KIWI | H.S.

fifteen.

May 27, 2016

It's an early morning, and the sun has yet to rise as I make my way to the airport. The streets are quiet, the city still asleep. I feel a mix of excitement and nervousness as I board the plane, knowing that everything is about to change. When I touch down in LA is when the real craziness will begin. In London, it was kind of like being in my own bubble, everyone I knew was thousands of miles away, in California that's not the case.

As the plane touches down in California, the warm breeze welcomes me back home. I can almost taste the salty ocean air, hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. It feels comforting, like a soft embrace after a long journey. I've missed this.

I retrieve my luggage and step outside the airport, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. And there, standing amongst the crowd, is my brother, with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. I rush toward him, despite any strange tension that we may have after not talking for a week since I broke the news, and envelop him in a huge hug.

"Missed you." I mumble over his shoulder.

"Missed you too, Sise." He reciprocates. "I guess a congratulations is in order?" He asks hesitantly as we pull away.

"I guess." I blush. "M'sorry for not answering you. Been a stressful week." I admit.

"You're forgiven." He grins, "Good to have you back sis."

The drive home is filled with laughter and stories, catching up on all that I've missed during my time abroad. It's as if time has stood still while I was away, and yet, everything feels so familiar and comforting.

"So how're you gonna tell mom and dad?" Mitch finally asks as we're pulling off the freeway.

"I don't know." I admit. "Do you think they'll be mad?"

He pauses for a moment in thought before answering, "I don't think so. They'll probably be shocked and it might take a bit for it to sink in, but I think they'll be happy for you."

I nod along in agreement, I think he's right. I sure hope he's right.

As we pull into the driveway, I take a deep breath, savoring the sweet scent of home. I enter the house, feeling a mix of exhaustion and anticipation. Mitch agreed to sit with me while I FaceTime our parents.

I sat on the couch with Mitch out of view of the camera and I take a deep breath as he gives me a nod of encouragement to dial Mom's number. I've rehearsed this conversation for hours in my head and the scary thing is, I have no idea where this will go. My entire self is anxiety ridden, I know they're going to be rightfully shocked and there is no predicting their reactions. With one last deep breath, I press the call button and waited anxiously for the answer.

As the phone rang, my mind raced with every possible scenario. I've always been close with both of my parents, especially my mom, but this was never a conversation I would be having with them. I'd always imagined I'd be married first and have a fun, grand reveal for my family. Everyone would be expecting the news but be thrilled either way. This is the complete opposite of what I had always fantasized it being.
Will they be disappointed? Angry? Concerned? Mitch could tell I was spiraling so he immediately jumped in to stop me.

"Hey, Sienna, look at me." He cuts into the conversation I was having with myself. "Mom and Dad love you. They're not going to yell at you. They're not going to disown you. Quit psyching yourself out, kid. You're their second favorite child. They're not going to love you any less." He reassures.

"First favorite child," I correct him. "But thank you, Mitch, that was sweet." I smile.

"Oh i wasn't saying they like you better than me. I'm saying they like Trey more than the both of us." He corrects.