Baby Girl

1

I heaved my large suitcase out of the taxi, staring at the home that held so many young memories. I looked at the oak door that I once tied my tooth to as a kid to pull it out. I looked at the balcony that I once caught my parents French kissing on. And lastly I turned my head to see the lighter colored house beside ours. The house where our neighbors lived. The two parents that lived there were like my own, I would go over all the time to play with their daughter whom I loved deeply.

I still remember her as a child trying to yell out words she didn't know yet. I remember her first laugh as I was the one who caused it, I remember her endless crying when her teeth were coming through her gums and I remember the little brown pigtails bouncing around as she took her first steps.

My little Ariel.

"Harry!" My mothers voice snapped me out of my thoughts as she came hopping down the steps. My smile widened and my teeth were on full show.

"Hey there old woman" I joked.

"Old woman? Look at you boy I haven't seen you in the flesh since you had peach fuzz" she gasped.

"Well ma, I'm a clean shaven man" I smirked, tilting my chin up and showing her the hairless skin.

"Oh Harry, get inside your fathers waiting" she linked arms with me and pulled me along inside. I've noticed the more wrinkles on her skin and the grey colour in her hair she's tried to hide with brown dye. Mother was the most gorgeous woman when she was younger, to me she's still gorgeous, wrinkles and all. Everything inside was the same as I left it, dated furniture we brought over from England when I was 4, creamy walls and dark brown polished wood flooring. The smell still smelt like an old lady but I missed its musky whiff. I was pulled into the lounge room and looked at my father sitting on the couch with a paper up to his face.

"Dad how many times do I need to tell you to get glasses." I smirked. He immediately pulled it from his face and smiled widely at me.

"Boy you're back!" He chuckled, standing and walking over to me. He stared at me for a minute before pulling me in for a tight hug. He pulled away with a sour expression on his face.

"Why have you got girl hair Harold?" He questioned. I rolled my eyes at him as he inspected me further,

"Look at all these tattoos?! Annie did you even look at these, this ones got breasts on it?!" He said, staring at my mother.

"Oh leave him Eddie, he's a grown man he can make his own decisions" she cooed.

"Harry go put on a shirt, the neighbors are coming for a welcoming dinner in an hour" mother pushed me up the stairs to my room.

Ariel was coming over. I was ecstatic to say the least, after all these years I get to see my adorable little girl again. I scratched over the mermaid tattoo on my arm. I got it as a reminder of her because she always made me put on The Little Mermaid because she had the same name as the main character, it was one of the best memories.

I want to know what she looked like, sure I've seen her photos on Facebook or photos that mum had shown me over the frequent Skype calls we had during my time away, but I wanted to see her now. Do her brown sunny eyes still light up when she sees me, will her lips curl up into a big toothless smile? I remember how she would clap her chubby hands signaling she wanted me to pick her up. She was what I looked forward to seeing everyday.

She was five when I last saw her, I was 17. I was sent off back to England as I was accepted into an amazing college that I couldn't say no to. I'm now a twenty-seven year old man and she will be a maturing fifteen year old girl and yet I am so damn excited to see her. I pulled a shirt from my suitcase, a floral shirt that hung loosely on me and showed off few tattoos. Now that I was back in Australia it was bloody hot and I missed hearing people's Australian accents everyday.

"Harry darling answer the door" my mother yelled. I didn't even hear the door?

I hopped down the stairs speedily and stood in front of the door anxiously. Would she even recognise me? What will she think of me? Another knock made my hand jump to the door and pull it open. First to come in was Mrs. Summers, still the pretty woman I remember her to be, didn't look a thing like her daughter but they were both beautiful. Her icy blue eyes widened at the sight of me as she flopped her blonde short hair about, pretending to shake her head in disbelief. "Goodness boy you've grown" she pulled me into a hug. And quickly pulled away, stepping aside to let Mr. Summers say hello. I saw so much of young Ariel in him, they had the same warm brown eyes and dark hair colour. "G'day son" he cheered, pulling me in by my head for a hug. I smiled at the both of them before turning my head back to the door, I had to crane my neck down at the height of the next guest, but when I looked her in the eyes I swear my heart stopped beating.

Her eyes did it again. It was like the sun rising in the morning when she looked at me, roses bloomed on her tanned cheeks and she smiled the biggest smile I think I had ever seen her do. She was a lot more mature, but not too mature. Her face was still so young with her naturally pink lips and dark eyebrows standing out with naturally dark lashes. Her hair was a lot longer too, no longer in her small pigtails but messily falling down her back to the bottom of her spine. The only thing that had matured was her body, she had grown medium sized breasts and her waist was quite curvy yet still skinny.

She was perfection.

"Harry!" Her sweet voice cooed. I couldn't help the ginormous smile that came across my face as she ran up to me. She literally jumped on me and wrapped her arms and legs around me and I was definitely shocked. I held her by the waist and hugged her tight, she smelt like coconuts. "Ari get down you idiot" her dad joked. Her and her dad had always been close and that was something me and my dad never really had.

"Everyone lets sit down and eat!" My mother called from the kitchen as the parents said their 'hellos'.

"Geez you've grown" I said to my baby, her smile widened as she nodded her head. Her expression suddenly went serious as she stared at me.

"Yeah I guess but look at you, your hair is almost as long as mine" she laughed, I stared at her laughing because it was a sound I have longed to hear for ten years.

"And look at all these tattoos. I love them, mum won't let me get any yet. She continued babbling as I stared at her in awe.

"You are literally like a child, it's like I never left" I thought out loud.

"I am not, I can be very adult like" she smirked. Does she mean what I think she means?

"Oh yeah like how?" I challenged.

"Well I've kissed a boy now, I've gone up two bra sizes, I can actually hold a conversation with grandpa" she said matter-of-factly. All I could hear though was that she's 'kissed a boy'. I couldn't help but feel a pang of slight hurt but I shook it off.

She's so innocent.

"Well maybe I can show you how to be an adult" I suggested.

"Ooh yeah that'd be good, I need to get a job" she said happily, she then changed the subject unintentionally.

"I'm hungry my tummy is grumbling" she whined.

"You're such a baby Ariel"

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I'm so excited for this book like you don't even understand but yeah let's do this.