S I G N S

Chapter 7

After work on Friday, Jennie rushed back to her apartment and quickly changed, before heading towards thirty-first street. It was already dark by the time she made it to The Pen. She'd left early to make sure she wasn't late, but as she walked closer she could see the outline of Lisa, silhouetted by the lights from the bar.

Jennie waved as she approached, a shy smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Lisa's face lit up as she took a step towards Jennie.

"Hi, you're early," Lisa greeted her, moving to give Jennie a quick hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek. Jennie blinked, slightly taken aback by Lisa's affection. A goofy smile lit up her face, as she pulled out her phone.

'Looks like you beat me to it'

Lisa laughed, "The habit of making sure I'm not late to business meetings," she said with a roll of her eyes. She motioned for Jennie to go inside first, her other hand gently lingering on Jennie's back as she ushered her into the bar.

It was fancy, Jennie could tell straight away. She felt panicky inside, maybe this was a date, and if it was, she was way underprepared. A woman greeted them as they walked in, and once Lisa gave her her name, led them to a private, circular booth in the corner.

They sat at right angles to each other. Not quite opposite, but not right next to each other either. Jennie felt Lisa staring at her as she studied the drinks menu. She looked up at Lisa, gesturing towards the wine list. Lisa moved in closer, brushing her hair back with her long fingers. They settled on a bottle of rosé wine.

After the server set the bottle and two glasses down, Lisa turned to Jennie. She looked like she was debating whether or not to tell Jennie something, a small crease forming between her eyebrows.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I bought you something," Lisa began, pulling something out of her bag. It was a little whiteboard and a marker. "I don't want you to think that I think it's an inconvenience, having to type everything out, but I thought this might be easier until my sign language gets better, I'm-" Lisa continued.

Jennie put a hand on Lisa's arm, interrupting her rambling. She picked up the marker and wrote something down.

'It's perfect, thank you'

She quickly wiped it away with the eraser attached to the end of the marker. She smiled widely at Lisa, touched by her thoughtfulness.

Lisa shifted uncomfortably, hesitating before she spoke. "I don't want to pry, but were you born this way, or..." she trailed off at the end, waiting for Jennie to reply.

'It's caused by extreme trauma. I was in a car crash with my parents when I was 12'

Jennie held it up for Lisa, before wiping it off and continuing.

'I watched them die, and I haven't been able to talk since. The doctor's said it's called Mutism, it's a PTSD reaction to the trauma'

Lisa sat there speechless for a moment. This time it was her who took Jennie's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Jennie gave her a sad smile, squeezing her hand back.

'It was a long time ago'

"I was adopted when I was four, you know," Lisa confided in Jennie, "I was too young to even remember anything other than my family, and I don't want to sound like I'm being ungrateful, but sometimes I wonder about what my life could've been like, especially when I see my mom."

Jennie thought back to the gala. She couldn't imagine growing up with a mom like that. It must have been hard for Lisa, being put up for adoption by one mom and then adopted by an unloving mother. She sent silent thanks to Eliza and Jeremiah for all the love and support they had shown Jennie since they had adopted her.