Sunshine and Ciara made their way deeper into the shop to attend to the customers. They were still chatting with a few of them when a sharp, high-pitched voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"THAT'S MY SUPER ROLE MODELLLL!"
A girl sprinted toward Sunshine at full speed and threw herself into a tight hug around her waist so tight there wasn't even space for air to pass between them.
Sunshine stumbled backward. "Whoa...hey...breathe, sweetheart!"
When the girl finally let go, Sunshine and Ciara both got a clear look at her face.
Ciara's mouth fell open.
"V-v-Valeriiiie?" she stuttered, eyes wide.
Valerie blinked, confused for a heartbeat then her face lit up.
"Auntie Slim!" Valerie squealed and jumped onto Ciara like a child who had found her long-lost superhero.
Both of them nearly toppled over as Ciara caught her in her arms.
Valerie burst into tears. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
Ciara hugged her tighter, her own eyes glistening. "Look at you, you grew so much. Come here, baby."
Meanwhile unknown to the trio, Mama Cruz and Kane were frantically searching the shop, weaving through the crowd and calling Valerie's name.
"Valerie! Val!" Mama Cruz panicked.
"Where did that girl disappear to now?" Kane groaned.
Sunshine spotted them in the distance and nudged Ciara. "Looks like her search party is coming," she whispered.
Ciara laughed softly, brushing Valerie's tear-stained cheeks.
"Well, they found her. And she found her family."
"There she is, Mom!" Kane shouted the moment he spotted the familiar black hoodie. Without wasting a second, he and Mama Cruz rushed through the crowd toward her. The closer they got, the faster their hearts thumped until finally they stopped right in front of her, breathless.
"Kendra!!!" they cried in unison.
Mama Cruz stepped forward, trembling. "Kendra…" she repeated, her voice cracking.
But Sunshine only blinked at them, confused, her brows knitting together.
"You must be mistaken," she said slowly. "I'm Sunshine… not Kendra."
Mama Cruz staggered back a little. Kane's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Kendra is your FIRST name!" Kane snapped, anger mixing with fear. "How can you not know that?!"
"I...I'm sorry, gentlemen," Sunshine stammered. "But I don't know you. Not from anywhere."
Mama Cruz couldn't speak. She stood rooted to the spot, her eyes locking with Valerie's teary ones. Years of searching, hoping, and praying felt like they were crashing down all over again.
"We've been searching for you all these years," Mama Cruz whispered. "And now… you say you don't know us?"
"Enough with the drama!" Sunshine threw her hands up in frustration. "Come on, Ciara, you've found your niece. Let's go."
They turned to leave.
"It's fine, Sunshine. Go, we don't care about you anymore!" Kane pushed him aside.
Sunshine stumbled, losing her balance. Her foot twisted, and she crashed into a pillar. Her head hit it with a dull thud, and she dropped to the floor, dizzy.
Sunshine froze.Her vision was blurred, and her breathing faltered then everything went dark.
Suddenly, she was at the beach a little girl again. The sun was warm, the waves playful. Kane was beside her, laughing and tossing a small ball.
"Let's go deeper!" little Kane had insisted, running into the waves.
They played, splashing each other, until suddenly a huge tide crashed toward them.
Sunshine swam back to the shore, coughing, but Kane, Kane was being dragged away.
"MOM!" she screamed. "What's happened to you, Kendra Sunshine Cruz?!"
She only used her full name when she was terrified.
"Sunshine, what's wrong?!" Mama Cruz yelled, running toward her.
"Kane....he's drowning! The tides are too strong!"
Mama Cruz cried for help. A diver dove into the waves and pulled Kane back to land. Water gushed from his mouth as they pressed on his chest. Finally, he coughed, gasping for breath.
"Sunshine… I'm sorry," he weakly whispered. "I shouldn't have asked you to take me into the sea."
Sunshine hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.
"I, Kendra Sunshine Cruz, will never put my brother in danger ever again," she vowed as her mother stroked her back gently.
"Kendra Sunshine Cruz…" Sunshine gasped as she jerked awake with water splashed on her face by Ciara trying to revive her.
"Mama Cruz… Kane…" she cried. "You ARE my family. I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry I couldn't recognize you."
She grabbed them both, pulling them into a trembling hug. Ciara stared, stunned. "Your amnesia… it's been cured? Just like that? How?"
"I guess…" Sunshine whispered, touching the bump on her head, "it was the impact."
Someone in the crowd shrugged and added, "Well… sometimes that really does fix things."
Valerie, why are you clinging so tightly to Kendra's friend?
Or… wait, do you know her?" Mama Cruz asked, her face scrunching in confusion as she finally snapped back to herself.
Valerie broke into a glowing smile.
"Mama Cruz, that's my Auntie Slim! The one I always told you about!"
The realization hit Mama Cruz like a warm wave. Her eyes watered instantly.
"Oh, sweetheart… I'm so happy for you,you finally found a family" she whispered, reaching out to shake Ciara's hand with genuine gratitude.
Ciara's voice softened. "It's been so long, Valerie. We definitely need to sit and talk properly this time."
Sunshine nodded eagerly. "There's too much noise here. Let's move somewhere calmer."
Without hesitation, they all headed out, piling into the car with a mix of excitement and disbelief swirling around them.
A moment later, they were on the road, driving toward The Pudding Recipe, a cozy little café where stories could finally be shared, tears could fall freely, and long-lost bonds could be mended.