Page 9 of Echoes of Obsession
“Zoe,” Snow sighs, picking up a beautiful little girl with hair and skin just like her mom.
Snow turns and smiles sadly at me.
“I’m so sorry,” she says for the fifth time tonight. “You didn’t ask for any of this. But I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Please call me about paying for your couch to be cleaned.”
“Who is this pretty girl?” I ask instead of responding to her comment.
Snow places the little girl down and starts to move her hands in patterns as she speaks.
“This is Zoe,” she says out loud while signing with her hands. “Zoe can’t hear, so we use ASL to talk. American Sign Language. Zoe, this is my friend, Ghost.”
Zoe’s little face looks so surprised that I have to suppress a laugh.
Her hands move, and whatever she says makes Snow laugh.
“She’s asking if you’re a real ghost,” Snow says.
I take a few steps closer and kneel down with a safe distance between me and Zoe.
“I’m not a real ghost,” I explain, waiting for Snow to translate. “My friends call me Ghost because I’m very quiet.”
Zoe’s hands move, and I wait patiently.
“She says that she’s very quiet, too, and wants a cool nickname like yours.”
I look up at Snow and almost fall to my ass at the longing in her eyes as she looks back at me.
I look back at Zoe and smile. “I call your mom, Snow. Can you guess why?”
Zoe reaches for her hair and gestures to it.
“Yep,” I smile. Zoe looks at her mom while I talk. “Her hair and her skin are like fresh fallen snow. Very beautiful.”
“She says her hair and skin are the same as mine,” I hear Snow whisper, and I suppress a smile at how my words affect her.
“They are,” I tell the pretty little girl. “Let me think. A name that represents how beautiful you are and how quiet you are.”
Zoe nods and I sit here for a few to think through some nicknames to give her.
“How about Dove?” I ask moments later. “They represent purity, like freshly fallen snow that no one has ruined with their feet. And they are very quiet. Their wings but a whisper in the night.”
Zoe raises her right hand and taps her pointer finger and thumb together as if she’s saying tweet tweet. Then she forms a circle with all five fingers, followed by a ‘v’ with her pointer and middle fingers, and what I assume is an ‘e’ by curling all of her fingers inward.
“She’s spelling, Dove,” Snow tells me. “Typically, the ‘D’ doesn’t have finger movements like that. She’s using it to describe the bird and not the soap.”
Slowly, I watch as Zoe repeats the movements, and I try my best to mimic them.
“Dove,” I say when I’ve mastered it after a few practices. “Alright, little Dove. It’s late, and your mommy is very tired. How about you ladies go on inside and get some sleep.”
Dove turns to her mom and waits for her to translate. With a nod, she accepts Snow’s keys and unlocks the door. With a final turn, she waves before disappearing inside.
“What a night,” Snow sighs. “I can’t apologize enough for everything I’ve put you through tonight. I meant it about the couch. I’m really embarrassed, and I want to pay for it to be cleaned.”
“Go on inside, Snow,” I demand. “It’s chilly out here, and you’re not wearing a coat.”
“Will you text me the bill?” she asks.
“I’ll text you,” I answer.