Chapter 6 — The Language of Hands

Part II — The First Bridge

Saturday morning, Thao Nguyen stood in front of the wardrobe for nearly twenty minutes, changing three different outfits over and over again, even though she knew full well that today's exchange was not an occasion to dress elaborately. She was simply worried, and that worry found its way into every smallest decision of the morning.

"What are you doing going in and out for hours?" her mother asked when she saw her daughter appear in the living room for the third time wearing a different outfit.

"I'm so nervous," Thao Nguyen confessed. "Today the club has an exchange session with Deaf people in the area near the school. I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing, make the wrong sign, and make people uncomfortable."

Her mother smiled and came over to pat her daughter's shoulder. "Just remember what you did with Binh An last night. People don't expect you to be perfect, they just want you to be sincere."

Her mother's words of encouragement helped Thao Nguyen calm down somewhat. She put on a coat and greeted Binh An who was drawing in the living room with a short but precise sign: "I'm going to the club, I'll tell you when I get home this afternoon." Binh An gave her a thumbs up, a small gesture of support but enough to make her feel more confident as she walked out of the house.

The meeting place is a small coffee shop called Lang Coffee, hidden in an alley not far from the school, where most of the baristas are Deaf people. Gia Bach explained on the way there that the shop was opened by a group of former students of a special school, with the aim of creating jobs and living space for the Deaf community in the area.

When the whole club group walked in, Thao Nguyen saw about a dozen people already present, sitting scattered around small wooden tables, quickly gesturing with their hands, occasionally laughing out loud - a special sound, not quite like the laughter of the listener, but still full of unmistakable joy.

"Everyone, feel free, don't be afraid to start a conversation," Gia Bach told the group before leading them inside. "If you forget a word, you can write it down on paper, or ask me and Ms. Xuan for help. But try to try it yourself first."

Thao Nguyen tightened her bag strap, looked around the shop, trying to find a friendly face to start a conversation. Her eyes stopped at a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, sitting alone near the window, scrolling on a tablet, occasionally stopping to sketch something.

"Do you know him?" Thao Nguyen asked Gia Bach quietly when she saw him nodding to greet the man.

"Mr. Phuc," Gia Bach replied. "He works as a graphic designer and is also one of the most active people in the Deaf community in this area. He often helps our club connect with community events. Come on, I'll introduce you."

The two walked closer, and Gia Bach gestured to introduce Thao Nguyen, briefly explaining that she was a new member of the club and had a Deaf younger brother. Mr. Phuc looked at her, nodded in greeting, his eyes were gentle but somewhat observant, as is the habit of someone who has met many people who have come and gone in their journey of learning symbols.

"Hello," Thao Nguyen signed, trying to remember the correct greeting sign instead of simply waving like before. "I... just learned... symbols. Sorry if I'm... slow."

Mr. Phuc smiled and gestured back slowly, much easier to understand than the speed Thao Nguyen had seen between Gia Bach and Ms. Xuan. "It's okay, everyone has to start somewhere," he gestured, then asked further, "Do you have a Deaf brother?"

"Yes," she replied, and over the next few minutes, with Gia Bach's occasional help when she was at a loss for words, Thao Nguyen briefly told about Binh An, about how she had recently started seriously learning notation. Mr. Phuc listened attentively, occasionally nodding, his eyes becoming warmer when he heard her talk about the old painting and last night's conversation.

"It's not easy," he signs, seriously. "Many people have deaf relatives in their family but never learn the signs in their entire lives. If you start, just keep going, don't give up halfway."

That sentence, although brief, touched Thao Nguyen no less than what she heard from Gia Bach or Ms. Xuan, perhaps because it came from a person in the Deaf community - someone who understands better than anyone else what it's like to live in a world that doesn't always take the time to learn to understand oneself.

The exchange continued with many small activities - everyone divided into groups, drinking coffee and chatting, sometimes playing a game of guessing words with symbols to make the atmosphere more fun. Thao Nguyen realized that, even though her symbolic capital was limited, she could still participate in the conversation by observing carefully, guessing ideas through context, and not being afraid to ask again when she did not understand.

There was a moment, when the group was playing a word guessing game, it was Thao Nguyen's turn to sign to describe a random word she picked up - "cat" - she tried to use both her hands and facial expressions to describe the lazy look and licking movements of a cat, making the whole table laugh and guess correctly immediately. That laughter, mixed between hearing people and Deaf people, made Thao Nguyen feel an extraordinary joy — a feeling of belonging, even if only for that brief moment.

Gia Bach, sitting next to her the whole time to support her when needed, observed her with somewhat proud eyes. "You did great," he said when the session took a break. "At first you were nervous, but now you smile and talk naturally with everyone."

"Still shaking," Thao Nguyen answered honestly. "But it's actually more comfortable than I thought. Everyone here is so friendly."

"The Deaf community is often very welcoming to people who really want to learn, who really want to connect," Gia Bach explains. "What they fear the most are people who come just to 'experience' for fun, take a few photos and then disappear, never to return. You don't belong to that group, they see right away."

Thao Nguyen was silent for a moment, thinking about that sentence, feeling a bit of pride mixed with a heavier responsibility - the responsibility to continue, not to let today's exchange become just a beautiful memory and pass by like many other things in the busy life of a 12th grade student.

Near the end of the session, when everyone started to pack up to leave, Mr. Phuc approached Thao Nguyen again and gave her a small business card with the social network address of the area's Deaf community group printed on it. "My group sometimes organizes small events like this," he signed, adding a few handwritten words below the business card to make sure she understood correctly. "If you're free, just come. You don't have to be good at symbols to come, you just need to want to learn."

"I will come," Thao Nguyen replied, both by sign and voice, unable to hide the sincerity in that promise.

On the way home, Gia Bach accompanied her for a while because their houses were close together. The afternoon sky was dyed pale orange, and a cool breeze blew through the trees along the road.

"Thank you for introducing me to Mr. Phuc," Thao Nguyen said. "I feel like today is one of the most meaningful days since joining the club."

"I should thank you," Gia Bach replied, his voice warm. "Many times when I organize exchanges like this, only a few people really participate enthusiastically, the rest just come to show up. Seeing you try so hard, I feel like the effort I put in is worth it."

Those words made Thao Nguyen suddenly turn to look at him, seeing Gia Bach's eyes also looking at her. They both quickly turned away in a fleeting moment of embarrassment. No one said anything more, but the atmosphere between them seemed to be a bit different, warmer, closer than the first polite lessons.

Returning home, Thao Nguyen told Binh An the entire exchange, trying to sign as much as possible, only writing down on paper the parts that were too complicated. Binh An listened attentively, and was especially excited when he heard the part about the game guessing the word "cat", forcing her to describe it on the spot, then laughing so hard because of her clumsy behavior.

"You're better," he signed, nodding in satisfaction. "Next time, can you take me with you?"

That question surprised Thao Nguyen, a warm joy spread in her heart. This is the first time Binh An actively wants to participate in a part of her world, instead of always trying to enter her world.

"Sure," she replied immediately, without hesitation. "Next time I will definitely take you with me."

That night, while lying in bed looking at the business card that Mr. Phuc gave her, Thao Nguyen clearly felt a change happening in her heart - not only was her notation skills gradually improving, but also a new door was opening, leading her closer to a world that she had previously only stood on the outside looking in, shy and unfamiliar.