Chapter 9: Danger Averted

Jaime and David

DAVID HAD WORKED hard at learning sign language, even though he knew his signing was sometimes pretty sloppy. Jaime was proud of him and never had trouble understanding him. Usually, David could understand his son’s signs. Nonetheless, Jaime practiced what he wanted to say to his father as he prepared dinner that evening.

Jaime had taken on the responsibility of preparing dinner during the week since his father had returned to office hours most days. They planned menus together and went shopping together. Both were pretty basic in their tastes, but Jaime was a good cook.

Friday night was one of David’s favorite dishes—breaded porkchops with applesauce, butter beans, and mashed potatoes. It wasn’t really difficult to make. Jaime completed the preparations and practiced what he wanted to say. When his father got home, they sat down to the meal and David made sounds of appreciation. Before they got up from the table, Jaime held up a hand to stop his father.

“Dad, I’d like to go on a date,” Jaime signed. “Would that be okay?”

Lord, Nola. I knew this day would come. Why am I not prepared? David thought.

“Do you ... have someone in mind?” he asked aloud.

“I met a really nice girl named Keira Nolan,” Jaime signed. “I’d like to take her to a movie tomorrow if it’s okay.”

“I take it she signs?”

“We don’t have any trouble communicating,” Jaime signed as he nodded.

“Are you planning to go by bus or would you like me to drive?” Jaime had not yet gotten his license, though he had a permit and often drove with his father.

“I was thinking you’d want to meet her, and I’m sure her parents would want to meet me. How about if you drive so I could pick her up and then we can catch a bus or streetcar coming home?” he signed.

David had so many thoughts going through his mind so rapidly, it was hard for Jaime to pick out what he was really thinking. It was all confused with fear... Of what? Jaime wondered. Of me being on my own? He realized then David was worried his son would get hurt.

“If you’re sure you’re ready for this, then I’ll plan on it. Do you know the timing yet?” David said.

“I need to check the movie times and confirm with Keira,” Jaime signed.

“Then I think it would be okay,” David sighed. I hope I’ve prepared him for this. Does he know to be respectful? Will he try to push things too fast? Will he get hurt? Or hurt her?

Jaime carefully avoided responding to his father’s thoughts.

Jaime sent a text message to Keira and they agreed upon the movie and the time. Jaime checked the bus and streetcar schedule to be sure they could get home from the theater. Then he gave his father the information.

“My parents have a million questions,” Keira texted him later. “Mostly want to know how we communicate.”

“Sign. Only way Dad understands”

“Yeah. Wish I was better at it”

“I’ll share meanings with you”

“Thanks”

“See you tomorrow”

“Nite”

Jaime’s dreams were filled with thoughts of Keira. His mind wandered to the possibilities of what they might do together if they were dating steadily. He remembered his promise to Keira, so switched his thinking to the shared fantasy with Debbie as he put himself into deep sleep the usual way. Fortunately, he didn’t connect with Debbie this time.

Jaime and David and Keira and her parents

“Keira’s never dated much either,” Jaime signed to his father. “Her parents want to meet both of us.”

“I have to agree with that,” David said aloud with his hands still on the steering wheel. “Is this the place?”

Jaime pointed in the direction of Keira’s house to guide David to a parking spot. It was a nice quiet neighborhood, not unlike where Jaime lived and only a few streets over. Jaime decided at once that he could bike to Keira’s house if they wanted to just hang out.

«What do you mean by hang out?» Keira shot back from the front door.

«You know! Like go over to Ground Beans for a coffee, » Jaime explained, blushing. He could hear Keira giggling in her mind.

“Hi, Jaime. Hi, Mr. Stackhouse. I’m Keira. Please come in and meet my parents,” Keira greeted them aloud at the door.

“Lovely to meet you, Keira,” David said.

“Mom, Dad, this is Jaime and Mr. Stackhouse. These are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan,” Keira spoke aloud automatically signing to practice interpreting.

“John and June,” Keira’s father said, extending a hand. David shook it and then June’s hand.

“David,” he said.

“Come in for a cup of coffee. Do you have time, Keira?” June asked.

«We’re good for, like ten minutes, right?» she asked Jaime.

“No problem. Dad expected it,” Jaime signed

“We’ve got, like ten minutes before we need to head to the movie,” Keira said.

“Nice to meet you, Jaime,” John said as they sat in the living room and June got the coffee she had already prepared. “Is this okay, Jaime? Just speaking normally? Keira said you hear fine.”

“It’s good.” Jaime signed. David started to interpret at the same time Keira did and then shut up quickly. He was as interested in Keira’s sign language ability as her parents were.

“Keira tells us you invented a text to speech engine last year, Jaime. David, is that part of your background, too?” June asked.

“I’m in product management,” David answered. “It’s more of a marketing job than a technical job, but I need to understand the technology. Jaime and I consulted a little on establishing what his product requirements were, but the design and programming were all his own.”

“That’s interesting. Jaime, do you plan to release the product to the public? Seems like it could be useful,” John said.

“There are other text-to-speech engines which are very good,” Jaime signed. Keira interpreted, reading Jaime’s mind as much as his signs. “I wanted one that would be uniquely my voice. I haven’t even put it online for others to experiment with. I don’t want everyone speaking with my voice.”

“I never thought of that being an issue,” John said. “Very clever.”

“Well, we need to get going if I’m to get these kids to their movie on time,” David said. “Perhaps we’ll get together again sometime.”

“You kids be good. You know the rules, Keira. Home by eleven. The streetcars stop running at eleven-thirty,” June said.

“The movie’s at six-thirty,” Keira answered. “We should have plenty of time to grab a soda and get home afterward.”

Why didn’t I think to set a curfew for Jaime? David thought. Well, at least with Keira having a curfew, he’ll have to come home then. It’s just a formality. They’re both eighteen.

Twenty minutes later, David dropped the couple at the theater in plenty of time to get popcorn before the movie started.

Jaime and Keira

«Was meeting my parents too painful?» Keira asked.

«No. It was funny, though, when Dad decided you interpreted my sign language better than he did. That was when he decided we wouldn’t have any trouble communicating.»

«I was embarrassed when my dad started thinking all those protective thoughts about what he would do to you if you hurt me, » Keira said as they found seats in the theater. «I know you wouldn’t hurt me.»

«My dad had the same thoughts at home today. He constantly asks my mom if he’s doing the right thing.»

«Does she answer?»

That brought Jaime up short as he thought about his father’s mental conversations with his mother. Sometimes he thought he did hear her answer.

«I think there is a place in Dad’s brain where his memories of Mom live and he consults that. So, even when he imagines he hears her response, it’s coming from someplace inside him.»

«Wow. You’ve thought about it. Did she ever speak to you? I mean inside?»

«Once. I think. It was the first time I thought she was actually trying to think a message to me and said she loved me. It was ... right before she died.»

«Zip, that must have been so painful for you.»

«I didn’t understand what was going on. I was only four—almost five. It was later that I began to understand that she was never coming home. I’m better now.»

«I’m so glad you can share things like that with me.»

Lights came down in the theater and previews started. The auditorium was about half full and they thought this wasn’t going to be a very popular movie. Still, it sounded like a decent premise and it was likely people would be so wrapped up in it that they wouldn’t be broadcasting other thoughts.

The Summoned was about a group of high school girls who believed one of their number had been cursed. So, they decided to have a ritual and summon a demon to find out who had cursed her and to remove the curse. It was all fun and games until the demon actually appeared. It started off with a cartoonish animation of a red creature with horns, but that image soon dissolved into a high school girl like those who summoned her. She said it would make it easier to relate in that form. The newly summoned demon set off to remove the curse on the friend and to find the source.

Jaime and Keira soon tuned out both the movie and the audience so they could continue talking with each other, head-to-head.

«The hardest part is not letting other people’s thoughts affect you, » Keira said. «I guess it’s okay to camp on someone’s fantasy or even a favorite memory. I mean, high school is probably the most fertile head space in the world for picking up a fantasy and running with it. Like you did with Debbie. I’ve done it, too. I never had the contact carry over to when I got home and decided to enjoy it, though.»

«I didn’t even realize girls had that kind of thoughts until we got to high school, » Jaime said. «I thought all the fantasies I overheard were from guys. They weren’t all that interesting until I happened on a guy’s memories of actually doing it. I realized then that there was a wide gap between fantasy and memory.»

«I think it’s natural to tune into people of the same sex at first, » Keira said. «We all go through that developmental phase when the opposite sex is icky, then vaguely interesting, then possibly attractive. Maybe everyone starts life gay and we learn to be hetero or bi or something.»

«Well, when I got caught up in Wendy’s fantasy a couple of years ago, it was the first I realized that girls had some really creative fantasies. And they have actual experience with some of the parts guys find most interesting.»

«Sorry I yelled at you. I couldn’t believe you were responding to a girl’s inner fantasy in real life.»

«I got caught up in it. Isn’t that what you were talking about in not letting others’ thoughts affect you? I avoided girls entirely for a month after that, but when Mex and Cheery started dating and making out, it was hard to shut them up. I made a concentrated effort not to listen to their thoughts. They’re my friends and it seemed like a real invasion of privacy. You know?»