“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cole challenged, a note of anger in his voice. Maya felt queasy as she anticipated what was coming next.
“I mean, where’d you find her? Can she even understand what we’re saying right now?”
“What in the everloving fuck, Janice?” Cole hissed, as Maya spun on her heel to go wait in the car. She was thankful that at least the driver’s side was partially hidden while standing on the porch.
As she hopped into her seat, she caught a glimpse of Janice taking Cole’s hand, and him angrily waving her off and backing up while yelling at her. Janice was gesturing toward the house and Cole was vehemently shaking his head while pushing her away.
Maya could make out that he was pointing at the car and then pointing back at Janice while shouting, a pink flush rising up from his neck. He more or less slid down the steps then practically vaulted himself into the car.
Maya already had it running and backed out the second he slammed the door, measuredly cruising up the street and around the corner from which they entered. Then she pulled over on a quiet side road and shut off the engine.
“Cole, I want you around for a long time,” she said, her hand on his racing heart. “Calm yourself down, baby. She’s not worth it.” Cole brushed the sleeve of his t-shirt against his hairline to mop some of the sweat that had formed in the last few minutes.
“I just didn’t think she was a stark-raving racist,” he said in disbelief.
“Against my better judgment, I’m going to ask–what did she say next?” Maya questioned, bracing herself.
“She said we could pick up where we left off and give Isabel a sibling like I always wanted,” Cole muttered. “Then she said wouldn’t that be a whole lot better than…”
“Than?”
“Than settling for a mixed-race Brady Bunch.” He looked down at his hands, mortified.
“Ouch,” Maya laughed. Cole’s face scrunched in incredulity.
“How can you find this funny?”
“Cole, I know this is a hard-to-swallow pill, but Canada is still a white supremacist country,” Maya said. “That doesn’t mean every white person is running around in a hood burning crosses on lawns. It means white people still hold the majority of powerful positions that run this country, and there’s a tacit understanding that they’re first among equals.
“People like Janice fully embrace this default position they’ve been given and are even bold about it.” Cole’s brow furrowed at the casual way Maya spoke about how she was treated, probably for the umpteenth time in her life.
“What she said might have stung, although I wasn’t going to take the bait right there on her front porch,” Maya continued. “What would have been truly disturbing to me is if you hadn’t been as outraged as you are and shown it in your actions. This is how people of colour can determine who’s really on our side.”
“This is shit,” Cole said. “It’s even more shit that she’s probably feeding Isabel these attitudes against the boys who are going to be her brothers.” He pulled out his phone. “Start the car, babe, I’m calling Rob.”
“Your brother?” Maya asked, switching on her turn signal.
“Also my divorce lawyer,” Cole said. “I’m suing for full custody of Izzy.”
***********
“There isn’t much we can do,” Rob said flatly. It was the following Saturday and Izzy was back at Maya’s house, thrilled she would get to see her uncle again. After lunch, Rob had opened up Cole’s file and had it spread out on the dining table. Manav and Tejas were absentmindedly playing video games with an ear to what was going on in the kitchen.
“After what she said?” Cole demanded.
“This is what the system requires,” Rob shrugged. “Unfortunately, it’s not about what actually happened; it’s whether we can prove to a judge that it happened. We have to give some indication that Janice’s character is unfit for her to have as much access to Izzy as she has. And that is a tall order to fill considering she’s her mother.”