higher or lower? D’ye just rely on your hearin’?”
“No,” I said. “There is a beep when I press the buttons. It’s how it lets me know that I’ve made a change.”
“And how d’ye turn them off?”
“I press and hold the button until it double beeps and switches off.”
“And how—”
“Dante,” I interrupted with a smile. “Ye don’t have to ask all these questions. I know bein’ around a deaf person can make someone feel a little awkward, but trust me, ye don’t have to ask questions or anythin’ to appear interested.”
“I’m not appearin’ interested. I am interested ... interested in you.”
I was not expecting that response. I stared at him and quickly concluded he meant that he was interested in knowing how hearing aids and sign language worked.
“The garage,” I blurted. “I’m so happy I’m workin’ there. I know I’ll be good at the job. Your da’s rules will be easy peasy to follow.”
“Rules?” Dante’s eyebrows took a nosedive. “What rules?”
He doesn’t know about them?
“Basically, he said I have to do what I’m paid to do and not date any of his mechanics.”
Dante dropped his fork, and it clattered against his plate. “The bastard made that a rule?”
I tilted my head. “Yes, he mentioned a previous receptionist left after a relationship with a mechanic went south. He doesn’t want a repeat of that, so I promised him I wouldn’t date any of his mechanics. It was an easy promise to make because you lads are all way out of my league.”
“Rubbish.”
I felt the smile on my face vanish. “I’m sorry?”
“You are out of our league.”
He was so sweet, which was horrible because it made me like him so much more.
“Thanks, Dante.” I blushed. “You’re so lovely to me.”
He grunted. “I can’t believe the aul fella made that a rule.”
“It happened before,” I teased. “I’ve heard all about it. Gavin’s one-night stand with Celine before she got in a huff because it wouldn’t be a regular thing and quit before your da expanded the business. After she quit, he could manage the front desk, but with the expansion, your da was cripplin’ himself with how much clientele traffic ye suddenly got. He’s probably worried about it happenin’ again, and I don’t blame him. He doesn’t want his business to fall into disarray.”
“Ye think that could happen without a receptionist? Not that your job isn’t important, but disarray. Really?”
“Yeah, really,” I said. “The books are perfect, but he has no system to track expenses, which means he could be savin’ so much more on taxes if he kept those receipts. His method for loggin’ income is shite, and don’t get me started on his setup with companies ye order parts from. It’s absolute chaos. Nothin’ is organised or in alphabetical order. It’ll take me a month straight to get it all into a decent system that I can navigate.”