Love from a to Z

MARVEL:
AUNTIE NANDY
Exhibit A: The swimsuit Auntie Nandy held out after immediately
knocking on my door when she returned home.
“Why didn’t you tell me what happened at the pool this morning?” she
asked, holding a billowy, black diving suit up in front of her.
“What’s that?” I’d been trying to finish watching Little Women and
pressed pause on Jo arguing with a circle of men on a woman’s right to vote
and slid my headphones off.
“This is what you’re going to wear to swim from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Try it on.” She beckoned me. “It took me a long time to dig it out of my
closet—your mom left it here on her last visit.”
“Auntie Nandy, why are you giving me this burkini?” I held it up. It was
almost like the one I’d worn swimming in middle school, except my old
one had two rows of purple stripes running along the sides. This one had a
broad blue square extending from the neck to the waist. In the middle of the
square was a brown clamshell with a pair of closed, long-lashed eyes but no
mouth. Slightly strange. And sad.
“Because you love swimming. And, when I left yoga this morning, Marc
at the fitness desk told me that you needed a proper swimsuit to use the
facilities.” She raised her eyebrows and then walked to the bedroom door.
Turning around to face me before she exited, she added, “There’s your
proper swimsuit. Completely fits the fabric requirements of swimwear
suitable for a pool.”
I clutched the burkini to me as it dawned on me what Auntie Nandy
meant.
She wanted me to challenge the fitness center’s expectation of what
proper swimwear was.
She wanted me to fight?
She actually wanted me to challenge something?
A little spark ignited in me as I imagined Marc’s face.

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As I imagined tattle-telling bobbing man’s face.
As I imagined the white-capped woman swimming laps who might be
there again, who might high-five me for making it to the pool again.
I looked down at the burkini and saw it as a superhero outfit. One that I’d
be wearing for a mission the next day.
I went into the bathroom, held it against myself, and smiled serenely at
my reflection in the mirror.
“Yeah, you will do just fine,” I whispered to the sad clamshell on my
superhero suit.
Kavi and Noemi had #EatThemAlive, and I had a burkini ban to take
down.
But, this time, I’d do it serenely, as serenely as the smile that greeted—
and accepted me—in the mirror.

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