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The party was in full swing by the time Mirabel noticed someone was missing. All around her, people were celebrating the return of the Madrigals and their magical Casita. Mirabel herself was thrown into the center of the festivities after the family photo in their newly built home.
The Madrigal who'd brought back the magic.
That was what she'd heard the townsfolk call her at times. It was nice to be recognised by the townsfolk as more than "The Madrigal without a Gift", but Mirabel couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she stumbled over to one of the snack tables surrounding the courtyard and sat down. She wasn't use to this much attention and she felt like she needed to recharge her social battery before attempting to mingle with the crowd of people again. Resting her feet was an added bonus. She'd never danced so much in her life, and she was certainly feeling the repercussions of the good time she'd been having.
Mirabel glanced towards her Tia Pepa and Tio Felix. It seemed like those two could dance all night, lost in their own little world of shuffling feet and swaying hips, a blanket of snow covering their section of the courtyard. Mirabel was glad that her Tia felt comfortable enough that she didn't have to keep her emotions bottled up. It had bothered Mirabel more than she was initially willing to admit that her Tia Pepa's feelings were manipulated by the townsfolk just to water their crops. No matter how useful it was to have rain or sunshine whenever it was needed, Pepa didn't deserve to her emotions toyed with like that. It always bothered Tio Felix, but he hadn't been able to do much about it. The needs of the townsfolk outweighed their own needs after all. So he had been Pepa's sunshine, never failing to make her day better. Now, they could both just live. Feeling everything at every moment. It made Mirabel proud to think that her family was slowly overcoming the trauma they'd experienced.
At the sound of child-like laughter, Mirabel turned her head. From her seat, she could see her cousins entertaining all the village kids in the front yard. Isabela was showing off her new powers, using her powders to change the colour of her dress and the yard. Some of the kids got caught in the splash zone of her powder, but they loved watching her put on a show so they didn't mind. Antonio and Camilo were playing games with the village kids alongside Antonio's animal friends. And Luisa had moved her hammock outside, between two trees that hadn't initially been in their yard. Her Herculean frame was relaxed into the gentle swaying of the hammock, eyes closed with a glass of juice stationed on another plant within arms reach. Dolores was resting on a picnic blanket with Mariano a good distance away from all the noise, happy to watch her cousins and the children enjoy the festivities.
They had all gone through so much in a short amount of time. Isabela was no longer the standard brand of perfect, but perfectly herself in everything she did. Dolores had finally gotten the chance to follow her heart and have her affections returned. Camilo was still learning new things about theirself that were uniquely them, becoming comfier in their own skin instead of hiding in someone elses. And the tension from Luisa's shoulders had loosened considerably now that the villagers could do things for themselves and she actually had the time to relax. Mirabel was especially glad that Antonio, nervous about having his gift and fulfilling the expectations placed on him at such a young age, could now experience life as a kid without worrying so much about the reputation of the family.
Satisfied that her primas and primos were doing well, Mirabel shifted in her chair to take another look at the villagers in the courtyard. She could see Tia Julieta and Tio Agustin slow dancing in a secluded corner of the courtyard. So in love and happy just being together. Much like her other Tia and Tio, but not as public in their affections as Pepa and Felix. She had seen her Abuela talking to some of the villagers close to the food table before she'd sat down. She looked happy. Carefree in a way she hadn't been in a long time. Mirabel smiled knowing her Abuela was finally loosening her tight grip on their familia, content with just having her family with her and accepting them for how they are.
Mirabel knew that things weren't perfect. Tia Pepa and Tia Julieta still had a lot of trauma from their childhood they had to work through. Mirabel herself was still getting use to having a family that didn't look down on her for not having a gift. Her relationship with Isabela was especially rough, but her cousin had been trying to make up for how she'd treated Mirabel. Nothing would be completely resolved with a hug and a song, but Mirabel knew they were on their way to being a real, loving family. Especially now that her papi was back.
Speaking of her papi...
Mirabel hadn't noticed him sneak off during the party, but now that she had she was concerned about him. Where had he gone? What was he doing? Had he left for good this time? Her mind ran rampant with similar thoughts. Logically, she knew he'd probably retreated to his room to get away from the noise and the people. Bruno still wasn't used to being around large groups of people, so accustomed to living within the walls of their home. He was still such a stranger to her, but Mirabel wanted to spend every day with her father now that he was back. They had all the time in the world now, and she promised to never waste any of their time together from now on.
Making her way upstairs, Mirabel had been walking towards her papi's door before she noticed the door to her new room was slightly ajar. When the plans for their Casita were still being drawn, the family had decided that Mirabel needed her own room. It had been built between Isabela's and Bruno's rooms, her door painted turquoise with butterflies carved into the wood and painted various shades of pink and purple. She'd also painted her name in bright yellow cursive stretching from the top-left of her door to the center. Certain that she knew who was in her room, she knocked thrice on her door, calling out gently to the person in her room. "Papi?"
Inside was her papi, as she had expected. He was sat on her bed, seemingly stuck in a trance as he gazed at a picture Mirabel could not see properly. He hadn't reacted to the noise she had made, so she slowly made her way over to him and tried again. "Papi? Está todo bien?"
Bruno turned his head to look at her, pulled out of his reminiscing. "O-oh, M-mirabel. S-sí, sí. Todo está bien." He nervously replied, folding the photo stuffing it back into his pocket. "Perdóname. There's, uh, just a lot going on down there and I-"
Mirabel giggled lightly with a smile on her face. "I get it papi. I understand, don't worry." She said reassuringly. Bruno smiled back at her, then pat the space next to him invitingly. She accepted the offer, sitting down next to him on the bed and resting her head on his shoulder while Bruno wrapped his arm around her in a loose embrace.
It was quiet in her room, the noise from downstairs dulled by Casita's walls. It felt nice. Not awkward like the silences with some of her other relatives would be. This silence was simply two people enjoying each others presence. It was like this for a while before Mirabel got curious. She lifts her head from his shoulder and turns to him. "Papi, what were you looking at before I came in?"
As if embarrased at first, Bruno slowly reaches into his pocket and gives the photo to Mirabel. She takes it from his hand with a quiet "Thank you."
When Mirabel unfolds the photo, she's greeted to the image of her papi asleep in a rocking chair. Cradled in his arms is a sleeping Mirabel. Swaddled in his ruana with a sapphire blue nightcap on her head. She can't be older than a few months in this photo. Her hair is sticking out of the nightcap she has on, making it look like a frazzled mess. She doesn't know whether to laugh at how funny her father looks or coo at how utterly adorable the scene is. She loves this photo. Hopefully there's a good frame they can frame it in.
"Your Tia Pepa took that photo." Bruno explains. He's back to his trance-like state, staring at the photo like it's the most precious thing in the world. "She had been having trouble getting you to sleep for your nap, and I was in town doing errands for Mamá. I'd just gotten back and heard you crying, so I raced to the nursery and took you from Pepa." Bruno chuckles at his memory of that day. "Once you knew I had you, you stopped crying. Pepa looked like she wanted to hug me and strangle me at the same time." The thought makes Mirabel laugh.
"A-anyway," Bruno continues. "I hadn't realised I'd fallen asleep with you until she woke me up." He points to the photo in Mirabel's grasp. "She showed me that photo after I had put you to sleep for the night. You were always such an easy bebé for me, and I was so proud to have a moment like that to hold onto." Bruno stares at the photo for a while longer before he stands from the bed and crouches in front of Mirabel. She raises her head to meet his gaze. "Next to you, this is the most important thing in the world to me." He utters, moving his right hand up to cup her cheek. She can see the love in his eyes, just for her. "I-I know I haven't b-been around much," Bruno stutters. "A-and you have every right to be angry with me." He pauses here, eyes downcast for a moment before his resolve strengthens. "B-but I hope you know that I love you more you could possibly imagine. And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you until I'm worthy of your trust." His voice may sound rough, but Mirabel can feel the promise in his words. His hands are softly carressing her face, thumbs brushing under her eyes. Mirabel places her hands over her father's wrists and gives them a squeeze. Bruno lets out a small sigh, a barely-there smile on his face, and gently lowers her head so he can place a light kiss to her forehead. He connects his forehead to hers, eyes lovingly locked on her. What he does next causes a feeling of nostalgia to rush through Mirabel. He starts singing.
Look how you've grown,
Isn't it amazing?
You'll never know,
How I love you so.
Through it all, you're still our light.
I'm so glad,
I did something right.
Mirabel hugs Bruno so tight, eyes clouded by tears and heart warmed by love. They haven't had this in so long, this connection to the one person who understands and accepts them whole heartedly. There is still a lot of pain between them. Mirabel knows this, anxious as she is to have her father leave her sight. But they'll get through this together, as they will with everything else life decides to throw their way.
Mirabel can feel her father's tears soaking her shoulder while he whispers small utterances of love for her. "Te quiero hija mia. I'm so sorry I left. Everything will be ok now, I promise." Mirabel thinks she has some idea of how much her father loves her. He had sacrificed so much for her after all. But she wants him to know that she loves him as well.
"I know papi. I know. Yo tambien te amo papi." She whispers back, emotions clogging up her throat. She sniffs, then leans back to look at her father. While rubbing over her father's shoulders, Mirabel realises they have similar noses, similar hair. The same eyes. She's just so happy to have him back. And he needs to know, she's decided. She needs him to know that she's happy he's back. Mirabel takes a deep breath, then does her best to follow in her father's footsteps.
Now you're back home
And it's so amazing
You'll never know
How I love you so
Out of sight, but not out of mind
I hope you know
I'll stay by your side
Bruno stares at her in awe, silent for a long moment. Mirabel flushes under his gaze, embarrased. Bruno puts a stop to that by crushing her to his chest and pressing kisses to her hair. She feels his chest shudder with each breath, knows that he's crying into the top of her head. The pain of watching his daughter from afar, the fear of her rejection after all the suffering she'd experienced and he hadn't been there to protect her. Mirabel knows there are plenty of other things he feels guilty for. All she can do is hug him a little harder and be by his side.
As the festivities continue into the night, a father and daughter reconnect for the first time in ten years.