TRIGGER WARNING: There is a brief reference to self-harm. Please do not continue reading if you find this triggering. You have been warned.
I remembered when Rayya introduced Sarah to the family.
Dad told Rayya that if she wanted to continue living with us, then she and Sarah would need to break up.
Rayya never came back home after that. Mom tried to persuade her husband to change his mind, but he was adamant. She left when it became clear that her husband would be unmoving on this topic. While they never officially divorced, she said that she could not live in a house where her daughter was unwelcome. I was the only one who stayed with dad. I suppose my loyalty to him stemmed from the bond he and I had strengthened during my childhood. He was proud of me when I told him I wanted to become a writer. He had been a writer, also, and while journalism had not brought him riches, he insisted that it had brought him contentment.
If Rayya had not called me that night, then I likely would have stayed with dad, either until he accepted Rayya's sexuality, or until he choked.
"George," that phone call began. I could tell that she was crying, or had been crying. "Did I wake you up?"
She had.
"No," I said, "What's up?"
"Sarah and I had a fight. I love her, but I need my own space. Do you understand?"
I did. The next day, I told my dad that Rayya and I would be getting an apartment together, and that if he wanted to restore his relationship with his daughter, then now would be the perfect time.
"Not you too, my son," he had replied.
I didn't need to ask Rayya what she and Sarah had fought about. Rayya told me the gist of it one night when she was drunk. This was only a few days after we had moved into our apartment.
"I saw Sarah kissing a guy," Rayya had said, "It was at a party for one of our mutual friends. I stepped out for a smoke break. When I came back inside, Sarah was sucking this Chinese guy's tongue while our friends cheered them on. I thought, 'She never kisses me like that.'"
"What did you do?" I guided Rayya to her bed. She had an arm around my shoulder to balance herself.
"I yelled at her. She looked shocked. She clearly hadn't meant for me to see it. The guy tried to explain himself, but that just pissed me off even more. So, I punched his jaw." She laughed at the memory. "He was out cold."
"I imagine that put an end to the party," I said.
"You'd think that. Actually, I grabbed Sarah's face and started making out with her. I said to her, 'If you want me to treat you like a slut, then that's what I'll do'. Our friends barely remembered the guy I knocked out after that. When we got home, I put on the biggest strap-on I had and fucked her ass until she cried. Then, I told her that I was moving out. But, do you know what I wish I had said?"
"What?"
"I wish I had told her that I wanted to cut my wrists when I saw her kissing someone else."
I lay Rayya on the bed and covered her in a blanket. I stood up to leave but she grabbed my pinkie finger.
"Can you stay?" She asked me.
That night, I slept with my sister for the first time since we were kids.
***
Rayya called me a few weeks after that day with Sarah to let me know that Sarah had not gotten pregnant. While the results of the test were disappointing, it was also to be expected.
"Most couples don't get pregnant on the first try," she told me, "Can we try again next Saturday?"
"Is Sarah okay with that?"
"She was the one who suggested it."
I said that I was okay with it. It seemed like Rayya had something else to say, but I told her I needed to go.
"Oh," she said, disappointed, "Okay. No problem. Can we see each other tomorrow, though? I wanted to celebrate the success of that article you published in the Star."
A few days ago, I had written an Opinion piece for the Toronto Star that had been shared hundreds of thousands of times on Twitter. In an age when the value of news was being questioned, my piece was a gentle reminder that good writing was still profitable. A few of my colleagues had sent emails to congratulate me. My mom had also called to send her congratulations. The only person who hadn't congratulated me was my dad. However, his praise was the one I craved for most.
"Thank you. Come over at around ten and we can go for breakfast," I said, "Honestly, I was surprised that that article became so popular. I've written better ones."
"Not many people have the guts to openly write about defunding the Toronto police. That took balls."
We said goodbye with the promise of meeting up tomorrow afternoon to talk more.
I cancelled the call, closed my apartment door behind me, and found my car in the outside parking lot. I turned my Bluetooth on and selected the Spotify playlist Rayya and I had made several months ago. Soon, Drake's "God's Plan" slipped through the car's speakers.
I backed out the parking lot. By the time I exited my neighborhood, "God's Plan" had switched to Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow".
About forty minutes passed when I pulled up to a single, detached home in Mississauga, a city right next to Toronto. I parked the car in the driveway, walked up to the front door, and knocked.
Moments later, the door opened to reveal a tall, black woman on the other side. She had brown skin, full lips, and hair cut close to her skull. When she smiled, I was immediately reminded of my sister.
"Come in, come in," she said.
The inside of her home was large and gave the incorrect impression that the woman lived with a partner.
"Are you hungry?" She asked.
"I can eat."
We entered the kitchen, where she took out leftovers from the fridge: rice and peas, and oxtail. I almost licked my lips.
"How is Rayya?" She asked after she had served a plate for the both of us. "Is she and Sarah doing well?"
"They're fine, I guess. I'm going to see Rayya tomorrow," I said, "She told me that Sarah didn't get pregnant."
"Most couples don't get pregnant on the first try. It took Michelle's brother about seven attempts before he finally knocked me up."
While I had heard the story before, I was still surprised whenever Aunt Karen mentioned her time with Michelle's younger brother. It seemed unreal.
I took another bite of the oxtail and rice.
"I was surprised when you texted me weeks ago," Aunt Karen said, "We hadn't spoken in years. How did you even get my number?"
"You had given it to me before you and my dad stopped talking to each other. I never got rid of it."
"Imagine my shock when you came over and told me everything that was going on between you and your sister."