I strolled calmly by myself through the park of whimsical nature and autumn colors galore,

where the view of the city was astonishing this time of year.

Down my path, splashes between reds and yellows formed a gorgeous painting I just had to capture.

I took a picture of the scenery with the loosely-hanging camera around my neck,

and carried on, gazing over the beauty at its best.

I approached a bench after a group of early-morning joggers,

where a younger girl with red hair and a light-pink sweater sat peacefully,

enjoying the weather on this very fine day.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked, hoping I hadn't abruptly disturbed her.

She made no sudden movements or actions whatsoever,

meaning she either hadn't heard me,

or simply refused to acknowledge my presence.

She carried on writing in a plain journal,

one leg crossed over the other.

"Pardon me, Miss?"

She then looked at me and smiled,

so I sat on the other end of the bench,

and tried observing my surroundings.

This captivating girl made it hard to do so,

however,

and I couldn't seem to stop looking at her.

Finally,

she glanced over to me,

the glasses she wore magnifying her icy-blue eyes.

"Hello, I'm Paul. What's your name?"

She watched my lips carefully,

flipped a page of her notebook,

and jotted something down.

Hi, I'm Paige.  I'm deaf.