Standing before me was the Emily I knew and loved, the kind, wonderful person with a heart of gold. Even through my tears I could see the light from her soul emitting through her eyes. We'd hurt each other so very badly but in the course of a fraction of a second all had been forgiven. I knew someday we'd have to sit down and discuss what had transpired but it wouldn't be that day. That day the past needed to stay in the past. That day only the here and now was important.
"I happy see you same," I signed giving her a quick hug before wiping my eyes.
"Come, George happy see you."
George was actually Curious George the ferret who seemed to think my neck always needed a fur collar. Cherry and I laughed as we followed Emily into her house. Emily's menagerie of babies, as she referred to them, promptly greeted us. Over time I had finally learned all their names. The cats were Tux and Max. Max being a yellow Tabby and Tux being black with a white chest as if he were wearing a tuxedo. The dogs were Honey, Bo, Pepper and Teddy. Honey being a Golden Retriever, Bo an Akita, Pepper an Australian Blue Heeler and Teddy a floppy eared English Spaniel. These were Emily's family at least for the time being, I thought as I glanced at Emily's every expanding middle.
"Hi George," I said aloud as the ferret peeked from behind the living room curtain at Cherry and I. George, living up to his name scampered over to check us out as we sat down on the couch. Cherry and I were startled when a diminutive old lady with lively brown eyes came out of the kitchen.
Emily smiled and pointed toward the woman, "My Aunt. Name Nora. Not really aunt. I just say. Old family friend."
"Nora Deaf?" Cherry asked.
"Yes, Nora help Mother and Father learn ASL. Jane call her say I need her. Nora come help me."
"Nice meet you," Cherry and I signed and then introduced ourselves. Nora disappeared almost as quickly as she had appeared darting here and there at home in Emily's house.
"She thinks me need more help," Emily smiled after the scurrying little lady who obviously was making sure that Emily didn't need to lift a finger. Poor Emily was helpless to tell Nora that she'd like to be doing something besides twiddling her thumbs. But mother hens are like that and so Emily had to patiently suffer.
We sat looking at each other for a bit. Finally Cherry spoke up, "Baby you ready?"
"I try. Nora help me. Need paint room. Nora not let me. Maybe see if new neighbor help. Meet man yesterday. Say me ask if I need anything. Micah busy school. Jane busy..." She didn't continue but I knew she wanted to say she wasn't sure what was going on between she and myself so she didn't feel she could ask me. I had also noticed that this time when she spoke of Nora she used a name sign instead of fingerspelling her name.
"New neighbor?" I asked curiously. The house next door had sat empty all through the summer. Emily had never spoken of her neighbors before so I was surprised when she mentioned this one.
"Yes, move when? Me hospital. Yesterday came here. Say hi. I think someone tell him me Deaf. He bring notebook and paper. Nice man. No family here. Work Computer and write Newspaper. Name Matt."
I sat thinking for a minute because Matt seemed familiar to me. I have a cousin who's name is Jeffery Matthew. The family calls him Jeff but his friends call him Matt. He works as a Computer analyst and also writes sports commentary for a small newspaper to the south west of the City. And my cousin had just told the family over Labor Day weekend that he had bought a house in a suburb of the city. I wondered if all the coincidences could mean something. I must have looked weird as I thought because when I looked back at Emily she asked, "Fine You?"
"Yes, sorry nosy. You know new neighbor person last name?"
"Why?"
"I think I know."
"Lewis. Matt Lewis name."
I smiled, "I know. Small world."
"Know how?"
"My cousin. Matt Mother, my mother sisters. Remember I say you my cousin Carrie live Arlington? Matt Carrie brother." I explained using the fact that Arlington was where Emily had grown up.
"Oh I see. Nice man."
"Yes he is. He loves sports same as you. He help you if ask. I sure."
Matt.... I sat and thought, was forty-four. He had a degree in chemical engineering but didn't work in that trade. He preferred to write sports commentary and play with computers. Matt was a really nice guy who'd just never seem to meet Miss Right. I don't think he had ever found a woman who liked sports as much as he did was the biggest problem in his life. All his dates had gotten bored with the 300th time of seeing hockey being played when they really wanted to go see a movie or a concert. But sports didn't make him a bad man.
Cherry gave me a nudge, "What you thinking," she asked as Emily had excused herself to empty her bladder that was being used as an all day discothèque.
"That maybe Matt and Emily have a lot more in common than they think."
"Playing match-maker are you?"
"No, but I can hope. They are both great people in need of a kind heart to match their own."
"I don't think Emily's in any shape to be playing the field so to speak, right now."
"Yeah, I know. I was just thinking nothing more."
"Well thinking gets you in trouble."
"So does not thinking. What am I supposed to do?" I laughed as Emily returned with Nora at her heels.
"Em, stop dat." Nora said in broken English apparently just as aware as the rest of us that Emily understood some words.
"No, Me do laundry. Me not sick. Me pregnant."
"Fook you," Nora said scurrying past us as Emily turned a shade of pink.
"I forget say you Nora have bad mouth."
Cherry and I laughed and shook our heads. I had a feeling Nora would be a real trip getting to know that was if she ever stopped moving long enough for us to get to know her.
"Fine, I not care," Cherry and I signed one after the other.
"You come? See Baby room you want?"
"Sure!" Cherry and I signed as we both jumped up with excitement.
The room was the very one that just 18 weeks earlier I had slept in. But it no longer looked the same. There were boxes piled all around though in general the bedroom set hadn't been taken down just built up around. I whistled, at the thought of how much work there was left to be done, and how little time Emily really had to do it. "What?" Emily signed at the sound I made.
I shook my head indicating nothing.
"You make sound. Why?"
"Much do. Short time," I finally said as Cherry picked her way through the boxes around the room.
"Okay, Rachel what do you say we rope Jane and Betsy into coming over here next weekend and helping Emily get this room ready. Maybe you can get Matt to help," Cherry said looking at me knowing I was thinking the same thing.
"A Tom Sawyer Party?"
"Works for me!" Cherry said as Emily stood with her hands on her hips waiting for us to say in sign what we'd just said in English. Cherry did the honors. Emily rolled her eyes as if to say you have to be joking but we weren't.
"Tom Sawyer Party mean what?" Emily asked as Nora shuffled past with a load of laundry in a basket causing Emily to shake her head.
"Mean invite friends over work. Same Tom have friends help him paint fence. Fun!" I said then picked up George who was checking out a hole in a box marked Crib. I'd have hate for him to get lost in that room. Emily would never have found him. He climbed up my arm and sat happily with is long slender body wrapped about my neck.
Cherry looked at me, "Um I hate to say it but I'm hungry. I forgot to eat lunch."
I laughed and signed to, "She hungry. Go with two of us food want?"
"Nora make me insane. Need out house. Sure I go. Me change clothes," Emily signed though I was half afraid of what she would put on instead of the shorts and maternity smock she was wearing. She still hadn't managed to give up her oxfords and jeans.
I have never met a woman like her before, one who so shunned clothing that other women would think of as feminine. I'd be scared to see Emily actually wearing a blouse with a ruffle. They'd have to cart me to the funny farm! It's not that she owns only masculine clothing. She does wear things that women wear but they are no frills here, thank you very much clothing. I guess I'm just too used to women feeling very womanly and full of life while pregnant. The women I have known have rejoiced in their womanhood and flaunted it while they were pregnant as if to say see what I can do. But not our Emily, I think she'd be happy if she were wearing a tent. Really I shouldn't talk its not like I like to dress up or wear make-up but I do occasionally like to feel as if I am pretty so I put on the makeup and the fancy clothes, the rings and the heels and for an evening I can pretend that I'm not a wallflower.
Emily returned several minutes later wearing jeans and an oxford, just what I had expected. "Go where?" she asked as Nora came out of the kitchen with a T-towel over her shoulder.
"I have gift certificate place name Angelo's. Not sure where. Know 86th street. Lost okay you?" I asked laughing because getting lost was how I found anything in the city. I just drove in circles until I found what I wanted. I'd long ago discovered that no mater what direction you went eventually you'd come to the city bypass. So you never could really be lost.
We left Emily's and head north towards 86th street. Well, of course I was lost. I didn't have anything but the gift certificate with me. I'd forgotten the paper that told how to find the darn place. So I'm trying to drive, Cherry and Emily are talking in sign with Emily turned around half backward in her seat. It's raining and I'm so lost. Cherry and Emily sat back and teased me the whole way. I finally stopped at a Baskin-Robbins and asked for a phone book to find the darn place. Of course it took 3 times of first going the wrong direction on 86th street and two bathroom breaks for Emily before I finally stopped to ask for directions. The whole time we'd been on the wrong side of town. It was on west 86th not East 86th. Two hours of incessantly being teased about being lost, and a forth of a tank of gas later I finally found Angelo's Italian Diner. Emily got out of the car holding her hair so it was sticking straight out indicating I scared her so badly with my driving that her hair was standing on end. She smiled brightly as I signed, "No! I not drive bad. If I drive bad you have baby."
She let go of her hair and clutched her stomach. I ignored her and walked into the restaurant. Cherry of course was laughing so hard she was in tears.
I sat down at a table and watched as Cherry and Emily signed happily with one another. A sharp stab of pain cut through my heart as I once again felt the hurt of Emily's betrayal. I knew she'd never meant to hurt me the way she had. What is the saying "Actions speak louder than words"? Our actions had lead to both of us being hurt. We both were to blame. But as I sat and watched Emily and Cherry talk I had to wonder how long it would be before I would be able to truly trust Emily not to hurt me again. Would I ever totally trust her again?