It was not my imagination, Isabel’s clothes and bag reeked of whatever shitty spices those people use in their food. Yuck.
Rob stopped the video and took another deep breath while his hands shook.
“Cole. I am speaking now as your brother and not your lawyer. How in the everloving fuck did you choose this racist cranberry fucknut as your wife?!” Tejas’s eyebrows shot up and he gave a slow clap.
“She wasn’t always like this,” Cole said, covering his eyes with his hands. “Or at least I don’t think so. Maybe she hid it from me or maybe I was so blinded in the beginning I didn’t see it.”
“That last one,” Tejas said pointing at him with a snap.
“Why do both you and your mom find this funny instead of appalling?” Cole asked Tejas.
“Because it’s bizarre every single time a non-racist white person finds out someone they know is super ultra racist, and they’re like ‘man, I had no idea!’ You would have known if you’d been taught from birth, like the rest of us were forced to learn, what the microaggressions are. Instead, you guys have to be slapped over the head with overtly racist behaviour for it to register.
“I never met this witch and I hope I never do,” Tejas continued. “But if I had to spend an hour or two with her, I’d have known she was racist. So would mom, so would Manav. Because families of colour talk about this sort of thing at home. White families don’t because they don’t have to educate their kids on how subtly racists operate. I mean, their kids aren’t in danger.”
Cole looked ill at ease as he sat down, recognizing the truth in the teenager’s words. “But I’m not blaming you, man,” Tejas assured him. “This is a good thing, isn’t it?” He looked back at Rob.
“This is an atom bomb and I just e-mailed it to myself,” Rob said, handing Cole Izzy’s tablet. “And I’m going to e-mail it to Janice’s lawyer with an offer to settle the motion I’m about to bring first thing Monday. They don’t want to take it, I will murder her on the stand.”
He shook his head, visibly livid. “I can’t imagine what she said about me and Miguel when we got married, or who she said it to,” he muttered, thinking of his Filipino-Canadian husband of five years.
“Pro-tip,” Tejas offered. “Racists are very rarely just racist. It’s usually a twofer deal so she’s likely also homophobic. Maybe she’s a hat trick and hates the homeless too.”
Rob checked his phone to make sure he received the video, then dropped it in his pocket and bid everyone goodbye. Cole then went upstairs to make sure Manav was okay with Izzy, thanking him again for removing her from the room.
It was three weeks before the wedding when Maya and Cole found themselves seated in the back row of the family court session where Rob’s motion was being heard. Rob had told them they didn’t need to come, but Cole insisted.
It turned out Rob had been mostly right, as Janice’s lawyer had convinced her before the motion to either go along and get to see Isabel one weekend per month going forward, or fight it and risk losing access to her altogether.
Maya held Cole’s hand extra tight while they waited for their turn. But when their case was called and Cole stood up, he wouldn’t let go.
“What are you doing?” she whispered. He tugged at her fingers and motioned to the front of the court with his head.
“The judge needs to see why this is serious–that Janice was being racist toward her daughter’s future stepmom. Either way, you’re my partner and I want you up there with me.”
Maya started to sweat as she and Cole sat beside Rob at the counsel table, trying not to look at Janice who was glaring daggers in their direction. The judge squinted at her exactly once, her eyes then moving toward Maya and Cole’s hands still laced together and resting on the table.
Maya was hoping everything would be over within five minutes after the two lawyers filed their minutes of settlement with the clerk. They both agreed it wasn’t necessary to play the video in open court, as Rob had submitted a transcript.
“But in case Your Honour wishes to see it,” Rob said, pulling a flash drive from his suit pocket, “I’m submitting it as Exhibit 1 on this motion.”
“I’ll be taking a look later, counsel,” the judge responded, perusing her notes. “I understand the parties’ daughter made the video? She’s only nine now, isn’t she?”
“Correct, Your Honour,” Rob replied. “Neither party had knowledge Isabel had recorded the video until she revealed it to the applicant, my client, during one of her weeks with him.”
“If your summary of the video is any indication, I can imagine it came as quite the shock to the applicant’s… fiancée, is it?” the judge queried. Maya looked up at Rob, not knowing if she should answer.
“Not entirely, Your Honour,” Rob said. “It was more of a shock to her teenage sons, who were there along with myself when my client and his fiancée saw the video for the first time. My client and his fiancée were not as shocked because the respondent had gone on a separate but similar tirade against them during the previous week’s drop-off.”
“It wasn’t a tirade, Rob!” Janice burst out before her lawyer could stop her. “I was just telling my husband–”
“Ex-husband,” Cole muttered, looking straight ahead.
“My husband,” Janice hissed, “that that woman doesn’t have the same values or background as he and I do, and that’s why they’re wrong for each other.”
“Mr. Smith,” the judge said, cool as a cucumber. “do you need a recess to get your client under control?” Janice’s lawyer declined, instead hushing Janice by telling her she could get kicked out of court for a second outburst. “Also, Mr. Smith,” the judge asked, “who is your client referring to as her husband? My understanding is she remarried in November. Is that marriage still valid?”
“My client filed for dissolution of marriage from her husband Jack Bonaduce about a month ago, Your Honour,” Mr. Smith replied. The judge furrowed her brow as she looked over the file.
“I think I understand what’s been going on here,” she said. “Motion to change approved as per minutes of settlement. The respondent mother, Janice Bonaduce, will have the first weekend per month in unsupervised access to the minor child, Isabel Gundersen. The applicant father, Cole Gundersen, will become the full custodial parent going forward. No child support is being sought.”
“You can’t do that!” Janice cried, forgetting she had privately agreed to it with her lawyer. The judge rose from the bench and the clerk announced that everyone should follow suit.
“Mr. Smith,” the judge said, pausing on her way out, “please tell your client that’s her last warning and I will keep her overnight in the cells for contempt of court if there’s a future outburst.”
Cole wrapped Maya in a bear hug as soon as the judge slipped out through the staff hallway, then tilted her head up for an ardent kiss as he knew Janice’s eyes were still on them. They darted down the escalator to the ground floor, eager to leave, with Rob right behind them. Maya was hoping they could outrun Janice but she caught up to them outside.
“Hey, you,” she shouted at Maya. Cole tugged on her arm to keep walking toward the car, but Maya had had enough. She stopped and turned around, her poker face on as she waited for Janice to reach them. “You realize he’ll be back with me once it dawns on him you can’t hold up your end of a conversation, right?” Janice said accusingly. “Oh, sorry, maybe I should have said that slower and louder.”