I've been promising updates on several things lately, and I haven't exactly followed through. This is the part where I do.
First, our ASL final was on the 12th, and I knew before I left the building that I'd done well. There are always those nagging, post-exam doubts, and the more you think about the test, the worse you did. But I tried to keep a level head about it, and I became more and more convinced I'd scored an A.
Turns out I was right. We only had to wait a couple days before our grades were posted online, and the verdict was as such:
Final exam: 90% A
Final grade: 90% A
Keep in mind, the community college here does not have pluses and minuses, so a 90% is as good as a 100% in terms of your final grade. I'm as pleased with this as I can be, considering how we really got hosed on a couple of those last assignments (our instructor began taking off points for things that had never, ever come up before, in this class or the last). But she couldn't deny the A, and as you'll read, I doubt she'd want to.
We're going to switch gears to The Girl Who Called for a moment, because the stories intertwine. She called the night I blogged about it, and we were on the phone for well over two hours. She is a lot of fun and quite capable in ASL, but you can tell she is a little young; turns out she's twenty-four. I was all right with this, because as I just turned thirty-three recently, it's going to get harder and harder to find someone my own age who doesn't come with a Boeing full of baggage.
The Girl Who Called and I would spend a half hour or so after each class shooting the shit, and I finally got up the nerve to say hey, how's about hitting a Deaf event this weekend and getting some dinner afterward? (With this approach, I could always hide behind the contact hours we're required for class if she turned out not to be interested). She gladly accepted, provided her folks would be able to watch the kids on that night, and the next time I saw her, she had to decline. Turns out there was a snag with the child care situation; but she would be coming to the Deaf event anyway, and she'd be bringing along a friend of hers. I told her the offer was on the table, and that if she wanted, we'd get back to it.
The friend she brought along was named Tina. She was very nice, and also very... butch. Oh my.
At the time, I thought my question was answered. But then, after our final, a bunch of us went out for a few Blue Moons at a place called Buster's just one exit past the comm college, and before she left, The Girl Who Called commented to another girl in class about how much she liked me. So perhaps it's not all a matter of batting exclusively left-handed or right-handed. She did call again the other night, and I've worked late every night since then, but I will get back to her. I just don't think we're going to date. Again, there are times you can tell she's young.
But back to Buster's. Our instructor, Sonia, came with, and I found her to be very engaging and interesting. At first I wasn't thrilled she was coming; once our final was over, I was looking forward to just relaxing for a bit, having a few Blue Moons, and shooting the shit with the girls from class. I did not want to have to sit and sign all fucking night, it's exhausting (Sonia is deaf). It turned out to be an absolute blast. We did much better than I thought we would, given how tired we all were, and it really wasn't work at all.
Here's where things get interesting. Somehow, The Girl Who Called became the topic of conversation after she left, and it came out that we'd been talking recently. TGWC has two kids, and Sonia made, I'm told, a focused and persistent point to ask if I was all right with seeing a woman who has kids. Not suspecting anything, I of course replied that it was fine, and she thought that made me very kind and understanding.
A bit later, I asked Sonia how old she was (I've always wondered, because I've never had an instructor who's younger than me), and she wouldn't tell me but said, "If you and I dated, I'd tell you then."
I'm sorry?
Yes, best I can tell, contextually, she told me that if we ever dated, she'd tell me her age, but not before. And I was left to interpret. Was she trying to say that she'd be open to seeing me? She has a little boy herself, which explains her interest in whether I'd be ok with kids. Or was she simply saying that she only tells her age to people she dates? I had my doubts, but I've since talked to a couple girls who were there at the time, and they are convinced that Sonia was dropping a major hint.
I still don't know, of course, but I will admit that I would be absolutely terrified to date Sonia. The political landscape in the Deaf community seems, at best, rigorous from where I'm standing -- we've already heard the unfortunate tale of a brilliant girl who finished the ASL program and was promptly blacklisted by the woman she did her fieldwork with, who despised her. Now she can't get a job interpreting
anywhere. So the last thing I need is to flush my future career endeavors over a lady who may or may not turn against me in the event of a relationship meltdown, regardless of how hot she is.
On top of this, I've had Sonia on a pedestal for so long that I've never considered us equals. She is so terribly fluent and mysterious that... I'd never make it through the first date. I'd shake like a leaf and I'm sure I'd embarrass myself terribly with my amateur ASL skill level. What would be fascinating, if she actually is interested, is how long she's felt that way, because this was my second straight class with her, and she'd have to play it pretty close to the chest for me to not pick up on
something until both classes are over.
I'm done with classes for the summer, but I'll be hard at it again come August. I'm pumped that my GPA there is currently 4.0, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.
As a footnote, I had a splendid birthday. My awesome friend Bobbi brought a cake to work, and my mom showed up later in the morning with another one. I got my hands on a 1-terabyte external hard drive, which was my birthday prez of choice, and this past weekend my folks and I saw
Indiana Jones and barbecued out at the house. My dad's 65th birthday was on Monday, and our birthday weekends are always an intersecting event.
Talk soon. Drop me a line. Much more to come, I have no doubt.
