I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. A bead of perspiration rolled down my face, leaving a moisture line in its place. My hands were damp with the dew of sweat, which I consistently wiped on my blue jeans. My lips were pressed together in a nervous line. The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls drifted through the room, making my mouth water. The morning sun flooded through the windows and casted a glare on the computer screen in front of us. The light almost blinded my too early to wake eyes. The deafening sound of the computer’s ring tone roared out from it. At the same time, a cuckoo-clock chimed out ten times.

My parents and I were crammed together at the head of our dining room table. Its cold marble was pressing up against our legs. The fear in the air was palpable.  My dad was seated to my right, rubbing his hands against his jeans. My mom was sluggishly breathing in and out, while twirling a piece of her curly blonde hair in her fingers. For me, I was tracing trees with the tips of my fingers on my jeans, hoping that the movement would distract me.

That was the day…the day that was going to change my life forever. It was the first time I was going to meet my new sister. I had been waiting for three months to meet her, and now the time was here. Fear so strong you could smell it, swam through my veins. The only topics that run through my mind were questions. What if she didn’t like me? What if we realized she wasn’t a good fit?  I knew very little about her, expect for what we received on her resume. On paper she was perfect. In person maybe that wasn’t so, and I didn’t know if I wanted to find out.

The ringing from the computer ended just as the last chime rung out. A girl’s face flooded the screen and the blue background of her room filled in the edges it.  Her brownish red hair flowed around her broad shoulders.  A smile chipped at the sides of her mouth. Her brown eyes darted from my parent’s faces to mine, pausing at each of us. A breath slipped through my lips.  There she was, my new sister.

“Hello, I’m Laura B,” she spoke with a thick German accent that almost made her words inaudible.
That was six months ago today, but it felt like it was just yesterday. My parents and I stood with our backs against a pillar, at the Minneapolis Airport, waiting for the customs door to open. The room was lit with washed out white light, and was filled with the noise from millions of people milling around the airport. Alarms went off at ten minute intervals; signaling the start of bags coming down a ramp. At looked at the foggy grey doors in front of us. Signs sprouting the words “Do Not Enter” dotted the doors, blocking Laura’s path towards us. My hands were clammy and the sign I was holding was shaking from side to side.  These were my last few minutes as a only child for a year.

The doors creaked opened, and my heart leapt into my throat. An old grey haired man, hobbled out of the door weighed down his by luggage. Disappointment bloomed through my body as a cry from a baby rang out through the airport; it was as if the baby was mirroring my dissatisfaction. My stomach growled with hunger, as the whiff from a nearby coffee shop drifted through the air. A breeze fanned in from the outside doors, sending a shiver down my spine. More people started filing out of the non-enterable doors. Why wasn’t she out yet? What if something happened?  What if she didn’t make it? Were all the questions running through my mind at the moment. My mom’s hand slowly reached out and gripped mine, as my dad grabbed the sign from my hands.

“You nervous?” my mother questioned as if she could read my mind.

“A little,” I quivered.

The door slowly peeked open, and a girl around sixteen stepped out of the doors. Her eyes, which were weighed down with sleep shadows, traveled the room, then settled on me. There she was, Laura, our exchange student, my new sister. Her eyes widened just like a little kid’s when they receive a lollipop. I let out a deep breath that I didn’t know I was holding in, as my mom slowly let go of my hand. I couldn’t believe it. Here she was. The idea that I was going to spend the next ten months of my life with her was unfathomable. My feet shuffled towards her, and then faster, to the point that I was running. She threw down the bags she was holding as I enveloped her in a hug. Slowly, the rest of my family joined in. In that moment, all my questions and worries fell away, and I knew we had chosen the right exchange student.

“Welcome to the United States, Laura,” my mom broke in. Leaving the embrace of the hug in the process.

I was almost speechless, but I fought out the words, “How was your flight?” Tears of happiness filled my eyes and threatened to spill over. Six months of skype calls, snapchats, and texting had led to this moment.

“It was good, but long,” Laura mumbled. Her voice was so quiet I had to strain my ears to hear her.

We untangled ourselves from the hug, and each took hold of one of her fallen bags. My dad handed her the sign that reads, “Welcome to the U.S. Laura.” A sigh of happiness escaped from her lips, which then turned up into a smile. A grin to match hers filled my face; as we walked out into the breezy August night. The sun was just saying its last good byes, and was crying tears of purple across the sky. The warmth of outside covered my body in a blanket, that only the calm wind could blow astray. The sound of cars honking and exhaust filled the air, as we got into our truck and drove away.

“So this is what the U.S. looks like. Everything looks so much bigger, the cars, the roads, even the buildings,” she exclaimed. “Oh, and the sunset, it’s so beautiful!” 

“We hope you like it here. We know it may be a little overwhelming at first, and you must be extremely tired. So we thought we would get you to your new home, show you your room, and then let you sleep. We have nothing going on tomorrow, so you can take the whole day to get settled.,” My dad spoke out.

“Thank you, I am really exhausted. The plane ride was super long and even though I tried to sleep, I couldn’t.  I think I was just too excited.” Her voice slowly got louder, as she gained more confidence.

I turned my head towards the window, taking in the last rays of sunshine, not wanting this day to be over. The song “Tainted love” whispered from the car radio as Laura’s head rested on the window. My eyes grew heavy as a yawn burst from my mouth.

“I’m so excited, everything appears so different. I just can’t believe I’m in the United States,” Laura bubbled. The last bits of day light faded away to the dawning of night, leaving everything dark in its place.

Head lights, from passing cars, flashed on. Stars started reaching their arms out into the night sky. My crossed legs became numb as the song ended. We jabbered the whole ride home; about her trip, and our lives. Her kindness and politeness shined through her features. The glow of the dashboard lights cast a faint red glow over us, and the lights from oncoming cars blinded our eyes. We made one last turn onto our drive way. The movement made my stomach tickle.

Darkness wrapped itself around our truck, and trees reached their branches up towards the sky hoping to catch a falling star. The garage door clanked open revealing the lighted interior, and the porch lights flickered on. Stars twinkled in the sky and the moon gave us a wink good bye. The truck was then shallowed by the garage.

“Welcome home.” my dad smiled. “Don’t worry about grabbing your bags. I will come back and get them for you.”

“Thank you,” Laura beamed.

I opened my truck door and Laura filed out behind me. We started towards the door and waited patiently for my mom to unlock it. With a click of the keys, the door opened. A burst of light flooded into the garage. I could hear Laura heave a sigh as she took her first steps into her new home.