The Reclamation

6

My eyes adjust from the bright evening sun to our front hallway as I slip off my shoes. Mia does the same, and she stands behind me like a lost puppy while we make our way inside. I'm immediately hit with the tantalizing smell of dinner. Before I can take a full step into the house, Amelia bounds down the hall to meet us.

"Hi, I'm Amelia. You must be Mia," she says with a bright smile on her face. She sticks out her hand for Mia to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

Mia grabs her hand from behind me. "Hi, nice to meet you Amelia."

"What did you guys do today? V, why do you smell like chlorine? Have you guys eaten recently? Because Mom is making a lot of food and she hasn't let anybody eat anything since lunch. Where did you get that dress Mia?" The onslaught begins.

"Amelia! breathe," I interject. "Where are mom and dad?"

"Mom is cooking in the kitchen and dad is watching T.V."

"Thanks," I say, rounding the corner into the kitchen. My mom is hard at work preparing dinner, but the second she sees Mia, she drops the spoon she was stirring a pot with on the counter.

"Hello! I'm Patricia, I'm Vada's mom. Welcome!" my mother says, holding her arms out as she approaches Mia. "It's so nice to meet you!" She wraps her arms around Mia's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. Mia looks startled at first, but reciprocates. I catch Mia's eye over my mom's shoulder and I purse my lips in sympathy.

"It's really nice to meet you too!" Mia says.

"Dinner will be ready in a little less than thirty minutes, so feel free to hang out in the living room until then," she tells us.

"Thanks," Mia says.

I lead her down the steps into the living room where my dad sits on the black recliner. He catches sight of Mia and stands up to greet her. "Hello, I'm Vada's father, Carlos." He shakes Mia's hand. "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for having me. It already smells wonderful," Mia comments.

My dad nods. "Of course. Ever since we found out how much time Vada has been spending with you, we really wanted to meet you."

"Vada talks about you a lot," Millie appears in the living room, walking to the couch to plop down on the soft cushions.

"Millie!" I warn, widening my eyes at my younger sister. She shrugs. I hear Mia give a light chuckle.

"We're watching the history channel. Come, sit," my dad says while he waves us to the couch. I sit in the middle of the couch next to Amelia to avoid any unnecessary interaction between her and Mia.

Mia sits down next to me and I lean over to whisper my apologies. "I'm so sorry about her."

"What do you mean? Your sister is adorable," Mia whispers back into my ear.

"She's gonna make you eat those words," I warn. Mia chuckles.

We watch Pawn Stars with my father and sister. Pawn Stars is one of my dad's favorite shows. After a few minutes of watching in silence, Mia asks my dad about the best episodes and his favorite items that people have pawned. I can tell that she's won my dad over quickly after she got him talking about an old contract signed by the Beatles. A light, spotty banter proceeds between them for about twenty minutes before my mother puts the finishing touches on dinner.

"Girls, can you set the table please?" she calls from the kitchen. Normally, that is the cue for Amelia and me to put out the plates, napkins, and silverware, and move all the food to the table. But Mia follows us into the dining room.