"Hey Siri, tell me the weather today," I mumbled, still half asleep.
Nothing
Not again, I thought? Is it Siri having an issue? Or my wifi. Again!
"Hey Siri! Tell me the weather today!" Louder this time
Silence.
Dammit. Why does this happen so often? I opened my eyes to look at the clock. 817. Oh no, the alarm didn't go off. Why didn't the alarm go off? I'm late. I won't make it to work on time.
I didn't want to get up. I never do. Mornings are hard. Especially after a night out with friends that you hadn't seen in two years. That first step on to the cold floor in a quiet house in the morning seems like a thousand-mile journey. But I was already late.
It didn't feel late though.
I was still tired. The house was quiet. It didn't even sound like anybody was moving outside.
I turned my eyes to the window. Dull and grey. The leaves rustling in the wind. Rain hitting the window. Is it going to rain all day? Damn Siri.
Wait.
Why don't I hear the rain splattering the window?
I bolted upright in bed. I felt, not heard the creaking of the bed frame. My head pounding. One too many Old Fashioned's. One? More like four too many.
"Hey Siri," I said tentatively. "Play music."
I could see that it was listening to me. The light was on indicating it was listening. And responding. But I heard nothing.
Did the alarm go off and I just wasn't able to hear it? Did Siri say what the weather forecast but, but it was as if to an empty room? Will I ever hear music again? Is this what it is like to be a deaf person?
Damn. I forgot. I might have remembered if I wasn't out so late last night. Talking with my friends. Listening to music. Sharing jokes. Murphy still had that horrific laugh he had in high school. Jeff unable to control his stutter, but he was getting better at it. "Therapy," he said. Good for him.
I wondered how they were suffering this morning. Did any of them have the same thing as me this year?
I picked up my phone from the charger on the bedside table. 5 Notifications. 4 texts and 1 calendar reminder. I clicked on the calendar reminder. An all-day event.
Right. Accessibility Training Day.
