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Shane’s parents and grandparents were keeping a secret from him. He didn’t know what the secret was, but sometimes, when Grandpa and Obaasan came over, Grandpa would start to say something and Mommy would say “Not in front of Shaney.” A lot of the time it happened when the grown-ups were talking about the news. When Shane asked Mommy what they were talking about, she said “When you’re older, Shaney.”
One day, during dinner with Grandpa and Obaasan, Daddy started talking about how he was working on a project giving money to make a group to help First Nations. Grandpa started to say something, but Mommy gave him the same look she gave Shane when he didn’t want to take a bath after hockey practice.
“Shaney,” Mommy said, “Go to your room. I need to have a talk with Grandpa.”
Shane went to his room and closed the door. Why did the grown ups think that he could not hear some things? He was almost eight! He pressed his ear to the door.
“–don’t want to scare him!” That was Mommy’s voice.
“–should be scared,” Grandpa rumbled.
“–too young–”
“–age I was when–”
“–sensitive!”
“–decision to–” came Obaasan’s accented voice.
“–right… history,” Daddy’s voice joined.
“Shaney, you can come back!” Mommy said loudly.
Shaney pulled away from the door just before she opened it.
“Shaney,” Mommy said, “I need to tell you a story about Grandpa when he was your age.”
“You know that Grandpa and Obasaan both moved to Canada from Japan?”
“But Grandpa was born here and then moved to Japan and back here, and Obasaan moved when she was a grown up, and that’s why Obasaan has an accent and Grandpa talks Canadian,” Shane said, nodding proudly at remembering his family history.
“Yes, Shaney. Well, when Grandpa was just about your age, Japan attacked Hawaii and Hong Kong. There were Canadian soldiers there who were killed, and people were scared that Japan was going to attack Canada. So the Canadian government decided to make Japanese people move into internment camps.”
“Like summer camp?”
“No, Shaney. Grandpa’s family had to live in a tiny house, and they took his daddy to work in a mine. There was no running water or electricity, so in the winter, they had to melt snow on their stove. The government took their family’s house and car and sold them to pay for everything. After the war was done, the Japanese people were allowed to leave the camps, but where could they go? Their homes and businesses were gone. So Grandpa’s parents decided they would move back to Japan.”
“Where Grandpa met Obaasan.”
“Yes, Shaney. Where Grandpa met Obaasan and they got married. And when they were going to move away from Japan, they decided they would move back to Canada.”
Shane gave his Grandpa a big hug. “I’m sorry Grandpa.”
Grandpa wiped his eyes. “Thank you Shane. I know the story is sad, but it’s important to know.”
Daddy spooned Shane some more pasta. “In 1988, Canada officially said it was sorry and gave people who had been in the camps some money. That’s why Grandpa is thinking about it now, when Canada is making a group to help First Nations people that the government hurt.”
“Why does it hurt people?”
Grandpa looked at Shane seriously. “People are scared of things that are different, and that means that we need to be careful.”
“Grandpa!” Mommy gave Grandpa that look again.
“But things are much better now,” Grandpa said.
Over the next few weeks, Shane had a few nightmares. He dreamed that Mommy and Daddy were taken away, and he had to live by himself in the snow. But when he woke up, he went to Mommy and Daddy’s room, and crawled into their bed, and everything was okay. So the nightmares eventually stopped.
Shane thought about his grandpa’s story a lot, but sometimes more than others. When some of the kids on his hockey team made fun of him for being Japanese, he thought about how Grandpa said people are scared of people who are different. When airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, he sat with his grandpa and held Grandpa’s hand tight as Grandpa watched the news with wide eyes.
“Remember,” Grandpa said, “Bad people did this. But not everyone who looks like them is bad.”
Shane nodded seriously, and thought about his friend Ebrahim. That night, the nightmares came back.
When Shane was drafted, Grandpa beamed in the photographs. “The second draft pick!” he said. “Canada’s Rising Star!”
“See Grandpa?” Shane said. “Not so bad to be different, huh?”
Grandpa looked at him seriously. “You can’t get too comfortable, though.”
Shane laughed and hugged the older man. “I know, Grandpa. I always stay careful.”
Once Mom and Dad had gotten used to Shane and Ilya, they had a meeting to discuss what to tell the family.
“They are safe?” Ilya asked.
“Some of them might have some weird opinions, but they all love me,” Mom replied. “I guess the big problem is that some of them can’t keep a secret.”
Shane looked thoughtfully at his mother. “Grandpa always says to be careful about this stuff,” he said. “I think he will understand us being a little extra cautious.”
So they decided not to tell the rest of Shane’s family. Shane squirmed through the “When will you meet someone”s and the “I know just the right girl”s. Still, when Grandpa and Obaasan told him all about his cousin’s secret girlfriend,Shane was reassured that he had made the right decision.
Sometimes, when Shane and Ilya did not see each other for a few weeks, the nightmares came back. Shane dreamt that he and Ilya were pulled away from each other, Ilya by the Russian police and Shane by the RCMP. When he woke up, he would call Ilya, and remind him to be careful.
After the video came out and Shane got suspended, he went to visit Grandpa and Obaasan to explain that he was in a relationship with Ilya. After spending a while explaining to them what “bisexual” was, he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said. “I was so scared of anyone finding out.”
“Of course!” Grandpa said. “And look at what happened when they found out!”
Obasaan rolled her eyes at Grandpa. “Things will be okay,” she said, covering his hand with hers.
Grandpa looked at Shane thoughtfully. “You are getting married soon?”
“In a few months.”
“Good. You need to be careful. Keep your man safe.”
On Shane’s first Pride Night with the Ottawa Centaurs, Ilya skated up to Shane to point up at the jumbotron. There, Grandpa sat with Obaasan, wearing rainbow beanies and Hollander-Rozanov jerseys, and holding a sign that said “We love our gay (and bi!) grandsons!”