The domestic arrival hall at Maputo International Airport carries a familiar, tired kind of energy late in the afternoon — not chaotic, not silent, just alive enough to remind everyone they are moving, leaving, arriving, beginning.
Marilena stands near the metal railing that separates waiting families from arriving passengers, fingers wrapped tightly around the leather strap of her bag. She checks the screen for the third time:
Chimoio → Maputo — Landed.
She exhales slowly. This isn't just any arrival.
Érica isn't just a guest.
She's not a stranger.
She is Jennifer's younger sister — Jennifer, who is married to Marcos, Marilena's eldest brother. Which makes Érica Marcos' sister-in-law, and by extension, wrapped into their family whether Marilena wants it or not.
Their family is rooted in Chimoio — Marcos, Isac, Jennifer, Tamara, and their mother Marta all live there. That house, full of voices and memories and control.
