The Silents

28

CHAPTER 28 I T WAS a week after their arrival. They had unpacked, set up Mama's braille on the small table in their room, taken their walks to familiarize themselves again with our neighborhood, and picked our oranges to keep in their room. They said hello again to the dogs and cats and scooped up the kids' torn jeans and socks for their yearly mending. They visited the deaf temple in Van Nuys and said hello to their California friends. They had settled in for another winter. And then Papa started talking ofretirement homes. Well, that's what I assumed he meant. "But, Sha," Papa said. "This is not a home. This is an apartment building for the deaf." "How do you know about it?" I asked. "Your Aunt Flora is moving there. She's tired of the Chicago winters." "She never told me. Not once did she write to me that there was such a place!" "Then see for yourself. Flora's not the only one. Some of our Chicago friends are renting apartments there." "Mama, what do you think?" "She's the one who really wants it," Papa interrupted. "Let her speak, Papa. You have this terrible habit of speaking for her and cutting up her food. I bet she could do it ifyou only gave her the chance." He threw me a slightly wounded look. I don't know why I picked this time to challenge him. I suppose it was my own hurt. Here he was, talking of leaving Adelaide and me and giving hardly a thought to our feelings. "Ask her. Go ahead, ask her," he demanded. I put my fingers in hers. She shook her head yes and then said, "This is nobody's fault. You and Addle have been wonderful. But now that Papa's using a walker, it's impossible to travel by train. It's time to stay in California full time. But to stay all year with you is too hard on everybody." "Then take the plane." She didn't answer. "Why is it hard? We've managed before, Mama." She laughed her polite cover-her-mouth laugh. "Three children , two dogs, two cats, and Larry's snake-my God, you have a houseful!" She tilted her head in Papa's direction, then turned away from him. "Is he watching me speak to you?" "Yes, but, of course, he can't hear you, Mama." "Ifwhat I hear about this place is true, I think it will be wonderful for both of us. You know, Papa's not getting any younger." "I promised you. Never a home." "This is not a home." "All right, let's see it. But I don't think you've got your information right. I've never heard of an apartment building for the deaf. It has to be a nursing home, and it can't be just for deaf people. I refuse to let you even think of such a thing. Papa can still get around." In truth, he could barely manage. His walker had become a permanent extension ofhimself. PILGRIM TOWER was an imposing thirteen-story building set on Vermont Avenue in the mid-Wilshire district. The small lawn in front was beautifully manicured, but I was still pessimistic about its promise. I couldn't believe the things Papa had said about government subsidies and that the Lutheran church had built it. Besides, what were Jews going to do in a 237 Lutheran development? We sat down in the manager's office. I had my list ofquestions. Opal Jones, the manager, was ready for me. Rotund and middle-aged, she filled the space between desk and back wall, leaving no room for anything else. She rattled off a list of amenities, the rental price, activities, the special TV signals , and the lights over the apartment doors. She explained all those things to me while she signed to my father in flawless sign language. "You sign very well," I told her. "My parents were deaf, too," she said. "How did this place get started?" "Pastor Jonas, who preached to the deaf, thought there should be a special housing project for the senior deaf-a place where they could be in their own environment, not stuck in a place where they couldn't communicate. I don't know ifyou've looked into retirement housing for them, but, believe me, it's hard to...