Knock, Knock | Keary Sisters
@merlinsbeard
There were few things that Hazel hated more than running late. Maybe it was a byproduct of being the one to keep her father on time and on schedule as she was growing up, or maybe it was just an innate characteristic that started to show itself later in life. Either way, it made her cranky when she fell behind on her own self-imposed schedule.
Noah was babbling in his seat, his eyes following Hazel as she paced across the room, throwing bottles and diapers and a change of clothes into a diaper bag, and then went to organize her own belongings to fit into her purse. They were already ten minutes behind schedule because of another poop diaper explosion, and she was not keen to repeat that experience.
“You, little man,” she started, pointing a finger at her son, “need to stop blowing up your diapers like that. Mommy is disgusted,” she said mock sternly, only to laugh when Noah started giggling at her. “I know! You’re so gross but you’re so cute,” she cooed, tickling his feet and grinning at his reaction. She pulled away from her son when the doorbell rang, and Hazel frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone at the door – the last person to ring her doorbell had been a LDS member, and she’d kindly but firmly refused their offer for more information, so she was at a loss at to who could be standing at their door.
Hazel let out a sigh, for surely this would make her fall even further behind schedule, and then scooped Noah out of his seat and crossed the room to the front entrance of her house. She straightened her shoulders as she opened the door. “Hello,” she said in the fake chipper tone of voice she used when trying to be polite. “How can I help you?” She took in the sight of the brunette standing on her porch. Something about the woman looked familiar, but Hazel couldn’t put her finger on it. Was she a new neighbor?
Holy fuck. She was at home. In the small adobe home, standing before her with a tow-headed baby on her hip.
Holy fuck. Her sister was standing in front of her. And God, she was different. Different in a good way, considering the last time Harper had seen Hazel, she was eleven and standing on the front porch back in Georgia.
Her heart leapt up into her throat, her mouth opened to speak but her eyes were already wet with tears. Harper turned her head abruptly to the side, looking away for a moment to compose herself before finally looking back at the blonde woman - her sister, her best friends - standing before her. “Hey, stranger.” She managed to cough out, mustering a small smile.
“Hazel, It’s...It’s me, I’m Harper. I’m your sister.” She said finally, hitching her bag a little higher on her shoulder. “I know it’s been so long, but... I’ve been looking for you... Looking for you and dad... For... Well, years.” Harper ran a hand over her hair, pushing it away from her face. “You probably think this is, like, totally crazy. Me, just showing up on your doorstep really randomly and out of the blue after, what, like, sixteen years? I’d totally get it if you want nothing to do with me, I just can find a ride back to, uh, Arizona, I guess..”
She was rambling now and she couldn’t help herself.
It felt like there was so much to say.
So many things she wanted to know.
As her sentence faded out, she thinned her mouth into a line, looking at the baby on her hip, her brows knitting before she said, or rather, blurted out. “You had a kid.”
