We take our hearing for granted. We really do.

This guy always comes in and orders a small coffee. He's deaf, so he always gestures everything. One of these days I will sign something to him. It's funny, cause right now i'm reading Vikram Seth's: An Equal Music. Angel had recommended another book by the same author to me, but i couldn't find it in the library, but this one was, so i got it instead. I've never heard of this guy or this book, but I really enjoyed it once i started reading it, and thought what a great coincidence it is that the main character plays the violin and is in a quartet. It's about this violininst Michael and his past and present, etc. Michael is in a quartet, so in this book they refer to so many musical things that I would never have understood if i hadn't played violin before. The way he describes things, I totally know what he's talking about. For instance, he described one of his performances, how he doesn't know or even realize that he's started playing, and when he does, he's not really paying attention or thinking, his fingers are just like on autopilot, and before he knows it, he's finished playing. That is how I felt when i used to perform in front of people (and driving, among other things...but that is a whole other topic, hehe). I can totally relate. And it was kinda comforting to be reading this and to know that other people go through what i go through. This book is so detailed with musical references that Vikram MUST have been (or still is?) a musician himself.

Anyway, to get to my point. (BTW:if you do plan on reading this book you might not want to read anymore of this.) In the book, Michael ends up having an affair with his now married ex girlfriend. Julia is also a musician. A couple chapters ago, he found out she is going deaf, which is pretty devastating for a musician. But she is able to still play with a group from remembering what certain pieces sound like, and because she can feel the low bass notes and whatnot. But where I am now in the book, she is deciding she will no longer play with groups, because her hearing is almost completely gone, and its getting more difficult for her. So i'm reading about this woman whose whole career depends on her hearing that she is almost completely losing, and then this deaf guy comes in and orders a small coffee, and I think, I'm so lucky I can still hear my precious cds and mp3s, and everything else in the world.

This inability to communicate with him frustrates me too, because he tips me pretty well, and he seems like such a nice guy, and I just have so many questions to ask him. If only I had taken some sign language...