Work Text:
INT. CASA MADRIGAL - VARIOUS INTERIORS
The Madrigals are having a game night and It's loud . The grown-ups are at the dinner table drinking, laughing and throwing cards around. Luisa (3) and Isabela (5) run around the foyer, playing tag and squealing as little girls up past their bedtimes do. Dolores lays on her stomach on the floor, attempting to draw a picture on a piece of paper with a crayon, but is interrupted by Luisa and Isa running by. The adults suddenly get riled up and cheer from the other room, causing poor little Dolores to cringe and cover her ears. Dolores, now visibly overwhelmed and fed the-hell up, gathers her paper and crayon in one hand, and covers an ear with the other and heads upstairs.
INT. BRUNO’S ROOM
Bruno sits at his little wooden drafting table, sketching a rat, who’s visibly struggling to hold a pose.
BRUNO (O.S.)
Almost done Alexander, just a little longer.
Alexander holds his pose, trembling. Bruno quickly and loosely sketches, looking up at the rat from his paper and down periodically.
BRUNO (CONT’D)
Oh come on, you’re strong– I’ve seen you lift an empanada twice your size.
A soft knock at the door. Bruno keeps sketching without looking up.
BRUNO (CONT’D)
Come in!
Nothing.
BRUNO (CONT’D)
(Again)
Come in!
Still nothing.
Bruno, visibly confused, turns in his seat and looks at his door. He gets up and walks to the door and opens it to find a tiny Dolores looking down at her feet. He smiles tenderly.
BRUNO
(soft, warm)
Hi Dolores.
Any particular reason why you’re lookin’ at your feet?
Dolores looks up at her Tio with huge, watery eyes when… WEPA! The adults downstairs cheer and laugh wildly. Dolores promptly cringes and hugs Bruno’s leg.
Bruno’s tender smile falls– he gets it. He bends down and scoops his sobrina up, who then nestles into his neck and covers her ears. She starts sniffling. Bruno rubs and pats her back, trying to console her.
BRUNO
(soft, warm..quiet)
It’s okay, come on.
Bruno turns to head into his room, Dolores in arm and closes the door behind him.
INT. BRUNO’S ROOM (AT HIS DRAFTING TABLE)
Bruno sits Dolores down in his chair. He kneels down and wipes her eyes with his thumbs, then gives her a tissue which she then uses to blow her nose.
BRUNO
(with a warm smile)
You okay, kiddo?
Little Dolores nods and gives Bruno the snotty tissue. She picks up her crayon and starts drawing. Bruno tosses the tissue across the room missing the trash can (he doesn’t care– he’ll get it later) and continues with his rat sketch.
BRUNO
Alexander, I’m gonna need you to come back, amigo.
I forgot what position your leg was in.
Alexander doesn’t come back.
Dolores grabs her paper and presents it to her Tio (like check this shit out). It’s a drawing of her as a princess standing next to a big, burly man.
BRUNO
That’s pretty good!
(a beat)
(pointing at the man on the paper)
Who’s that?
DOLORES
(frankly)
My husband.
Bruno looks at his sister’s child, not surprised at all by her statement. This is Pepa’s kid, afterall.
BRUNO
(holding up his paper)
Look at mine.
DOLORES
(face scrunched, perplexed and kinda disgusted)
His face looks weird– and why is his leg like that?
BRUNO
(slightly taken aback, looking at Dolores and then quickly back down to his paper to keep sketching)
W-well I’m not done yet.
(to Alexander somewhere in the room)
And my model left me, so I had to guess.
DOLORES
Well I think his weird face and leg give him character.
Bruno examines his little sketch.
BRUNO
(You have a point)
Mmyeh..
Alexander hops back up on the table, examining the sketch and squeaks.
BRUNO
I dunno what you just said,
but I’m gonna pretend it was a compliment.
Dolores giggles.
A knock at the door. Pepa pokes her head in the room before coming in.
DOLORES
(softly)
Hi, mami.
PEPA
Hi, bebé.
Pepa walks up to the table to see what the rodents of the house were up to.
PEPA
(warmly, to Bruno)
Had a feeling she’d be in here.
BRUNO
Yeah, guess you guys were being too loud for her.
Pepa, now visibly dismayed, looks to her daughter.
PEPA
(Kneeling down next to Dolores)
Bebita, w-were we too–
DOLORES
–loud? Yes.
Pepa looks at her brother. Even after all these years, he’s still the same soft, quiet mouse (well, rat more like) that preferred to be away from the noise. She can see him in her daughter.
PEPA
(remorsefully, soft)
Oh, Lola, I’m so sorry.
It’s just.. We.. we’re working on it.
DOLORES
(holding up her drawing to Pepa)
It’s okay. Tio and I drew pictures.
PEPA
Oh! Una princesa! Very nice.
DOLORES
(snatches Bruno’s sketch from under his elbow)
Look at Tio’s.
BRUNO
(just realizing what happened, too late)
Wait Dolor–
PEPA
(uncomfortably)
..cute!
BRUNO
(to Pepa, sarcastic)
You’re so encouraging.
I’d like to see you draw a rat--or anything.
PEPA
(shooting him a look)
Don’t start.
(changing the subject)
Alright, bebé, es hora de domir!
Say goodnight to your Tio.
DOLORES
Goodnight, Tio.
She wraps her little arms around his neck and they share a hug. She pecks him on the cheek.
BRUNO
(warmly)
Buenos noches.
Dolores pauses and looks at Bruno, clearly unsatisfied.
BRUNO
(furrowing his brow, confused)
What?
DOLORES
(clearly offended, crossing her arms)
You didn’t give me a goodnight kiss.
BRUNO
Oh, excuse me, what kind of Tio am I?
Bruno grabs Dolores in a cradle and starts attacking her cheek with kisses–she’s a tiny giggling mess.
Pepa watches in adoration, melting at the sight. She loves her brother’s relationship with the kids–especially her daughter.
DOLORES
(still giggling, struggling to get a word out)
Okay, okay!!
BRUNO
Wait, hold on, gotta get the other one.
He turns her head with a finger and starts peppering kisses on that side. Bruno hated getting kissed like that as a kid–ironic.
He finally lets her up from his clutches, smug.
BRUNO
Happy now?
DOLORES
(wiping her face)
My face is all wet.
BRUNO
You should be used to this by now, kid.
Look who your mother is.
PEPA
He’s right, Lola.
Without any hesitation, Pepa grabs her brother by his cheeks and starts peppering kisses all over his face. Dolores looks on, amused.
BRUNO
P-Pepa, knock it off!
(struggling to talk past the constant contact and cheek squishes, annoyed)
I a-already washed my face for the night!
Now I gotta do it all over again!
Pepa lets go of his face, proud of the fact that she can still annoy him just as much as she did when they were younger.
He promptly starts wiping his face with his sleeve like an annoyed cat.
Pepa scoops up Dolores and turns to head for the door.
PEPA
Sorry, I couldn’t help it.
Besides, washing your face twice wouldn’t hurt.
Your pores are huge.
BRUNO
(get out of my room)
Goodnight Pepa.
(lovingly)
Goodnight Dolores… oh wait, your picture!
DOLORES
You can keep it Tio.
I don't get attached to my work..
It slows me down.
BRUNO
(who is this kid?)
Oh, um.. Alright then.
Dolores waves to Bruno from her mom’s shoulder. He waves back as they leave the room.
Bruno looks down at the picture Dolores scribbled. He grabs a thumbtack and attaches the drawing to the wall above his drafting table.
That kid isn’t allowed to grow up.