Family is everything when they are the right ones.

Milo and Nora enter the house. As they do, Nora sees a tall, slim, dark-haired woman peeks her head around the corner. “Why are you not in school, Milo….” She signs, then stops and sees Nora. She smiles a cheeky grin, “Mom, don’t you dare. It isn’t what you think. She is just a friend from school,” Milo quickly signs back. His mom nods as she returns to the kitchen; his house is beautiful. The walls are a light brown color with pictures of two red-headed children. One must have been a younger Milo, Nora figured around ten or twelve, and a baby, a girl whom Nora assumed was his sister. There was a couch on the left side of the wall and a couple of lazy boys on the other wall. In the center was a beautiful glass table and end tables on either side of the couch. The house was Magnificent. It felt safe and home to Nora, like something she wasn’t always used to.

Nora now sees Milo take off his shoes and hands her a pair of slippers, and he slips a pair on himself. “Follow me. I'll introduce you to my family. My sister won't be home for an hour, and my dad should be home soon.” He signs as he takes her hand, leading her into the kitchen where his mother is. Once there, the woman turns around and smiles, “My son brought home a girl. The world must be ending.” She signs, but Nora notices that just like Milo, she has facial expressions that make Nora smile. Milo sighs, closing his eyes. “Mom, I told you it isn’t like that. Remember, I am undatable,” he signs back as he opens his eyes to look at her and Nora again. Nora can't help but love the bond they have and smiles.

“Dear, can I offer you something to drink or a snack? Perhaps?” his mother signs, questioning whether Nora is hungry or thirsty. She smiles. “Water, please,” Nora signs. Milo's mom nudges Milo in the arm. He looks at her. “Get her a water,” his mom signs. Milo smiles and kisses her on the cheek. “I’m going,” he signs back. He goes over, grabs water from the refrigerator, and hands it to Nora. She then looks at both of them, confused. “Can I ask you something? She signs, looking at both of them. They both smile at her. “Sure,” they both sign together, “I noticed that you both sign, but you don’t use your voice when you sign. Why is that?” Milo’s mom now looks in thought as she answers, “Whether we use our voice or not doesn’t stop us from talking. What stops us from talking is not learning.”

Nora now sees Milo leave the kitchen, panicking because she is unsure what to do next. Milo’s mom grabs Nora’s hands and moves her to the living room, where they sit. “I take it that you talk, right?” She signs asking Nora a tricky question, Nora Fidgets with the hair tie around her wrist. “I used to, but I haven’t in over five years, to be frank. I'm not sure if I can talk anymore.” She signs, looking down at her hands. Milo’s mom lifts her head to look into her beautiful light blue eyes. She was stunning, Nora thought; Milo was fortunate to have her as a mother. “Does it bother you not having a voice? You still can talk, right?” Milo’s mom signed, asking Nora as she grabbed her hands. Nora smiles and nods as Milo’s mom lets go of her hands. “I can because I sign. I’ve always signed even when I could talk because sign is my first language; talking is my second language, but I used to talk to fit in.”

“Why fit in?” Milo asks. She turns to face him now he has a ten-year-old little girl wrapped around his back, giving her a piggyback ride; he bounces her up and down as she smiles. He then takes her off his back, and the girl looks at Nora.

“Hi, I’m Dixie,” The little girl signed. Milo smiles. “Dixie has never talked. She can’t. She has never wanted to learn or go through everything to learn to talk. She doesn’t have a voice.” He signs to Nora; he then goes over and hugs Dixie from behind, wrapping her in a big hug. She squirms, trying to get free, and he lets go. “But that has never bothered her; she doesn’t care to fit in. She is beautiful in her own way, even without her voice. She doesn’t need a voice to be heard. She has other ways, including her hands.”

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Dixie looks at Milo and sticks her tongue out at him, making a face. Then, she leaves the living room to enter what Nora would assume was her room. Milo now goes and sits across from Nora, facing her. “We don’t use our voices in this house not because we can’t but because we don’t need to; we can still talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company without using our voices. Our family doesn’t fit in, which is perfectly fine.” He signs and looks at his mother, who nods and smiles. Nora was shocked, even astonished, by this young man whom she had no idea thought like this, who didn’t care what others thought about him or how he signed; he was Milo regardless of how he used his voice or hands to talk.

The door now opens, and a tall red hair husky guy walks in. Milo stands up.

“About time you show up, old man,” he signs; the man puts down his briefcase, goes over, and kisses his wife. Nora notices that Milo pretends to pout. Just then, Dixie emerges from her room and wraps her arms around her father, hugging him. She then goes, and he bends down to kiss her forehead. “My perfect child, my baby, my heart, and soul. How I’ve missed you, Dixie,” He signs, looking over at Milo, who takes his hands and puts them over his heart, looking wounded. “Old man, how dare you? I’m your first. Born. Have you no love for me?” he signs. His dad rolls his eyes and looks at his wife.

“Dear, didn’t I say not to bring home strays? It is an unhealthy habit of yours,” he signs, winking at Milo. His wife gives him a big smile as she takes his briefcase. “I am truly sorry, dear. I couldn’t help myself. He looked like a lost puppy, and I couldn’t resist those eyes.” She signs back. Milo now looks at them with the saddest eyes, then at Nora. “See how they treat me. They are the oldest, the one they have loved for eleven years, and then they decide to start all over and end up with her,” he signs, then points to Dixie. Nora smiles. “I mean, she is awfully cute,” she signs to Milo, who now puts his head down.

Milo's dad now sees Nora standing there for the first time and looks shocked. “Wait, dear, our son brought home a girl. The world must end, for he couldn’t even bring home a stray dog if he tried.” Milo's mom now laughs; her laugh sounded underwater to Nora, but it was still lovely to hear. “Now, dear, don’t go scaring her off; this is Nora; she is Milo's friend,” Milo's mom signed. Milo’s dad now sits down facing Nora. “Hello dear, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Knox.” He then puts out his hand. Nora takes it, shaking hands with him. “Hello, I’m Nora. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Knox,” she signs after letting go of his hand. Milo now comes over and sits beside his dad, who hugs him. “Glad you made a friend, Milo. Don’t scare her off now,” he signs, laughing as he says it. Milo rolls his eyes but laughs as well. “I promise I will try not to, old man.” He signs back, looking at Nora with so much understanding.

Nora realized that Milo wasn’t being mean to the kids when he said what he said in class; he was defending his world and the people he cherished, which he had every right to do. Nora wished she had what Milo had. In a way, she was jealous of Milo because he had a wonderful life and a loving family, something she didn’t. But as she sat there watching them interact, it was noisy, but a different type of noise. It wasn’t noisy from talking. It was noisy from expression, for everyone in Milo's family had expressions and brought life to sign, and it was noisy because, for Nora, it was their voice, just in a different way.

Authors note.

This is edited to the best of my abilities. Please don't leave negative comments; if you don't like my story, move along. If you have advice, you are always welcome to advise.