Chapter 29
On Monday, Jessica stood by her decree that Taylor take she and Avery to their dance class. When they walked in the door, Avery quickly pulled Taylor over to a very pretty girl with blond hair and a bright smile. "This is my brother T-A-Y-L-O-R..." She signed to the girl. "Tay, this is Allison's sister Shelly. She's deaf."
"Oh no...." He said to Avery and he looked over at the girl. "Hi S-H-E-L-L-Y." He signed.
Jessica walked up just then and told Avery it was time for class. She smiled at Taylor in a way that made him feel like he'd just fallen into her trap. And he had. For the rest of the hour that his sisters spent in their dance lesson, he got to know Shelly. She told him that he signed well for a beginner and they made plans to get together sometime so that she could help him improve his skills. She worked with the deaf students at the Tulsa School for Exceptional Children as a volunteer in her spare time. When Allison, Jessica and Avery were finished, they stood at the door and looked out the windows at the two of them conversing with their hands. Whatever Taylor had just said to Shelly had struck her as very funny and Jessica smiled when she saw her put her hand on Taylor's shoulder. "Avie," she said, "call Mom and ask if it's ok if we invite Allison and Shelly over for awhile."
Then she reached in her bag and pulled out the cell phone she'd inherited from Taylor. In moments Avery was grinning and telling Jessica "permission granted."
When the girls came out, Taylor and Shelly stood up and began to put on their coats. "Tay, can Allison come over for awhile? Mom said it was ok." Jessica looked up at him.
He signed back, "I don't know, it's almost eight o'clock and it's a school night."
"Please? Her mom said it was ok." Avery added.
Allison was signing to Shelly. "I called Mom and she said we could go to the H-A-N-S-O-N-S I want to see their new dog."
"Oh Lord." Jessica mumbled.
Shelly looked at Taylor. "Did you get a new puppy?" She signed.
He shook his head. "It's not a P-U-P-P-Y. A little M-U-T-T. His name is S-P-A-R-K-Y."
She smiled and looked at Allison then back to Taylor. "Is it OK?"
He nodded and opened the door for the girls.
~~~~
Zac had gone to a 5:30 movie with Mackenzie. Isaac had dropped them off and their father had picked them up. They pulled in just after the Cherokee and he watched as Avery, Jessica, and two other girls got out. Leave it to Taylor to leave the house with two girls and come back with four. He couldn't believe there were actually people out there who thought he was gay. Walker and Zac got out and Taylor and the girls walked up to them.
"This is Allison," Jessica said, "and this is her sister Shelly."
"Hi Allison, it's nice to meet you." Walker said. "You too, Shelly."
When she began to sign, Zac and his father were both taken by surprise and it took a moment for them to begin to watch her hands. "...want to meet S-P-A-R-K-Y."
Zac laughed, "Did you say you want to meet Sparky?!" She looked at him a little puzzled, and Taylor realized in the dim light she probably hadn't been able to read his lips.
He touched Zac on the arm, then signed, "S-H-E-L-L-Y can't hear."
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Zac said and he turned to her and signed the same question. She smiled and nodded. He signed and said, "I hope they warned you about him. He is C-R-E-E-P-Y."
Taylor smacked him on the arm. "He is NOT!!" They all laughed and turned to go into the warm house.
~~~~
Sparky had not been happy. Every chair in the living room was taken up with Christmas presents or wrapping paper or any of the other clutter that went along with the holidays. He hadn't been able to get a moments peace now that Zoe had decided that he was a "baby" and his growls were "baby crying" which caused many unwelcome hugs and much comforting. Taylor, the love of his life, had all but disappeared lately and his only solace was to get the socks his master discarded at night and snuggle up on his bed with them. Though Zac or Isaac would have called them "stinky," to Sparky they were a little bit of heaven.
Just as Diana was about to save the little dog from the mothering of her nearly two year old daughter, Sparky's ears stood up and he looked at the door. Taylor was on his way home. She and Walker had been so worried about him lately that they had pretty much decided they had no choice but to send him for counseling of some sort. She'd hoped somehow that with the love and support of his family that he'd be able to cope with everything, but she'd had to admit to herself that, perhaps, it just wasn't enough.
When she heard the Cherokee pull in the driveway, she smiled. Sparky was never wrong. Moments later the van pulled in as well. She and Zoe's quiet time was over. Eight people filed in through the back door. Zac proceeded to look in the refrigerator and came back out with a Dr. Pepper for himself and a juice box for Mack. Avery, Jessica and their friend proceeded to the stairs and disappeared into the fortress of solitude hidden behind the "No Boys Allowed" sign that was tacked to the door.
"Di," Walker said, "you've met Shelly, right?"
She nodded, then smiled at the girl. Shelly waved at her but before Diana could say anything, Zac asked Shelly if she'd like something to drink. She signed, "C-O-K-E" and he set about the task of serving his guest.
Taylor thumped his foot and Zac looked at him. "What about me?" He asked.
"You live here, get it yourself." Taylor shook his head, then took off his coat and took Shelly's as well.
They made their way to the living room. Sparky was standing on the couch, tail wagging, watching Taylor's every move. Taylor picked him up and held him like a baby. His fat little belly was nearly hairless and covered with spots. Taylor scratched him under his chin and he smiled. Zac burst out laughing, then looked at Shelly and signed, "Have you ever seen anything so B-I-Z-A-R-R-E in your life?!"
She grinned and signed back, "I love him, he's P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S." She stroked the little dog. He was so content to be in Taylor's arms he didn't even bother to protest.
Diana was amazed watching her sons, knowing not long ago, they'd known nothing about sign language. Now, they were able to carry on a conversation with a person who had been deaf since birth. She watched as they walked around the Christmas tree. Shelly would point to things she found interesting and one or both would tell her something about it's origins. She wondered if Shelly had the same problem some reporters had when the boys used to talk over each other in interviews. She smiled thinking, in a family this size, it was just a matter of survival. Though Taylor could no longer speak, he'd gotten an ear piercing whistle down perfectly. Luckily, he didn't have to use it often, but when he did, it could be a real showstopper.
After much talking and laughter, Shelly told Taylor she and Allison needed to get home. While Taylor went to tell his mother, Zac asked Shelly for her e-mail address and she'd gladly given it. He'd thought her pretty and very funny anyway, but when he'd discovered she was only fifteen, she'd become irresistible.
From that night on, Taylor
and Zac had something new to fight about, internet time.
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