Love Lessons (Love Language Book 2) Read online

  Love Lessons

  Reese Morrison

  Love Lessons (Love Language Book 2) Copyright © 2020 Reese Morrison

  All rights reserved. No part of this story may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except for brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, locales, or actual events is purely coincidental. The use of any real company and/or product names is for literary effect only. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

  This book contains sexually explicit material which is suitable for mature readers only.

  Author’s Note

  When I wrote Love Language, one of the things that I really enjoyed was sharing the beauty of American Sign Language and Deaf culture. A large part of what made that so visible was that one of the characters was Deaf and the other was a part of Deaf culture through his family, but also experiencing it as a hearing person.

  When I started writing this book, I was expecting to write something similar. However, with two culturally Deaf characters mostly interacting with other Deaf characters, the focus shifted. ASL and Deaf culture wasn’t something to celebrate or notice, so much as an everyday reality.

  I did still want to share some of the depth, complexity, and beauty of ASL through the pages, so I’ve described a few signs when they felt particularly poignant or appropriate. If you’re curious about what they look like, I encourage you to type “ASL” followed by the word into a search engine--plenty of videos should show up!

  However, I mostly wrote in English sentences, using italics to show when the characters were signing. There are a few things that don’t translate as well between languages, and I tried to choose English phrases that would convey the overall idea most easily.

  For those of you who are curious, I am not Deaf (or deaf), and I mostly know ASL through about six years of taking classes, attending social groups and religious services, and volunteering at a Deaf school. As my life has moved on, I’m no longer involved in the Deaf community and only occasionally sign with a few friends who live out of town.

  I still have a lot of love for the community and the language, though, and I hope that it shows through in these pages.

  Chapter 1

  Landon

  Write three things that you learned from your classmates’ posters, Landon signed from the front of the room. This is your exit ticket.

  Ten students pulled out paper, but they didn’t all get to work. He watched a few hands flying in signed conversation, but he let it go. It was a few minutes before dismissal on Friday afternoon, and he was proud of the work they’d put in on their presentations.

  He also liked giving them some time to just chatter in ASL, since many of their families didn’t sign. Maintaining Deaf culture was as important to him as the subjects he taught.

  He walked around to check on the two students who were doing their own work on the computers at the back, tapping their shoulders to get their attention. Keisha caught him up on her geometry project and Sy had two questions that he’d written down about photosynthesis that they were able to go over fairly quickly.

  He started to notice kids streaming by in the hallway outside his classroom and flickered the lights to get everyone’s attention.

  You guys were awesome today. These are seriously some of the coolest projects I’ve seen since I started teaching this unit.

  And they really were. He was supposed to be teaching organ systems, but he’d managed to coordinate it with the unit on Ancient Egypt from the kids’ social studies class, so they were learning about modern medicine alongside ancient medical and spiritual practices.

  His students mostly smiled back since they were sixth graders. If they’d been in eighth grade they would have scowled, even though they still needed the praise.

  When you’re done writing, hand me your papers and I’ll see you on Monday. Have a great weekend!

  He stood in the doorway, saying goodbye to each student as they passed and dispensing a few fist bumps and “secret handshakes.” Even the seventh graders were usually too cool for that, but it amused him to keep it up with the sixth graders for as long as possible. Since it was November, they still thought that giving a teacher a fist-bump was like joining the cool adults’ club.

  He’d just started packing up when he saw motion out of the corner of his eye. Sabina, one of his eighth graders, was lingering in the doorway with a dejected look on her face.

  Good to see you! Come on in, he signed with a wave. Sabina was one of the kids that he especially looked out for, even though it was rare for her to ask for support. Like every other Deaf student in the school, he was supposed to teach her science and math classes for all three years. She’d been so advanced, though, that he’d bumped her up in math courses and now she was taking high school geometry with a small cluster of hearing students.

  It meant he only saw her once a day for science, since she wasn’t in his homeroom either, but after teaching her for three years, they still had a pretty good rapport.

  She came over to his desk but didn’t seem to know where to start. Something was clearly bothering her, and he was glad she’d come to him with it.

  I’m always here if you want to talk, he reminded her.

  She squared her shoulders. Can I do an independent study with you? It was a legitimate question, but it didn’t match her body language. Usually students were pretty excited about whatever they were studying, and Sabina had a brilliant mind.

  Sure! You know I love independent studies and you’re always welcome here. He kept his classroom open almost all the time for Deaf kids who had unscheduled periods to do independent studies instead. He enjoyed the creativity and challenge of supporting whatever they wanted to study, and he’d much rather have his kids sitting in the corner of his room while he taught other subjects than languishing in study hall.

  Can I do an independent study instead of Social Studies? she asked hesitantly.

  Now he had a pretty good idea why she was here. I’d usually say no, but since you’re mostly in advanced classes, we might be able to set it up for after the semester’s over in January. They won’t let you switch now. And you’ll still have to pass the eighth grade Constitution test.

  Her face brightened. That’s fine. I can probably learn it much faster on my own. I’ll write up a proposal and bring it to you, OK?

  Landon liked to say that he loved all of his students, but he always had a soft spot for kids like Sabina. She reminded him so much of himself at that age. A little bit geeky, a little bit awkward, and dedicated to her schoolwork with a level of curiosity and determination that left her socially distanced from her peers. She could get along fine in group projects, where she usually took the lead, but aside from that she was usually on the outside looking in.

  Landon had long since grown out of that awkward phase and he was sure that Sabina would be confident and capable as an adult. It was typical of her to find a mature, responsible solution to her problem without ever really having to ask for help. It’s what he would have done, too.

  Are you having trouble with Mrs. Eaves? he asked directly.

  I mean, it’s OK. I think I’ll just learn more on my own.

  He wished she’d open up to him, but he knew he’d have to let her find her own path. Well, I’ll look forward to seeing yo
ur proposal. Any idea what you want to study?

  Now she looked like the confident, insightful student that he usually had in his classes. I was thinking about studying peaceful protest movements like we talked about last year.

  With any other student, he’d think she was trying to manipulate him, since he always tried to bring social justice components into his math and science teaching. But she participated avidly in discussions, so he wasn’t worried.

  He gave a broad smile. You know what I’m going to say to that.

  Landon caught another flicker of motion by the door and looked up. Mrs. Eaves was standing there with a small, polite smile on her wrinkled face, her reading glasses hanging down on a beaded chain. He hoped she hadn’t been there too long.

  He got along with her alright as a colleague, which was fortunate because they were the only two teachers in the Deaf education program. But they didn’t always agree on teaching methodologies.

  He didn’t think she was a terrible teacher--she was completely adequate--but he couldn’t wait for her to retire next year and hopefully make way for a more creative, engaged teacher to take her place.

  The principal wants to talk with us, she reported. He’ll meet us in my classroom in about ten minutes.

  Landon indicated that he’d be there and then turned back to Sabina to chat for a few more minutes about her project. She left in a much happier mood than she’d arrived.

  Then, he crossed the hall to Mrs. Eaves’ room and took a seat on one of the student desks. That was another thing about Mrs. Eaves. She had her students sit in rows in those wretched desks with the connected chairs.

  Since Deaf students couldn’t have conversations or discussions with people they couldn’t see, that pretty much summed up her teaching style. Worksheets, quizzes, and the teacher as the authority in the front of the room. He knew that technically she moved the seats around sometimes for discussions and partner work, but the fact that she had her students put them back into rows at the end of each lesson said a lot.

  How’s Sabina been in your classes? she asked.

  She’s been great! We were just talking about an independent study, and her physics project was really strong.

  Mrs. Eaves frowned, the creases in her sagging jaw growing deeper. Well, she’s been stirring up trouble in here. She keeps leaving her hearing aids at home.

  Landon felt a flash of anger, but he kept it inside. Maybe she doesn’t feel like she needs her hearing aids at school, he suggested calmly.

  He sure didn’t care if the kids wore them in his classes. He didn’t wear his, either. Because, news flash, that’s why they taught classes in sign language.

  Mrs. Eaves gave him a look. They’d had this conversation before and agreed to disagree. He kept his face impassive, not wanting to get into it again. What else is she doing?

  She keeps sneaking in other books to read.

  Landon felt like he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Is she finishing her worksheets first?

  Usually. But she didn’t yesterday.

  Landon was trying to formulate his reply, something along the lines of “isn’t it awesome that the students in your reading class love to read” with some polite version of “maybe they’d pay attention if they weren’t bored out of their skulls,” but he didn’t get the chance.

  Mrs. Eaves turned sharply toward the door, responding to some noise he couldn’t hear, and he turned as well.

  “Hello, Principal McGillans,” he voiced. He assumed that Mrs. Eaves gave a similar greeting, but with them both standing so far apart from each other, he could only speech read from one person at a time.

  “Mrs. Eaves. Mr. Dean.” She acknowledged them both. “I have some news that I wanted to share with you. Is now a good time?”

  “Sure,” Landon replied. He didn’t have anything to go home to except more work.

  Principal McGillans paused, as if trying to figure out what to say. Her shoulders rose and fell. It was unusual to see her even a little flustered since she was usually so unflappable. “I just got some news from the district office. They’re planning on reconfiguring some of the programs for next year. And… it looks like they won’t be continuing the ASL program here.”

  “Is it going somewhere else?” Landon asked immediately. He’d chosen his apartment because it was close to work, but the district only had four middle schools and they weren’t that far apart.

  “No… They’re actually closing down the program all together.”

  That was insane. “What’s going to happen to all the Deaf students?”

  “Well, there’s going to be one aide to interpret at each school for students who want to return to their zoned placements, and two here for students who don’t want to return.”

  Landon was too stunned to even answer for a moment. He looked at Mrs. Eaves, and she seemed just as shocked.

  When he finally answered, he tried to sound calm and reasonable. “But… how would that work? I’m not sure that I understand how you could have two aides take over for two full-time teachers and an aide. If the other schools only have one aide each, they won’t even be able to cover math and English for all three grades, let alone science and social studies and electives. Are you sure that’s what they’re planning?”

  Principal McGillans did that deep breath thing with her shoulders again. “They’re hiring another speech therapist to work with the Deaf students in all four schools. The decision was that mainstreaming with hearing students would give them the most opportunity for age-appropriate coursework in the Least Restrictive Environment.”

  He felt like he’d been punched, like her words were a physical pain. The students’ LRE--the placement where they could get all of the supports that they needed while still being as integrated as possible into mainstream classes--was determined by their Individualized Educational Plans. If the students had been best supported in hearing classes, they’d already be there.

  Some certainly were. There were always a few kids who had cochlear implants or were hard of hearing, or just plain preferred to be in the hearing classrooms. The district offered them a choice and it was written into their IEPs.

  But this was blatant Oralism. Landon ranted internally about Deaf rights and the validity of ASL as a language and of Deafness as a culture, but he didn’t let any of it out. He knew he was right, but he didn’t want to have the principal as his enemy. Maybe, though, if he could just make one point...

  But she put up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. I’ve already written back to the district asking them to meet with me about the logistics of whatever options they choose. There are a lot of valuable opportunities that the current model affords students, and I want to make sure that those are understood as well as the logistical challenges.”

  Yeah, but that didn’t address the fact that it was ignorant Oralism and unfair to his students. His fists were actually shaking, and he hoped it didn’t show on his face.

  The principal turned to face Mrs. Eaves, so he turned, too. He missed most of it, but he got the general sense of the question and turned back to the principal.

  “Mrs. Eaves, I know that you’re retiring after next year. I can’t promise a position, but you have seniority, so if you’re willing to take anything that comes up, you shouldn’t have a problem getting it. There’s usually at least one English or Social Studies teacher leaving each year, especially if you’re willing to move to elementary or high school. At the worst, someone will probably go on maternity leave and you can take over two different programs in the fall and spring.”

  She turned to Landon. “Mr. Dean, I’d offer you the same thing…”

  She let it hang in the air, the but unspoken. But what? But he couldn’t teach hearing children because he was Deaf? But they assumed he’d only want to work with Deaf students?

  “I would also appreciate the same opportunity as my colleague in the fall,” he said as calmly as possible. He didn’t know if he’d still feel the same way later, but it
was the principle of the thing.

  “Well,” Principal McGillans finished awkwardly. “I’ll update you when I have more information. Have a good weekend.”

  That was it. His whole career, all of his awesome students just… kicked aside because some ignorant person at the district office has a ridiculous idea about mainstreaming.

  He tried to be polite to Mrs. Eaves as he left, but since she didn’t seem angry about the situation now that her job was secure, he felt awkward with his own feelings. It was unjust, and the only thing he could do was wait until the principal checked in with the district. He felt betrayed and helpless.

  He grabbed his laptop bag and walked as quickly as possible out of the dim, windowless hall where they’d stuck his classroom, and into the sun.

  He tried to take soothing breaths and appreciate the crisp, late fall weather, but his impotent anger felt like sand under his skin.

  He needed something to make him forget. Thank God he knew where to get it.

  ◆◆◆

  A few hours and a frustratingly long drive into the city later, Landon opened the subtly marked door at Escape, and he could already feel the stress start to roll off his shoulders. He knew he could find another job, even if it meant moving. And he knew that there was still a chance that things would work out, especially with Principal McGillans advocating for him and his students.

  But he couldn’t get his brain, or his tense shoulders and tight lower back, to let it go.

  Escape was aptly named. Because somewhere inside was a Dom who was hopefully just waiting to give him what he needed. He wasn’t feeling picky tonight. He’d take impact play, Shibari, service or role play if it was more on the intense side... Pretty much anything really. He could take or leave the sex part, too. He just wanted to get out of his head.

  Tomorrow he could go back to being happy and calm and outgoing and all of those things that he usually was. Tonight, he needed someone to set him straight.

  He flashed his card at the door even though Devon knew him, grateful as always that they took security seriously. Knowing his preferences, she held out black, white, and green wristbands for him, but he declined the black one. He was definitely green to play, but he only wanted to submit tonight.