The three-hour layover in San Francisco seemed to drag on forever, and she sent a text to Gwendolyn to let her know she’d made it onto US soil and that she had a surprise.
Erin still couldn’t believe her mum was here with her. She was so happy that she didn’t even get annoyed when Serenity gave the purple-haired teenage girl making their coffee at the airport a lecture about why it was so important not only to buy organic coffee beans but also to research how fair trade the coffee beans were. The fact that the girl a) couldn’t have cared less, and b) was not likely the buyer for the coffee shop was apparently completely lost on Serenity.
It didn’t matter, her mother was here.
The wait to depart the plane once they finally landed in New Orleans was excruciatingly slow. Erin was having trouble keeping what little food she’d managed to eat on the flight in her stomach as a mixture of nerves and excitement fought a battle inside her.
Gwen had assured her she would be waiting at the arrivals gate. Erin had seen enough photos over the last few weeks to feel confident she’d recognise her aunty, and hopefully a few others in the family as well, but still, a photo was one thing, seeing someone in real life was another altogether. What if she walked straight past them? Her aunt had chuckled when Erin had joked about her going home with the wrong family. ‘You won’t be able to miss us, darlin’,’ she’d assured her.
Following the other passengers up the long corridor and out into the arrivals hall, Erin took a fortifying breath and gave her mother a confidant smile before searching the crowd of people waiting for loved ones. She skimmed a large gathering and searched for a few people who might resemble her aunty, but she couldn’t see any familiar faces. At a growing murmur her gaze moved back to the large group assembled at the gate and she gaped in surprise.
She was so surprised that she actually stopped in her tracks, which caused a small pile-up of travellers behind her. The large group were all waiting for the same person . . . her. A large sign had been made with ‘Welcome to the family’ written in glitter across the front. There had to be at least twenty people, she thought, still stunned, but she managed to shake off some of her numbness and forced herself to keep walking towards them. There were so many of them, she thought, feeling a little overwhelmed and, at the same time, incredibly touched.
A small stout woman stepped forward from the group and gathered her into a warm hug. ‘You’re finally here!’
Erin gathered her wits long enough to remember her own little surprise, grabbing her mother’s hand and pulling her forward. ‘Look who came with me,’ she smiled at the woman who looked to be close to her mother’s age. ‘Mum, this is your cousin Gwen,’ she said, watching the surprise on the older woman’s face melt into a tearful smile before she moved forward and hugged her mother tightly.
‘You have no idea how happy I am to see you,’ she said, pulling away briefly to study Serenity’s face intently.
Erin watched her mother’s expression waver slightly and her eyes gleamed with a sheen of unshed tears. She’d rarely seen her mother lose the composure she was renowned for.
When she let go, Gwen turned them both around to face the others and, with a flurry of names thrown about in introduction, various people smiled or waved. Children were lifted up for their inspection and all Erin could do was smile and nod, without a hope of remembering who belonged to whom or what their names were.
It was every bit as terrifying and beautiful as she’d imagined, and she gave her mother’s hand a quick squeeze as they were swept into a sea of something neither of them had ever had before.
Family.