- Welcome Butterfly
Annie
I look out the airplane window All I can see is a vast expanse of clouds, but it helps to distract me. I have so many emotions inside me. Feat pain, sadness, joy anxiety And everything has been magnified since the moment I boarded this plane I have a knot in my stomach
I don’t want to think about the faces everyone will make when they see me in the state. Although they almady know, it’s not the same to imagine it as it is to see it in person. Ileal my stomach tighten, and that’s not good, so I try to calm myself. Take a deep breath and close my eyes.
After long hours of fight, we are finally about to land When we finally touch down, the appmhension returns
I want to be the last one to disembark. It gives me a few more minutes to relax. When everyone else has already gotten off. I take a deep breath and gather the courage to
leave the plane
“Please, malam, be careful.” I smile at the flight attendant. She was very kind to me throughout the trip, tressing me with a lot of attention
head to the baggage claim area and gab my bags. This is the moment. As move forward, I see a big sign made by my lile brother
“Welcome, Butterfly‘ I laugh when I see that next to the letters, he has down a big blue butterly
I freeze when I see the people love most in the world in front of me. They don’t wait for me, instead, my siblings nin to meet me. We melt into a four–person hug. David J.
gently strokes my belly.
malon? The funny.com
funny comment makes us all burst out laughing Robert and Rocio take the bags, while my little brother leads
“Wow Annie! It looks like you ate a giant watermelon me by the hand to meet our parents
Dad stands there, unmoving. He just watches me. It pains me to see him looking older Mom told me his blood pressure has been stable, but it still scores me that it might
“Daddy! Forgive me in the short distance that separates us and throw myself into his arms. He welcomes me with open arms and hugs me tight. My beautiful father. He lets go, and leaver his face with kisses
“My me fairy! You look beautiful! He looks at me and places a hand on my belly. My little one recognizes his grandfather and gives a tiny kick
“Hahaha, that’s right, champ. I’m the grandpa” We both smile. Slowly, my mother, who had stayed behind everyone else, approaches. I extend my hand for her to come
closer
“My girl! You look so beautiful” I smile at the woman who gave me life, and she hugs me tightly. Liest my head on her shoulder. Now I’m in my safe place, next to my
beloved parents.
We leave the airport and head straight to the house that is already set up for me to spend the last weeks of my pregnancy. It’s a place i know well, as I lived there during the first years of my Me
Į see several cars parked, so I can already image who is waiting for me
We had to travel in two cars because we dedit all fit in one: So, inde with my parents in Uncle Lucie’s car, and Robert rides in Aunt Day’s car with Rocio and in and So, I assume the Hamilton family is waiting for me at home.
“Be careful, baby Don’t tip. I see the concem on my father’s face while my mother colls her eyes
‘Listen to your father, or he won’t leave you alone. Now you’ll see what I had to go through when I was pregnant with the twins and David” When she finishes saying that, we both laugh, and had given us a look that says he doesn’t care
The door opens, and the people inside the house, waiting for us, approach excitedly to greet us.
“Oh my God, Butterfly! I can’t believe it!” One of my cousins comes up to me and looks at me. Since I’m the first of us to get pregnant, it’s something new for everyone.
“Don’t look at me like a weirdo, you fools. In the future, your wheet will have babies, and Racis and Athena will be mothers.” Everyone makes faces of disgust, causing the adults to laugh. The atmosphere is definitely pleasant. There are no reproaches, no recriminations, no uncomfortable questions it’s just the family being happy. Plus, I’m
grateful that no one mentions Liam
We move to the living room, and they have a thousand questions for me. I start telling them how I joined the medical program and how it went over there. Everyone is excited to see the joy with which I talk about the experience I had them.
I take out my phone to show them some photos I have in my gallery. But suddenly, Athena and Rocio scream, startling everyone.
“Butterfly! You have to tell us who this handsome guy is with you in this photo snatch the phone from them and see an image of me with Aaron, while he hugs me. The
gels start screaming bystericaly
“You got yourself a boyfriend over there! He’s gorgeous Mom, Aunt Day, and Aunt T attractive, and it’s obviously something that can’t be hidden.
Tanya come over and take the device. They agree with the girls that my friend is very
“Well, he’s my new friend Aaron Jordan, a Canadian doctor. He’s a Traumatologist, and we became very close, I won’t deny it. “They continue admiring the guy who smiles at
me and gives me a tender look
Suddenly, I start to miss being on the other side of the world with him and the girls.
The allamoon passes as we catch up, avoiding mentioning the Donovan family and the new marriage of my child’s father, I sigh, not wanting the joy of my anal to be overshadowed by sad things. After dinner, the Hamiltons go home, and to my surprise, the James family also goes to a hotel. Only the Johnsons remain.
Im glad to be with you again” Dad holds me in his arms while we’re sitting on the sofa. I know we’ve avoided talking about the absent family, but it’s a topic we cari dodge forever
“55, honey? What have you decided regarding your Aunt Susan? My mother is worried about her friend because she knows she’s the most fragile of the group. She’s the one the friends always try to protect and who has had to deal with my problem with Liam.
“Well, actually, before coming here, I decided to tell her about the baby. And when I talk to her, flask for her athic on whether we should let Liam know or not.” My parents remain silent. I know they wont interfere in my decisions, but they’re always attentive to what happens with them
35 Welcome Butterfly
“Honey, did you know Liam got married? my father asks while I’m on his lap and he plays with my hair. Its a hit we har siblings, he had to distribute his time among all of us.
nie, but with the attival of my new
“Yes, I knew A few months ago, I gathered the courage to call him to tell him about the baby but it was his now–wife who answered. To leave no doubts, she sent me o photo of her wedding ring. I didn’t think it was wise to talk to him then, as he had just gotten merned, and I didn’t want to create a confict between them. And as time passed I thought it would be best if he didn’t find out. But after talking to Aunt Son, decide if I can talk to him and tell him or if it’s complicated. I’m not going to stres over it After all, this baby is more mine than his. While I conceived it out of love, he did it by accident. I don’t think it matters much to him, especially if he might soon have
His own children with his wife”
Even though I don’t want to, this last sentence makes my voice break. Mom notices and gives my hand a gentle squees. I
I look at them and feel fortunate to have parents
who love and support me
1 till them I’m very tired, and Mom accompanies me to my room. My clothes are already neatly arranged, so I go to the closet to find my pajamas. Once I’m ready, check The time. It’s already late where my girls and my guy are. But even so, I call Martha. As if she were waiting by the phone, the answers immediately
*Ungrateful girl. You just left, and you’ve already forgotten us. She starts crying, breaking my heart, it’s true, I should have called them earlier. She briefly tells me how sad They are without me, and then i say goodbye to let them sleep. When I hang up, I decide–In send Aaron a voice message, but as soon as the app indicates it was received my phone starts vibrating with a call from my friend
“Doll, I couldn’t sleep without hearing your nice. You have no idea how much I miss your His voice breaks at the end of the sentence. 1 feal his sachers, and a couple of
tears roll down my cheeks
miss you too, you we do. He bursts out
sughing at my r
my new way of calling him He tells me a few things about the camp, and after a while of chatting we say goodbye
Take care, little doll. I’ll see you soon I say goodbye and hang up the call. I feel very happy to have talked to him That last “see you soon resonates in my head like a promise I close my eyes, and strangely enough, that night, I dream of him.
