Lily 5

When I say that there is no one to communicate with, I am speaking in the figurative rather than literal sense. It's not exactly like I'm stranded on a desert island but close.
So far, I have discovered only one person in town who knows ASL. A sad-eyed old Native pensioner who hangs around the library a lot. Doesn't drink now, but obvious look of one with years of experience.
He and I are both in the same boat. That is, each of us was sent away to the course in Toronto, compliments of some public sector agency. And like any skill, if you never use it, you lose it.
I often run into him in the coffee house attached to the library.
It's hard to generate any real topic of conversation. Not only vastly different life experiences, but totally different reading habits. He never reads a newspaper, so current events is out as a topic. I often see him check out a dozen murder mysteries, a genre I loathe with a passion.
He favors Brit style mysteries as compared to American.
But somehow I don't care. I'm happy to let him regale with me stories of what he's read lately. When he asks me, I'll mention historical fiction which would be ok for his reading level. Still, regardless of anything I might say, he never gets around to checking one out.
And gradually I come to a realization, the library is saving his life. If he weren't reading, he'd be drinking.
There is my friend/co-worker Naomi. Out are phone and coffee house chats that go on forever of religion, history, philosophy, literature. However, she doesn't forget me totally and we do pass notes some.
So I'm in the state of pondering my identity. That is, am I primarily a deaf person or primarily Jewish? It seems impossible to be both, yet I am.
I'm already considering moving to Toronto, where there would presumably be something of a community of deaf Jews, when things turn southwards, and rapidly.
You see, like any book, Eva took out a blog to promote it and generate reader feedback.
It's fast and it's savage. The nature versus nurture argument around homosexuality heats up.
And since a lot of the readers know one or both of the lads and/or their parents, it gets personal in a hurry.
Soon, I'm under attack too. I'm being held as blame for my former fiance becoming gay.
And then they adjourn to a different venue, another blog. The owner of this blog chooses to remain anonymous. However, with all the clues given, it's obvious, former best friend of my former fiance. Knows lots and lots about me, the fiance, and his parents; but almost nothing about the other lad. We-ell, comments from the various people range from me never "putting out" to doing so insufficiently in quality or quantity to speculations of a sadomasochistic relationship. Oy!
I soon discover the bulk of the Jewish community in town is laughing at me. There is only one defender on the blog. User ID "Gaydar", an obviously gay and obviously Jewish guy asserts again and again that I had zero influence, it was in his genes. He's drowned out by the shouting of everyone else.
Mother's take on it is don't be in a big hurry to move to Toronto. Like anything else in life, these things have a limited shelf life. Soon be old hat. Hope she's right!