Cheers for Communication

Last night I attended a dear friend's birthday party; I was looking forward to it, not only because it was an opportunity to celebrate my friend's birthday, but it was also going to be great to see some other friends again as well. The organizer, my friend's husband, chose a bar based on internet buzz. Only one or two in the group of attendees had ever been there, though I didn't know that at the time.

I was the first to arrive, and found it to be a fairly small bar, and very, very dark. After unsuccessfully finding anyone there, I staggered back out, thinking, "Jeez, what a dark bar. I wonder if T realizes it's going to be damn hard to sign in there??" Soon the birthday girl and her hubby appeared, and I relayed to them the bar's atmosphere. We entered and found it comfortable, if very dark.

But what happened next was a pleasant surprise. As we seated ourselves and saw the waitress approach to take our orders, we grabbed the drink list like good little deafies, ready to point and gesture in order to make our wishes known. But then, the waitress *signed*.

Yep, she not only signed, it wasn't the usual "Oh, H-I! I know A-B-C..." No, it was a smooth full sentence-- "HI! What you want drink?" *thud* (jaw dropping to the floor) Turns out she's an interpreter (or aspiring interpreter?). She'd taken courses at Golden West and Pierce College, and even better, had pretty good receptive skills. We were of course delighted. Soon that astonishment turned to even more good fortune: the waitress was soon joined by one of the bartenders, who also signed. Not one, but two people in the same business could communicate with us, sans paper, pen, or pointed fingers!

Needless to say, we all enjoyed interacting with the waitress, and informing partygoers who joined us through the evening of our communication access. Naturally we left a good tip, and discussed possibly getting together again at the same establishment on a regular basis. I don't know if that'll happen-- I hope it does. But all I could say at the end of the evening other than what a wonderful party it was, and three cheers for the birthday gal, was to add cheers for communication. Just wish this was more the norm than the rare exception!