SIGNS OF A QUIET HEART: (MY HEART IS YOURS - BOOK 1) Read online

  A few of the children jumped up from the table and waylaid him, shouting an assortment of happy greetings accompanied by the usual high-fiving. Isabella and Jack were still strolling around the room, sightseeing. Robbi breathed a small sigh of relief as all Hell broke loose, and the eye of the storm was Toby. He was being bombarded with the news that K-1 had finished first again.

  “Toby, we did it!”

  “We won again!”

  “Tobeeeee!”

  “You shoulda seen us, we was awwwwesome!”

  “Ya missed it. Where were ya, Toby?”

  “You gonna eat lunch with us tomorrow? Puhleeeze!”

  Ms. Bennett yelled, “Mia! LIGHTS. NOW!”

  Mia quickly flashed the lights, which signaled the children to freeze immediately. The kids loved the game; within seconds, they were frozen in place like tiny garden gnomes. Robbi always had to chuckle at their outlandish body positions and goofy, over-exaggerated facial grimaces. Today? Not so much. The children could clearly see their teacher’s expression was seriously stressed. Mia took over, quietly pushing the kids toward the table.

  Ms. Bennett accosted Toby and grabbed him firmly by the wrist. “I need you right this minute. Our new student, Isabella, just had a mini-meltdown. She arrived today and was upset about something. I really need your help figuring out what’s wrong.”

  “Okay, Ms. B, I’ll do my best.” Robbi pointed to the little girl who was jumping up and down, still holding onto the hand of a dazed and confused Jack, smiling like crazy as she pointed up at the sunflowers and daisies painted on the door leading to the outside playground. She was nodding, indicating herself, then pointing to the flowers. She was mouthing something but making no sounds.

  Toby walked quickly over to her and squatted down on the floor, making himself eye-level with the little girl. There was something vaguely haunting about her eyes, but it barely registered in Toby’s conscious mind. He gave Isabella a huge, reassuring smile, then looked directly into her eyes and signed something. She responded with a few signs, and then repeated her pointing routine. Toby signed something back and she nodded joyfully, flinging her arms around him. Robbi was only aware of the dazzling smile on her face. Toby, you are a freakin’ lifesaver!

  Toby motioned for Ms. Bennett to join them down on the floor, Isabella leaning contentedly on his chest. She was tiny for her age and appeared even more so next to Toby. He nudged her away very gently so she had an unobstructed view of his mouth and hands as he was starting to speak and sign simultaneously. Damn, he is good at this. Toby began, slowly and clearly, his facial expressions very animated.

  “The problem is that Isabella,” he shot her a sly wink, “hates the name Isabella. She wants to be called ‘Daisy’ from now on. Would that be okay, Ms. B?”

  “Why of course, Daisy. What a beautiful name! That would be fine.” Ms. Bennett was grinning broadly, looking directly into the little girl’s eyes. Daisy beamed from ear to ear. Her hand came up to her mouth and back down again as she mouthed what seemed to be ‘thank you’. She then flung her arms around Ms. Bennett’s neck, hugging her fiercely. Robbi melted inside; confident this special child would find a loving, nurturing environment in her classroom, despite all the negative adjectives used to describe her in the confidential file.

  Toby took her little hand and led her back to the table, pausing for a second to whisper in Ms. Bennett’s ear, “I think Daisy might be her middle name.” Mia, who had been slyly eavesdropping, already had a large sign saying ‘DAISY’ on her chair. Daisy sat and the children cheered and said, “Hi, Daisy,” “Welcome to K-1,” and “Sit with me, Daisy.” Toby was seated next to Daisy, talking to her as he turned the pages of a large storybook so she could see the pictures. He was leaning over her in a protective manner, his out-of-control hair falling occasionally into his eyes.

  Daisy’s records may have said she preferred to be alone, but the other children simply would not allow it. They accepted her immediately, especially the boys; some of them actually argued as to who would sit next to her. Ms. Bennett and Mia chuckled about it.

  “Typical men, suckers for a pretty face,” pouted Mia as Robbi nodded in agreement. Daisy was a beautiful child; long, silky black hair, bright sapphire-blue eyes flecked with gray, long lashes, and very pale skin. Wispy bangs framed her heart-shaped face, and when she chose to smile, it was shy and sweet, somehow made adorably complete by a missing bottom, front tooth.

  As the children opened their storybooks, Ms. Bennett asked, “Mia, would you please lead story time today? I want to pay the audiologist a quick visit.”

  “Sure, Ms. B, you know how I love James and the Giant Peach.” Mia grabbed the book off the desk and waved it in the air. The kids screeched in delight as they all sat up straight, folding their hands in complete silence. Daisy looked around and quickly copied their behavior. The class had been reading the book for a week, a few pages every day. To say they were all in love with the story was an understatement. Mia gave them a thumbs-up, then sat down and opened the book as Ms. Bennett quietly left the room. She returned five minutes later, but no one even noticed she had been gone as she quietly returned to sit at her desk. The children were all enthralled, accompanying James as he flew into the air inside the giant peach.

  Robbi observed Toby standing off to the side, wide-eyed and enchanted with the story. Sometimes he seemed like a child in a man’s body. She caught herself wondering what kind of parents he had. Toby must have felt her staring at him because he quickly turned his head and gazed directly at her. Her breath hitched for a moment; his mismatched eyes always seemed to unnerve her, catching her off-guard. Mia ceased reading and suddenly jumped out of her seat, still holding the book, her eyes huge. This was her trick for getting immediate attention; it was always successful.

  Mia exclaimed, “Who would like to be with James and fly away on the giant peach?” Every hand went into the air accompanied by cries of “Me! Me!” Daisy was the lone child who was shaking her head vigorously with a terrified expression spoiling her pretty face. She was gesticulating frantically in Toby’s direction, and for a moment, seemed close to tears. He signed something back, which involved waving up at the sky. Daisy immediately calmed down and smiled at Mia, who then looked at Ms. Bennett. Mia was obviously a bit freaked out, her eyes questioning if she should resume the story. Robbi gave her an encouraging nod, which was Mia’s signal to take her seat and continue as if nothing had happened. Ms. Bennett caught Toby’s eye and subtly beckoned him to come toward her. He complied and joined her at her desk, sitting in the chair next to her.

  “What was that all about, Toby?”

  Toby responded, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, she seems to have a fear of heights. I’m not sure why, but when I told her she could stay on the ground and wave to James, she was fine with it.” His smile was so modest and sincere; he was not aware of the tiny miracle he had just performed.

  Deep in thought, Robbi gazed at the class as a brilliant but potentially risky plan formed in her mind. The outcome could be fantastic or an utter disaster. She returned her eyes to Toby and quietly shared her thoughts with him. His smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a somewhat shocked and panic-filled expression. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, leaned into him, and said a few more words. His face softened and he beamed, whispering, “Okay.”

  Ms. Bennett stood up, walked to the light switch, and waited a few seconds until Mia reached the end of a page in the book. She quickly flashed the classroom lights on and off several times, waiting a few seconds for effect.

  “Who would like Toby to read the next few pages?” The applause, screams, high-fives, and impish grins were out of control as Toby replaced Mia in the reader’s chair, for what was to be the first of many more days to come. The noise continued until Toby flamboyantly closed the big book with one hand and put his index finger to his lips. The children immediately were quiet; every pair of captivated eyes was fixed on Toby. He reopened the book with a flourish, wink
ed at Daisy across the table, and started to read. Robbi and Mia gaped at Toby, stared at each other, and then looked back at Toby, wide-eyed the entire time. He was simply mesmerizing. His voice was animated as he took on the personality of each character, like an actor entirely at home on the stage. He was also using some sign language along with a few natural gestures of his own thrown in for better understanding. Confident that Toby had everything under control, Ms. Bennett motioned for Mia to join her out in the hall, leaving the door slightly ajar. They shared a quick, cryptic conversation in hushed tones.

  Mia exclaimed, “Oh. My. GOD.”

  Robbi replied, “Totally!”

  “He is incredible!” gushed Mia.

  “I know!” Robbi agreed.

  Mia smiled. “And kinda HOT!” Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized what she had just said in front of her supervising teacher.

  Robbi chuckled. “I would agree with you if I were twenty years younger.”

  Mia smirked. “Oh, really? And what would you say if he were twenty years older?”

  Robbi pretended to be angry, knitting her eyebrows together in a faux frown.

  “Young lady, that is quite enough. Show more respect for your boss,” she smirked, adding a playful wink. They were both laughing by that point. Having worked together for over a year and a half, they had grown close, and often kidded each other when the children could not overhear their conversations. Robbi believed strongly in demonstrating professional demeanor and language at all times when children were present, or when administrators were within earshot. Otherwise, she was occasionally known to curse like a trucker. Mia was determined to have the last word.

  “Well, technically, Mrs. Blanchard is my boss, but to be honest with you, she kinda scares the crap out of me.” Robbi tried to hold in a snort and failed miserably.

  “Me, too. Actually, she scares the ever-lovin’ shit out of me.”

  The giggling continued, until Robbi’s expression grew serious. Mia, thinking something was amiss in the classroom, turned to look through the open door, but saw Toby still reading and the children even more captivated.

  “What’s up, Ms. B? Did you talk to Ms. Moore?”

  Robbi took a deep breath. “Yes. She showed me Daisy’s records: medical history, IEPs, and yearly audiograms. It appears she has had a moderate-to-severe hearing loss since birth, origin unknown. No record of hearing loss in the mother’s family. Ms. Moore said that often there is no explanation.” Robbi’s expression became more serious, and Mia thought she saw tears start to form in her eyes. She gently touched her arm. “What is it?” she whispered.

  “In her records, it mentioned Daisy was hospitalized last summer for meningitis. Ms. Moore immediately became alarmed because meningitis has been known to cause hearing loss, so she contacted the doctor who treated Daisy. He said, in his opinion, Daisy’s hearing had worsened and that she was now most likely profoundly deaf.”

  “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

  – Helen Keller

  3 weeks later

  It was the second week of April and Daisy seemed to be doing quite well, despite the upsetting results of a few more hearing tests conducted by Ms. Moore. She was, as had been suspected, profoundly deaf. Ms. Bennett assigned Toby to be her one-on-one assistant. He could still work with any of the other children, as needed, but she was his top priority. The little girl clearly adored Toby and day by day, the feeling was becoming mutual as their trust in each other strengthened. Their favorite activity was sitting at the computer, learning American Sign Language together, and her vocabulary grew rapidly. Toby had read that members of the deaf community use name signs for friends and family, instead of fingerspelling the entire name. He researched the topic in depth on the internet, and then explained it to Daisy who became fascinated with the topic. She invented name signs for them both, precious endearments which became their secret language to share, just the two of them. Later that week, he decided he wanted to present the information to the whole class, figuring the more they knew about ASL, the better it was for Daisy. Mia called all the children over and they took their seats at the large round table. Toby took a seat and inhaled deeply as Daisy watched him intently, sitting as close to him as she could get while still being able to read his lips.

  Toby gathered his thoughts as Mia held up a large poster, which showed the ASL manual alphabet. He placed a printout from the ASL website on the table in front of him for reference, although he barely glanced at it. He winked at Daisy and signed, “Ready?” She nodded enthusiastically, shaking her right fist up and down, signing, “Yes.” It was Daisy’s job to point to the poster when necessary. He playfully gave her pigtail a gentle yank as he began his lecture.

  “Okay, here’s how it works. A person’s name sign is made by combining two signs together: the handshape of the first letter of the person’s name, and another sign that describes the person. You all know the sign for ‘loser’, right? Do you know where it came from?”

  A loud chorus of high-pitched voices echoed through the classroom. “No! Nope! Noooooo!”

  Toby continued, using his flamboyant-actor voice. “In ASL, a fist brought up to the forehead like this — means stupid.” Toby and Daisy demonstrated the sign in perfect unison. “When you change the handshape to an ‘L’ like this — it means loser.” As Toby demonstrated, Daisy almost fell off her chair, she was laughing so hard. The rest of the class loved it, as well. Ms. Bennett did not allow the children to use the ‘loser’ sign in class, for obvious reasons, so the fact Toby used it was hilarious to them. Robbi and Mia were just astounded at Toby’s theatrics, to say the least.

  Toby winked at Daisy again; she responded with her double thumbs-up sign. The lesson continued as Toby explained, with Daisy doing the signs along with him, how their new sign names had been created. The name sign for Daisy was the letter ‘D’ made under the nose, because the sign for ‘flower’ is also made in that location. Toby realized it was close to lunchtime, so he quickly continued.

  “You all know I have this weird streak of silver hair, right?” Screams of “YES!” filled the room. Sweet little Kiki shouted, “I weally love your stweak, Toby. My mommy has one just like it.” The kids howled at that, and it was not because Kiki had mispronounced the words. They simply thought Toby’s reaction, faux-shock at being compared to a mommy, was hysterical.

  He went on to explain the sign name for Toby was the letter ‘T’ brushed on his head, touching his trademark silver streak. Toby decided to teach one more sign; ‘I Love You’, which was made with one hand forming three letters simultaneously: ‘I’, ‘L’, and ‘Y’. Each handshape and sign was demonstrated by both Toby and Daisy, in perfect unison. The children seemed to like that sign the best, signing ‘ILY’ repeatedly. It was magical. Robbi was cursing under her breath for not having a video camera, as she ran to her desk to grab a box of tissues; Mia snatched a handful as she passed by. Toby had one last announcement for the children.

  “Your homework is...” Moans and groans drowned out his voice. He waved his arms in the air. “Wait, this will be fun. I want you all to think of cool name signs for Mia and Ms. B.” The children whooped in approval.

  Toby and Daisy took their final bows together, holding hands, as everyone applauded. The performance was over, but the children continued to mimic the signs they had learned, a few of them running to acknowledge Daisy, using her name sign. The lunch bell rang and the children lined up in a flash. Robbi asked Mia if she would lead the kids to the lunchroom; she wanted to chat with Toby for a minute. As Robbi’s eyes followed the kids out the door, she almost fainted when she saw a figure standing inside the room, tucked into an inconspicuous corner. Holy Shit. How long has she been standing there? Suddenly she could see one of the principal’s hands was on her heart, while the other dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. Robbi sighed in relief.

  “Mrs. Blanchard, welcome to K-1.”
It never hurt to suck up a little. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you; I just didn’t see you. How long have you been here?”

  Toby had already joined the two women. He and Mrs. Blanchard had a long history together. Robbi was actually more intimidated by her than Toby was.

  Mrs. Blanchard tearfully replied, “Long enough to see what could have been the most informative, exciting, and heart-warming lesson I have ever seen.” She blew her nose loudly. “Excellent work, Ms. Bennett. You, too, Toby. I am extremely proud of you.” She patted his cheek as if he was still the little boy who used to be in her class. Ms. Bennett wanted to clarify something and jumped right in.

  “This entire presentation was completely Toby’s idea. I had no clue what he was planning. I trust him because I’ve already seen him take over lessons at a moment’s notice, and he is always just incredible.” Robbi gave Toby an impromptu fist-bump.

  Toby’s face was radiant. “Thanks, Ms. B. I’ve learned a lot from the two best educators I know ... who are both here with me right now. How cool is that! But seriously, Daisy actually came up with the main idea. She invented the two name signs we taught today. I know we are supposed to inspire the children, but she is really something special. She has been my inspiration; motivating me to become a better teacher.”

  Mrs. Blanchard linked arms with Toby and announced, “Toby is going to escort me to the lunchroom. Perhaps he can tell me how K-1 keeps winning my contest.” Impulsively, Robbi stopped her.

  “Mrs. Blanchard, may I speak with you for a moment? I won’t keep her long, Toby; I promise.” Robbi’s words made it clear to Toby that privacy was desired. Robbi got right to the point, speaking softly so if Toby were out in the hallway, he would not overhear. “I don’t mean to pry, but I’m curious how the connection between you and Toby started, how he first came to this school.”