{meeting mom}

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"That's what camp's for silly! It makes us appreciate home."

The car turned a corner by Central Park and drove through a row of elegant looking townhouses. It pulled up in front of the house numbered eighty-seven and the driver got out and opened the door for Emmi before tending to the luggage.

"Home again." Gareth (the driver) greeted Emmi and she smiled at him and said 'thanks.'

"This is it," she muttered to herself opening the black iron gate, "Number 87 Central Park..." and looked up to see a window with white billowing curtains - she supposed it was her mother's room. Gathering up her courage, she walked across the tiled path, up the stone steps and opened the dark wood door to the threshold of her mother. She was amazed by what she saw, the curved staircase in front of her the living room to her right and the drawing room beyond that.

"Hello?" she called out. Upon hearing no answer, Emmi quickly went over to the living room and paused for a while to see a cloth with the words WELCOME HOME AVIA artistically inscribed on it before heading to the austere drawing room and she saw a pair of hands holding up a Broadway newspaper.

"Nonna?" she asked tentatively. The broadsheet went down to reveal a beautiful woman with black hair and sharp brown eyes. She wore a black Chanel dress and a dashing smile while her eyes sparkled. "I'm home..."

"Is that my little girl? That tall lanky thing?" She asked excitedly in a soothing voice.

"Yes," she answered her breathlessly, "I'm home," she said and watched her put down her reading glasses and come to her with arms wide open.

"Come here." Joan Grande cooed and wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. Emmi hugged back her grandmother and couldn't help but sniff her.

"Did you have a good time, Princess?" She asked her. Emmi answered an "uh-huh" but continued her sniffing.

"What're you doing?" she asked looking curiously at her granddaughter but not releasing her from her arms.

"Just smelling," she told her as if it were normal.

"Smelling?"

"I'm making a memory. Years from now when I'm all grown-up, I'll remember how my grandmother smelled of..." she sniffed him again, "Cinnamon and vanilla." Joan chuckled at her granddaughter's ingenuity and thoughtfulness, "Good to have you back," she said jovially and hugged her again.

"Avia?"

That voice put a pounding in Emmi's heart and she couldn't help but stiffen a bit in her grandmothers arms. Right there, across the living room, atop the curved staircase stood Ariana Grande. Joan let her go and Emmi rushed back to the foyer and saw the most beautiful woman in the world: her mother. Emmi knew that she had her father's sparkly brown eyes and his nose, but she was really thrilled to see that she got the brown (and she would later learn her curly) hair from her mother. She stared at the woman above her - stared at her sharp yet loving brown eyes and her exuberant expression at the sight of her daughter.

"Mother," she said excitedly.

"You're back!" Ariana exclaimed just as excited.

Instincts kicked in and Emmi was slowly ascending the staircase as her mother descended. The two met in a hug at the middle and Emmi was so overwhelmed she hugged her mother tighter. Ariana kissed her daughter's cheek in greeting.

"I can't believe it's you," a teary Emmi gushed as she stared at her mother.

"And I can't believe it's you." Ariana said and stroked her daughter's hair, "And with short hair! Who cut if for you?" she asked and Emmi shrugged, "A girl at camp."

          

"Do you hate it?" She asked insecurely.

"No! I love it! You got your ear pierced? Are there any other surprises? Tattoos, belly-button rings...?" Ariana continued while Emmi giggled.

"What is it sweetie?" Ariana asked noticing the non-stop tears streaming down her daughter's cheeks; she gently brushed them away.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I've missed you so much." Emmi said through her tears.

"Can you believe it? It seems like it's been forever." Ariana sighed hugging her daughter again.

"You have no idea." Emmi mumbled to herself as she clung on to her mother.

"C'mon, let's go upstairs for tea." Ariana said and took her daughter's hand to the master's bedroom. Emmi's eyes widened as she looked around the elegant yet chic room. The walls were a color of carnation and the queen sized bed was just plain fab! She looked towards a window where the wind seemed to make the white curtains billow and she smiled inwardly; she was correct upon her assumption when she stood out of the house awhile ago. She heard the chinks of china and saw her mother pouring tea into two cups. Ariana looked up and patted the empty spot beside her on a loveseat.

"So Avia how was camp? Did you like everyone? Was it fun?" Ariana asked her daughter as she sipped her tea.

Emmi thought about it for a moment, "Yeah, it was great! And I like this particular girl too, she's from Melbourne. Have you ever been to Melbourne?" she asked. It was Ariana's turn to think for a moment as she recalled her days in Australia...

After introducing Jai to her mom, the newlywed couple went back to Melbourne where Jai had set up shop and was living in an apartment as she managed his business. Those were the days of pure marital bliss and Ariana starred in the small plays the city had to offer while she tended to the apartment and waited for Jai to come home.

One day, Jai walked through the door of his apartment to find it filled with yellow balloons. He wondered what the occasion was and walked to the master bedroom where he saw something on the bed. Going closer, he discovered that it was a pregnancy test and upon much closer inspection, he saw the plus sign.

"Ready to be a 'Daddy'?" Ariana asked as she leaned on the doorframe of their en-suite bathroom. Jai looked at Ariana, tears gleaming from his eyes.

"Now than I ever will be..." he said as he rushed over to her and picked her up. Ariana squealed as her husband twirled her around in happiness and then kissed her...

"Yes, once... before you were born," she answered her daughter. Being an actress, she was able to hide her zoning out perfectly. Little did she know, her daughter actually noticed. A knock on the door interrupted the mother-daughter reunion and they both looked up to see her step brother Zac holding a shabby white rabbit stuff toy and barely hidden amusement on his face.

"This was found in your luggage - the maid didn't know what to do with it, I said I'll ask you," Ariana only glanced at her daughter whose eyes became as wide as saucers as she realized that her Cuppy was not supposed to be in her luggage but Avia's.

"Cuppy," she whispered a little too loudly.

"Cuppy?" her uncle echoed, trying in vain to hide his grin; "So since he's not our Cuppy, should we dispose of it?" he asked looking at his sister, knowing he was messing with his niece and loving it as it was obvious in his twinkling blue eyes. Ariana rolled her eyes at him.

"No!" Emmi cried aghast. She immediately rectified her actions when she saw the strange looks her mother and her uncle gave her, "I mean, no. I'll mail him to her - you remember Mom, the one I was telling you about?" Ariana nodded, "She loves this thing a lot. A lot. A lot. She's like slept with that thing her entire life and she could never be like in a foreign country without him. No, no, I'll take care of it, thank you, Uncle Zac," she said in a much calmer tone as she got up and gently pried the stuff toy away from her uncle. Ariana smiled at her daughter and Zac chuckled with a nod.

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