Rochelle, the Girl Who Uses Sign Language

I glanced across at the new girl named Rochelle, who had only joined our class at the beginning of the week. It must be hard starting a new school in the middle of the year. At last, the bell went for the end of the day. I spotted Rochelle running towards a tall woman who must be her mum. Then I saw a surprising thing. Rochelle's mum was waving her arms round and making shapes with her fingers, and Rochelle was doing the same with hers. It was like they were talking to each other with their hands. Oh, could her mother be deaf? My mind was filled with questions.

The next day, I was reading this week's words when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up and Rochelle was standing in front of me. 'Shall we test each other?' she asked, pointing to my spelling book.

'Yes, of course,' I replied. But I was still wondering how to ask the questions that had been tumbling around in my head since yesterday.

'So, um, that hand thing you did with your mum...' 'Signing.'

'Yeah, signing. Is it because she's, um, because she's deaf?'

'Yes, both my parents are deaf, so I communicate with them through sign.'

'Oh, I'm sorry. That must be really difficult.' I could tell by the frown on Rochelle's face that I'd said something wrong, but I didn't know what. 'So, did your parents need someone to help them look after you when you were a baby?'

'Of course not,' Rochelle got annoyed. 'Why would being deaf mean they can't look after me? Being deaf doesn't mean they're stupid,' she was almost shouting. 'In fact, they're much cleverer than most people I know.' Hearing that, I got hot all over. I didn't say her parents were stupid. But before I could explain, the bell went and she strode out of the classroom. I hurried after her, but when I tried to speak to her, she kept her back to me as if I were her enemy.

The next day, I sat in my seat during class, noticing Rochelle in hers, her face looking a little angry. I knew I had hurt her feelings yesterday, and I was truly sorry. I took a deep breath and decided I had to apologize to her.

During break time, I walked up to Rochelle. 'Rochelle, I want to apologize.' I said. 'I didn't express myself properly yesterday, and I never meant to imply that your parents were stupid. I was just curious about the fact that they are deaf, but I didn't phrase it correctly. I'm sorry.'

Rochelle didn't answer immediately, she stayed silent for a moment. 'I understand your curiosity, but I wish you could be more sensitive about this. To me, my parents' deafness is their special thing, not a shortcoming. I'm proud of them.' There was a hint of warmth in her voice.

I felt a surge of guilt, I truly hadn't realized I'd hurt her. I apologized to her again. 'Rochelle, I'm really sorry. I will be more careful with my words, and I won't offend you again.'

Rochelle looked at me, her expression softening. 'Thank you for the apology. I believe you are sincere.' She smiled. 'We're still friends, right?'

I felt relieved and a wave of gratitude wash over me. 'Of course, Rochelle, we are still friends.' We shook hands and stood together again, this time with no misunderstanding between us.