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Bruno was afraid that his mamá would see him. What would she say if she saw him again after ten years? Would she hate him? Would she fear him? Would she officially send him away?
He was too scared to find out.
He left Mirabel to hug it out with Isabela but that doesn’t mean that he was going to stop peaking through every possible crack in the wall to ensure that she was safe. That doesn’t mean he was about to stop listening, waiting for any sign that she may need him.
He listened as he heard his two sobrinas burst out of what he could only assume was Isabela’s room singing as they went, running through the hallways. He couldn’t help but bounce along to the tune with a smile on his face. The smell of new plants of all assortments filled his nose, some causing him to sneeze.
He found himself running around the inside of casita, following the sound of the girl’s voices. When the sound seemed to stay relatively in the same spot he peeked through a gap to see the two share the embrace seen in his vision as the candle beside them began to burn brighter.
Rustling behind him drew his attention causing him to turn around. He saw as the cracks that filled the wall began to repair themselves and fade away.
It was working! Mirabel was saving the magic!
He felt a new sense of pride swell from inside his chest and his cheeks ached from how wide his smile grew. Peeking through the crack once again he saw the two Madrigal girls fall into a pile of soft flowers Isabela had placed there. Her once flawless dress and hair, now covered in coloured pollen.
“You’re a bad influence.” Isabela said, a big smile on her face as she flicked a red flower blossom at Mirabel’s face. The two giggled at each other and at the thought of everything that they had created within the span of five minutes.
“What is going on?” He saw the two tense at the loud voice and could feel his own smile fade as he shrunk in on himself. Mirabel spoke first.
“Abuela!” Mirabel called out as the two sat up. “It’s okay! everything is-” She cut herself off “We’re gonna save the miracle, the magic!”
“What are you talking about? Look at our home! Look at your sister!” He heard his mamá implore just as she moved into his field of view.
“Please just- Isabela wasn’t happy.” Mirabel tried to explain. Bruno waited to see his mother’s reaction. Surely she would be surprised. Surely she would care about the wellbeing of her family more than appearances.
“Of course she isn’t happy. You ruined her proposal!”
Or maybe not.
“No no no, she needed me to ruin her proposal! And then we did all of this, and the candle burned brighter!” Mirabel spoke fast. It was something that he had learnt to to do whenever in a disagreement with his mamá. It was the only way to get a word in. Though he suspected it was a way to help defend herself too.
“Mirabel.”
“That’s why im in the vision, I’m SAVING the miracle!”
“You have to stop Mirabel!” He flinched hearing his mamá yell. Mirabel did the same.
“The cracks started with you. Bruno left, because of you.”
Bruno frowned at that. Sure he had left to protect Mirabel, to protect the family, but it wasn’t solely her fault. It was just the tipping point. It wasn’t fair for mamá to balme her for his choices.
“Luisa’s losing her powers, Isabela’s out of control because of you!”
No, none of that was Mirabel’s fault. It just happened! He wanted to yell at her. To scream at her. Why wasn’t anyone else doing the same. He watched as his sisters let their mamá treat her like this. He watched as his brother-in-laws let her talk to Mirabel like this. He watched as his nieces and nephews let her talk to Mirabel like this. After everything that Mirabel had done for the family. Helping them, loving them, caring for them. No one dared to have her back?
“I don’t know why you weren’t given a gift, but it is not an excuse for YOU to hurt this family!” He waited to hear Mirabel’s response.
“I will never be good enough for you. Will I?” Silence. He could feel the tension in the room. He could feel his mamá’s rage. He could feel his niece’s insecurity. He could feel the rest of the family’s unsureness. But why was Mirabel the target?
“No after how hard I try. No matter how hard, any of us try. Luisa will never be strong enough. Isabela won’t be perfect enough.” He watched as each respective member lifted their heads at the mention of their names. He could just make out their faces, fearful and uncertain.
“Bruno left our family because you could only saw the worst in him.”
Hearing his own name thrown into the equation shocked him a little. But at the same time, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Like the truth was finally coming out. But at the same time, he felt guilty. He was happy that someone had finally spoken up, finally said the truth but his relief came at the price of Mirabel’s punishment.
“Bruno didn’t care about this family!”
Is that really what mamá thought? Did she really think that he doesn’t care? He loved his family. He would do anything for his family. Were the rest of them all thinking the same thing? Did he do something to indicate that he didn’t care?
“He LOVES this family!” Mirabel yelled back in retort. “I LOVE this family! We all LOVE this family! You’re the one that doesn’t care!”
Bruno grimaced as he heard those words. If she wasn’t in trouble before she most certainly was now. But as much as she was going to get into trouble, she wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t wrong that he loves his family. He knew that every member of his family loved their family.
And Mirabel…
“Tío Bruno, I just wanted to make the family proud of me. Just once. But if I should stop. If I’m hurting my family. Just tell me.”
Remembering her voice from just twenty minutes earlier… there was no doubt in any way, shape or form that she would go to the ends of the earth for her family.
“You’re the one BREAKING our home!” She yelled out, hot tears pooling up as her face begins to turn red.
“Don’t you ever!”
“The miracle is dying because of you!”
Silence.
That was new. Bruno had never met anyone who could render his mamá speechless. Mirabel truly was special. Before anyone could say or do anything a loud creak was heard and then…
Crack.
The vision.
It’s here.