English Accent (The Accents #1)

Welcome home, pretzel

"Abiabiabiabiabi!"

I was attacked by my brother even before I could enter the gate at the waiting lounge. I almost toppled over when he run into me, clinging to my waist with all the strength he possessed in his thin arms.

"Hi, Teddy-Bear." I ruffled his hair, using the old nickname I'd given him. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too!"

Seems like right now he was going through that hard phase of yelling. I winced and pulled back, looking past him.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked

"There!"

My gaze followed his finger pointing at something behind him. Ah. There they were. The moment I saw Mom and Dad standing there, waving and smiling, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They were holding a plate saying: 'Welcome home, pretzel!' With an exclamation mark. I almost rolled my eyes at the old nickname they'd given me. I gained it as a kid and for some reason, they drew an endless joy from using it to call me every chance they got. They said the stupid name had something to do with the way I used to sleep when I was small, all tangled up - just like a pretzel. What I couldn't understand was why, after all these years, they chose to make my life a living hell by using it publicly. I mean, seriously. I might be childish, but I was nineteen, for God's sake.
I was debating turning around and running for the first flight to leave but was stopped by Teddy's small hand clasping mine.

"Come on!" He tugged me forward. "They missed you, too!"

Not wanting to upset my little brother, I went along, dragging my suitcase behind me. When we were ten feet from where they were standing, I plastered a huge smile on my face. It wasn't all-too-fake, though. I really was happy to see them. Just... not with the plate.

"Look who I found!" Teddy yelled, almost running now.

I tried hard to keep up with him, at the same time not falling onto my face or letting go of the suitcase's handle. For such a small human being, my little bro was extraordinarily strong.

"Careful or she'll trip!" Mom cooled him down, stepping towards us.

"Thanks, Mom." I mumbled, stopping as Ted finally let go of my hand.

"Oh, you know I didn't mean it that way." She huffed, realizing just now how it sounded. "I wasn't suggesting you were a -"

"But she is a klutz, Meggie." Dad cut in, coming to stop next to us. "There's no use pretending otherwise."

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you Mr. Duncan Hindley, my dear father who was always there to support me and raise my self-esteem. Bravo.

"Thanks, Dad." I repeated myself, rolling my eyes. "It's good to see you, too."

"Oh, honey, there's no need to be so grumpy." Dad nudged me with his elbow. "I was just stating the truth."

"Just like you just wanted to be funny writing this?" I pointed to the plate he was still clutching in his hands for the world to see.

"Oh no, pretzel." He smiled. "This was meant to embarrass you. Being a parent has to have some perks, after all."

Have I ever mentioned just how much I loved my family?

"You're impossible." Mom shook her head, but I saw that she was fighting not to smile.
"Better take Abi's suitcase and come on. She must be tired after all these hours spent on the plane.

"She is right here." I waved. "And she can take her suitcase herself."

Don't ask me why, but I hated when people talked about me like I wasn't there when, in fact, I was standing barely two feet away from them, hearing everything with my own two ears.