My mother turned to face me and Elliot as we both stood at the kitchen entrance and I said, "Surprise, mom!" I repeated the words I said earlier to her. The look of surprise on her face was clearly evident. "I miss you, mother." She became speechless for a few seconds, gauging whether she was really seeing us in front of her, then went on to say, "Ariella, you're here!" And as expected, she burst into tears as she placed the pan she had been holding back on the kitchen counter, wiped her hands on her apron, and rushed up to me, enveloping me in a bear hug the moment she got in front of me. "I miss you so much, my sweet little girl." Mainly because I managed to live independently during my college years, I have also grown accustomed to being apart from them. And because of that, I have never had the tendency to be overly dramatic when it comes to my family. However, in this particular moment, being here and hugging my mom causes my emotions to shoot up, and I can't stop the tears that
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