Chapter 22
Sarah looked so different than Daisy had imagined.
She’d assumed the girl would’ve been awkward and shy.
Maybe withdrawn. Instead, she appeared to be outgoing and confident.
For a moment, Daisy wondered if Kyle saw the “real” Sarah when he was with his sister, or if she was destined to be permanently young and helpless in his eyes.
Sarah looked up when Daisy started forward on her crutches.
“Hi. I’m Daisy,” she said as she approached Kyle’s younger sister on the bench outside the Millers’ barn. “I hope you are having a good visit.”
Sarah looked up at her and smiled. “Danke. I am. I mean, I am, so far. We only got here yesterday.”
Sitting down next to her, Daisy said, “Kyle told me that you read lips and know some sign language. Please let me know if you need me to move so you can understand what I’m saying.” She paused then added, “Uh-oh? Am I being awkward? Should I not have mentioned your hearing?”
“You can mention it all you want. It’s not a secret,” she said.
“I do have problems, but Kyle sometimes worries too much about everyone talking to me. I can hear pretty good when there’s just one or two people to talk to in the room.
Or outside, like we are now. I only have a lot of trouble when there’s a crowd. ”
“Like at a party.”
Sarah nodded. “Or at school. Or when a bunch of people are talking at once. That’s when it’s all kind of a jumbled mess in my head.”
“All of that makes sense. I won’t worry about you hearing me then.” Remembering the supper that the Millers hosted for their arrival, Daisy said, “So how did last night go?”
“Not great.” Sarah sighed in a way that made her look far beyond her fourteen years. “Last night was kind of how everything goes with my disability. My parents grow concerned, they speak to my teacher, and then they get Kyle involved and start to make plans without consulting me. And then …”
Daisy knew what was coming. “And then they decide to bring you here and throw a party where you can’t really hear anything.”
“Jah. Nothing like being in a houseful of noisy strangers to prove their points.”
“He mentioned that you were getting teased at school. He’s been worried about you.”
She nodded. “I have been getting teased a lot.” Looking embarrassed, she kicked out her bare feet on the dirt. “I was having a bad day and I got all upset. Which made Kyle want to fix everything for me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. I bet you’ve never been in a situation like that.”
“I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t,” Daisy admitted. “It’s part of growing up.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Sarah, one of the reasons I was looking forward to getting to know you is that I had a hard time in school when I was a teenager, too.”
“What happened?”
“I became me, I think.” Looking straight ahead, she added, “I’ve always loved working on the farm.
I enjoy taking care of the horses, milking cows, fussing over the hens in the henhouse, that sort of thing.
I like being outside with my hands in the dirt.
I’d much rather be outside gardening or taking care of the animals than sewing or cooking or quilting or what have you. ”
“And let me guess, some of the other kids made fun of you because you were different.”
Daisy nodded. “Jah. That is exactly what happened.” Turning to face Sarah more directly, she added, “I’m not going to lie to you, Sarah. I had some really bad days. Some of the things the other kids said about me really hurt.”
“What did you do?”
Sarah was staring at her intently. “I just put up with it.”
“Oh.”
The girl looked disappointed, and Daisy didn’t blame her. She would’ve done anything to get Winter to stop teasing her years ago. “Obviously my way didn’t stop the teasing. What have you been doing when kids have made fun of your hearing?”
“Truth?”
Daisy nodded.
“The same thing as you,” she said sheepishly. “It’s easier to ignore the comments and move on.”
Daisy chuckled. “Good advice is easy to give but hard to take.”
“Jah.”
“Do you really want to quit school and move here, Sarah?”
“I thought I did, but no. I need to stay home and talk to the doctors about that cochlear implant.”
“Maybe the doctor or a nurse could let you visit with someone who has had that operation. Then they can tell you what they think.”
“I’ll do that.” Sarah smiled. “Danke.”
“Of course … and just for the record, please don’t be too hard on your brother. He really is just trying to make you happy.”
“Mei bruder worries too much about me, I fear. I’m afraid he is so intent on making sure I’m safe that he’s forgotten that I’m usually pretty happy. I even kind of think that if I never get my hearing fixed, I’ll still be pretty happy.”
“I have two older brothers, so I know what you mean. They like to tell me what to do, even when it’s something they aren’t even sure how to do in the first place.”
“That sounds familiar.” Shifting again, Sarah added, “My parents have told me that I’m blessed to have someone care so much about me. I know I am. But that don’t mean that I should always have to be grateful for his interference, right?”
“Right. Being thankful for kindness and grateful for ‘fixing’ a problem are two different things, I think.”
“Jah.”
Looking at her cast, Sarah said, “Kyle told me that you broke your leg riding an electric bike. Is that true?”
“It is.” She smiled. “I wasn’t a very alert bicycle rider, I’m afraid.”
“How come?”
“I kept looking at all the farm animals,” she said with a laugh.
“Even though you were teased for being different, you are still the same person, aren’t you?”
“Jah. And you know what? This conversation with you has done me a lot of good. I’m realizing that even though getting teased was no fun, it made me stronger.” Reaching out she squeezed Sarah’s hand. “I hope one day you will find the same thing to be true.”
“Jah,” she said softly. “I hope so too.”