33

Next morning, Connie was at the door with fresh pastries and an eager hug as Babbit told her all about his lost curls.

"Oh my God" she sighed, "Poor baby."

"They were pulling my arms and hurting me" Babbit said with a lip wobble, "I thought they were going to cut my ears off."

"Oh darling" Connie gasped, "How horrible."

"Taddy made it better" Babbit assured her, "He's pretty too."

"Yes, I always thought so" she smiled as he slid off to play, happy in his little world of beads, lizards and trains.

"Poor little baby" she sighed.

"I was all for raging and tearing the school apart but he was so upset, I just wanted him to be OK" Ianto admitted, "Now I wanna burn the fucking place to the ground for what happened."

"And what happens now?"

"The school want mediation on the matter, they say they will accept Babs back and his grades won't be affected if we don't go public," Ianto snorted, "can you believe that shit?"

"His lovely hair." She said as she watched the little boy adjust the several strings of beads he was wearing today.

"His first hair cut, his first ever haircut and I don't have a single curl for his keepsake box" Ianto sighed, "He loved his long hair, he would spend ages brushing it."

"Are you OK?" she asked, seeing the blood measuring book sitting open.

"Diabetes. A side effect from the Cancer treatment, my kidneys are not what they were" Ianto shrugged, "A small price for another day with my loves."

"What do you need" she decided to be practical. "What can help now?"

"I would like everyone to know that it was not OK, that this treatment of another simply because they do not fit your perceived notions of what a person should be is not acceptable in today's world" Ianto said angrily, "I would really like to take a hot poker and…hey baby."

Ton blinked at Connie as he toddled into the room and then smiled as he offered her a piece of biscuit.

"Thank you baby but Aunty Connie is full of yummies already" she crooned and Ton nodded, wandering off.

"Look!" Babs had returned with Bert on his arm and she squeaked as she watched him wriggle against Ianto until he lifted him into his lap.

"I do have to say, you look gorgeous with that cut" she said and Babbit preened.

Ianto slid the phone across so she could see the raw cut and she paled as she saw the hunks missing. "Alfonso and his sister are taking care of some of it …"

"Oh god" she looked up with horror, "Floss and Angel?"

"Yes." Ianto watched Connie blanch, "Those two are going to definitely take the bit between their teeth, they are already quite outspoken within the community. Apparently there is to be a peaceful protest with forty or so of their drag buddies at the next school meeting."

A knock at the door had Ianto rising to answer and he found three men nervously standing on the doorstep along with an angry looking woman.

"Can I help you?"

"Mister Harkness-Jones?"

"Doctor" Ianto fell to the default loftiness as he stood back to allow them inside and Connie sat and watched with interest as they sat awkwardly and refused a cup of coffee.

"Your loss" she told them.

"Are you Noah's mother?" one of the men asked and the woman made a noise.

"A guy couple, did you not read the paperwork" she hissed.

"Wait, it's marked on my child's file that his parents are gay?" Ianto asked with surprise, "That matters enough to document?"

"Yes, anything relevant to their well being, yes" the woman bristled.

"So, the fact that my husband and I are gay is marked down but my title is not?" Ianto canted his head, "My sexuality is more important than my qualifications? Are you saying that my sexual orientation is more important than my level of intelligence?"

Connie had calmly hit record on her phone when they had entered and she was smiling serenely as she caught each word.

.

.

.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting Babbit at this time. My sexuality has only been questioned a few times.

Racism is my bug bear, I have had my life threatened more than once and even had police protection at one stage with units outside my house, spotlighting regularly to protect me and my family while the local white power gang continued to harass, stalk and attack us for being a 'mixed race' family. The word 'Nigger' is so overused by small minded bigots.

I have been attacked in the street, in the supermarket and in my workplace for my family's heritage.

All people should be treated with respect and all people should be equal.

I wish all people saw us so.