We met on a random day during the summer. Back then, I (Emerson) had a co-worker named Juan. He told me that I needed to help someone from seasonal with some school stuff, he told me that we had to work together, clear two stacks with "School backpacks" that were in front of customer service back then, Juan kind of introduced me to Lila and let her know that I was helping her with that. At first, I just noticed that of course, she couldn't speak, because Juan gestured to her when communicating with her, so I couldn't say much, she also didn't look like she wanted to speak, she was super focused on working and not seemed like she wanted to even have a basic conversation, so I just tried to focus in doing my work, a few people came to ask something once a while, she never was around the area when people came to ask, I say this because I didn't knew that much about that area so I really couldn't help myself a lot, so I wanted to ask for help, but she never was even near, so after that I just continue working, she kind of disappeared from my sight for a few minutes, and came back... "I don't know if to the area or just from my sight". After that, I felt that she was a bit rude, so I didn't think much about the situation and just tried to do the job as fast as I could, and when I needed help, I just tried to figure it out by myself and make it work my way. In my head, I wasn't enjoying working with her at all, so when I finished, I just took the basket with cardboard and threw all of it into the Balor in the process. I was just still thinking about, maybe give her a new chance, trying to be more kind or talkative. (Something that I didn't know it's that I thought that she just couldn't speak but could hear.) In that process where I'm staring at the Balor smash the cardboard, she appears again, asking me if "they told me something else that we had to get done." ... Sadly, because I thought she could hear me, I started speaking, she noticed and felt nervous, now I get nervous too, because I thought she could hear, so I tried to say sorry, but I didn't know how to say that, so she quickly reacted with a transcribe app. But because I was nervous, I just answered maybe not pronouncing well in English, and the app added a bad word in the middle of the sentence... which to be honest, by sentence or phrase wasn't really that well elaborate, I just said whatever came to mind as a quickly as a I could because of the pressure of speaking to the phone after all that... "I never said a bad word, but I guess my pronunciation the app made that mistake, which didn't help at all with the conversation. " I saw the frustration when she read that, which made me feel bad as well, because I was just trying to say that 'We finished all the work...". Then she changed the app so I could just type for her, and that worked. Before giving it back, I tried to write with the least bad grammar that I could. I rewrote that sentence, possibly 4 times in the process of feeling the awkwardness coming from me and her, I wasn't sure when giving it back, but because I couldn't resist feeling awkward, I just gave it back and whatever... in my head I was saying... "I accept my faith if she doesn't understand, I just want to go finish the returns and milk and eggs, I didn't want to be in this situation." The good part is that she finally understood, and well, she just left after that. I went to the break room to take a break (I needed it). (There's a Happy ending, she did forget most of it, so... not that bad, I guess, but she still kind of remembers something about giving me the phone so I can speak.) "The world said that day that our first time speaking to each other was going to be the worst experience in history, so that's how it all happened." The Time decided all.

Two years ago, I (Lila) was in a bad time…in long limbo. The eight-year-long, bad relationship caused me to erase everything from my memories. I hardly remember everything but only focused on work, like my body knows what to do. My face may show emotions, but that it is not me. That’s why I acted a little rude to Emerson…because I don’t remember when we actually met first time. I do remember much later, but Emerson told me that his part was about meeting me. I just tried to find memories with him, but the bad memories of past relationship erased it or smeared it over. Some point…after with Emerson, my mind started to fight the limbo and wanted to make new, fresh memories…I think it is Emerson…somehow he tried to talk with me, woke me up inside just with a speck. It took a long while.

We started speaking again on November 2nd. Emerson approached me and asked for my phone number to learn more about me. I was like frozen for a moment, then I was like why not? I gave him my phone number. We started talking almost daily. We got close to each other and had fun together at work. I was still struggling with my ex; Emerson knew as well, but he truly wanted to see me happy. I went to the park near his home. And I played hide and seek by running around the lake, Emerson on the other side of the lake. We played cards with questions to get to know each other more at the coffee shop named All About Cha. It lasted a few hours. I was shocked that Emerson only drank the water and milk. I invited him to the restaurant to introduce him to my friends. Then he wanted to come with me to my church whenever he can. 2025 In February, Emerson took me to the BJ restaurant for Valentine's Day. That's my first time doing that because no one else did that with me. He gave me the letters filled with his feelings and jewelry, and two plushies, which are a fox and a raccoon. Then on 17th February, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. On March 19th, he got baptized! God praise! On July 3rd, he proposed to me! I SAID YES! The rest is history!

I got curious to know how it would be having a deaf girlfriend, even though I thought that it would be impossible for Lila and me could fall in love with each other. Also able to learn another language JUST FOR SOMEONE. Next year at seasonal we saw each other again; she forgot about me. So, after noticing that I did a mental reset, and tried to start again. We had fun working together for 2 days, in those 2 days, I got to even met Lila's parents, by coincidence, the way that Lila was speaking with parents and the way that she introduced me to the, made me feel in a certain way that, made my heart kind of start to bump faster and faster, I was feeling a bit confused but, still trying to keep myself, calm as much as I could... I found Lila's interaction so adorable that it made me lose my focus. For some reason, while seeing Lila and her parents communicating with each other. I got feeling of wanting to know more and more about her. My heart was so active that even her parents left. She came back to keep working with me and talked with me. Her humor is so unique and different from other people, acts so pure, and is still also a hard worker as an independent. We went separately to different places at work for a few months, and I saw her again doing OPD (Online Grocery Picking). This was a third chance to know her more, and I was not letting this slip away. I typed the note on my phone and showed her that I wanted to know more about her by exchanging numbers. Love, life, God and everything have plan for us, we just have to act and fight TOGETHER. Lila is the kind of person that I wanted next to me for years. Independent, adorable, nice humor, beautiful hair, eyes, and lastly a smile that kills me and makes me happy every time I see it. A supportive soul, big heart, pure like an angel, introvert, knows about life, tries to be her best version every day, only wanted peace and to be happy, like me.