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Like many couples before they had children, Félix and Pepa had spent their days imagining how it would be.
They’d talk about it, what their children would look like, what their personalities would be.
Would they be a kind hearted optimist like Félix? Would they be loud and wild like Pepa?
Dolores had been a dream as a baby.
Of course, she had gone through the “terrible twos” as all children did, and she’d had her moments growing up.
But overall, she was a good girl.
She was eleven now, and they’d seldom had any problems with her.
Dolores was the kind of child who had made them yearn for another.
After years of trying, they’d finally been blessed with Camilo a few months after Dolores turned six.
A beautiful little boy, with the most adorable little face.
And such a big head.
As they gazed at his little newborn self, the couple hoped he would be just as calm and laid back as his hermana.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
Camilo wasn’t a bad kid, by any means.
But he was hard work.
Until he was three, he’d been extremely clingy to his mother, screaming at and kicking anyone else who tried to come near him.
Although his mami was still his favourite, he had grown out of that somewhat.
However, he was still loud, energetic and curious.
A true believer that rules were made to be broken, and boundaries were there to be pushed.
The five year old was also quite clever with his misbehaviour, which had only grown worse when he’d been given the gift of shapeshifting just three weeks ago.
As the family had predicted, he caused chaos with it.
Sadly for Félix, the task of disciplining his son always seemed to burden his shoulders, rather than him and Pepa taking on a united front.
He loved his wife with all his heart; she was his shining star.
But she was soft when it came to Camilo, and she undermined Félix constantly.
Mother and son had a special bond, and since the parents agreed that Camilo would be their last baby after a difficult pregnancy and birth, Pepa coddled him.
She was a loving and affectionate mother to both of their children, but she was a pushover with their youngest.
It didn’t help that Camilo could easily play her, behaving impeccably with her, when with anyone else, he would become a menace.
Again, he wasn’t a bad natured child. Far from it.
He was kind and caring and he wasn’t naughty on purpose; he was simply a rule bender and boundary pusher.
And he knew that if he got in trouble, he could go to mamá with those big puppy eyes and she would melt.
The adults took turns picking Camilo and Mirabel up from school, and today it was Félix’s turn.
The three oldest, Isabela, Dolores and Luisa, would often walk themselves home, or go into town with their friends.
If their gifts weren’t needed, of course.
Luisa was generally needed the most out of the three of them, and Félix’s heart ached for her.
She never got to just “be a kid”.
And the poor girl never complained, much like her mother in that sense.
It was just the two youngest, at age five and four, who really needed an adult to escort them back to casita.
Especially Camilo, who would get up to mischief without supervision.
Often, even with supervision.
“Tio!” Mirabel’s face lit up when she saw him, and she ran over, holding a hand painted work of art. “I painted a picture of a butterfly! Look!”
It was impressive work for a five year old, bright and colourful and he could actually tell it was a butterfly.
Mirabel was very artistic and creative, always making pictures and models for her family.
He and Pepa had quite the collection on their bedroom wall.
Camilo had a painting too, but he guarded it close to his chest.
“I’m not showing you.” He said, though not unkindly. “It’s for mami, I want her to see it first.”
People often mistook Camilo’s honesty for rudeness and talking back.
Félix was used to it, not just from his son, but that was also how Pepa spoke.
Straight to the point, and he was too young to be entirely tactful.
He knew not to take things personally.
“Fair enough. Mami will love it, I’m sure.”
The three of them had been about to leave, when Félix was called back by Camilo and Mirabel’s teacher.
Not for the first time, either.
He felt his stomach knot uncomfortably.
“Señor Madrigal? Could I have a word?”
What has Camilo done now?
“Don’t be too hard on him, amor. He’s just a baby.”
Upon hearing that Camilo had bitten another child at school, Félix knew that action had to be taken.
And once again, Pepa was showing signs that she was going to coddle.
And he was going to look like the mean one, mean old pá who always told him off, while Pepa comforted him when he should be getting in trouble.
“There’s no excuse for biting, Pepi. We will sit him down and hear his side of the story, but he has to be taught responsibility for his actions.”
“But biting someone? That doesn’t sound like Camilo. Maybe he was provoked?”
Biting did sound like Camilo.
To him.
But Pepa never saw that side of him.
When others tried to tell her that Camilo wasn’t always a precious angel, she would make excuses for him or tell them they were overreacting.
Pepa and Félix had a happy marriage, and didn’t fight often.
When they did, it was usually about Camilo’s bad behaviour, and Pepa’s incessant pampering.
“Biting isn’t how we solve our problems, and we’ll tell him that when we talk to him. But you need to be strong, mi vida. Don’t let him get into your head.”
And thus, Camilo was summoned to the living room, dirty and sweaty from playing outside with Mirabel.
Seeing the stern expression on his pá’s face, he knew he was about to be scolded and made a beeline for his mothers lap.
“You don’t need a lap.” Félix was firm, as Pepa had been about to indulge him.
Instead, the five year old was forced to sit on the coffee table, opposite where his parents sat on the couch.
“Do you have on your listening ears?” The father asked his son, and quickly regretted it when Camilo took it as the perfect opportunity to make a joke of the situation and shift into Dolores.
Albeit making her ears slightly bigger.
“Yes, pá!”
Of course, Pepa thought this was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.
Félix would have agreed if not for the current situation.
“Camilo.”
The small boy dropped the shift with a huff.
“Tough crowd.”
Félix tried to remain as patient as he could.
“I heard from your teacher that you bit Diego today.”
Camilo didn’t even attempt to defend himself.
He all of a sudden turned serious, looking right at his parents as he nodded his head.
“Yes. Yes I did.”
“Why?”
Again, looking his father dead in the eye, Camilo answered.
“Because I hate him.”
The poor man pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply.
This boy.
“So you bit Diego for no reason?”
The five year old deadpanned.
“It wasn’t for no reason. I just told you the reason. I bit him because I hate him.” And with that, he shifted into a smaller version of Félix. “Put on your listening ears!”
And there it was.
It was exactly what Pepa would have said in this situation; truly his mother’s son.
And of course, his wife, unable to help herself, started to laugh at Camilo’s quick wit.
All that did was encourage him, and as he shifted back, the cheeky grin on his face made any further attempts at authority null and void.
“Pepa!” Félix hissed.
Why? Why him?