Without any context, and in the middle of lunch, Juniper walks up to their table in the library, signs “happy birthday ” to Leon, and unceremoniously dumps a small, wrapped box on the table.
Okay, so there is some context; it’s Leon’s birthday today, but he didn’t think that she would have remembered, let alone given him a birthday gift. “What is this? ” he asks.
“Your birthday gift, what else? ” She takes her seat across from him, the perfect spot for their silent conversations. “If you’re wondering what it is, feel free to open it. ”
He is curious as to what she got him for his birthday, and he knows that she can see that. “No hints as to what it is? ”
“That would take the fun out of opening it ,” she replies, “but I know that you’ll like it. That’s the only hint you’re getting. ” Her face cracks into a small smile as she busies herself with unpacking her lunch.
Her hint doesn’t answer any of his questions, so he asks, “you’re sure I can just open it now? ”
“Open it whenever, but I’d like to see your reaction when you do .” She takes a bite out of her rice. “Sure, it’s your birthday gift, but I’d like to think of it as more than just that. Call me sentimental, but it reminds me of our entire friendship. ”
That piques Leon’s curiosity even further. He pushes his own lunch off to the side and starts ripping the wrapping paper off of the box quietly, since they are eating in the library. After a few moments of ripping the paper, he reveals a box and lifts the cover off. Inside, a pair of over-the-ear headphones was placed snugly. He looks back up to Juniper, who was grinning as she watches his reaction. “Headphones? ” He looks closer inside the box. “There’s no microphone jack. ”
“Try them on,” she encourages.
“What kind of headphones are these? ”
“You’ll see. ”
Leon doesn’t know why Juniper is being so adamant about him wearing the headphones, but he’s not about to complain. After all, a new pair of headphones is a new pair of headphones. He puts them on carefully, making sure to adjust them to fit him.
As soon as the headphones cover his ears, the noise from the library and the colors from people’s voices that he’s so used to seeing fade away. In the place of noise, a calm silence fills his ears, and he realizes what exactly Juniper’s gift is: noise-cancelling headphones.
She watches him carefully for his reaction, and he knows that she’s also looking into his emotions with her ability. “They’re a little old,” she signs, “so I’m hoping that they still work. It wasn’t noisy enough for me to test them when I was cleaning them and wrapping them up last night. ”
Even from the first time they met, Juniper never failed to surprise Leon with such a good surprise.
“Thank you ,” he signs sincerely.