hearing."
"That's why you canceled my tapping and my pair project on Sh as
siszss ?" Tesa was plainly surprised-and irritated. She wasn't the only one.
Rob's eyes widened as he signed,
"You don't think that's important?"
"No!" She shook her head angrily. "I've spent two months preparing for this project. That's what I was looking forward to. Not a one-way ticket back to
Earth to become hearing. How's that supposed to help me with the Ashu?"
Tesa had been born with only partially formed ears, due to "improper fetal
development," a favorite catch-phrase of baffled physicians. She had no
eardrums, and her semi circular canals were imperfect, giving her
occasional balance problems. Both ear canals were sealed, and her ears
were un
usually small.
8
"I've got a film that will explain the technical aspects," Rob signed. "The doctor came to our attention because someone on a planet called Trinity had
an accident that involved nerve damage. She was deafened but now her
hearing has been restored."
"Well, that's different than ...
"I know," Rob interrupted her, "but I've talked to Dr. Volski. She says she can do it!" He felt frustrated in the face of Tesa's indifference. "Well, I'm excited about it!"
Tesa's mouth twitched up on one side. "Sure, you are." As much as Tesa respected Rob's struggle to learn ASL, she felt that he would always define
her by her deafness. She'd told him that he could only see her as someone
who was missing something, instead of as someone with different abilities.
He couldn't help it, Rob told himself. He was an M.D. as well as a
psychologist. He believed in repairing things that didn't work.
"Tesa," Rob signed, "you'll be able to hear. Can't you imagine what that will mean to you?"
The young woman looked at the small cat curled in her lap, purring. Tesa
touched Bast, then signed, "Can you hear that?" Startled, he nodded.
"Well, I can, too, with my body, my eyes. Not less, Rob. Just different."
"Come on, Tesa, that's semantics. You can't hear Mozart."
She looked impatient. "Mozart! Hearing people are always throwing him up
to us. Well, I have so heard Mozart, at Gallaudet, in a special auditorium. I
heard him through the seats, the floors-I heard Mozart in my bones."
"Okay. But you've never heard birds, or wolf calls ..."
"True"--one corner of her mouth turned up--"but there are other ways to hear spirit songs. Ask Doctor Blanket."
Technical y, "Doctor Blanket"--an alien who was a powerful telepath that
looked like nothing more than a plush baby's blanket--couldn't hear either.
But Tesa wasn't an Avernian, she was a human. "Aren't you even curious?"
Rob asked, baffled by her attitude. "I can't believe you're this disinterested."
She shrugged. "Would you become a telepath if you could?"
"That's not the same issue. Besides, I can experience telepathy with Doctor
Blanket. And I don't find being a nontelepath any less desirable than being a
telepath."
9
"Same issue," she insisted. " I c an expe ri ence hearing through vibrations, and I don't find being Deaf any less desirable than being hearing.
If I had this surgery, I'd have to completely redefine myself. Who would I be,
with hearing?" She stroked the cat gently. "Dr. Rob, the elders of my tribe
believe. I've been marked by the Wakan Tanka-the Great Mystery-for a
special task. I was given a significant name."
Tesa's full name was Ptesa' Wakandagi. Ptesa' meant "White Buffalo," but implied more, since the white buffalo was not only rare, but sacred. And
Wakandagi indicated someone unique.
"Growing up with that hanging over you," she continued, "is hard. When I was selected to come to StarBridge, everyone felt it was a sign for my nagi-my soul-to follow its path. It's not a good idea to fool around with your nagi."
She looked tired. "And what would my friends at Gallaudet say?"
The mention of the school reminded Rob of the conversation he'd had with
Tesa's former adviser just the night before. "To you," the woman