TINA

We were “Junior Ushers” once per month on Sundays in our church in 1973. We wore nurse uniforms equipped with the old fashion white dress, white shoes, stockings, and that funny shaped starched white envelope looking hat. The week before I would have to make sure my shoes were polished white , buffed , and there were no “runs” in my stockings (pantyhose).  Every Sunday when it was the youth turn to usher we would pair up and walk up and down the aisles of the church escorting visitors and members to their seats.

Tina was not a “chatty” type of person and neither was I. After morning service we would go next door to the local candy store and purchase a bag of chips or something, return to the church, sit in the back and people watch. I found this a small sense of duty in the church that I was proud of and was able to carry out.

I noticed Tina was not in service a few times and I hoped her parents did not move away or she went away or something, but I started missing my “bobsy twin”. I believed we walked in unison and maybe tried to wear our hair styles similar. I was an only girl in my family growing up so I would have close friends that I got along with time to time. So when Tina was gone I did miss her.

One Sunday Tina came back to church and I was happy to see and wanted to know where and what happened! She started laughing and showed me a book. It was a “Learn to Sign” book. To my surprise, confusion and amazement she was deaf all along. This is the reason I believe we go along so well, she didn’t heat a word I was saying. She was an excellent lip reader and would laugh at my silly jokes.

We would try to study the book together maybe so I could learn to sign, but she would eventually go away to school.

A few years later I ran into Tina, we both got married and each had one son. Her mother explained to me that she had a red light in her home when the doorbell rang. I was introduced to the TTY telephone operator and tried a few times to use this method of communication but I had missed sitting and giggling with my friend. We tried to write a few times but as usual life happens and we lost touch.

I thought about her the other day when I saw two little girls having trying to communicate with one hearing impaired and the other speaking.  I pray Tina is a happy grandmother like myself “spoiling” the grand babies.

…Pandora