brothers.

24~ Addie

"Taking my time on my ride... taking my time on my ride... oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-"

The song cut off as Tony's phone started ringing. His hand blindly fished for his ringing phone, disconnecting the Bluetooth to answer. "Hello?" A pause. "Oh, hey, Dad." His eyes remained on the road, but his eyebrows knitted. "Uh, I'm actually going somewhere right now."

He tried to hold his phone with his shoulder as he stopped at a red light. I reached over and held the phone to his ear so he could drive properly. He thanked me with a glancing smile.

"Alright. I'll drop her off at home." A few beats. "Okay. Bye, Dad." He nodded at me to put the phone down.

I did so. "What happened?" I asked him.

"My dad usually picks up my sister at the deaf-blind school, but he's getting out late, so he asked me to pick her up." He put the song back on Bluetooth. The light turned green and he turned left. "So we're going to drop her off at my house, then go to the movie. We won't be late."

"Oh, that's okay."

"Could you grab my phone again? Go to the 'Soccer' group chat so I can send them a voice."

I followed his instructions and held the phone up so he could inform his friends. "So your sister goes to a deaf-blind school?" I asked when he was done.

"It's an after-school program. She goes to the public school, then she goes to the Center for Deaf and Blind Children to wait for Dad. She learns more sign language there."

"That's nice. What's her name again?"

"Addie. Well, Adeline, but we call her Addie. Like my name is Anthony, but I prefer Tony."

"Oh, Anthony." I smiled teasingly. "I like Anthony."

"I like it, too, but Tony's simpler."

"And Adeline. Beautiful name."

We arrived at the Center two minutes later. Cars were parked in the lot, with parents getting out to collect their children. "This'll be a nice surprise for her," Tony said as he parked.

He got out of the car. I followed and looked at the many children running around playing. I noticed a little boy pushing a girl in a wheelchair. The girl wore blacked-out glasses, laughing hysterically. The two chased another girl, who ran in circles, giggling. I smiled at the scene.

"There she is."

A little girl resembling Tony ran out of the building with a pink backpack. She laughed as she played tag with another girl. Her friend signed something to her and waved, running to her father in another car.

She looked around, spotting us. Her little face brightened like a lamp and she ran like a bullet to her older brother.

"Tony!" she shouted, her voice ringing out in a high tone. She ran into Tony's arms. He chuckled as he picked her up and hugged her tight. My cheeks were aching from so much smiling.

He put her down and she looked over at me. With a questioning look, she signed something to him— presumably asking who I was. Tony led her by the hand over to me. I smiled down at her, hoping to give a good impression.

"Addie, this is my friend Diana." He spelled out my name with his hand. "She goes to school with me."

The little girl beamed at me and waved. She signed something.

"She says, 'Hi, Diana, nice to meet you'."

"Nice to meet you, too," I said.

Tony came up to me and showed me his hands. "Nice..." He wiped his right hand over his left palm. I copied him.