Our indelible pasts|✔

seventy three - bryson

OUR UNIVERSITY HOLDLS an annual community day where different groups of students either volunteer at local stores such as animal clinics, clean front yards in specific neighbourhoods or help at elderly homes, basically anywhere in New York we can help.

The guys, girls and I decided to sign up as a group for the front yard clean up knowing it would also allow us to talk freely, because of the obvious less supervision. But realising that the neighbourhood we got assigned in downtown Brooklyn was bigger than anticipated, we split up to lessen the workload. I ended up being with Kiana, Mason and Kim while Noah, Ashley and Nia got teamed up together.

"Who throws cans in front of their own house?" Kim asks as she puts dozens of trash cans in a trash bag.

"It could actually be people passing by throwing their cans here like the place is a fucking disposal area." Mason points out.

"Whichever one is both are sick either way." I .

"Was that the last one?" Kiana asks after a few minutes, looking around the compound along with the rest of us.

"Yeah, I think so." Mason says, already heading to the next house.

"This one isn't too bad." Kim says looking around.

She's right, it's definitely less problematic than the last one. Looks like we just need to rake the leaves that have fallen as we get deeper into the fall season.

"I'll be back late!" A voice shouts and the sound of a door slamming echoes through the air.

I look around to see that it came from the house whose front yard we're currently raking. A girl with waist length braids and dark skin appears and I hear her mutter to herself, "If you even care."

As she walks down the steps from her front porch, she just then notices us and stops in her tracks, confused. It's only when she stands there, a few sun rays streaming across her face, that I realise that it's the girl from the strip club, the one I that I bumped into outside even though I can barely see her right now as her braids somewhat shield her face.

"Um...hi. What's going on?" She asks us, confused, and I can't help but hear the familiarity in her voice, but then I realise that I only recognise her voice from the other night and go back to raking.

"Hi. Mandatory College community service." Kiana explains to her kindly as I focus on raking the leaves. "I'm Kiana."

"Oh, nice." The girl says. "I'm Hazel."

The moment I hear the name, my head immediately jerks up. All too hopeful, I watch as she makes her way down the driveway, and now that the sun is fully hitting her face and her braids pushed away, all the puzzle pieces finally click together.

"Hazel?" My voice comes out barely a whisper, but still loud enough for her to hear as she turns to look at me, and a rush of emotions overtake me.

There's no way I'm actually seeing right. This can't be real.

"Bryson?" The name leaves her mouth and I feel a lump in my throat as I look back at my sister. My fucking sister. She's standing right in front of me.

"Oh my God." She says silently before she runs to me, tears already streaming down her face.

The moment she jumps into my arms, I find myself crying too, unable to believe that this is actually happening.

With a shaky voice, I tell her to "Wait", as I pull out of the hug, wanting to get another look at her face through my blurry eyes. She's no longer the 13-year-old I last saw, she's now so fucking...grown. More tears well up in my eyes from seeing that she's no longer a little girl. The person standing in front of me now is a grown woman. And she's fucking alive. She's alive!