Somee #2
“Okay, tell Rylee Bear I miss her too and don’t forget about me now that she’s in the upper echelon.”
“She doesn’t even know what the upper echelon is.”
“Well then just tell her I love her.”
“I will.”
I crossed the room to end the call, slipped out of my loafers, and went for my first suitcase, laying it out on the floor and sitting back on my heels to unzip it.
Home for now…
Let’s see how this goes.
It took me an hour to situate my things in the room, putting clothes in the drawers and closet.
I unloaded my toiletries in the bathroom along with my hair supplies, feeling more settled.
I brought books, my laptop, and a few other things from home to make the space feel more familiar.
Once I was done putting my things away, I ventured to Rylee’s room where I found her sitting next to Ryland.
Each of them had a tablet in hand and were using styluses to color.
Rylee had a huge smile on her face as her brother signed to her about how his picture was better than hers and she disagreed, stating he didn’t use the right colors.
Neither of them noticed me at first. When my presence was acknowledged, I signed to Ryland that I was here to put her things away.
He signed that he could do it but I let him know I didn’t mind.
She seemed happy and comfortable engaging with Ryland and that was the point of her being here. Building a bond so the transition would be that much easier. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I unzipped the first suitcase and began unpacking her things.
Occasionally, as I was putting them away, I would wave to Rylee and let her know where I was storing specific items. Pajamas and underclothes in the top left drawers and T-shirts and leggings in the top right.
Socks, gloves, and hats went in the bottom drawers because we had a few more months before spring.
Coats, jeans, and dresses all went into the closet on hangers, and lastly, I lined her shoes on the racks built into the closet.
Someone spent a lot of money building out the features in the closet and I would kill to have this type of access.
It also made me realize how little Rylee had.
Considering most of what she owned was purchased by me or Miranda, it made me sad that she’d been so uncared for.
Things didn’t express that a person cared per se, but for a little girl to not have certain luxuries was horrible.
When I purchased a handful of dresses to wear to church when we attended with my mother and she got to wear the first one, Rylee had remained in the purple ruffled dress the entire day.
She refused to change out of it or the Mary Janes I paired it with because she loved them so much.
She simply kept signing that she looked pretty.
By the time I was done unpacking, it was after six and Ryland signed that we needed to decide on dinner. At this point, I told him I wasn’t picky, so he asked Rylee.
I knew the answer before she handed it over.
“Pizza,” she signed with a huge grin.
“Pepperoni with pineapple?” I questioned.
She nodded and signed back. “A lot of pineapples.”
Ryland frowned so I explained. “Her favorite. I don’t understand why but she loves it.”
“I won’t be eating that. Meat lovers all the way for me,” he signed, twisting his expression which made me laugh.
“We’re going to order pizza. Would you like to come or stay here and play?”
I asked since she had moved on from coloring to dragging stuffed animals and dolls to the table to have a tea party.
“Can I stay here?”
“Yes. I’ll come get you when the pizza is here. Don’t have too much fun without me.” I tapped her nose and she grinned. “I won’t.”
“We can talk while we wait for the pizza,” I signed to Ryland.
“Why do I feel like I’m in trouble?” He arched a brow my way as we left her room. We moved through the house and made our way to the kitchen. He removed his phone, tapping the screen and swiping a few times before handing it over.
“Order whatever you want and add a large meat lovers with a side of garlic knots. If you’re eating that, get two. I can eat one by myself.”
I placed the phone on the counter to free my hands. “You’re a professional athlete. I thought your body was your temple. Are you supposed to eat like that?”
“No, but the season’s over, which I’m sure you haven’t forgotten since we lost to your Tigers.”
I grinned, hating that I was happy about that, but still signed, “It was a bullshit call and high stakes games should never come down to bad calls. Makes it hard to celebrate the win.”
I scanned the menu a few times, finding what I wanted.
I selected build your own and chose a small pepperoni and added pineapples.
Next was a small ground beef. I wasn’t a huge pepperoni fan.
Once I was done, I handed the phone back so he could complete the transaction then Ryland hopped onto the counter and responded to my last statement.
“But you’re still celebrating the win.”
I lifted onto the counter across from Ryland and shrugged. “I am, but it still sucks.”
He nodded. “So why am I in the principal’s office?”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Not the principal’s office. I just wanted to discuss a few things.”
“Okay…” he signed, looking uncertain.
“Everything here is perfect but I want to be sure you know the things you buy for her are only a small part of what Rylee will need to adjust here with you.”
“Are you saying I’m throwing my money around and not considering what she needs?”
“No,” I responded quickly. “Absolutely not.”
“Then what are you saying because it seems like that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“I’m really not. I just want you to be realistic about what having Rylee with you looks like.
Her life will be vastly different than yours.
How she sees things, what she feels, how the world sees her.
You’re hearing. Simple stuff you take for granted will mean the world to her.
I know what that looks like. It’s my life.
I exist in that world. I’ve been Rylee,” I signed in frustration.
We engaged in a staring standoff with his jaw tight and the vein at his temple pulsing.
Eventually he gave in and signed, “You have thoughts about how I need to navigate this.”
“More like insight on things you might not know or consider.”
“Such as?”
“She’s deaf. Her world, her language, her life is a culture. A beautiful culture that you have to learn to be part of. It’s not just Rylee learning to exist in a hearing world.”
His expression dropped, allowing me to see I’d touched on something he hadn’t considered.
“What I’m doing is so she fits into my world, not me fitting into hers?”
“Yes, and I only want you to be aware of that because it’s easy for things to end up being one-sided.”
“What do I need to do?”
I smiled, relaxing because he was determined, willing to do whatever it took to make sure he did whatever necessary for Rylee.
“Rylee spent the first five years of her life excluded. She went to school but she was still alone, which I think was learned behavior for how she functioned at home with her mother.”
Ryland’s face tensed at the mention of their mother as it did each time Felicia came up. I could only assume their relationship wasn’t favorable. I didn’t know his story, only that he referenced his biological mother as Felicia while Miranda and Orlando were his mom and dad.
“Most kids learn the foundation of their language and how to communicate properly early in life. The majority start as babies. Rylee didn’t have that.
Until she entered Pre-K, your sister had no means to communicate with anyone.
She was scared and likely frustrated because she didn’t know how to communicate her needs… ”
I paused my hands, noticing the tension building in his body. This was tough but he needed this explained in order to understand his sister.
“I’m going to make that right.”
His hands moved harshly when he relayed his thoughts.
“The past is the past but you have the ability to ensure she never repeats that time in her life. I’m only telling you because it will better help you understand Rylee and what she needs.
There are times when she sequesters herself.
She’s very independent and you have to know when to allow her to be and when you need to step in and be the parent. ”
“I can do that.”
“You can…” I smiled reassuringly. “But it won’t always be easy because the world will tell you how you need to show up in her life.”