Should Deaf-initely Mess With Him

(I have grown up with selective mutism, and have learned to speak using ASL. This is not apparent now, as I can now speak perfectly in public. My boyfriend on the other hand, is deaf.)

Me: “Welcome to [Store Name]; how can I help you?”

Customer: “Yes, I’d like a [Signature Creation].”

Me: “Right away.”

Customer: “Oh, I’m allergic to all nuts; can you make sure nothing touches?”

Me: “Of course, let me go get some clean spades.”

(I leave and go to the back. My boyfriend visits me at work for the first time as we live a bit apart. He tries to order something from the menu and is frustrated that my coworker cannot understand him. He has never done speech therapy so he cannot speak. I come back to the front.)

Customer: “Freak! What are you even doing here making those noises? No one wants your kind here. Get out! F****** freak.”

(The coworker is stunned, and is not stepping in, so I step in.)

Me: “You cannot speak to another patron like that. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Customer: “I’m doing this for all of you. Why would you want this freak around?”

(I turn to my boyfriend and sign to him that I will take care of this, even though it’s kind of a deaf culture no-no.)

Me: “I am not required to answer that question. I am, however requiring that you leave.”

(I go around through the back and out to the front where the customer is still causing issues. We are able to escort him out, but he stands at the glass windows glaring at us.)

Boyfriend: *signing* “We should really mess with him.”

(My boyfriend kisses me, and the customer goes ballistic until the police come and arrest him. I stopped working there, but my wonderful intelligent and deaf man and I are now engaged to be married.)