Chapter 2

I did have to do laundry today as well as get some things ready for school. I spent the morning doing these chores as well as cutting the grass and cleaning out under the deck. By then, I had just enough time to wash the car and get a shower.

Six o'clock found me standing at the Peterson's front door. Mr. Peterson opened the door for me and asked me to come in. "Karen will be down in a few minutes."

"That's fine sir. I don't mind."

We sat down in the living room, Mr. Peterson took what was probably his favorite chair, and I was opposite him on the couch.

"Karen said she had a great time yesterday. She was bubbling about it all evening."

"Yes sir, we had a great time. We did ride a lot of the rides, had some good food and laughed a whole lot."

Mr. Peterson chuckled. "I figured you did more than just sit around. We just won't tell my wife. She seems to think that because Karen can't hear, she is incapable of anything else. And all that lust and perversion that was there. I disagree, but chose not to say much because Karen didn't seem to mind. But now, she has you to go out with. Tell me, what do you think of Karen?"

The question startled me. I thought for a few seconds, and decided to answer truthfully. "Well, I find her very bright and funny, she has a quick mind, and once she gets past the fear of someone thinking bad of her, very personable. And if you don't mind me saying so, she is the prettiest girl I have ever met."

This seemed to please him, and we switched to other subjects until we heard Karen coming down the stairs. I turned to see her and lost my ability to breath. She was dressed in a short black skirt and hose, and a simple pink top that buttoned up the front. She looked very elegant without being over dressed. I did notice that there was a pink tint to her usually pale skin. Even with all the sunblock, she had a bit of a sunburn.

I walked over and took her hand. "You look fabulous."

She ducked her head and smiled. We walked out to the car and after buckling her up and getting a kiss for my trouble, we headed to the restaurant. When we walked in, I could see the eyes of most of the males following Karen as the host led us to our table.

As we were seated, Karen looked around and saw all the men glancing at her. She signed that she was wondering what was wrong since everyone was staring. I signed back that the men were wishing they were with her, and the women were just jealous. I also added that I imagine there would be some sore shins from the guys getting kicked under the table for staring. She blushed and then started to giggle.

We talked until the waiter showed up. Then, it was little pieces of conversation with her trying to keep from laughing out loud when I started to critique the other diners in her line of sight. She did have to stop signing to eat and she got used to speaking instead since no one was paying attention to her voice.

Dinner was a success as was the movie. I let her pick the movie and it was a romantic drama with lots of spicy scenes to keep my interest. Being a foreign film, it had nudity (which I enjoyed) and subtitles (so she could keep up). After the lights had gone down, I put my arm around her and she leaned against me. As the action on screen heated up, she grabbed my hand. I don't think she noticed what she was doing since she was very intent on the movie, but her hand was slowly moving mine further up her leg.

By the time the climax of the film was over, she had pulled our hands almost to her crotch. She suddenly looked down and saw how far she had pulled my hand up. She got very embarrassed and jerked her hand off of mine. In a fit of horniness, instead of immediately pulling back, I slowly trailed my hand back down enjoying the feel of her inner thigh clear down to her knee. Then, I moved my hand up to her cheek. When she looked at me, I moved in and kissed her tenderly.

She moaned deep in her throat and returned the kiss with a passion that gave me a glimpse of what she must be feeling. We broke the kiss and she surprised me when she pulled the arm that had been around her lower, to where I could feel the hard nubbin poking out of the front of her blouse. After a quick look around for any observers, I ignored the rest of the movie concentrating instead on the firm roundness of her right breast as my fingers traced patterns all over the surface of her blouse.

When the credits rolled and the house lights came up, we separated and tried to get ourselves in order. She was smoothing out her blouse and skirt and I was trying to will my prominent erection to subside so I could walk out of the theater without embarrassing us. She looked over at my crotch, then smiled and settled back until the place was almost empty.

We walked out hand in hand. That simple touch seemed so comfortable. We stayed in the parking lot talking a little and kissing a lot. We stayed there longer than we had planned and too soon, I had to get her home. Since this had been her first date, she had an eleven o'clock curfew. I drove into my own driveway and parked. We then got out of my car and I walked her to her door. We had time for just a few kisses before the porch light came on. She gave a nervous giggle and with one final kiss, she turned and went inside. I walked by to my own house without ever having my feet touch the ground.

I started school the next week. Senior year was going to be interesting. It was supposed to be an 'easy' year, but my counselor had convinced me that I needed to take a couple of advanced classes in order to boost my final grades that year. The scholarship I was working on for the University of Colorado was dependent on my grades and classes. These two classes could secure a full ride, so it would really help my parents (and me) if I could pull it off.

All I could do was wave at Karen the first day when I got home. The second was a quick hello signed across the yard. By the third day, she must have missing me as much as I was her. I looked over as I got out of my car Wednesday afternoon. I saw her on her porch and waved. She glanced over at the window to see her mother standing there watching her back. She turned so her mom couldn't see her hands and signed, Leave your computer on tonight after dinner.

I nodded and smiled, then waved again and went into the house. I went up and started on my homework immediately. I was pretty much done before dinner. I was reading Melville's "Moby Dick" for an assignment when the computer chimed and a new name popped up on the screen. Someone called StoneDefFox1118 was trying to talk to me.

I figured out who it was immediately and added the name to my friends list. Then, I IM'd her:

I shut the message center down after I saved the chat log for her. I went back to reading. But instead of thinking about great white whales and ships, I was thinking of Karen in a bikini. I finally gave up and went to bed, with Karen on my mind and my cock in my hand.

Our second date went as well as the first. This time, we went to the Blue Castle hamburger joint and then to play miniature golf. The Blue Castle was the local hangout for all the high school kids. Karen tensed when she saw all the other teens who were there, but allowed me to lead her in. We placed our order and while we were waiting, Larry walked up with Lisa. I introduced Karen and we talked a moment or two with Karen watching intently. Larry leaned over and said quietly, "Damn Dave. This girl is a fox. When you pick them, you pick them sexy."

Karen turned bright red and Larry noticed it. Then she surprised him by thanking him for the compliment. I just laughed. Larry asked if she had heard him.

"She didn't hear you. Karen is deaf and she reads lips. So you better watch what you whisper."

Larry then laughed as well and apologized for the remark. Lisa good-naturedly ribbed him the rest of the time we were there and Karen enjoyed watching it all.

The miniature golf was fun as well. It was a trip to watch Karen as she would concentrate on a shot. With her head down and her cute little tongue between her lips, she would try and time the putt through whatever obstacle that was her nemesis at the time. She made a hole-in-one on the last hole and earned a free game. The way she was bouncing around you thought she had one the lottery.

We decided to save that game for another time and left. We drove around a bit then parked in a shaded area and once again ended up making out like mad, feeling each other through our clothes and above the waist. I was letting her set the pace, but she was moving faster than I would have thought. She had my hands rubbing over her breasts and before long she moved my hands down to her thighs and ass as well.

A month after school started, I got a call from Gary Norton. He was on the football team when I had torn my knee apart last year when a couple of linebackers landed on me. I missed playing, but didn't want to take a chance of being crippled. The reason for his call was to make sure I was coming to the homecoming game and the dance afterwards.

I almost said no since my ex-girlfriend was dating the school's best receiver and she would be there. The breakup had been nasty and she had been pretty vindictive since school had started. He really wanted me to come and since we had been friends since the fifth grade, I told him I would think about it.

When Karen came on the chat, I asked her about it. She tried to get me to go without her since she was afraid that they all would make fun of her. After about an hour, I wasn't making too much progress. I decided to try a different tactic.

We signed off after making plans to go to the game and the dance. Since it wasn't a formal, Karen didn't have to buy a dress, and after asking, decided she had something that would work.

It had turned cool so we wore jeans and jackets to the game. I explained what was happening on the field. During the game, she was cheering along with everyone else. I asked how she knew when to cheer and when to groan since she didn't know the game. She signed that she was keeping an eye on some girls in front of us and could tell what to do by their reactions. I gave her a kiss and turned back to the game, thinking of how observant she was.

After Gary made an interception and ran the ball back for a fifty-two yard TD for the win, we headed to the locker room entrance to meet Gary and the rest of my former teammates. Allison, Gary's girlfriend, was waiting there as well. I introduced her to Karen, who smiled and waved. Allie looked a little puzzled. "Shy?"

"In a way, Allie. She is deaf like my brother and is afraid that people will be put off by how she talks."

She turned so Karen could read her lips. "If she has captured a hunk like you, then she is already alright in my book. Karen? Don't worry, we won't make fun of you or think badly of you. Okay?"

Karen screwed up her courage and answered quietly. "Okay. I'm glad to meet you Allie."

Allie smiled widely at her. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? And you don't sound bad at all. It is just like an accent or something."

"Yeah, I guess so. And I agree, he is quite a hunk isn't he?"

I tried to be indignant. "Hey! Don't embarrass the hunk while he is here."

Karen just popped me on the butt and laughed with Allie.

With the ice broken, the meetings with Greg and the rest of the team went well. Karen

was very nervous at first, but relaxed when the group paid no attention to her hearing loss.

The next night, Saturday, was the Homecoming Dance. I went over to pick up Karen and Karen's mom answered the door. "You might as well come in. I don't know why you are insisting on embarrassing my daughter, but she will be down in a minute."

I was a little upset about that remark. "Mrs. Peterson, I have no intention of embarrassing your daughter. We are going to my homecoming dance, nothing worse. I don't understand."

"I just don't know why you would want to take a handicapped child out and let her make a fool of herself. She doesn't need you parading her around letting other people find out she is a freak."

Now I was downright mad. I saw Mr. Peterson emerge from the living room after hearing his wife's raised voice, but by now, I was mad enough not to watch myself. "Mrs. Peterson, your daughter is a warm and loving girl who I am nuts about. She is bright, funny and a great person to be around. So she is deaf. My brother is as well, so I am used to it. My friends all know what that means and what they have to do to make it easier for her. And that isn't much. Just make sure she knows you are talking to her and make sure she can see your face. Karen is an excellent lip reader. So please don't talk down about her when I am around. I think I am falling for her in a big way and it really upsets me to see someone put her down."

Karen's mom started to take umbrage with me, but her husband stopped her. "He is right, you know. I have watched our daughter, our hearing impaired daughter, come to life since we moved here. She is gaining some self-confidence, which is good. I think Dave here is good for her. She is almost eighteen and an adult. Now lets get out of the way so our daughter's boyfriend can take her to a school dance"

Mrs. Peterson was still fuming, but her husband led her away and into the living room. As they moved off, I saw that Karen had been standing where she could have read everything that was said.

She came running into my arms. I gave her a big hug, then moved her back so she could see my face. "I'm sorry..." but she put her finger to my lips and motioned me out the door. We got in the car and she snapped the belt in place and said "Get me away from here."

I did as she asked and we took off toward the restaurant where we were going to eat. The drive was silent until I parked. Then she lost it.

"I can't believe she said those things about me. You must think I really AM a freak after that. I mean, I saw what you said back, but you have to hate me after the way that my mother talked to you." She was crying quietly, trying to hold it in.

I reached over and took her hand in mine. She finally looked up at me so I could talk to her. "Karen, you must believe everything I said was true. You've got to believe me you are all those things I said - and more. I'm sorry if I got you in trouble, but it just burns me up when she was talking about you like that."

"Dave, you are the sweetest guy in the world. I really appreciate you doing that. And when you said you might be falling for me, was that true too?" Her eyes held a hopeful and somewhat scared look.

"Actually, that wasn't completely true. You see, there is no 'maybe' about it; I have already fallen completely in love with you. I was just scared to say anything because I didn't know if you were feeling the same."

I got my answer in a split second when she launched herself over the console and into my arms. "Oh God, Dave... I have been in love with you since the first time you came over and talked to me. I'm just so glad that you feel the same way." There were more tears, but this time they were ones of joy.

I let her cry it out, then suggested that we go in and eat. Karen's response was to suggest they get a quick burger so she could fix her makeup and then go on to the dance. I agreed, and as I went in and ordered, Karen slipped into the bathroom and fixed her makeup. She didn't wear much, mainly because she didn't need it, and she was out in just a few minutes. We quickly ate sitting as close as we could get, then headed out for the dance. When we got into the car, I reached over to buckle her in, then realized that she had done it herself when we left her house. In answer to my question, she responded "Of course. I had it figured out after the second time you did it. I just enjoyed you touching me."

She just giggled when I complained about 'devious women'. Then I gave her a kiss anyway and we drove to the dance.

My regular gang was already there when we walked in. Karen looked fantastic in a dark green midi skirt and a light gray blouse. The guys started acting up much to the amusement and a few dirty looks from their girlfriends. Allie came right up and hugged Karen and immediately started jabbering at her. We all found a couple of tables and started to hold court.

When the music started, Karen asked if we could dance. I was surprised but took her hand out to the floor. I had been worried that the dark floor would bother her and not hearing the music would be a problem. I was pleasantly surprised when she showed a great sense of the rhythm. During a break, Allie asked her about it.

"Even though I can't hear the music, I can feel the beat of the bass and drums. I just move to that. The slow songs, I just follow Dave's lead."

We all had a good laugh about that. The rest of the evening passed with Karen having a great time. Only one problem occurred and that was when my ex-girlfriend came walking by. Karen and Allie were laughing when Allie spotted Candice coming up to the table. She stopped and taking the cue, so did Karen.

Candice had strutted up to the table with Jeremy Wilson. She sneered down at me as I leaned back in my chair. "I heard that after I dumped you, the best you could do was some dumb bitch who can't hear. Taking out the handicapped now?"

I started to get up, but Karen held me back. Instead, she stood and leaned over the table. "I consider my hearing loss a far lesser handicap than having my brains in my bra like you. If you had bothered to stop and rub those two brain cells together, you might have had a thought in which you would have realized that Dave dumped you because you were nothing more than arm candy, looking for a way to be popular. You tried to use Dave to get in with the "in" crowd and when he got hurt, he found out what a fraud you are."

Candice sneered back, saying, "I think you insulted me, but the way you talk, I'm not sure"

Allie stood up. She was known to be a real tiger around school and had beaten the hell out of one guy who tried to rape her. "Maybe I can explain it so even a stupid slut like you can understand. Karen has twice as much class than you will ever have. Now go and get your kneepads so you can give your daily performance."

Candice started to say something else, but the band started up again and we couldn't hear her. Then Karen signed something to me and I busted out laughing. I nodded my head in response. Candice just stood there, looking confused. I told her she had met her match and she should leave now while she was still had a little dignity intact.