“Look, Karen,” Maya started with a smirk, watching with quiet glee as Janice’s expression changed. “I’ve dealt with worse trash than you that was better behaved so I really don’t care what you think of me. But how do you have the audacity to cheat on Cole for half a decade, marry your lover, dump that guy in less time than it takes to gestate a foetus, and think you’re entitled to Cole all over again?
“Even if I didn’t exist, what man in his right mind would go back to that dumpster fire? I can deal with your racism; what truly offends me is the utter stupidity with which you’ve been operating thus far.” Maya turned toward Cole, whose face was the perfect mix of pride and amusement.
“Oh, and by the way,” Maya added, “I’ve forgotten more English words than you’ve ever learned, hon. And that’s a serious insult considering you’re unilingual.” She grabbed Cole’s hand when she was satisfied Janice wasn’t going to respond, and they continued their way to the car where Rob was already waiting.
“I’m going to waive my fees just for that,” he grinned.
“No, this took up hours of your time and you’re going to bill me properly,” Cole insisted.
“Look, if Miguel gets the junior partner position he applied for–and he’s a shoo-in–we’ll be rolling in it,” Rob shook his head, then sidled up to Maya. “What I really need is authentic, homecooked Indian food for a dinner party we’ll be hosting on Labour Day.”
He smiled slyly at Maya and put his arm around her shoulder. “I know we could have it catered but you cook with so much love… Miguel and I will help with all the prep, and I would really like to learn how you made that biryani from a couple of weeks ago.”
“Happy to teach you,” she smiled back at him, lacing her arms around him in kind. “You took something awful and turned it into something fantastic for us today. You deserve all the Indian food.”
“It was just as much for Izzy as it was for you guys,” Rob said, letting go of Maya and tossing his suit jacket in his car. “She clearly loves you, Maya. And I don’t want her growing up in that cesspool with Janice for any more time than absolutely necessary.”
“I’m worried about something, though,” Cole said. “What if Janice takes her anger out on Izzy for making the video?”
“After the way Maya just told her off?” Rob smirked. “I see this all the time. It’s going to dawn on her that your home will be the superior option to her home, and that she’s skating on thin ice.
“My bet is she’ll actually be on her best behaviour so she doesn’t risk losing her daughter altogether. She knows Izzy feels comfortable enough to report her own mother to the rest of us now.” He took a sip from his water bottle, then continued.
“And when she’s a little older and decides she doesn’t want to see her mother at all–and I’m betting she will decide that–we’ll come back and have the agreement changed so that contact with Janice is entirely Izzy’s decision. That means no more court-ordered access.”
“Sounds like a dream,” Cole said, hugging his younger brother.
***********
Tejas looked at the clock in the City Hall lobby, shifting in his crisp new suit. Cole was in his tux at the information desk trying to determine what room they should wait by, and Manav was checking his phone.
“It’s only 9, man,” he said when Cole returned to the bench where he and Manav sat. “Isn’t our slot at 10? Why are we here so early?”
“Two reasons,” Cole answered, guiding them to the elevator that would take them up to the third floor. “One, I sort of blabbed to my class in the last week of school that they were welcome to show up today, but I don’t know who’s going to come or when.”
“You’re kidding,” Manav pressed his lips together. “No, no, that’s totally the type of thing you would have done even back when we were kids.”
“Two,” Cole continued once they were in the elevator, “I didn’t want to see your mother before the wedding but I needed to talk to the two of you about something she and I had been working on. So we had to get out of the house.”
Once the three of them found the chapel on the third floor and checked to make sure they were set for 10 a.m., Cole took them to the lounge chairs in the corridor. There, he pulled out two envelopes from his tux jacket and handed one to each teenager.
Manav and Tejas looked at each other, then tore into their envelopes, frowning as they each confronted a thin sheaf of papers. Cole gave them a minute to read through them. Finally, Tejas looked up at him and glanced at his brother.
“You want to adopt us?” he asked. Cole took a deep breath, surprised at how nervous he was.
“Yes. I wasn’t kidding when I said I always wanted a son like you, T. And you too, Manav, but you kind of thought I was a homewrecker when we were having this conversation the first time, soooo…” Manav gave a short laugh then touched his eye and looked away, blinking harder.
“What this means,” Cole went on, “is that along with your mom, I would have the right to make medical decisions for you guys until you’re 18. If you get in any trouble, I’m also on the hook for you,” he smiled, “and one day when your mom and I kick the can, whatever we have is split three ways. Your mom also wants to adopt Izzy but that will prove more difficult as we’ll need Janice’s permission.”
The boys listened quietly, which increased Cole’s nerves for some reason. Are they confused, he wondered, trying to read their faces. Shit, what if I totally misread this? What if they were just tolerating me all this time because I’m with their mom?
“You don’t have to change your last name to mine, especially since your mom is keeping her own name anyway. It’s your choice if you want to go ahead with the adoption, and I will understand if you don’t,” he rushed on. “I know I’m never going to replace your da–”
“You already have,” Manav interrupted, groping in his pockets for a tissue.
“You’ve out-dadded our birth father in every way,” Tejas added. “I mean, I recognize he provided for us, but he also got out of that obligation the second he thought it was fine.
“We only found out about you two and a half months ago and you’ve been more of a dad to us in that time than our birth dad was in 11 or 12 years. Shit, yes, tell me where to sign.” Manav nodded vigorously while Cole gave a relieved laugh and held Tejas in a tight hug.
“I’ll tell Rob when he and Miguel show up any minute now,” Cole said, letting go of Tejas to hug Manav and kiss him on the forehead. “Since you’re not little kids anymore, we just have to get you to talk to the Office of the Children’s Lawyer to confirm you’re on board.”
“Can we… can we call you dad afterwards?” Manav asked tentatively. Cole pulled back, humbled.
“Oh, fuck, yes,” he said in awe.
“I dunno, man, I still want to call him Mr. G,” Tejas grinned.
Suddenly, the three of them heard a chorus shouting Mr. G, accompanied by footsteps running toward them. Cole turned to see several of the kids he’d taught that year racing their way, all dressed up.
“Mr. G, you’re so handsome!” Ava said. “Not at all dumpy like in school!” Tejas put his hand to his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh.