A Quiet Kind of Thunder

Here is how you say sorry in BSL:

Close your dominant hand into a fist. Hold your fist to your chest and move it in a circular motion. Make eye contact while you do it.

I practise my apology in front of the mirror, mouthing ‘sorry’ to my reflection and circling my fist over and over again. One of the things I both hate and love about BSL is how it forces you to be genuine. Half-hearted apologies just don’t work when you’re communicating with your eyes and your hands. You have to mean it, or it is meaningless.