Something New

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

I pick up my phone and turn off the annoying alarm as quickly as possible. Fudge, my phone screen is bright. Wow... I just thought the word 'fudge,' maybe I should be spending a little less time with kindergarteners...

Anyway, I have to get ready for work. I work for a local public school teaching 5 year olds. It doesn't pay that well, but it's what I love to do.

I pull on a pair of black slacks and a white button-up. Of course, I perfect my hair before I leave, even though I know it's going to be messed up within 30 seconds of getting on school grounds.

Finally I'm ready to leave, it's 7:15am. Great, I have time to stop by Starbucks...

I drive over, still not fully awake, to get my daily dose of caffeine. I finally pull in.

7:25am. Perfect.

I walk in and there's only 2 other people in line.

The first person orders quickly, only 1 other person until me.

The Starbucks employee asks the man in front of me, "What can I get for you?"

He doesn't respond verbally though. He just hands the woman at the counter a slip of paper.

Then she repeats, "one grande iced coffee for..." glancing back down at the paper for a moment, "Nyle. That will be $3.78."

The man pays with a credit card and finds a table in the corner of the cafe to sit at.

I finally order my venti dark roast coffee. I look around the nearly full cafe and find an open seat closer to the ordering counter. Taking a seat, I pull out my phone to check my email.

Hmm... spam, spam, spam... ugh, an email from the school.

I open the email. It reads

To: GrassiM@MiltonSchools.org
From: ClemonS@MiltonSchools.org

Hello Mr. Grassi,

I am pleased to inform you that there will be a new student added to your class. Her name is Ashton DiMarco.

Please come to the front office at 8:30 am to meet the new student and her parents.

Thank you,
Mrs. Clemon

Awesome! My students, as well as I, will be very excited to have a new student in class. I can not wait to meet her.

"NYLE. A GRANDE ICED COFFEE FOR NYLE," a barista shouts out, annoyed from calling this order out for the 10th time.

Wasn't the man in front of me in line earlier named Nyle? Maybe he's still here. I look around. Oh, there he is, focused on his phone in the corner of the cafe.

I make my way over to the little nook he had found for himself and tap his shoulder.

He looks up at me and I say quickly, "I'm sorry, but I think your drink is ready. They have been calling what I believe is your name."

The man was confused momentarily and then pointed to his ear, while shaking his head. After a moment, he does a few hand gestures.

Oh! He's Deaf! I sign to him, "You're drink is ready."

Thankfully, I took a class on American Sign Language a few years ago in college.

He looks a bit surprised by my fluent signing, while looking behind me, probably at the pick-up counter. Quickly signing a thank you to me, he gets up and grabs his drink.

Well that was unusual, based off my normal, terribly boring mornings.

"One venti dark roast coffee for Mitch!" I hear called out by the same barista from a few minutes ago.

Perfect, I definitely need some caffeine to get through today.

I grab my coffee from the pick-up counter and make my way to the exit of Starbucks.

Just as I am about to open the door out of Starbucks, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around out of curiosity.

It's the man from earlier.

He signs, "Hi, thanks for earlier... I'm Nyle."