See Me, Hear Me

Chapter 5

(Wenseday)

"Nene, girl you always know how to do me right when I walk into this shop!" Jhene nods excitedly as she observes the woman in her chair fiddling with her new wig installation. "I can't believe you just up and leaving me bitch? Do you expect me to drive to Dallas for an appointment?"  Tisha communicates as Jhene reads her lips, tapping her hearing aid when her voice fades. "I don't want to," Jhene whispers, approaching from behind to comb through Tisha's silver hair. Tisha sighs, meeting her friend's gaze in the mirror and spotting her downcast look. "Are you concerned about your shop?" she asks. Jhene nods in response; her worry is evident. She had poured her heart into securing this place, and now, having achieved her dream, she faces a new battle in a different city to retain her rights to it. 

"It's going to be alright; you have your business licenses. You can transfer or purchase a building out there and rebrand," Tisha says, tilting her head so Jhene can reach her edges. Jhene nods, trying to remain optimistic. "It was tough, you know, acquiring this building. The owner hesitated to sell it to me because of my disability—you were there, Tisha," Jhene speaks, her voice softening as emotion wells up. Tisha frowns, raising her hand to pause Jhene, "Times have changed, Nene. Back then, discrimination against the disabled and people of color made it harder for us. But it's 2023 now, and people are more accepting, and evolving daily. Sure, there will always be those who don't want others to succeed, but you are your person. You decide whether or not you let someone else tear you down."

Jhene dries her tears, whimpering as she listens to her best friend. "You're the strongest person I know, Nene. You've managed to persevere through everything you've faced, and you'll continue to do so. Please, change your mindset from 'I can't do this or that' to 'I did do this and that,' because it's true—you have, and you'll continue to achieve more." Jhene nods, a smile breaking through her sniffles. "When did you turn into a motivational speaker?" she signs, too overwhelmed to speak. Tisha shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm just echoing what my husband has been telling me. When I lost my right leg, life changed drastically, and I fell into depression, thinking I couldn't live normally. But changing my mindset, thanks to his encouragement, led me to become a physical therapist myself."

Jhene smiles as she thinks about her support system, her family. They are the reason she exists; without them, she would have given up a long time ago. Had she not met her husband, she might have ended everything earlier. She watches the brown-skin woman admire herself in the mirror before signing, "Thank you." 

..

"What's been going on between you and your sister?" Juno read his father's lips as they entered the doctor's office. Juno frowned at the mention of Alicia, jotting down in his notebook, "I don't even know." Julius hummed to himself, "Well, whatever it is, you all need to sort it out before your mother notices. The tension in the house is too palpable, you're siblings after all." Juno's frown deepened before he wrote in his journal, "I haven't done anything to her; she's been acting strange ever since she asked me to join her and her friends at the mall. And the other night, when Malik dropped us off after the fair, she began insulting him, and that pissed me off." 

Juno lifts his journal as Julius reads it before asking, "Who's Malik her new boyfriend or something?" He inquires, prompting Juno to reread his previous words before gazing at his father in confusion. Juno hadn't written that so where had that statement come from? Juno shakes his head vehemently in response to his father's questions, causing his father to raise an eyebrow. "So you got mad at your sister because she said some shit about another nigga?" As they settle into the waiting room of the doctor's office, Julius questions Juno. Juno nods and writes, "Yes, she was speaking ill of him, even though he's never wronged her. Well, except for punching her boyfriend, but that guy had it coming; he's a jerk!"