The cleaners in the elevators at my client's are challenged, when it comes to speaking and hearing (somehow ‘deaf and mute’ sounds derogatory). I was smoking downstairs sometime late in the morning a few days back, when one such individual came to me, extracted a dilapidated mobile from his pocket, punched some keys and gave it to me with a beatific smile and indicated that he wanted me to face the camera towards him.
To be honest, I was a wee bit chagrined at being made to come out of my reverie (we smokers day dream the most when in touch with nicotine) and being made to hold the camera .....till the moment I realised that he was smiling and gesturing with his fingers and palms in his sign language and the phone was recording it. Went on for about 45 seconds, after which he took the phone from me and pressed the “Send Video” button. And then “explained” to me that he was sending a Valentine’s Day message to his wife, who also happens to be similarly challenged.
I was dumbstruck.
We spend thousands of dollars on diamonds, solitaires, fine dining, flowers on this day every year on our wives / partners / to-be spouses (and sometimes clandestinely on others' wives and girl friends). And look at him. An unfortunate soul who cannot even ‘speak’ his thoughts, an unfortunate soul who will never ever ‘hear’ how sweet the words “I love you” sound like. But, in his own way, he explained as much to his wife.
Or probably more ?
