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“I know what I saw,” said Mirabel with confidence.
Yes, today’s evening was very hard for her. Observing her beloved cousin Antonio get a gift that she could not and would not receive. Having to relive every painful memory from her own ceremony just to be there for him. Being excluded from the family picture.…
But Mirabel would never ruin his big moment! She would never make up cracks appearing in their own Casita, never make anything up only to get attention. She’d hoped her mother knew her better than this.
She’d hoped she would have believed her.
Mirabel’s defiance was met with Julieta’s heavy sigh.
“Mira, my brother Bruno lost his way in this family…” she explained, her expression pained and solemn. “I don’t want the same for you. Get some sleep. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
The girl pricked up her ears. It had been ages since she last heard this name mentioned by any family member. She did not remember much about her Tio Bruno, and there weren’t any histories told about him around the house. An opportunity like this never presented itself.
She got curious. Wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, anyway.
“What was he like, Tio Bruno?” she asked.
Julieta’s eyes widened. The woman looked around nervously, as if expecting that someone would jump on them from behind the corner. Having checked that they were completely alone, she moved closer to her daughter and whispered,
“I didn’t tell you much about him, did I? It’s only natural that you would ask, of course. I mean, he is a part of your familia.”
Her first words were strained and cautious. At first, Mirabel feared that her mother would cut the conversation off before it truly started. Yet, as Julieta kept talking, her features became more and more relaxed. She continued in a nostalgic tone,
”He was a kind boy, gentle, very quiet. He liked to spend his time alone. He rarely spoke unless spoken to but was very observant. He always knew when me or your Tia were feeling down and used to tell funny jokes to cheer us up.”
Mirabel listened eagerly to every word, not daring to interrupt. She stood motionless and watched her mother reminisce about the past.
“I remember he had this thing with rats. Abuela let him keep one as a pet. Until one day he dressed it in a dress of Pepa’s doll and let it loose on the kitchen table.”
The girl snorted as she stifled a laugh. She could imagine young Tia’s reaction.
“When he was your age, Bruno was already distant from his peers,” said Julieta in a more serious tone, as she touched Mirabel’s forearm. “But he was always great with children. He would make these hilarious voices when he was reading you stories.”
When she finished this last sentence, the woman realized that not every memory could be positive. There had to be bad moments, too. Otherwise, her brother wouldn’t have left. However, for some reason, she could only remember the good times. Sometimes, she was under the impression that she was the only one.
“You speak about him so differently than Tia Pepa,” noticed Mirabel, almost like she read her mind.
Julieta became thoughtful. It took her a moment to find the right words.
“Your Tia Pepa is a great person, but she tends to hold grudges.” Mirabel scoffed and rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what her mother meant. “And she has a big one against Bruno.”
“Poor guy,” the girl commented half-jokingly.
”He often had it the hardest of us all,” the woman went on, “but he always put on a brave face. Sometimes, you remind me of him.”
“Me?”
Julieta smiled in response.
She looked way past Mirabel, at the family tree painting that was hanging on the wall. In the center, there was a small green figure with no connecting branches. One of the only remaining pictures of her brother.
Julieta touched Bruno’s portrait with affection.
“Where do you think he is?” Mirabel broke the heavy silence, as she started wondering about this herself.
“I don’t know, Mira. But wherever that might be, I hope he’s healthy… and happy.”
Her mother’s voice broke on the last word. Her eyes became glassy.
“Okay, enough of this,” said Julieta, turning away to rub her eyes. “Bed. Now.”
Mirabel left with no objections.
Later, when the girl found a terrifying stranger in the walls of her own house, she was not afraid. Even though he was an angry-looking grown man she met alone in the darkest corner, she followed him without a second thought.
The person from her mother’s stories couldn’t possibly hurt her.