Mum looked at me when I went into the house with the newspaper. We signed to each other.

'Are you OK?' she asked, and I did my best to smile.

'Yes, I'm OK,' I said.

She looked at me for a moment as if she didn't quite believe me, and then she said, 'Ron's here. He's in the living room.'

That made me happy again. Ron is my very best friend. We lived next door to each other when we were children. Now he's a student in London, and I don't get to see him very often. He's studying to be a teacher of deaf children. He wanted to become one because of me. Ron learnt to speak to me by signing when he was very young.

I went quickly into the living room. Ron was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. When he saw me he put the magazine down. 'Hi, Sam!' he signed to me and smiled.

'Hi, Ron.' I smiled back and kissed him. 'How are you?' I was really happy to see him. I knew I could tell him about my problem with the man from the shop. Ron understood these things. I remember the first time he fell in love. It was with my friend Suzanne, actually.

Mum put her head round the door. I watched her mouth move as she asked Ron if he wanted a cup of tea. She likes Ron as much as I do. When we were children, she often took both of us to the sea for the day.

Once I asked Ron what the sound of the sea was like. He said. The sea's loud when it gets to the beach. But it can be soft and quiet too.'

Usually I don't feel sad about being deaf, but I love the sea, and I would like to hear what it sounds like very much.

I quickly told Ron about the man from the shop before Mum came back with the tea.

'Actually, I think I know him,' Ron said after a few moments. 'My brother's friend has a Saturday job at that shop. He's a student at the university. He lives in Pete's house'

Pete is Ron's brother. 'I couldn't believe it! My man lived in Pete's house! What's his name?' I asked.

'Jim, Ron told me.'

'Actually, Pete's having a party at his house tonight. Come with me. Jim will probably be there.'

Parties are difficult for me because I can't talk to people. It's different when I'm with my other deaf friends because we sign to each other and we laugh a lot. Going to a party with them is different to going to any other sort of party. We all speak the same language. When I'm at a party with them, I'm in the centre of things. At parties with hearing people, I'm on the outside. Or I feel as if I am.

Ron knew what I was thinking. 'Come to the party,' he signed. 'Please. I'd like you to come.'