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"Has anyone seen Tio Bruno?" asked Mirabel for what felt like the hundredth time today.
All the heads turned in her direction. Luisa, who sat nearest, pointed to her right.
"Sure, he’s right –" Mira’s eyes hopefully followed her sister’s thumb. "– there. Huh."
For a split second, the girl’s heart leapt in her chest at the sight of shoulder-length curly hair. However, they quickly turned out to belong to her Mama.
Mirabel sighed in frustration and continued her search in another room. She was doing her best to keep the negative thoughts away, even though her Tio wasn’t making her job easy. It was becoming harder and harder, not to come to the conclusion that he was deliberately avoiding her.
Because why would he? She didn’t do anything wrong.
Right…?
When passing the staircase, she heard steps coming from upstairs. Taking two steps at a time, Mirabel rushed to check out the source of the noise.
But this also turned out not to be her Tio.
“Camilo, hi!” said the girl, coming to a sudden halt. “Any chance you’ve seen Tio Bruno?”
Unable to hide her impatience, she shifted her weight from heels to toes, waiting for the boy to answer.
Her cousin glanced up from the floor.
"I thought he’s with you,” Camilo stated matter-of-factly. “He always is."
Mira blinked. She stared back at him, surprised by this observation.
"I wouldn’t exactly say always,” she muttered, gesticulating to emphasize her words. “I mean, okay, maybe we’re hanging out together quite often. Maybe even more than with the others, come to think of it…”
“Uh-huh,” replied Camilo, his attention elsewhere.
“But that’s beside the point! I… I think I lost him.”
The boy raised a curious eyebrow.
"You guys had a fight? What was it about?"
"What? No, I mean lost more like in... misplaced."
Camilo’s amused grin made him look even more mischievous.
"How do you misplace a Tio?"
"No idea,” said Mirabel dismissively. She didn’t find his jokes funny at the moment. “I just did, okay? Just… tell me if you find him, and – what are you doing with Dolores’s shoes, anyway?"
Maybe she was a little late on the uptake, preoccupied with her own problems. But there was certainly something off with the picture of Camilo messing with his sister’s favorite sandals.
“Never you mind.”
Mira was about to make a snarky retort when she glimpsed a bright reflection on the other side of the balcony. She rushed towards it, but, before she got there, it was already gone.
Resigned, the girl turned around to leave. Her eyes then landed on a pair of feet sticking out from behind a potted plant. She pushed away its long leaves, only to come face-to-face with her missing Tio.
Who pretended to examine the nearby wall, ignoring her completely.
"Hey, Tio!” said Mirabel loudly. “Tio Bruno! I know you can hear me…"
With his cover blown, he had no choice but to say,
“Oh, M–Mirabel! Hi.”
Hands on her hips, she was about to ask what he was doing there. However, the answer seemed rather obvious, so instead the girl chose to pose a more important question.
"Why have you been avoiding me all day?"
“Because you don’t wanna see me.”
A straight answer was unexpected. Especially an inaccurate one.
“Me?” said Mirabel, although she heard Bruno perfectly well. “What gave you that idea?”
Her Tio gave a non-committal shrug.
“Oh, I dunno… experience?”
Mira’s brows furrowed. Despite thinking hard, the girl couldn’t recall a single time, even one instant when she thought his presence was unwelcome. There must have been some kind of mistake.
“What do you mean?” she tilted her head, prodding him to speak.
The man looked away, but he obliged with his niece’s request.
“Well, I just thought… I mean, since I ruined your day and all…”
“You did?”
“No need to pretend,” he assured her with a small shake of his head. “You don’t have to force yourself. I get it.”
“But I don’t,” replied Mirabel, confusion evident in her voice. “Care to elaborate?”
Bruno’s expressions shifted from surprised to relieved, and then settled on bemused. Slouching against the wall, he finally stated,
“O–okay. I don’t think it’s necessary – but in case it was… Remember the kid you introduced me to?”
“Little Juancho?” Mirabel suggested.
“That’s the one,” said Bruno, raising his finger. “At least, I believe it is – because I can’t recall his name, but you probably would… Anyway.”
He closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. Talking to his niece terrified him because of what she might possibly say to him. But he couldn’t keep this in any longer.
So he went on.
“You two aren’t friends anymore – because of me… I broke his favorite cup, and you took my side – when he was yelling – at me – and I – I didn’t mean to –“
“Whoa!” interrupted Mirabel, putting up a hand. “Slow down here.”
Bruno took several deep breaths, trying to ease his nerves. This gave Mira a moment to put his chaotic speech together.
“Only because Juancho said we’re not friends anymore, it doesn’t mean that – Look, he can be such a drama queen… king? Whatever. The point is, he’s already over it. Did you… take his words seriously?”
There was a short silence.
“Why wouldn’t I?” asked Bruno quietly.
The man was at a loss. His round green eyes indicated that his world had just stopped making sense. Almost as if he woke up one day to find Antonio’s capybaras flying around La Casa. A kid shouting that he hated him and his niece – without meaning it! – was about the same level of abstraction.
Mirabel’s face softened. She shook her head.
“Because friendships don’t end over a split coffee.”
“They – they don’t…?”
The way he was clinging to her words reminded Mira of Antonio and his insecurities. All the times she had to reassure her cousin that everything would turn out fine, that other kids would like him just the way he was, that nobody would care if he said or did something out of line.
Was anxiety a part of being a Madrigal? The girl couldn’t help but wonder.
“Oh, Tio… So, that’s what’s been bothering you?”
“Um, th–there’s more.” His face fell once more. “I… was late for your show, your first show. I was supposed to be there for you, and I blew it. I missed so many first times – for once, I could actually be there – I was sure I would…”
Mirabel took a step back. She knew what he was talking about. Her first live show, which involved her playing an accordion in the city square, in front of everyone. He promised to cheer up for her, and yet she couldn’t spot him in the crowd. The girl would be lying if she said that she wasn’t even a little salty about his absence.
Yesterday. Now, seeing how much her Tio wished he’d made it, she couldn’t bring herself to be mad.
“You must have had a good reason,” she said, trying to sound convincing.
Bruno brushed his hair away from his face.
“Um… Actually, I – I tried to find a similar cup. Y’know – for the boy? So that he’d forgive you. And I did! I even bought him a coffee to go with it. B–But then, uhm…”
“Let me guess,” said Mirabel, recalling the order of yesterday’s events. “That’s the drink you split all over my purse?”
“Yes…” Her Tio grabbed his elbow with his hand, whitening his knuckles. “I know you loved that purse. It was a birthday gift, so of course you did. It was so nice, and it looked beautiful on you, and – and now it’s gone. But – give me another chance, please? I’ll do better, promise. I’m so sorry…”
Bruno was looking at his feet now, muttering his apologies over and over. He looked almost like a little boy scolded by his Mama for destroying a family heirloom. Mirabel wondered what must have happened in his past that made him so scared of her reaction.
Instinctively, she put her hand on his, giving it soothing strokes – just the way she’d done to Antonio so many times before.
“Hey, it’s okay,” she said softly. “I’m not angry anymore. That’s what you’re afraid of, right? That I’d yell at you, just like the others?”
Her brows went up when he shook his head.
“I –“ Bruno cleared his throat. “Um, I was afraid you wouldn't – y’know, that you'd stop –“
Her lips parted in a humorless smile. She finally understood.
“Loving you?”
He did not respond.
Mirabel gave out a loud sigh. It saddened her how insecure her Tio felt about his newly-regained family and why. Because – for all he knew – relationships were fragile, always breaking over the smallest of things. One mistake and you’re out. Even the relationships that were supposed to be strong didn’t last for him. Not with the sister whose wedding he’d allegedly ruined, nor with the mother he kept inadvertently disappointing. Not even with friends who turned their backs on him over a single unfavorable premonition.
But that definitely did not apply to Mirabel, not if she had a say in this.
Placing her hands on his shoulders, so that he’d look up at her, the girl stated,
“You’d have to try much harder, Tio. Because, hey – everyone makes mistakes, everyone has a bad day from time to time. But that’s not – You wouldn’t love me less for screwing something up, right?”
Bruno’s lips turned upwards. He stared back at her with affection.
“’Course not.”
His hand, which almost didn’t shake, lightly grazed her cheek. Mirabel leaned into his touch. And there was nothing forced about it.
“Next time, please don’t run,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “You can talk to me about anything. Just like I can talk to you. I promise I won’t turn on you, Tio – do you believe me?”
“I…” He hesitated. “I want to – like, a lot.”
She nodded in response.
So his answer wasn’t a straight yes, but Mirabel didn’t expect it to be. Trust had to be earned over time, and it still hadn’t been that long since the two of them first met. For all she knew, it might take weeks, maybe months for Tio Bruno to recognize how determined she was to help him return to society, to see how much good he could give to others, and to accept his new place in the family.
Even if they’d have to do it one small step at a time, she’d help him. Just like he was helping her.