I will.
Then Austin leaned down and kissed her on the lips, right there in front of everyone, waved to her family, and left. Her mother began to tidy the room in an aggressive manner designed to attract attention. Finally, Charlie returned her gaze.
What was that? her mother said.
What?
Her mother tilted her head toward the door.
Mom, you’ve met him.
Yes, but—
But what? Me dating a Deaf guy makes it harder for you to live in your fantasy world?
Her mother reddened, and Charlie held up a hand to halt any response she was preparing.
No. No more of this until I get to talk to the doctor about exactly how fried my brain is.
Did we find an interpreter? she asked her father, who had reentered the room.
Her mother dropped back into her chair as if she’d been shoved.
I think your brain’s fine, said her father.
No thanks to you, Charlie thought, though she realized he was probably right: things were clearer to her now than they ever had been. The old battles were still raging and her father couldn’t protect her. No one could.
february was in the shower when her cover was blown. She’d been standing under the pulsing water tweaking the speech she would give at the summit when Mel stuck her head into the steaming bathroom, delivering the news almost sweetly: A Realtor is here to take photos to list our house. He says the school district sent him. Care to comment?
February wrenched the water off and stepped out of the shower, wide-eyed. Unsurprisingly, Mel’s saccharine tone was not mirrored in her facial expression.
I—
February strained to reach her towel from its hook on the back of the door. She still had soap on her arm and swiped it away.
What the fuck is going on?
February hung her head.
Mel, I’m so sorry.
Fuck sorry. What is happening?
River Valley’s closing. I didn’t know how to tell you.
You didn’t know how?
I tried! I just couldn’t deal.
How you “deal” is by talking to your wife about a life-altering event.
I know, you’re right.
Or at least have the common courtesy to let me know I’m being evicted from my own damn house!
You’re right.
How long have you known? Mel said.
February shuddered.
Since the district meeting, she said, though it had been even longer.
Jesus Christ. December?
I’m so sorry, babe. Really.
Who else knows?
No one. Phil. And Henry. He was the terp at the meeting.
Your teachers?
February shook her head.
Swall and I have to tell them at the faculty meeting tomorrow.
Wanda?
Though she was looking down at her feet, she could feel the weight of Mel’s eyes.
I—
Oh for fuck’s sake, said Mel.
She slammed the bathroom door on her way out. February hurried to pull on her robe and go after her, but when she got down the stairs, there was only a bewildered-looking man in a sport coat, holding a tape measure and a digital camera.
Ma’am? If this is a bad time I can come back later.
No, please, said February with ire in her voice and a sweeping grand gesture toward the living room. Now’s just perfect.
After the Realtor left, February wrote a long, convoluted text to Mel, saying she was sorry, and that she was going to stay in Old Quarters so they had space until Mel was ready to talk, and sorry one more time. It was hard to say whether Mel would see this as a courtesy or just another selfish move on February’s part, but she didn’t know what else to do. She had to deal with her teachers on Monday, and couldn’t be fighting this war on two fronts. She packed a suitcase and wheeled it down the street toward campus.
deaf president now
Most of you have probably seen the phrase, but what do you know about the “Deaf President Now” movement? Despite being the first Deaf university in the world, Gallaudet had never had a Deaf president before, and in March 1988 that was finally about to change. The Board of Trustees was slated to choose the next president from a list of three finalist candidates, two Deaf, one hearing.
In the lead-up to the board meeting, students and faculty had been campaigning and rallying in support of a Deaf president.
THE CANDIDATES
DR. ELIZABETH ZINSER, hearing, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at University of North Carolina
DR. HARVEY CORSON, Deaf, Superintendent of the Louisiana School for the Deaf
DR. I. KING JORDAN, Deaf, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Gallaudet
On March 6th, the board selected Zinser. No announcement was made. Students found out only after visiting the school’s PR office to extract the information.
Students marched to the Mayflower hotel to confront the Board. Chair Jane Spilman defended the selection to the crowd, reportedly saying, “deaf people can’t function in the hearing world.”
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
MARCH 7TH: Students hot-wire buses to barricade campus gates, only allowing certain people on campus. Students meet with Board, no concessions made. Protesters march to the Capitol.
MARCH 8TH: Students burn effigies, form a 16-member council of students, faculty, and staff to organize the movement.
THE FOUR DEMANDS:
Zinser’s resignation and the selection of a Deaf president
Resignation of Jane Spilman
A 51% Deaf majority on the Board of Trustees
No reprisals against protesters
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
MARCH 9TH: Movement grows, gains widespread national support. Protest is featured on ABC’s Nightline.
MARCH 10TH: Jordan, who’d previously conceded to Zinser’s appointment, joins the protests, saying “the four demands are justified.” Protests receive endorsements from national unions and politicians.
DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!
MARCH 10TH: Zinser resigns.
MARCH 11TH: 2,500 march on Capitol Hill, bearing a banner that says “We still have a dream.”
MARCH 13: Spilman resigns, Jordan is announced president. Protesters receive no punishments, DPN is hailed as a success and one of the precursors to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act （ADA）。
charlie spent a few days at home recuperating after she was released from the hospital, her teachers emailing her well wishes and assignments so she wouldn’t fall behind. Headmistress even set up a special video chat to walk her through the latest lesson, about the protests at Gallaudet. Charlie marveled at the students’ ability to organize so quickly and managed to pull out of Headmistress Waters a lengthy explanation of a thing called “hot-wiring.” She bet this was something Slash knew how to do, but it hadn’t occurred to her that there could be Deaf Slashes.
She missed being on campus, but mostly she was glad about the arrangement; she had a bald chunk of head complete with Frankenstein stitches that she wasn’t in a hurry to show off. And she was so tired all the time. Simple things like helping load the dishwasher or finishing a math worksheet had her crawling back to the couch, blanket pulled up to her chin. It could take days for the effects of the anesthesia to wear off, the doctor had cautioned her. Then there was the body’s own healing to attend to.
After a week, though, she felt more herself, even had the presence of mind to try for civility with her mother on the drive to Colson Children’s. The doctor checked her wound, said it was healing nicely, made an asinine joke about how it was very chic to shave a piece of one’s head these days. It seemed as if they might all escape the outing unscathed. But as the doctor was wrapping up his additional guidance on aftercare—prescribing more ointment to use until the stitches were removed—Charlie noticed her mother turning vaguely purple in her periphery, as if she was holding her breath.