almost every sunday for the next year or two i could see the boy through the chain-link fence as we ate watermelon outside behind the dining room, during the summer time. he always made that same funny hand sign at me and i would just wave back at him, not knowing what else to do.
on my very last day in the orphanage i was being chased by the police. they told me that i was being sent off to the florida school for boys reform school, at marianna so i ran to get away from them. they chased me around the dining room building several times and finally i made a dash for the chain-link fence and tried to climb over in order to escape. i saw the deaf boy sitting there on his porch just looking at me as they pulled me down from the fence and handcuffed me. the boy, now about twelve jumped up and ran across san diego road, placed his fingers through the chain-link fence and just stood there looking at us.