Sitting in front of the big wooden desk, Isla sat with her arms defensively folded across her chest. It brought back too many memories of being in the headmistress's office when she was in high school, so her immediate reaction was to tense up and defend her daughter now that the tables were turned. She had been called into the school Friday afternoon following a physical altercation and erratic behavior displayed by Cyn, though no other details were shared over the phone. Now she sat there with her legs and arms crossed, a stern face settling on her otherwise soft features as she waited for the assistant headmistress to join her.
When the other woman finally arrived, Isla politely rose from her seat and shook her hand and offered a polite greeting. This was only the second time she had ever been called into the school, but she had a sinking feeling that it might not be the last. Ever since Cyn had come home for Christmas she had been displaying different behavior than Isla was used to. In the girl's defense, she was twelve years old and she knew the changes her body would go through could alter her mood dramatically. For the first time, Isla hadn't felt so close to her daughter, but it didn't stop her from trying.
"Miss Castiel, do you know why I called you in?" The other woman's voice was stern, but she knew the assistant headmistress well enough to know that she wasn't a dictator and treated the kids fairly and with a great deal of respect and compassion. That's why Isla felt so defensive now that she was there.
Clearing her throat, Isla nodded. "I was told Cyn had been in a fight with another student." One thing that worried her the most hearing that her daughter had been caught up in the fight was that she knew what an aggressive and scrappy twelve-year-old she had raised. While they didn't look alike, Cyn did take after Isla quite a bit and was constantly around Wildecat when she was home from school. In fact, she spent as much time there as Isla did.
"Correct," the other woman agreed, nodding. "This morning Cynthia and an older boy got into a fight. She nearly broke his nose." There was a pointed look given to Isla before the woman continued. "For a twelve-year-old girl, she certainly packs quite the punch. I can only imagine she learned it from you."
At first, Isla was annoyed that the principal seemingly implied that because Cyn was female, she shouldn't have known how to hit, but when the blame was turned over to Isla she sat up straighter. "My daughter knows how to defend herself. What was the other student doing that caused her to react that way? I think we both know that Cyn wouldn't just punch someone for the hell of it."
"Language, Miss Castiel."
"Isla. Call me Isla, you've known me long enough to drop the stiff formalities, Kaitlyn."
There was a shift in the air. Cyn had been coming to this school for four years and would likely remain there until she finished high school, Isla had come to know some of the faculty and administration quite well over the years. Mrs. MacDonald cleared her throat. "Isla. You know what a compassionate school we are. You're familiar with our creed and what we teach our students on a daily basis. For your daughter to strike out like this is highly unlike her, I agree, but I can't help but wonder if she spends too much too much time with you at your job."
"My daughter spends time with me at my job because that's where she chooses to be. She wants to be there, and she knows how to defend herself in case someone bullies her. I want to know what happened to her that made her hit this student because she is not an angry kid by any means. If she punched someone in the face, they had it coming."
The assistant headmistress shifted in her seat and nodded her head. "As you are well aware, Trump was inaugurated yesterday. A student took his freedom of speech a little far and told Cynthia that..." the woman's voice trailed off as she looked for a piece of paper in front of her and read from it verbatim, "that she would 'be sent back to Planet Sand Hell with the rest of the illegals.'"
"She's not--"
"I know." Mrs. MacDonald leaned forward with her elbows on the desk and tried to level with Isla. "What he said was cruel and he will be reprimanded for it. She wasn't the only student he bullied, she was just the only one who reacted as harshly."
Isla swallowed, her hackles raising as she felt her chest tighten and neck and cheeks grow hot. She had to chew on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting and her knuckles whitened as she clenched her folded fingers together. "What is his punishment?" she asked, unsure of whether or not the headmistress was able to share that or not.
"Five days out of school suspension. Another five days of in-school suspension."
Isla breathed slowly, trying to stay steady. "And Cynthia's?"
"A week's detention. While we do not condone violence in any manner, we do feel that her reaction was not completely unwarranted. She'll get one warning, but if it happens again she will be suspended."
There was a slow nod as Isla absorbed the punishment.
"Miss Castiel." Kaitlyn MacDonald's voice broke the silence and Isla looked up at her. "I think it's best you take her home for the weekend. Let her cool off and relax in a comfortable environment. I know she loves it here, but I think spending some time at home with family might do her some good. Maybe you could talk to her about what happened and teach her the right way to react. Sometimes the loudest protest is the silent one."
Continuing to chew her cheek, Isla looked across the desk at the other woman and nodded. "This is supposed to be a safe space for students, Mrs. MacDonald. You preach about welcoming students from all races, ethnicities, nationalities, socio-economic backgrounds, with diverse abilities, students who are non-binary, from any religion, that are learning English, and that are learning about their sexuality. Why is it when my naturalized Vietnamese daughter is bullied into defending herself, she gets punished?"
"This is a zero tolerance school. violence and bullying are never welcomed. Whether it was self-defense or not, she still hit another student. The punishment could be more severe, but we feel given the circumstances it is fair that she take the minimum of five days detention. This is non-negotiable, Miss Castiel. I recommend you agree to this and take your daughter home for the weekend." There was a paused and the other woman leaned back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. "Are you going to the march on Saturday?"
Isla felt an immediate whiplash when the question was posed and she looked at the other woman, at first confused but then possibly understanding where she was coming from. "Yes," she admitted.
"If you feel it is safe enough, perhaps Cyn could learn a thing or two about non-violent displays of action. I know you are an activist in your own right and I know she looks up to that, so perhaps it's time you teach her the right way to stand up to bullies."
Considering this for a moment further, Isla nodded. She was right and there was certainly no better time to teach Cyn than now. She would be a part of history and learn an important lesson at the same time. "Alright."
Both women rose from their seats. "I'll walk you out. Cynthia should be right outside in the hallway," she said with a smile. The women shook hands once they were outside the office and standing near a seated Cyn and the assistant headmistress smiled. "I hope to see you on Saturday," she said with a smile, looking at both Isla and her daughter. "Both of you."
the hour drive home from cyn's school wasn't as tense as it could've been. once the two were in the car, isla drove to a nearby friendly's and got them both lunch and ice cream. while she wouldn't condone any displays of violence from cyn under normal circumstances, they were entering a time in history where standing up for herself and her beliefs was something isla wanted cyn to do more than ever.
"i'm not mad."
"are you sure?"
"i'm not mad." isla dumped her purse and keys by the door and moved to the kitchen. she had ordered pizza and chinese food on the way home from friendly's and began grabbing things to set the table. cyn had been so concerned about isla being mad and no matter what isla told her, she didn't seem to believe her. she knew why, there was no secret. isla had always boasted about cyn being the perfect child, vine-ripened to perfection like a tomato and aged like a good cheese. while she always wanted the best for her daughter, she never held high expectations. cyn was in real trouble for the first time at school but not for something isla was angry about.
"i swear i didn't mean to hit him that hard, i was just really scared that he was going to hit me first and--"
"cynthia, i am not mad." isla stopped what she was doing and walked over to where he daughter was slouched against the back of a dining room chair. "i would've done the same thing, okay? we already talked about this earlier. your school is upset about it, but in the real world it's okay to stick up for yourself. if you felt threatened in any way, you did the right thing. i'm not mad that you stuck up for yourself. i'm proud of you, kid." isla searched her daughters face and smiled, kneeling down in front of the couch. "maybe don't go around punching every guy in the nose, but that kid seriously deserved it." she kissed her forehead and stood up. "go get changed for dinner. we have a busy night ahead of us." cyn nodded and wiped a few stray tears away before going to her room.
there was a pause when cyn got to the top of the stairs and isla dropped her head. she forgot to tell her that she moved her bedroom to the guest room and it was no longer attached to isla's room. nate was moving in over the weekend and she felt it was better for all three of them if cyn's room was moved to the other end of the hallway. "everything is in the guest room," she called when she heard a confused "uuuhmmm," from upstairs.
"why?" cyn called back, and isla could hear her marching across the wooden floors to her newer and much larger bedroom.
"i'll tell you after dinner."
after dinner, the two had gone up to cyn's new room and looked through paint swatches that isla had painted on the walls. she wanted to paint the new room and set it up so cyn had a place of her own when she came back from school in spring. they talked about possible colors and which ones would go best with what bedding. they spent an hour planning out cyn's bedroom and when cyn got tired, isla took her cue to leave.
after cyn had brushed her teeth and changed for bed, she walked into isla's room where the older blonde was finishing up painting a sign that read i march to honor all who marched before me and to protect the rights of those who will come after me. her desk was filled with different color markers and paints, a laptop was open with music playing quietly, and there was a white blazer hanging off the back of a chair with a rainbow flag painted on it. gold letters across the shoulders read i'm with her with black arrows pointing in each direction, and the front of the blazer boasted the words nasty woman in bold, black letters.
this one jacket was more important than every black canary suit she had.
hearing cyn come in the room, she finished what she was doing and turned to her daughter and smiled. "you ready for tomorrow?" the two had discussed going to the march and what it meant at great length during both lunch and dinner and she knew her daughter understood the weight of what they were facing during the next four years.
there was a pink knit hat on the bed and cyn giggled as she picked it up. "is this a pussy hat?"
"language!" isla exclaimed, but she couldn't help but laugh. "yes, it's a pussy hat."
"can i wear it?" she asked, putting it on top of her straight black hair and looking over at her mom as it slid down a little on her much smaller head.
isla considered this for a minute and nodded. "go for it. do you know what else you want to wear?"
cyn thought and shrugged. "i don't really have anything. i've never actually protested." now that she was older, she was allowed to do more with isla than she was before, and isla knew things like this were important for her daughter's development. especially as a child who wasn't born in america, and who was female. she had used her job and connections as a platform for activism before, but it was cyn's turn to step up there and join her at her side.
rifling through her drawers, isla looked for a specific t-shirt that simply boasted the words all you need is avocado & equal rights and tossed it at her daughter. "it might be a little big, but it should fit you. you wanna make a jacket like this?" isla had gestured toward the chair where the blazer was sitting and watched as cyn went over to inspect it and look at the words.
"yeah," the younger girl said after a few minutes. "i think i have a jean jacket. can i use that?"
isla paused and furrowed her brows. "the nice jean jacket i bought you that you never wear?" one brow was now raised curiously but there was an obvious hint of amusement.
"i'll wear it all the time, i swear! the sleeves are just too long."
arms folded and head cocked to one side, isla grinned. "go get it, i have an idea."
the rest of the night, both girls stayed up laughing and eating ice cream as they cut the sleeves off of cyn's jacket and painted the back. isla let cyn make her own sign, though the younger girl got tired and only finished outlining the letters, so while she slept in isla's bed, isla finished painting it for her.
it was nearing 2 am when her phone vibrated and she was surprised to see her mom calling. the two hadn't talked for fourteen years until this past fall when isla had paid her a visit. most of their interaction since had been text or email, so she was surprised when she saw her mom's name and face flash on the screen.
"hi mom," she whispered, standing from her spot on the floor and tip-toeing into the bathroom where it was quieter.
"are you ready for tomorrow?" the older woman on the other line asked, her voice was tired and low, but for some reason it still made isla smile.
"yeah, i'm ready. cyn is coming with dinah and i. are you going with grandma?" sometimes it killed isla to be so far away from her mother and grandmother. despite their emotional distance, the two had worked on bridging the gap since isla was last in seattle.
"yeah, and a couple of ladies from her bridge club. i hope i'm as wild as they are when i reach her age," he mom offered with a laugh.
isla laughed too and smiled into the phone. "wish we could march with you," she finally said after a short pause, her throat tightening as she felt the weight of their physical separation hit her.
"don't worry, kiddo. you're with me. you're all with me, and we're with you always."
isla felt warm tears trickle down her cheeks and she smiled again. "love you, mom. take lots of pictures okay?"
"you too, isla. call me when you're home safe."
the phone call ended and isla leaned against the sink, though her tears were trickling down her face quicker now, she felt her heart swell with so much pride it almost made her sob. she knew she was excited to march with women all across the state, but she was terrified of what would come after the march ended. but if isla knew one thing, it was that they could only take it one day at a time.
