That's What She Signed © 2000 Sixteen weeks, four months. It may seem like a long time, but when you're trying to learn something, it's not very long at all. I had sixteen weeks to learn a song. Easy, right? Put the song in the CD player and hit repeat. That's easier said than done. I'm taking a college class in American Sign Language. My final in the class is I have to learn a song in sign language. To make things harder on me, I have to pick the song. For some people that would be easy: just pick their favorite song. Not that easy for me. I love music. I don't tend to gravitate towards a certain band; I tend to like songwriters. My favorite songwriters are Max Martin, Brian McKnight, Richard Marx, and Diane Warren. The artists I like vary from Backstreet Boys to Eminem, from Elton John to Kid Rock. I went through several different songs before I even came close to picking one. I narrowed my list down to two songs: "Back at One" by Brian McKnight or "That's What She Said" by Brian Littrell, a member of the Backstreet Boys. I set to work learning the signs to both songs, telling myself that I would decide on Thanksgiving Day. I went through the semester trying not to think about having to pick. It may not seem like an agonizing decision, but for me it was. Little did I know that my decision would be made for me. ~*~*~*~ The Thursday before Thanksgiving break, I received an email from a professor friend of mine. He told me to meet him at his office on Friday, the next day. So the following day, I did as he asked. "Hey Doctor Chris," I said, approaching the young brown haired professor. "I've got a surprise for you," he told me as he locked his office door. "What?" I asked. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?" "I was planning on going home," I started to say, but then I saw his face sadden. "But what did you have in mind?" I asked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to me. Carefully, I opened it. Inside were two tickets. "Would you like to go with me?" he asked watching me intently. "I would love to," I said, looking for where it was I had agreed to go with him. That's when I saw it: Shivley Sports Center, University of Kentucky. The event listing was "St. Jospeh's Charity Basketball Game." "Kentucky?" I asked. "Yeah, we leave tomorrow for Sacramento." "Okay," I said, giving him my address. Come pick me up." ~*~*~*~ The next day, Dr. Chris and I were in Kentucky. We had a blast walking around the University campus and around town. I, of course, had a camera and was taking tons of pictures. I knew my pen pal, Dixie, would be jealous, but I didn't care. Dixie lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and hadn't been to our favorite Backstreet Boy, Brian Littrell's hometown; neither had I. Later that night, at seven, Chris and I went to the basketball game. We got there early and I about died when I found out we were sitting on the floor. The announcer came on and introduced the teams. The University of Kentucky Wildcats versus "The Hometown Heroes." The Hometown Heroes consisted of local television and radio personalities and one surprise guest: Brian Littrell. I looked around and in the audience, sure enough, there were a whole bunch of Backstreet Boys fans. They had known he was going to be there. I glanced at Chris beside me and he grinned. He had known too. The game was amazing. The Wildcats tried to go easy on the Heroes. That didn't work too well. The fans had an equally difficult time figuring out whom to cheer for. In the end, the score didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that five thousand dollars had been raised for the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation. After the game, Chris leaned over to me and told me to wait, so I waited. While I waited, I practiced both songs I had learned with the music playing in my ears from my CD player. The crowd was practically gone when Chris came back. I was so lost in concentration and listening to the words that I didn't hear Chris come back. He tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around. I looked up at him, pulling my headphones out of my ears. "Yes?" I asked. "I want you to meet someone," he said to me. I raised an eyebrow as he stepped aside. There was Brian, my idol, standing before me. "I know you've been having some problems trying to pick a song, I thought this might help," Chris told me. "Hi, Rebecca," Brian said shyly. "Hi," I replied blushing. "Chris here tells me that you're trying to decide what to do for your final." "Yeah," I breathed. "Well, when is it?" Brian asked. "In two weeks, on the sixth." "What would you say to me coming in and performing the song for you?" My eyes widened at his question. "Would you?" I asked, not really believing my ears. "Sure. I've got a little time off." I gave Brian directions on how to get to my school, the time of the class, and thanked him profusely for just offering. He told me he wanted to do it, and that it was no big deal. We said our good-byes and I grinned at Chris. "How'd you managed that?" I asked as Brian walked away. "My secret," he told me with a sly grin on his face. "I'd better clear this with my professor," I said, more to myself than anyone else. "I'm sure he'll let you do it," Chris said. "Yeah. I hope so." ~*~*~*~ The following week, I went back to class and approached my professor before the class started. "I have a question," I said. "Yes?" "For my final, could I have someone come in and perform the song?" I spit out in one breath. "What do you mean?" "Instead of having it played on cassette, could I have someone sing the song?" My professor's face scrunched. "I don't know. What song were you planning on doing?" I walked over and reached into my bag, pulling out a piece of paper with the lyrics to "That's What She Said" on it. He read over them quickly and asked me, "Have you learned the signs?" "Yes," I replied. He looked at me again. "Well, I don't see why not. It's your final. But you are scheduled to go on Wednesday. Remember, you don't get to go on any other day." I nodded and signed, "Thank you." ~*~*~*~ The day of my final arrived very quickly. I was glad I already knew the signs well enough that I wasn't worried about it. That morning, Brian called me from Atlanta, telling me that his flight had been delayed. "Are you going to make it by four-thirty?" I asked him. "Yeah," Brian answered on his fuzzy cellphone. "Thank you, " I said. "I'll see you then." I went through my classes that day without thinking about my final. When I got to work that afternoon, I began to think about the signs. I started signing everything I could, just to put myself in the mood. I had brought the Burger King CD with "That What She Said" just in case Brian didn't show up. I knew, in my heart, that he would come, but I wanted to be prepared. When I finished work at four, I rode the elevator to the third floor where my class was. I sat on the floor and put "That's What She Said" in my CD player and practiced the signs one last time before class. All the while, I was looking around for Brian, but he was nowhere to be found. My class started at four-thirty, with my professor checking to see that everyone who was to perform that day was present. When he noticed me, he asked me in sign language where my partner was. I moved my right hand away from my forehead just above my right eye, telling him I didn't know. He asked me if I was prepared just in case my partner didn't show up and I nodded. He signed to me that I had till five- thirty for him to show. I sat there in class every so often turning towards the door hoping I would see Brian come in. He didn't show up. After every song, I would glance behind me, praying Brian would come. My professor constantly was trying to get my attention. At five-thirty, he tapped me on the shoulder and told me it was my turn. "But my partner's not here," I said. My instructor shrugged his shoulders. I reached into my bag and pulled out the Burger King CD. With my eyes on the floor and my shoulders slumped, I walked to the front of the room. I put the CD in the player and waited. I had to tell the class what I was going to do. I closed my eyes and waited for a minute. I heard the door open. Slowly I opened my eyes. There was Brian holding the neck of a guitar in his right hand. "Is this sign language?" he asked. I stared at him. All of a sudden, I blew up at him, completely angry with his tardiness. I was so upset that I was signing everything at him. "You're late," I signed. I then told him to sit down. The way I had done the sign, very short and sharp, made the class woo. A couple people told him that I was mad at him. "Yes, I am mad," I signed. Brian stared at me. He didn't understanding me. I turned towards my professor and signed to him, "May I speak so he can understand me?" He nodded. I started speaking and signing at the same time. "Brian, where have you been?" I asked. "I told you the plane was delayed. And I got lost." "Lost? With my directions?" "Yeah. I wrote them on my hands so I wouldn't forget and some of them rubbed off." I smiled and then started laughing. "Well, come on in and sit down, so I can introduce you." Brian walked to the front of the room where I was standing and sat down on the edge of the table, propping his guitar on his knee. "This is B-R-I-A-N L-I-T-T-R-E-L-L. He's from L-E-X-I-N-G-T- O-N, K-Y," I signed. My professor, who was sitting in the front row of the class, turned towards the class and asked, "Who is he?" "Brian Littrell," the class chorused slowly. "And where is he from?" "Lexington, Kentucky," the class chorused again. I smiled. I then started speaking and signing again. I turned to Brian and asked him, "What should they call you? Brian, B-Rok, what?" He laughed and said, "B-Rok is fine." I turned back to the class and signed, "Call him B-Rok," and the class laughed. I then said and signed, "B-Rok is a singer and a songwriter. He's going to play a song he wrote called 'That's What She Said'." I nodded at Brian and he started playing the song. The class was completely silent as his voice caressed each note. I signed the meaning of the song for the class, practically in tears. After panicking so much, everything had worked out. Brian finished the song and I stopped signing. We both lowered our heads and that's when I heard it: applause. My class had loved it. I hugged Brian and thanked him. We walked out of class together. I passed the class and my professor told me I had done well. Even after all the agonizing I had done, things had worked out well.