1 After Christmas

Briana had never seen her family’s living room so full and so quiet at the same time. The space was a good one for being noisy, running as it did from the front door to the kitchen – easily half the length of the house. Though there was technically a foyer by the door, and a dining room outside the kitchen; there were no walls separating the space at the heart of the Rasmussen home. It dominated the house vertically as well, with the native-stone fireplace on the outer wall, and the open stairway to the second floor opposite.

Moments ago the room had been noisy, full of the echoing, conversational rumble that was Briana’s favorite sound; the noise of her family. The temporary quiet had come from sounds outside – the rumble of tires on the gravel drive, followed by a car door slamming.

Mom is nervous. Briana looked up at Veronica from her position at the slender woman’s feet. Mom had dressed up for her sister’s arrival like she was going to the mayor’s office, replacing her simple black dress with a complicated gown that boasted a corseted bust and layers of lace for a skirt. Every inch of the dress was black, of course. There were a few unusual hints of color on Veronica, from the dark red lipstick she’d chosen instead of her usual black, to the rubies adorning her ears.

The sound of steps on the front porch dragged Briana’s attention to the front door. Her dad, Jane, stepped forward and opened the door like a butler. From her spot on the floor, Briana had a window of view through a gap between her Tia Rosa and her Grandmother Michelle. Briana’s diaper crinkled as she rose to her knees to catch her first glimpse of her aunt Kiara.

Kiara stepped through the door with a cellphone at her ear. She was tall, a magnificent black woman with toned arms and shoulders shown off by her sleeveless crimson dress. The tight curls of her hair were pulled back by a hairpiece that evoked a golden crown of laurels.

“Thank you so much, Madame secretary. I have just arrived home, so I will not be reachable for forty eight hours, unless it is a genuine emergency. Ciao.” Kiara handed her phone to a stiff-looking blonde woman in a pinstriped suit-dress and immediately turned to Jane.

“Jane! Soon to be my sister, I hear.” Kiara pulled Jane into a tremendous hug and kissed her on both cheeks.

“It’s good to have you back.” Jane smiled with her usual reserve – the twinkle in her eyes revealing her genuine excitement to Briana. Between Kiara’s demonstrative greeting and Dad’s excitement, Briana was feeling better about meeting her aunt. Her only hesitation came from her mom, who was still nervous.

“You must be Rosa!” Kiara took Rosa’s hand as she stood, and pulled her in for another big hug. “It’s been so long since I had a new sister, and now I have two. Welcome, Rosa, to the Rasmussen family.” Like Jane, Rosa got a kiss on both cheeks.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Rosa looked Kiara over appraisingly.

“We will spend time together, I promise. I want to know the woman that my mother decided our family needed.” Kiara squeezed Rosa’s arm firmly and turned toward Grandma. “Speaking of my mother – Mom, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Kiki.” Grandma got up, managing to conceal the amount of caution she had to put into the motion. Michelle was much better, now that she was using her oxygen regularly, but still got dizzy when she stood. Briana tensed, just in case Grandma started wobbling.

Kiara took Grandma in her arms, far more gently than she had Jane and Rosa. Michelle got her cheek kisses before Kiara looked at her and said, “You scared me, Mom.”

“I’m sorry dear, I didn’t mean to scare anyone.” Michelle reached and cupped Kiara’s cheek while they took a moment to gaze into each other’s eyes.

“Vonnie.” Kiara turned to Veronica, who’d gotten out of her chair and was standing in the most anxious way Briana had seen her mom behave. Kiara wrapped her arms around Veronica with a deep sigh of happiness. Mom sank into Kiara’s arms and laid her head on her sister’s shoulder in what looked like relief.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Veronica said softly. “I missed you terribly, especially when mom…”

“You did everything right.” Kiara kissed Veronica’s cheeks and held her sister’s chin. “I’m so proud of you, Vonnie. I didn’t worry about Mom from the instant you told me you’d gotten to the hospital.”

Veronica’s eyes sparkled with tears – a smile fluttered at her lips as she gazed in adoration at her sister. After a moment, she composed herself, dabbing at her eyes with a black handkerchief. “Thank you, Ki. I’d like to introduce my children. Briana and Melody, this is your Aunt Kiara.”

Briana had argued with her mom long and hard about her outfit for meeting her aunt. Though she’d accepted being Little more than she’d ever imagined she’d be able to, everything she’d heard about Kiara’s success made her want to meet her aunt in adult clothes. All her attempts to convince her mom that first impressions were important had been turned back on her by Veronica. Mom agreed with Briana on the importance of first impressions, but wanted a very different look than Briana argued for.

It was impossible to win against Mom when she was determined enough. When Briana stood to meet Kiara, she was dressed in a pink onesie and white tights, with a white half-sweater that had golden threads woven through it. She was also diapered, and the padding was thick enough that there was no hope of her onesie or tights concealing it.

Kiara’s intense gaze met Briana’s eyes and the Little girl’s heart pounded. Meeting Kiara was like meeting a movie star, with all the stories she’d already heard about her formidable aunt. That Kiara looked flawless and elegant after a plane ride from Europe only added to her mystique. Briana’s perception of her aunt was forcibly re-oriented when Kiara hugged her. The embrace was a crushing and passionate, with no reservation whatsoever. It was in every way a Briana-hug. She threw her arms around Kiara and hugged back with abandon, pressing her cheek against her tall aunt’s chest in delight.

“You are so much more darling than Veronica prepared me for.” Kiara leaned down from her six feet to Briana’s five, and kissed the Little girl on both cheeks. “And she talks about how adorable you are quite a lot.”

“I thought you were going to be scary, from all the stories and stuff.” Briana favored Kiara with a giddy smile. “But you’re not! We’re going to be really good friends.”

Seeing a smile the combined joy and pride spread across Kiara’s face was amazing. Kiara kissed Briana on the forehead. “I believe it. I think I can already see why Vonnie chose you.”

Briana was left with a glow in her chest and so strong that she couldn’t pay attention to what Kiara said when she hugged Melody. While the introductions had been going on, the blonde lady had brought in two large suitcases and a pair of smaller bags. Jane took both the suitcases – despite the blonde woman’s protest – and carried them back to Melody’s room. It’d had already been decided by Veronica that Kiara would be staying there, presumably the other woman would be as well. It was a double-bonus to have more family over and for Briana to get to bunk with her sibling.

“Everyone, this is Emeline Blanchet.” Kiara indicated the blonde woman, pronouncing her name with what sounded to Briana like a flawless French accent. “Emma, this is my family. You’ve met my mother Michelle and my sister Veronica, of course. My sister in law Jane is the one who made off with our bags, this is Rosa, my newest sister, and my nieces…”

Hand to her chin, Kiara looked contemplatively at Melody. “I’m sorry Melody, I know that your pronouns are They/Them, but there isn’t a neutral word for child of my sister.”

“I’ve been using the neutral é when I refer to Melody.” Rosa said. “It’s not proper Spanish yet, but I say niñé when I refer to them.”

“Perfect!” Kiara grinned. “Then it would be nieté for me. Emma, this is my niece Briana and my nieté Melody.”

“Bonjour, c’est un plaisir.” Emeline bowed primly. Her French speech was richly toned – she retained most of that accent when she switched to English. “I’ve been eager to meet all of you – for Michelle and Veronica, to see you again.”

Bowing simply would not do. There was no chance of becoming friends with Emeline if she was always standing on ceremony. Briana stepped up to the French woman, emboldened by Kiara’s easy manner enough that she paid no attention to the crinkling of her diaper. Flashing her most welcoming smile, Briana said, “In this house, we greet people by hugging them.” Emeline was surprised – and a little stiff – but she returned Briana’s gentle hug.

Proudly, Briana turned back to her family. Grandma was beaming at her. Melody, Rosa, and Dad seemed quite amused. Mom had the quirk in her mouth that meant she had a lot to say – but wasn’t going to until later. Kiara, however, looked intrigued or even challenged. Her face was serious but her eyes were excitedly boring into Briana. Joy pulsed through Briana’s limbs, coming out as a happy hop. Not only was everyone happy with her, but Emeline’s posture was already more relaxed.

“Emma, please sit with us.” Kiara grabbed a chair from the dining room table and planted herself between Mom and Grandma, turning to her sister. “Well, little sister, tell me everything that’s happened since I’ve been gone.”

“That might take a while. Melody, Briana, can you get tea and coffee for everyone?” The firmness of Veronica’s smile indicated it wasn’t a request. It was unfair of Mom to assume that Briana would resist being sent out of the room just because she’d been taking a seat at Kiara’s feet. Eager to show her aunt how good a girl she was, Briana hopped to her feet and dragged Melody by the hand to the kitchen.

“Isn’t aunt Kiara great, sib?” Briana scooted a stool to the cupboards so she could reach the nice tea cups. All the everyday dishes were down on Briana’s level, but there was a limit to how much crockery and china could be kept at a five-foot girl’s reach.

“She’s intense for sure.” Melody’s voice was quiet as they lit the stove under the kettle.

“Oh no, do you not like her?” Briana turned to her sibling in anguish, only to be gently chopped on the head by Melody.

“I didn’t say that. You know I don’t jump in as fast as you do.” Melody fidgeted with their overalls. With a sigh, Briana set the cups down. Her sib had no call to be upset about their outfit; unlike Briana, Melody had gotten to choose their clothes.

“Well something is the matter.”

“I liked the dynamic we had at Christmas.” Melody shrugged, kicking at the stove corner idly. “What if you and her get really close but I don’t?”

“She made a special effort with your pronouns, I don’t think she’ll ignore you.”

“Yeah, that was cool.” Melody smiled a little, but hadn’t lost their melancholy. There was only one foolproof remedy for a sad sib. Briana squeezed between Melody and the stove, worming her way into her sibling’s arms.

“If you’re sad you’re going to get snuggled.” Briana laid her head on Melody’s shoulder, grunting when her sib grabbed her uncharacteristically tightly. “Are you worried about me? Sib, you know I love you to bits.”

“I feel like stuff is changing. We just got to where everybody is happy.”

“Hey, look at me.” Briana gazed up at Melody earnestly. “I will always love you. Did you see how Mom looked at Kiara? That’s how I feel about you. You’re my hero, Big Sib.”

Melody’s rib-squeezing hug drove the air out of Briana in a squeak. “Bri, you’re always such a jerk. I can’t believe you made me cry on Kiara’s first hour here.”

Air rushed back into Briana with a gasp when Melody finally let go. She didn’t mind being sort-of-asphyxiated by her sibling. It was an acceptable price, for the deep love that a super-hug represented. A washcloth from the counter worked to wipe Melody’s cheeks clean.

“I’ll do tea, and you do coffee, okay?” Briana nuzzled Melody’s cheek. “I want to get back fast so we can hear what Mom is saying about us.”

“We need to hear about what Kiara’s been up to, too.” Melody nodded as they grabbed a half-dozen mugs. “Do you mind bringing it up? You’re better at – you know…”

“Gotcha, Big Sib!” As she squatted down to retrieve the tea tray from a lower cabinet, Briana discovered significant squish in her diaper. As great as Kiara had been, Briana didn’t want to make a fuss about her diapers so soon, especially with Emeline in the room. “Um, can you…”

“Let one of the caregivers know that you need a change?” Melody kissed Briana atop her head. “I got you, Baby Sister.”