Alterity

Chapter Six

I finally manage to catch Mrs. Sig in her office after sixth period. Out of breath from running here, I knock on the small glass window on her door. She looks up at me from her laptop, confused, and waves me inside.

            "Hey there, Erik." She says. "There something I can do for you?"

            "Yes, actually." I say, taking a seat in the chair across from her desk. "You know American Sign Language, right?"

            She nods. "Yes, I used to be a teacher for the deaf. Why?"

            "I was wondering." I clear my throat. "If you could teach me?"

            Mrs. Sig smiles. "I'm delighted you're interested in learning Sign Language, Erik! Unfortunately, becoming fluent in ASL is a four-to-six-year commitment and I don't have time to teach you."

            "Oh. Ok." I sigh.

"Sorry, Erik. I'd advise you to check out some good websites like Lifeprint.com and to find yourself a tutor or some local classes!" She says.

"Life what?" I ask.

"Lifeprint." She repeats. "Great site. I'm sure YouTube has many videos as well, but I can't stress enough the importance of getting a teacher, tutor or signing up for classes. You can always tell when someone is self-taught, in my opinion.

I nod. "Ok. I'll look into it. Thanks, Mrs. Sig."

"Happy to help! Also, I've been working on getting ASL added as a language course here at TDS for a while now. Who knows, maybe by next year, you could be in a class right here."

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"Absolutely not!" Dad barks, nearly spilling his drink on the table.

"But Mrs. Sig said it's super important to take classes or find a tutor!" I say.

"I don't care what she said, we cannot afford that!" Says Dad. "Look around, Erik. Does our apartment look like a place where people with lots of extra money lying around live?"

"I could get a job or something!"

"No to that too! Your number one focus needs to be school, and with your disability, that tends to require extra help on the side, so any money towards tutors will be going towards that."

"But, Dad!" I whine.

"Don't start." He points his finger at me. "You're in high school now and that means your grades count. I want you to be able to go to college when the time comes and not have that choice made for you."

Dad sips and sets his beer down. "I'm sorry, Erik. I'm thrilled you're so passionate about learning a new language but this just isn't the time. Unless it's one you're learning as part of your high school curriculum—and free—the answer is no."

I open my mouth to argue but can't think of what to say, I'm so frustrated and upset. I look to Mom, who is sitting quietly with her hands tightly clasping her napkin. She half smiles and shrugs her shoulders, which is her way of saying I agree with your father.

"Fine!" I shout back. I bang my fist on the table, which makes the glasses shake and leaves Aiden covering his ears and rocking.

            "Hey!" Mom yells, but I've already stormed off and into my room, angrily slamming the door behind me and burying my face in my pillow to scream until my lungs and throat are burning.