Hometown Chapter Three
Today we got back a quiz that we took a few days ago. I was really nervous about the grade because the teacher put some things on the quiz that she never mentioned. Although, she wrote some stuff on the board but she never said anything else about it. I really hope she is not one of those teachers who put a bunch of random things on a test and will not go over it. She handed them out and then classes kept going.
I started taking notes as usual. But she did it again. I watched her turn around, write some names on the board, and that was it. There was nothing said about them when she turned around. Nothing at all. Hopefully she won't put that on the next quiz. But I haven't known a teacher who will put stuff up on the board and it not show up on a test.
Thankfully this class was over and I started packing my things up.
"Talulah, please stay after class," the teacher said as I looked up.
I started blushing why on earth does she want to see me.
"Please call me Talli," I said.
"I noticed on the quiz that you left several things blank on the quiz. Did you not know them or did you skip over them and mean to come back to them," she asked.
"I knew the names; you wrote them on the board but I never heard anything that went with the names," I stated, "like in class you turned your back to the board and wrote names down but you didn't say anything about them."
"Sounds like you never heard me. Were you paying attention," she asked sternly.
"Yes ma'am I always do," I said.
"Okay. You said your mother was deaf. Are you deaf," she asked concerned.
"Not that I know of," I said trying not let a laugh out.
"I want you to go get your hearing checked," she said.
"I don't need to do that," I stated.
"I called your name several times before you answered me," she complained.
"I don't even know where to go for that," I said.
"Go into the next town and see an ear, nose, and throat doctor," she said.
"But," I said.
"I want you to. If you have deafness in your family then you could be deaf," the teacher said.
"Fine," I grumbled.
"You are free to go," she said.
I grabbed my bag and stormed out of the room. That teacher is crazy. There is no way I am deaf. I just couldn't hear her in class and then I wasn't paying attention at the end of class. She is the only trouble I have with teachers. Other than that it doesn't matter. Thankfully school was over for the day. I sat in the sun and tried to relax. I sat by my bike that was laying on the ground and I watched the lacrosse practice that was about to start.
"Hey," someone yelled.
I looked up and saw the lacrosse coach.
"Yes," I asked.
"Have you ever played before," he asked.
"No, not really," I said.
"Do you know how to play," coach asked.
"I have an idea," I said, "I've only touched a lacrosse stick once."
"Do you wanna play," he asked, "join the team?"
"I don't know," I said unsure.
"At least think about it," he said.
"Okay I will," I said.
"Okay, let me know soon," he said and walked away, "ask you parents too."
I just got asked to be on a lacrosse team!! I smiled to myself. I have done pretty good today. I have carried on two conversations with two different people today. That's the most I've talked in a while. It was exciting but a part of me wanted to just go hide and not talk to any one.
I got home and the tv was on in the living room.
"I'm home, I said as I walked to the kitchen.
I looked in the cabinets to see what I could cook. I guess I could do pizza. It would be quick and easy so, I got started.
"Talli," dad screamed.
I jumped and spun around. He has scared me. I didn't even hear him come in the room. Come to think about it, I didn't hear the shower running at all.
"Why are you yelling at me," I asked.
"I have been calling you from the back of the house. I thought someone had broken in," he said.
I really looked at dad and noticed he was wet.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you," I said.
"Okay, well I am going to finish my shower," he said upset.
"Okay," I said.
I finished making the pizza and we sat down to eat.
"How was school," dad asked once we sat down.
"Fine, I guess," I said as I shrugged my shoulders.
"Anything happen today," he asked.
"A teacher told me to go get my hearing check," I said as watched his reaction.
"And why is that," he asked as he got upset.
"Cause every time she turns her back to the board I cannot hear her," I stated, "the coach asked me to join the lacrosse team today!"
"That doesn't mean anything. I bet there are other kids like that. She is probably a soft spoken teacher. That's great! Are you wanting to join," he said.
"Everyone made a good grade on the quiz except for me," I stated, "maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to see about my hearing. I have even noticed a change in it. I don't know."
"I'm sure you are just over reacting," he said as he rolled his eye, "you should join the team."
"Yeah I guess so. I don't know. I've never played before," I said.
"Just try it. You might enjoy it," dad said.
"Eh," I sighed as I shrugged my shoulders.
After dinner I cleaned and went to go finish homework. I noticed I had one box that still hadn't been unpacked I'm my room. I groaned as got up from my desk and we to dig through it. The box contained stuff I had never seem before. It looked like it had some more of day's journals but then there was a wooden box in there. I picked it up and went to sit on my bed. I got comfy and then opened the lid to it. It contained pictures of me and mom. I was so excited to find more pictures of mom and me. I had found some but I had to put them back. Then dad hid them somewhere. But I could hid all this from him. He didn't have to know about this. I dug rough the pictures and I was in all of them. Then I found one of dad, mom, and me. I was smiling from ear to ear as I looked up at mom. I noticed we were sitting in some kind of room. Mom's face was red like she had been crying but she was smiling. Dad was in background. He didn't look that happy but he looked content. I looked on the back of the picture to see if this was from anything special and it was. "Talli's reaction from turning on hearing aides!" What? Is this true? Did I really have hearing aides when I was little?! I dug around the box a little more and sure enough there was a tiny pair of hearing aides. No wonder I have struggled through school all these years. Dad probably wanted to ignore the my hearing problem after everything he went through with mom. He just doesn't want to accept deafness or whatever. I just remind him to much of her or I hope so. I found another picture of me. This one was taken from the side. My hair was in a small ponytail and you could see the hearing aide. You could tell I was smiling and pointing at something. I flipped the picture around and it read, "Talli at the park". I then flipped it around again and sure enough I was at the park and pointing at the slide. Even as a kid with hearing loss, I still looked happy as ever. Of course mom was still alive then.