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There were a few things Félix was truly afraid of. He always tried to see the bright side of everything while giving himself logical explanations to why fear wasn’t the answer and that things could be solved in peaceful ways if you just tried hard enough. His positive thinking usually worked, and he bore no fear.
Officially meeting his girlfriend’s mother for the first time though? Just throw out all of his thinking out the window, the poor man was terrified and there was nothing that could calm him down, not even Pepa’s reassurance that it would be okay as they walked up to the Casita, arm in arm.
He could tell she was nervous too, with the tiny cloud above her head that was slowly getting a gray color as it swirled around. He heard her muttering “clear skies”, and so far there hasn’t actually been rain. Not that he would have minded rain, he had already gotten used to being surprise soaked in water whenever he was near her, it was part of the experience. He just didn’t want his girlfriend to be nervous when he for once wasn’t the one there to calmly support her through it. Because as mentioned previously, he too was nervous for once.
Pepa had quickly become the light of his life, ever since they had first met, and even more after they had confessed to each other and officially became a couple. He would always remember the moment, a nervous Pepa running away from their lunch date, telling him that she was sorry because she always messed things up with her emotions, she had been nervous and afraid it wouldn’t work. Félix had misread the signals and had thought that he had been the one that had messed something up, but after a heartfelt confession where they had cleared up their misunderstandings, where he had reassured her that he loved everything about her, weather and all, they had become a couple.
Pepa was his joy and his happiness, and Félix already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He had never felt love this strong, he had known she was special the first time he had met her, crying in the rain by herself. He had been captivated by her, wanting to make her feel happy and special.
Though, being comfortable and happy around Pepa didn’t mean that he was prepared to meet señora Madrigal. He’s never seen the matriarch up close before, only from a distance as she walked through town. He didn’t know her, but from what little Pepa had told her, he was nervous, and couldn't help but feel a little bit mad. That was the woman that constantly shamed her for feeling emotions she couldn’t control, while also shaming her for her quirks.
“Félix?”
The young man snaps out of his thoughts as he hears Pepa’s voice. There’s a slight tremble in it, the second part of his name being raised by almost an octave. She’s nervous, and he can tell as she’s letting her free hand run through her braid, before she takes it and violently bites down on it with her teeth. He tries to catch a glimpse of her eyes, but she immediately looks down onto the ground as they’re walking, clearly already almost overwhelmed. He gets it, and won’t force anything.
Instead, he carefully pats her back, knowing it calms her down.
“It’s okay Pepa, we can do it. Your mother can’t be that scary when we’re together, right?”
Félix doubts what he’s saying, also seconds away from starting to shake from nervousness as they stand in front of the building that Pepa calls home. He’s going to try to look confident at least, for Pepa’s sake. She nods, and opens the door for the two of them.
Alma Madrigal is sitting on an armchair in the living room, reading a book. The moment she catches a glimpse of them, Pepa’s arm wrapped around that of, what to Alma must be a stranger, immediately peaks her interests as she looks up at them and puts her book down. Félix can’t quite read her face, her expression still fairly neutral as she gestures for them to speak up.
“Mamá….” Pepa begins, taking a deep breath. “This is Félix, my boyfriend.”
Félix looks at Pepa’s mother and sees how her expressions change, from a surprised, confusing gaze, back to a more neutral one. He swears she’s glaring at him, and he wants to run away in fear . It’s like her glare is cutting through him like knives, as she’s unsure of him.
“That explains the surprisingly nice weather the past month,” she begins as she gestures to the couch on the other side of the living room. “Take a seat. Félix, was it?”
He nods and tries to look as acceptable as possible.
“Yes, señora.”
He sits down next to Pepa on the couch, and hears a slight, nervous thunder from the cloud above her head. She takes her hand in his own and squeezes hard, just to make sure to really get that he’s there beside her, he guessed.
“So, Félix, tell me about yourself, and what do you do for a living?”
He takes a deep breath before he answers.
“I grew up outside of the Encanto, in a loving family and I had a very happy childhood. My family tragically passed away recently and I decided I wanted a fresh start and moved here. I work several jobs in the village, mostly filling in when there’s a need for extra help. Taking care of stands at the market, helping in house construction, working on the crop fields and other kinds of labor.”
He’s proud of himself for not stuttering as he speaks, trying to sound as presentable as possible as he tells her his background. He truly wanted Pepa’s mother to approve of him and their relationship. But as much as he wants to prove himself to Alma and his Pepa, he hates being the center of attention. That’s a lie, he loves being in the center of attention, just not like this .
Alma gives him a nod, yet her expression is still blank, and Félix has no idea how to read that woman. Pepa squeezes his hand once more.
“So, of all the places to move to, why the Encanto?”
“I heard all of the magical stories of it as a young boy, and when I was left on my own it felt like the perfect place to start over. And it truly has been, living here has made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m extremely grateful,” he answers truthfully, and Alma nods once again.
“I’m happy to hear that the miracle of the Encanto has made you feel at home,” she answers before looking over at the couple once more, like she’s scanning them for something to point out. “So, for how long have you been seeing each other?”
Now it’s Pepa’s turn to answer. Her cloud has slowly gotten smaller, and Félix is grateful for her sake, knowing how anxious she was to have a cloud in front of her mother.
“We’ve been a couple officially for about a month, we’ve known each other for a while longer.”
“And how did you two meet?”
Pepa immediately stiffens as she looks down at the ground, and Félix takes it as his queue to keep talking. She was clearly embarrassed that the reason they met in the first place was because she’d had a very bad day.
“We met outside during a rainstorm, and I decided to keep her company through it. After that we always greeted each other and spoke to each other whenever we saw each other, and after a while we had lunch together, and we became a couple,” he says, leaving out the details of yet another rainstorm before their confession. He’s trying to frame Pepa’s gift as gently as possible in his description, making sure that Alma knows that he would never blame Pepa for anything related to something as natural as emotions.
“You stayed out in the rain with her?” she asked, and Félix hears the confused curiosity in her voice. He nods.
“Of course I did. She was all alone and looked like she needed some company. It was a really nice day, and we had some very fun conversations until the rain stopped. It was the first time I heard her laugh, and I already knew back then that your daughter had my heart.”
The cloud above Pepa’s head disappears completely, and Félix feels the temperature in the house being raised by at least five degrees. She’s squeezing his hand harder than ever before, it almost being painful. He’s just happy that Pepa seems to be happy, the comment clearly having put her in a happy mood.
Alma nods once more, this time she’s staring directly at Félix, and he gulps.
“You seem like a nice young man, but before I make my judgment, I need you to answer. What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”
She looks at him like an unfeeling, furious jaguar staring at its prey, a protective mother truly wanting to make sure her daughter is okay and well treated. He knew that if he made one wrong move, Alma would have his head if he hurt Pepa. He’s had a mother once, too, after all and could understand that look from miles away. He had never been the one being threatened by the terrifying gaze himself though, and it was so much worse than he could have ever expected. He wouldn’t be surprised if Alma was currently reading his mind, and it made him gulp in fear. This is how he would die, being interrogated by the Madrigal matriarch.
“I want to love and treasure her, and show her how much she means to me. I love your daughter more than words could ever describe, and Pepa is the person that makes me feel whole. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and it would be the greatest honor if you approved of our relationship. I swear on my life that I would never intentionally do anything to hurt Pepa or cross any set boundaries she might have. I would spend all of my life cherishing her, while being there to support her through anything she might go through, sunshine and rainstorms. I would never abandon her.”
That answer seems to satisfy Alma, as a small smile spreads across her face as she gives the couple a light nod.
“Félix, you truly seem like a nice young man, and I am honored that someone as nice as you has found love in my daughter. I will give you my blessing, if that is what Pepa wants too,” she says, looking over at her daughter. By now, the sun is shining brightly outside, almost blinding them as the rays seep in from the windows. There’s a rainbow above her head that Félix finds adorable. Pepa truly was his ray of sunshine.
Pepa immediately nods, bobbing her head up and down as she flaps her hands in pure joy, she looks adorable.
“Yes! I love him mamá.”
Alma nods, and Félix can see the slight dislike over Pepa’s body language. He decides not to comment, not wanting to anger the beast the same minute he finally seemed to have gotten on her good side. Instead, to show his support to Pepa he gives her a tight hug with a smile on his face.
“Since both of you seem to love each other, I will give you my blessing. But I expect to meet with you later tomorrow to have a discussion about the… moral ways of courting. I’m quite aware that Pepa is the most rebellious one out of my children, and I won’t have you taking advantage of that.”
Before Félix has any time to react, he’s struck by surprised lightning. It hurts and he can smell the scent of burnt hair. Pepa’s face is a shade of deep red and she places her hands over her face to hide it.
“MAMÁ! You can’t just say something like that out of nowhere! You’re embarrassing me!”
Before Alma has any time to reply, Félix swears on his life that nothing of that sort will take place as his whole body is shaking. Alma gives the couple a last nod before they’re finally excused. Félix has no idea how he’s still alive (he promises to never miss a prayer ever again), and it wasn’t until Pepa practically drags him into the kitchen to search for some of Julieta’s leftovers that he realizes how tense he is.
As he is healed, he gives his girlfriend a hug.
“Looks like we survived, didn’t we?”
“Barely,” she replied. “I thought she was going to flay you alive and turn your skin into a ruana.”
“Please do not put that image into my head, your mother is already terrifying enough as it is.”
She laughs, and Félix swears his heart skips a beat. She presses a kiss onto his lips.
“Since we’re still alive, how about we go on a picnic?”
“You had me at picnic.”