AFTERMATH

“HOT,” my younger brother Michael signed to me as he fanned himself with his right hand. With his left, he waved to get my attention. We sat in the hot van, waiting for the light to turn green. I sighed, handing the twelve-year-old boy a bottle of water. Luckily, I noticed him waving when he signed for water. If I hadn’t paid attention or glanced his way, he would never have received the water. Michael looked miserable. Sweat poured down his face, making his long blonde hair stick to his skin. It drenched his gray short-sleeve shirt. The old van's air conditioning had stopped working a few days ago… but we couldn't fix it - it was too old. My window was rolled down as far as it would go, which was about half way. Not that it mattered with the stagnant heat and the now stagnant van. I wished I could find something that would help my younger brother. Digging around in my blue bag, I reached for a rag that took me a short while to find. I drenched the rag with water, then placed it on Michael's forehead. “THANK YOU,” he signed while smiling. I nodded and looked in front of me - Mom and Dad weren't paying attention to us as they stared at the red light. “Broken,” I said, feeling Michael's gray eyes penetrate my head. Doing so reminded me that Michael had never heard me speak. He has only heard me screaming in frustration a few times. Dad heard me and started driving. Gloriously fresh air rushed inside. Michael's hair moved more freely now. He looked refreshed and seemed to be doing better, his face glowing pink. A slight vibration came from my parents and brother singing a song. I looked down at my phone and saw a text from my boyfriend, Kameron. Kameron: Hey, are you enjoying your road trip, Lex? Lexi: We sat at a broken stoplight for what felt like an eternity. I had to tell Dad the stoplight didn't work. “Hey, Dad? Is Kameron going to the hotel too?” Dad must have responded because Michael looked at me, nodding. I thanked him while turning my phone back on to text Kameron. Lexi: You're at the hotel already, right? Kameron: I am. Lexi: Was the stoplight by the barbershop working when you came through? Kameron: Yeah, it worked when I passed it. Weird, the stoplight must have stopped working an hour later. I gasped and told Mom and Dad about the stoplight. Mom turned around, so she looked at me and signed while asking, “STOPLIGHT OLD. K-A-M-E-R-O-N NOT ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION. SURE YOU?” Michael observed us signing, so he joined the conversation. “ME TRUST K-A-M-E-R-O-N,” Michael signed. “WE GOT NO PROOF.” Mom shrugged and talked to her husband about what happened at the stoplight. The look on her face when she talked to him made it clear anxiety had set in. A few minutes later, Dad pulled into the hotel parking lot. We had booked our rooms in advance; I shared a room with Kameron while Michael shared one with Mom and Dad. I took a deep breath and got out of the van. The sun beat down as I placed my hand on the top of my head. I dashed into the shade of the building and sighed deeply. It wouldn't surprise me if the sun burned my scalp. The next thing I knew, a tall man with hazel eyes and brown hair hugged me. I laughed instead of freaking out. I signed when he released me, “YOU MISS ME? ME MISS YOU!” Kameron kissed me on the cheek, and I blushed. “ME INVITE YOU DINNER. ME MISS YOU.” Kameron signed with a smile on his face. He turned to my family and said, “you three can come, my treat.” Kameron turned back to me, signing with a goofy look on his face, “YOU STILL NEED FINGERSPELL MY NAME? ME THINK YOU GET SIGN FOR MY NAME NOW.” I smiled, grasping his hand, and we got into the elevator. Once the door shut, and we were alone, I gently touched his cheek. Kameron smiled lovingly. His protective arm wrapped around my waist, careful not to pin down my long blonde hair where it rested. Kameron kissed my forehead when the elevator reached the top floor. It was a short walk before we arrived at our room, which had the number 264 in gold on the door. Sliding the card into the reader, I pushed down on the handle and led Kameron inside. A blue, green, and brown comforter covered the queen size bed. Pulling it back a little, I saw white pillowcases and a sky-blue bedsheet. The small, but cozy-looking, bathroom had a white marble floor, and the shower had a matching shower curtain. I began turning around, but Kameron signed, “ME HAVE SURPRISE FOR YOU.” Afterward, he covered my eyes with his hand. I closed my eyes and tapped Kameron's forearm, so he knew to remove his hand from my face. Shortly after, Kameron gently tapped my shoulder, and I opened my eyes. A white dress decorated with red roses lay on the bed. I carefully felt the silk fabric, noting that the realistic roses were of the same material. Thankful and happy, I flung my arms around Kameron's neck. “TRY IT ON,” Kameron coaxed, smiling. I nodded while I gently lifted the magnificent dress and dashed to the bathroom to try it on. Once inside the bathroom, I locked the door and unbuttoned my lavender polo shirt, peeling the sleeves off my sweaty arms as I undressed. Picking up the dress, I slid the garment over my head. The cool, delicate fabric fell and instantly swallowed my thin body. I stepped out of my black skirt and walked back into the bedroom. Kameron smiled and signed “BEAUTIFUL,” then walked behind me, zipping up the back. “YOU WANT ME BRAID YOUR HAIR?” Kameron signed, gesturing a braiding motion with his hands. He picked up a hairbrush and I nodded eagerly as he sat on the bed. I sat on his lap, then he began gently brushing my flowing hair. It seemed like a few minutes later when the man began braiding my hair. As he finished the braid, he fastened it on top of my head. I looked like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. “YOU MAKE ME LOOK LIKE K-A-T-N-I-S-S?” I signed, grinning and practically falling off Kameron's lap from laughter. In response, the eighteen-year-old smiled and shrugged. He suggested I go say hello to my family so he could change. I walked over to my family's room, number 265. I knocked on the door and Dad opened it almost instantly; he waved, welcoming me inside. Mom tried putting a necktie on Michael, but it was clear to me that he did not want to wear it, since he was running around and (probably) screaming. Mom stopped trying to put the tie on my younger brother when she saw me. “WHO DO YOUR HAIR?” Dad made a braiding gesture with his hands. “WHERE YOU GET YOUR DRESS?” I smiled, spun around, then signed, “K-A-M-E-R-O-N DO ALL THIS. HE BUY ME DRESS, OFFER BRAID MY HAIR, I LET HIM.” Michael and Dad stopped what they were doing. Dad smiled while signing “ME NOT SURPRISED IF HE TAKE YOU CHURCH MARRY YOU.” After I comprehended what my father signed, I began grinning. Someone knocked on the door, so Dad answered. Kameron stood very handsomely in the doorway, wearing an expensive-looking suit with a red tie and fedora. “YOU YOUNGER VERSION N-E-A-L C-A-F-F-R-E-Y LOOK LIKE,” I signed. Kameron laughed ecstatically. He asked us if we wanted to get dinner both spoken and in sign language. My family needed a few more minutes to get ready, so Kameron and I walked to the restaurant together to get our table and grab a few moments of privacy. The famed, charming restaurant looked expensive. Seeing this made me nervous to go inside, but Kameron told me it would be fine. We entered the building and waited for the waitress. Kameron politely said to the waitress there would be three more people joining us. We sat down together, holding hands under the table, feeling slightly out of place. The rest of my family joined us a few minutes later; Michael and Dad wore red bow ties with white polo shirts and blazers, and Mom wore a red dress. I realized we all wore red somewhere in our outfits. “That's adorable, we all match,” I said. Everyone at the table nodded, agreeing with my statement. I spoke without sign language. A waitress with ginger hair and light brown eyes walked over to us and asked what we would like to drink. I had to watch her lips to make sure I understood. “Lemonade, please,” I said when Kameron nudged me gently. He said he had gotten the same thing. When I didn't sign, my family and boyfriend didn't sign either. Five minutes later, the waitress returned with our drinks. For our meal, we had spaghetti topped with shrimp. After dinner, my family headed back to the hotel so they could get some sleep. Kameron and I slowly danced in the parking lot of the hotel for a while, then walked back to the hotel. We climbed into bed and fell asleep.