“The wife was alert long enough to whisper to a man that was trying to rescue them.She gave him the names of the children and then said orphanage.Those poor kids are gonna wake up tomorrow and not have parents.”
Miss Farmer looked back up the stairs, remembering how brave the little girl had been.
“It’s alright, officer.I’m not sure they had parents before tonight.”
CHAPTER TWO
Miss Farmer was surprised to see what a quick study Sutton had become.She learned to work in the kitchens with the other children, helping to make meals, wash dishes and clothing.She was slowly but surely catching up to the other children in her age group in the classroom and she’d found herself enjoying books more than she ever dreamed possible.
“But I don’t understand,” she said staring at Miss Farmer, “if he loved her, why did he leave?”
“Well,” she smiled, “sometimes love is complicated.He loved her so much, he thought it would be best if he left her.”
“That’s just dumb,” she said frowning.“I love Pip and I would never leave him.”
“Your love for Pip is different than the kind of love a man and woman share,” smiled Miss Farmer.She stared at Pip seated in the corner.He had a book open and was looking down at the page.The same page he’d been staring at for twenty minutes.He tried to pretend he could read but he couldn’t.
Miss Farmer had been trying to teach them both sign language but Pip struggled because he would get frustrated when he was unable to hear her instructions.He so desperately just wanted to hear but he couldn’t.
“I wish we could do something for him,” said Sutton.
“I have a surprise for you, honey.We have some friends at a hospital not too far from here, and they specialize in cases like your brother’s.They can usually correct the hearing or find a way to help the child. They’re coming tomorrow to see him.”
“Really?Can I be with him?”
“Of course,” she smiled.
Pip stood from his seat and walked toward the old piano.Miss Farmer had watched him touching the keys, his left hand on top of the piano, his right tapping each key as if he could hear the sound.
Today was different.He walked toward the piano and sat down on the bench.Then with both hands, he began to run them over the keys.Sutton smiled.
“Ain’t that pretty, Miss Farmer?”
“Isn’t that pretty,” she corrected her.Sutton just nodded.
“It sure is.”
Miss Farmer chuckled and slowly walked toward the boy.His fingers were moving casually over the keys to an unfamiliar melody, something she’d never heard in her life.But it was positively beautiful.
The boy sat at the piano for almost two hours before his sister took his hand and led him to dinner.When the doctors arrived the next day, Miss Farmer couldn’t wait to tell them what Pip had done.
At first they appeared doubtful and somewhat in disbelief.But when Sutton took her brother’s hand and led him to the piano, he played the same tune he’d played the day before.
The two men in white coats, presumably doctors, and the woman with them, stared in awe at the boy.His sister just kept encouraging him, smiling and nodding.
“This is extraordinary,” whispered one of the doctors.“You’re certain he’s deaf?”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll tell us for certain but that’s what their parents said,” she nodded.
“And the parents are dead?” asked the doctor.Miss Farmer stared at him and slowly nodded.
“Yes.They were tragically killed the same night they dropped the children off.”
Sutton didn’t understand why it took the doctors so long to tell them what they already knew.
“Your brother is completely deaf,” said the one doctor.
“I already knew that,” she said frowning at him.“I told you.He had lots of ear infections and one of the doctors at the clinic poked his ear drum or something.Mama said it was awful for him.”
