worries vanished out of sight

The plane ride was uneventful but quite uncomfortable for me. Although, it was the safest and convenient way to travel. Of course, the fastest, I was honestly afraid of flying.

I arrived late since it was the only available flight I could book at short notice. I called my mom about my flight details so she could pick me up on time. It was easy for me to pass the immigration and out of the baggage area since I only carried my light backpack and a small package.

Mom was waving at me just outside the waiting area. I carefully weaved my way through the crowd, making sure to protect the parcel in my hand from the passersby.

As soon I was in her range, she grabbed me for a hug. "You looked so thin." She immediately reprimanded me. Well, that was my mom. She always thought I was not eating enough.

"I'm just fine, Mom. Where is Aunt Brie?" I was expecting that she would be accompanying Mom tonight. They were, sort of, inseparable. Through the years, they learned to become not just sisters in law but also good friends.

"She decided to stay home and prepare a simple dinner." She said casually. If I remembered it correctly, my Aunt Brie never did anything simple, literally. She liked everything colorful, lively, extravagant, and exciting. Never simple.

"This simple dinner, does this involve more than three dishes and several people, not just three of us?" I eyed my mom, slowly figuring out what was going on based on my experience.

"You can't blame us. We missed you. We want to celebrate your first visit home." She defended their actions. I could not say anything to that.

Home sweet home at last. My auntie's house had been our home for these past couple of years. My mom and I were lucky to have a wonderful family who supported us when we needed them the most.

After the fire, Aunt Brie insisted that we moved in with her. My mom, having no choice, accepted her offer. She also thought it would be best. Moving away from our past should help us heal from the pain of losing the house that my father built for us, and most of all, losing my loving brother.

Mom said that it was too painful to look at what the fire left of our lovely home, but I believed it was the memories that haunted her more.

I had no idea what it looked like since I never had the chance to see what the fire did to our house. When I woke up, our house was gone entirely. Mom had to sell the land to pay for all the hospital bills and used the remaining for our finances.

She wanted me to have some of the money left, but I insisted that she used it for starting a small business. Now, Mom and Aunt Brie had a growing business. I could not be more proud of them. Leaving Mom became easy, knowing she was in good hands. Aunt Brie would never allow any harm to happen to her.

It felt like a real homecoming. Aunt Brie had decorated the place with confetti, flowers, and balloons. She cooked a lot of food, but some of the neighbors brought their contribution. They invited some of our close friends to join us in our mini celebration.

"Thanks, guys. I didn't expect this." I told everyone present. They all shouted and welcomed me back, even it was just for a short visit. "Thanks, Auntie," I said as I kissed and hugged her.

"You know I'll do anything for you, baby. Besides, everybody misses you." That was my kind-hearted auntie. She always treated me as if I was her child. Her kids also treated me as if I was one of them. She was a big part of my fast recovery. Her positive outlook, bubbly, and good-natured attitude had influenced my perspective in life. I took one of the gifts I was carrying earlier and gave her an antique vase for her collection.

"I love you, Mom," I whispered to her as I sit beside her at the table. How did I survive all these months without her? She had become my source of strength when Harry left us. I gave her the other gift, a nice set of earrings. Those gifts were not very expensive, but I knew they would love it just the same.

She kissed my knuckles as she said. "I'm glad you're here. I love you, Cupcake."

Typical of my auntie's party, it was splendid. The food was delicious, and everyone had a great time. I was even enjoying myself. For a short time, I had forgotten what I came here to do. When all the guests were finally gone, I helped clean the place and decided to retire early.

Tomorrow was a new day. I would need all the energy to get through it. I already had conjured up a plan on how I wanted to find out the truth. Fortunately, having a great boss like Mr. Wilson had many perks. He allowed me up to seven days of vacation since I was a model employee.

I planned to use all of that wisely in finding out the truth behind my past. Tired, sleep took over without any problems.

Every morning at this house was chaos, especially with the loud voice of Aunt Brie. I could not miss what she was saying even in the confinement of my room.

Giving up on sleep, I found myself in the kitchen getting a large portion of her famous waffles and hot chocolate drink. Well, she did make delicious breakfast meals. I wondered why I never got fat living with great cooks all these years.

I was sitting on the patio when Mom sat beside me. "What's going on?" she finally asked. I could sense that she was dying to ask me last night but held herself.

"Could a daughter just miss her mom?" She smiled, but she was not buying it. Well, I expected that from her. "I need answers, Mom." I guessed mothers had this supernatural instinct about their kids.

"Answers to what? What's bothering you?" as her concern showed all over her face.

"I want to go back to Dr. Wilbert today." I could see in her eyes that I made more questions than answered hers.

"Ok. Can you at least tell me what's it about?" She asked. I wanted to tell her everything and asked her all the million questions juggling in my mind, but I had to do something first. We had plenty of time to talk later.

"Promise Mom, I will. Let me consult with Dr. Wilbert first." I checked on my watch. "I had an appointment with him in thirty minutes. I have to go. I don't want to be late."

I called him last night before I boarded the plane to ask if he could fit me with his busy schedule. Thankfully, he was kind enough to accommodate me.

"Ok. You can borrow my car if you want." She offered while looking at me with slight indecision in her eyes.

I stood up and kissed her right cheek. "No need Mom, I plan to take the bus. You know I'm not comfortable driving by myself." Driving was just not my thing. I never felt at ease behind the wheel. Maybe because Harry usually drove me to where I need to be. Then again, I was just not good at it.

On my way back inside to get my bag, I remembered something. "Mom, I'm glad to be home." She smiled as her worries vanished out of sight. I wished we had this kind of bonding when I was still young. Everything happened for a reason. At least now, our relationship was getting better.