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Mom and dad exchange looks.
Dad clears his throat. “So Sazuki, how old are you? What are your goals in life? Where do you see yourself in ten years? And what do you like about my daughter?”
“Dad,” I groan.
“It’s a viable question, baby girl.”
I bury my face in my hands.
Sazuki carefully and methodically answers every question. After working with him for so long, I’ve observed just how much attention he pays to details. Tiny things that most people wouldn’t fret over are important to him. It’s what makes him so successful.
“Your daughter and I are similar in all the ways that count. We both value family. We both have a passion for music and the deaf community. And we both fight for what we believe in, although we do so using different methods.”
I take his hand beneath the table and squeeze.
Dad leans forward. “So the age thing…” He gestures between us. “It isn’t a factor for you?”
“Her age is not a deterrent for me. We teach each other.” He strokes my knuckles with his thumb. “I have changed in many ways since meeting Dejonae. She inspires me to not only be a better man, but a better leader and a better mentor.”
Mom clutches her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
Dad arches an eyebrow, still unconvinced. “Why do you have so much interest in the deaf community?”
“My daughter is deaf.”
Dad freezes.
Mom goes still.
I was hoping this wouldn’t come up yet.
“A daughter?” Mom gasps.
“Yes.”
I hold my breath as silence falls.
Then dad booms out a laugh. “How old is she? When can we meet her? Does she like brownies? My wife can whip up a mean double chocolate brownie.”
Sazuki looks momentarily stunned. Throughout the interrogation, he’s remained unbothered by my parent’s prodding, but for the first time, he seems a little emotional.
He blinks rapidly and stutters, “Yes. Yes, she likes brownies.”
“I remember what it was like for me when I first learned that my baby was deaf. I felt like I’d done something wrong,” mom says. “Like God was punishing me for a mistake I’d made in the past. I didn’t realize that having a child like Yaya would be one of the biggest blessings in my life.”
“Again, what am I? Chopped liver?” I mutter to break the tension.
Mom smiles. Then her eyes switch to Sazuki and linger. “I think the work you’re doing at the foundation is incredibly important. And I also want to say, as one parent to another, that I appreciate,” her voice breaks and dad has to rub her back in encouragement, “how…” mom gathers herself to finish, “… much you’ve had to endure because you refused to let the world count your child out before she’d even begun.” A tear leaks down her cheek and she sops it up with a handkerchief. “I think it’s amazing that you’re making a difference, not only in your daughter’s life but in all the kids like her. And I think someone that kind and caring will certainly treat my daughter well.”
Dad tips his head back as if that’ll reverse the tears.
Sazuki pushes his chair out, stands and bows deeply to my parents.
They both look shocked.
Sazuki stays bowed for five seconds and when he rises, his eyes are a little red. “Thank you for your trust in me. I will not let you down.”
Dad chuckles nervously. “A-alright. Let’s eat.”
