Page 71 of Voice to Raise
“My family came north on the underground railroad. From Georgia.”
I waited. I hadn’t asked and maybe that had been a mistake. I just figured he’d tell me when he was ready. Apparently he was ready.
“Canada offered the opportunity to be free, but true equality…?” He cleared his throat. “We’ve had a bunch of Black folks doing firsts. One day I’d like that to end. I would hope that my people would have done everything that everyone else has done. You know what I mean?”
“I think you mean that you’d rather someone be known for their accomplishment and not the color of their skin or their heritage.”Sheesh, am I saying the right thing?“Not color blind. Just that…”
“Yeah. That. I’ll always be Black. If I have kids who are like me, they’ll be Black. I just don’t want them to go through what I wentthrough. If I live where I live and they go to the same school…” He scratched his jaw. “But does it really matter?”
“You’re asking if a more ethnically diverse neighborhood might lead to less bullying? I don’t know.” I wracked my brain for the right words. “I think kids will always bully other kids. If not for the color of their skin, then the clothes they wear, the accent they have, or something none of us can predict. You teach your kids—” My voice caught. “You give them all the tools in the world to be brave and strong. To be resistant to the insults while, simultaneously, ensuring they don’t bully other kids. Either accidentally or intentionally. Childhood sucks, Malik. You can do everything right and your child still gets hurt. Resiliency means being able to get back up after being knocked down.
“You’re resilient. You’re one of the most resilient people I know.” I rested my hand on his thigh. “You survived childhood and then the loss of your parents. You left security and forged the path you wanted to. That’s important. And, I mean, you’ve got goals and shit—”
“Rocktoberfest.”
“—yeah, that. So keep looking forward.”
He met my gaze. Night had fallen and only a lamp in the parking lot illuminated us—with a weird pink glow.
“Today really opened my eyes.”
I had no doubt. I remembered my first visit to the First Nation. Talk about a resilient people. “Well, see? We don’t need two-hundred bikers and a thousand-person picnic everywhere. Sometimes we let nature—and the people we’re trying to help—guide us. I would never presume to speak on behalf of someone—be they Indigenous, Black, Asian, or anyone else. Acknowledging the wrong is part of the solution, I know. So I do the land acknowledgements. I welcome diverse opinions. I’m on a journey.”
“It’s not easy.” He placed his hand on mine. “I have moments…”
I held my breath.
“I’m hungry. I want a steak or ribs or something.”
A snicker escaped my lips.
He leaned over and kissed me. When he pulled back, I caught a gleam in his dark-brown eyes. “What are you having?”
“Either the Avocado Impossible Burger or the Brie and Mushroom veggie burger.” I grinned. “You know, they’re both amazing.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Fungi?”
“Yum.”
“I’ll try the avocado burger thingy.” He sighed dramatically.
I kissed his cheek.
Hours later, as we lay in my bed, Moses tried to play with a sleeping Malik’s hair.
Knowing distraction worked, I hauled my cat over to my side of the bed and encouraged him to sleep on my pillow. Then I pulled Malik into my arms and hoped fervently all his dreams would come true.
Chapter Twenty
Malik
November was a blur of working at the studio, rehearsing with the band, and being with Spencer every possible moment in between.
December was more chaos as the deadline for our Rocktoberfest application was nearing. The studio’s calendar was full, and I was getting plenty of work. Cramming in more rehearsals was a challenge.
Reese worked retail—so this was her busiest time of year.
Freddie worked for a delivery service and was up to his eyeballs whenever he signed on for a shift. He made a ton of money in tips, but the work was grueling, and his stress was high as he had tight deadlines.
