Then hurried toward her tablet.
I smiled.
“Hey, little lady.”
She touched several buttons.
The electronic voice said, “RAY HERE.”
I laughed.
“Yes, I am.”
She stared at my vest.
Then at the missing snap.
Her expression brightened.
She pressed another phrase.
“STILL BROKEN.”
Daniel burst out laughing.
I looked down.
“Apparently I can't fix anything anymore.”
Nora grinned.
Then she approached and hugged me.
I held her gently.
“Good to see you, sweetheart.”
She looked up.
I decided to try something.
I raised my hand.
Slowly, carefully, I signed HELLO.
Nora froze.
For one second, she stared.
Then her entire face lit up.
She signed HELLO back.
I smiled.
Then attempted THANK YOU.
My hand movement was awkward.
She watched.
Then took my hand gently and corrected its position.
Daniel began laughing.
“She's already teaching you.”
I shrugged.
“I'm a difficult student.”
Nora looked delighted.
She repeated the sign.
I copied her.
She nodded approvingly.
Then touched her tablet.
“GOOD JOB.”
Margaret covered her mouth.
Her eyes filled.
I looked toward her.
She whispered, “She doesn't get to teach adults very often.”
The words stayed with me.
I'd spent so much time thinking about how to help Nora that I hadn't considered how much she might enjoy being the one who knew something another person didn't.
For years, adults had been explaining things to her.
Correcting her.
Interpreting for her.
Making decisions around her.
Now an enormous old biker was standing in her living room, asking her to teach him.
And she was good at it.
We practiced for almost twenty minutes.
I learned a few greetings.
Reviewed signs for HELP and WATER.
And made Nora laugh so hard that Daniel finally asked us to stop because his sides hurt from laughing.
I sat beside the coffee table.
Nora opened her notebook.
Then began drawing.
I watched carefully.
First, she drew her father.
Then a shopping cart.
Then a long rectangle filled with small circles.
I recognized the bottled water display.
She added a large stick figure.
A beard.
A motorcycle.
Then she pointed toward me.
I smiled.
“That's me again?”
She nodded.
Then she drew herself beside the large figure.
Her little pencil moved across the page.
She added a speech bubble.
Inside it, she drew a heart.
I stared.
Then looked toward Daniel.
His eyes were full.
He reached for his daughter.
“Nora?”
She looked up.
He spoke gently.
“Would you tell Ray why you went to him in the store?”
The girl became still.
For a moment, she looked toward her drawing.
Then toward me.
I didn't rush her.
Daniel waited.
Nora touched her tablet.