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Chapter Text

“Mira?”

The school hallway was almost empty but for a few slackers… and the youngest Madrigal.

“Antonio!” Mirabel approached him with a smile on her face, sadly the smile faded as soon as she saw her cousin in distress.             “¿Qué pasó Antonio?”

“I don’t like this place” Antonio whimpered.

Toñito

Back at the Madrigal house hold

“So how was school today?” Julieta asked Mirabel while she was preparing the day’s dinner.

“It was fine, but…”

“But?”

“Antonio says the other kids are being mean to him.”

Julieta stopped cooking for a moment and turned to look at her daughter.

“What is Antonio actually saying Mira?” Julieta said while drying her hands with a towel.

“The other kids are telling him that he is dumb, or they are being loud on purpose and making his ears hurt or they are just being rude to each other and he finds it annoying”

“Toñito…”

“That´s what I thought!” Mirabel said as the door to the house was opened and footsteps could be heard getting closer “Entonces, he comes to me all mopey and sad and what am I supposed to do!?”  The footsteps were getting louder and clearer “I had a free period and he was so sad, so I took him with me until he calmed down and..” The footsteps stopped.

“Mirabel!”

“Abuela!”

Alma Madrigal, the Madrigal Family Matriarch, could be seen at the kitchen entrance, and she was visibly mad.

“Mirabel. Could you tell me why am I hearing that you made Antonio miss out on his classes?”

“Please Abuela he was…”

“I don’t want to hear you’r excuses”

You asked for an answer!

Alma Madrigal visibly sighed and directed herself to her youngest nieta.

“Mirabel… I know that perhaps your studies might not be a priority for you…”

“Why do you have to say that?”

“Your grades speak for themselves young lady, and do not interrupt me.” Alma dismissed Mirabel with a wave of her hand ”As I was saying. I know that perhaps your studies might not be a priority for you but I ask of you to not led your cousin to make the same mistakes” Alma now turned to look at Julieta. “Now, if you excuse me I have to prepare the rooms for when the girls come back from University… and I need to prepare an extra room Isabela is planning in bringing a nice young man fo rus to meet” Alma turned to Mirabel “I don’t want you to repeat this behaviour of yours… Understand?”

Before she answered Mirabel looked at her Mother silently asking her for help but Julieta only sighed while looking resigned.

Why is it always like this?

“Si, Abuela. I understand”

“Good”  

Alma then made her exit and left Mother and Daughter to themselves.

“Mirabel”

“NO… no why? Why-why does everytime Abuela goes after me you never say anything?” Mira said before lightly hitting the table with one her fists.

“Tu Abuela ya es muy vieja Mirabel” Julieta started while getting close to her daughter and putting her hands on her shoulders “It’s not worth the effort to try and change her mind about things she already has deemed settled. The only thing that matters is that we both know that she is wrong. You understand me right?”

No,I don’t get it!

“I’m going to my room” Mirabel sighed.

“Mira…”

“I’ll come down for dinner later”

After Dinner

“Stupid Isabela with her stupid boyfriend and stupid face and stupid scholarship and stupid everything”

Mirabel was alone in the kitchen. She took a sponge and dish cleaner to her dress which was stained with a big red-colored stain. She coul still be heard muttering about her “a-hole of a sister” when her mother arrived.

“Let me help you with that”

Julieta took the cleaning products from her hands and began to clean her dress, but she stopped when she realized Mirabel’s arms were limping at her sides.

“I know you are mad Mirabel”

“Do you really?”

“Don’t answer me like that… please”

Both of them finally found themselves seated again in the kitchen, Mirabel not metting her mother’s eyes.

“I know that your sister can be… She has a strong personality”

“…”

“I’ll speak to her… If she’s really this mean to you I’ll tell her to stop”

“…”

“Please Mira could you answer me?”

Julieta looked worried and Mirabel sighed before answering.

“She won’t listen to you… This always happens when she comes back and she never stops… She won’t stop now just becuase you ask her to”

“Well I’m her mother. She has to answer to me now”

“Yeah sure”

“Mirabel…” Julieta pinched the bridge of her nose.

“It’s like she hates me or something.” Mirabel started rambling “It’s like she just doesn’t want me here… and you know what? Fine! I’ll just stay out of the way like Abuela tells me all the time and maybe then I’ll get a day without feeling like walking on glass in my on home!”

The kitchen was silent after her tirade and Julieta only looked at her with a sad look.

“Mirabel listen to me… When I was young… My brother, your Tio Bruno, and I had a falling out and now I fear I won’t ever see him again. I don’t want you and your sister to just let your relationship rot…”

“I’m not the one who started it!”

“Well I’m finishing it! I promise you that.”

“It’s not gonna work”

Julieta sighed for a last time.

“Mirabel just let me do this… I don’t want you to end up like… Your Tio Bruno lost his way in the family. I don’t want the same for you.”

That night Mirabel was left alone with her thoughts about the day that had transpired… that and her family’s chat about her.

Her house’s walls have always been thin, maybe the old people have just stopped being able to hear such low volume.

“..,don’t know what to do about them Agustín.”

“…tonio went looking for her. I’m the one supposed to be his mother.”

“Pedro give me strenght…”

“…she think she know about me?! She’s doesn’t know anything…”

  Ya duérmete…

The next day Mirabel made an effort to stay out of everyone’s way. She woke up before everyone and went for a walk. For lunch she ate the food she had packeged from her house and only for dinner she then returned to the housing complex where her home was.

At dinner she came to a sad realization… no one had noticed that she had gone out for the entire day.

Chapter Text

“I don’t wanna go out there…”

“Well… If you stay under there then I won’t get to give you this!”

Mirabel produced a neatly wrapped gift box from behind her and calmly waited for Antonio to get out from under his bed.

“You can open it now if you want…”

Antonio started to unwrap his gift until he found…

“Un Jaguar!”

“I know you are an animal guy so I made one for you”

“Gracias, gracias, gracias, gracias…!”

The little boy hugged his cousin until he remembered the reason why he was hiding in the first place.

“I still don’t wanna see them”

Mirabel empathically sighed.

“I know you don’t like them Toñito but please, can you tolerate at least for today?... If today doesn’t go according to plan Abuela will start with her comentarios and nobody wants that to happen…”

“Umm…”

“Your Mamá will be sad if she sees you not ready for you’r birthday…”

Antonio’s eyes bulged from his face and he started to get himself ready for the party.

“I’m ready, i’m ready… I don’t want Mamá to feel bad”

He is definitely a Mamá’s boy...

                                                                                         *

“Qué los cumplas feliz!”

Antonio was seated at the head of the honestly giant table the Madrigal’s used. He was surrounded by his classmates while the rest of his family and their acquaintances finished singing him his Feliz Cumpleaños.

Everything was going perfectly… so what happened then?

Little children are pendejos that’s what happened.

Soon Antonio found himself with cake all over his face and promptly sprinted out of the apartment… obviously not without first pushing the kid that pushed his face onto the cake from his chair.

Half of the family began to go after Antonio and the other half helped escorting the guests out of the apartment. Half an hour later Mirabel came back with a crying Antonio on her arms who was soon given back to his parents.

Later that same night

That night Mirabel could hear from her room an argument between the older women of her family. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, this arguments would happen once every few months (at least from what Mirabel could know) and would always end up talking about her.

That night Mirabel made one of her most cynical regular thoughts and her Mamá’s greatest fear real and ran away from her family’s home.

Chapter Text

It was a warn night all things considered….

Mirabel had her clothes, her accumulated money, her Papá’s old walkman and a backpack full of enough bare neccesities to last her for at least a week. The only thing she needs to find now is a place to stay the night.

The Church will tell her family… The homeless shelter's are too far… I don’t want to sleep out in the open… This leaves me with…

“The Old Theater” Mirabel now stood on the steps of the Town’s dilapidated Theater. It was a well known secret that the homeless would sometimes, when left without any other choices, spend the night on the theater’s pews, and now it was her turn to do it.

The Theater had almost no security except for an old door that opened at the lightest of push and from there she could see the path of wear and tear that people took to the Theater’s viewing room. Mirabel could hear footspets and the jingle of keys from somewhere else in the building but rationalized that she could hide well enough from the whoever was paid to maintain the place, and if not then she could convince them to at least let her stay the night, and continued on her way.

The theater’s viewing room was the only salvageable room of the building and the pews were the same. One could actually infere from the wear and tear of the Wood which ones were used by the people who needed to stay the night. Mirabel took from her backpack a bundle of clothes and turned it tinto a makeshift pillow and used an old coat of her Father’s as a blanket and tried to fall sleep.

So this is it… after all this I’ve finally done it… no more Abuela or Isabela… Or Mamá or Papá… Just me… Alone… I can do this… Of course I can… I can do this…

With Mirabel inner ramblings at an all time high she did not notice the sound of footsteps and keys getting closer to her, at least not before the light of a flashlight was shown on her face.

“So-sorry bu-but the Theatre is closed” The voice of a man stuttered and Mirabel covered her face with her makeshift pillow.

“I know it’s closed… I just needed a place to stay for the night and everywhere else was too far…” At Mirabel’s words the man sighed.

“Sorry but I cannot let you stay. The City’s government doesn’t want more people squating here and… Mirabel?”

Mirabel stood up from the surprise of the keeper knowing her name. How could he know it?

“How do you know my name?” She needed an answer the last thing she wants is this getting back to her family.

The man rubbed his hands together and scratched the back of his neck, and only after that did he tentatively answered.

“We-well for one thing I he-helped pick it” As he said those words Mirabel strained her eyes to make out his face in the dark. She could finally see his long black hair, his sagging green eyes and his prominent nose. She knew who this man was… He was someone who was nothing but memories to her, someone who she was certain she would never see again…

“Tío Bruno?”

Chapter Text

2:00 am

Why can’t you just fall sleep mirabel? Si, it’s been a terrible day but you have to sleep, you know how you get when you don’t get your eight hours!

Just don’t think about today!

Don’t think about Abuela, or your parents or…or Antonio.

Antonio! Maldita sea, what is gonna happen to him? Dios please don’t let him blame himself for this!

Dios mio…what time is it?

She turned her head to look at the nighstand clock and sighed when realized the clock hands had not move.

“I should get some water” Mirabel mumbled to herself.

Put your shoes on and get some water, you’ll fall sleep eventually. You can worry about all of this tomorrow just… Why are the lights still on?

“…stove is off, c’mon just let it be.”

“Tío?”

“AAAAAH!”

Bruno screamed and Mirabel put her hands up.

“Sorry!” She apologized “I didn’t mean to scare you”

“Don’t worry…” Bruno said while grabbing his chest “I-I didn’t wake you up did I?”

Um… He doesn’t need to know

“No!- I mean, no you didn’t… I just woke up and wanted a glass of water”

Her Uncle looked at her with a knowing look but didn’t say anything.

“Okey…” He cracked his knuckles and shoock his body “I was gonna make some tea… Would you like some?”

He looks like needs it more than me

“Si, why not?”

Bruno put he electric kettle on and began to look for the tea bags and the other utensils. This left Mirabel alone with her one thoughts.

It’s just tea. You’ll find some other place tomorrow. Don’t think about your parents or Abuela. Antonio will be fine… you will be fine. Don’t think about this place or who’s living in it. Don’t think about the rats you heard or how the place is almost falling under it’s own weight. You won’t end up like him, you won’t end up like him, you won’t end up…

“Mirabel” She is startled by her Uncle. He has a mug in each hand and looks incredibly worried.

“S-Si?”

“Mirabel…”Bruno sat himself next to Mirabel and left the mugs aside “Mirabel you are crying”

“Oh?”

Oh

“I’m sorry”

“No, Mirabel”

“I’m sorry…”

“Mirabel…”

“It’s just… I’m… Lo siento, lo siento tanto.” Mirabel shakely said and she soon found herself crying… oh how she does not want anyone to see her now.  

Bruno tried to reach for her shoulder but stopped and just handed her a mug.

“You… have no reason to be sorry.” Mirabel raised her head to look at him. “I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to be honest, okey? Just shake your head if you don’t want to talk.”

I can do that

She shakes her head yes.

“Were you actually asleep just before now?”

She shakes her head no and heaves a sigh.

“De acuerdo…” Bruno sighs as well “I’m not going to work tomorrow. You are not going to school as well… obviously. Ummm… we are going to get to a police station and… we- you are calling your parents okey?”

Mirabel hesitantly shakes her head yes.

Bruno sighs for a last time and goes back to the kitchen cabinet.

“We are basically strangers to each other, but even if we weren’t becuase this can happen with people you are close with and family- but anyway. Don’t make this a habit.”

He takes a little white and green box and presents it to her.

“It hasn’t been opened yet” Bruno opens it. “Melatonina. You don’t need a prescription to buy it and it’s more “natural” than most other sleep medicine” He says using quotes. “I kind of have to be the responsable adult here so I can let you take one of them… of course only if you want! I don’t want you to feel forced to take anything but if you truly can’t fall sleep you could take one and then we just would wake up late…” Bruno started rambling.

Ay Tio…

“Tio...”

“Si?”

“Thank you… but I don’t think I want to take one of those things.”

“Okey… yeah. Completely up to you.”

The tea has already gone cold

“Thanks for the tea Tio Bruno…” She rises up to go back to the bed where she is sleeping but finds herself with one last question. ”What were you doing here anyway?”

Is his house, he can do what he wants… what were you thinking?

“I got stuck…” What? “I couldn’t sleep cause I just had to make sure the stove was off and I got stuck… So I’ve been here for the last half an hour just saying to myself that the stove is off cause if it’s not I won’t be able to sleep and… Sorry to bother you but before you go could you… tell me that the stove is off? Please?”

Well this is weird

“Alright” Mirabel approaches the stove and checks it, finding it off. “Tio Bruno, the stove is off”

Bruno lets out a breath.

“Yes, yes, yes of course it is… of course it is off I’ve checked too many times already. Thank you Mirabel… Sleep well, I’ll see you in the morning. Good night..”

Her Uncle waves her goodbye and goes back to the sofa bed he has arraged for himself.

“Good night Tio Bruno”

Mirabel finally does not fall asleep but she merely succumbs to the tiredness that awful day has brought.

Chapter Text

“You won’t stay?”

Mirabel and her Tio were now at the city’s Police Department, her Tío told the secretary that he had found her just that morning sleeping inside the theater and had conviced her to change her mind about running away from home. Not telling them that she had spend the night in his house was odd and him calling his boss and lying to his face that he found her first thing first on his shift that morning was definitely illegal if they were found out but by now she was tired beyond belief to give a crap about the details.

Now if only her Tío would stay with her.

“N-no. I’m not staying” Bruno said while pacing from side to side in the precinct’s reception. ”I don’t think your family will take kindly to me… just me”

Mirabel could see him jittering and hyping himself up to just go to the door and leave and in that momento she decided to ask something that has been in her mind sporadically for most of her life.

“What even happened between all of you?”

That made the raggedy man that was Bruno Madrigal stop his pacing and look at his niece with a somber and tired look.

He took a sit and a big breath that turned to a sigh. And finally after rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands he said. ”A lot of sh-stuff happened… a lot of needlessly bad stuff”

Mirabel could see him try to re-accomodate himself on his chair, and failing to do so he stood up.”I-I need to go. I-I-I’d s-say see you later but-“

“I can visit if you want” Mirabel blurted before she even realized that she said it.

“I’m no-not the boss of you. You ca-can if you want” Bruno said surprised, and without meeting her eyes continued.”Well then… I’ll see you later Mira-”

Bruno was cut from finishing his sentence by the quick opening of the precinct doors and the screaming of-

“MIRABEL!?”

Julieta and Agustin Madrigal quickly made their way inside and with single minded precition ran to check the well being of their daughter.

“Por Dios Mirabel… We were so worried about you…”

“We were so afraid of what could have happened…”

“I thought it had happened again and I…”

“Brunito?”

The couple’s attention was forcibly taken from their daughter by the single word uttered by one Alma Madrigal who was now stood at the entrance of the precinct with a look on her face like the one a person would have if they saw a ghost.

Her parents faces were not that far from her’s.

The surprised eyes of Bruno turned cold and he tried to not meet the gaze’s of anyone of the people who had just arrived.

“She spent the night sleeping inside the Theather.” He said, and Mirabel parent’s sucked in shaken breaths and her Abuela looked like she had just been slapped.”You should do something about that”

And with that Bruno left the precinct.

Chapter Text

“Tan grande es el miedo…”

“Voy caminando sin saber….”

“No llevo para mi casa…”

“Dolores”

“Los amigos le dicen: ¡Marica!”

“¡Ángel! ¡Ángel! ¡Ángel!”

“Yo solamente quiero amarte…”

“Dolores”

“Fumikomu ze akseru…”

“Cuz I can’t stop…”

“Wanna be the biggest dreamer…”

“DOLORES!”

Dolores Madrigal was shaken out of her music-zapping by the last person she wanted to speak to.

“What do you want Isabela?”

“We are landing. You should at least make yourself presentable, I gotta wake up Mariano.”

Dolores and her cousin Isabela were coming back from University, their family wanting to see them-and Isabela’s boyfriend-for the few weeks they had free from responsabilities. Sadly Luisa still has to train for her next competition but at least she’ll get to see her brothers and Mirabel.

Her ears were clogged becuase of the pressurized cabin of the plane and that-amongst other things-had made her cranky throughout their travel.

“Why couldn’t we go by bus?” It would have been cheaper as well” Dolores sighed.

“Do you really think that Abuela, with all of her worries, would have let us spent close to two days travelling by bus?”

“…”

“You know I’m right. Come on. Our parents are waiting for us at the gate.”

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.”

*

“Your rooms are just the way you left them the last time! So there is nothing you have to worry about! Altough… Mariano you will have to sleep on the guest room. I don’t think I’ll need to tell you why.”

Abuela said in a cherry voice that on any other person would sound fake, and yet to Dolores is sounded freaky.

“Of course Doña Madrigal! You won’t have to worry about any funny businnes while I’m here!” Mariano said while side hugging Isabela and you could see strained smiles on both on them. Sadly both Dolores and Abuela could not see them for what they were… for different reasons.

“Let’s just unpack. Are you coming Isabela?” Dolores asked her Prima while entering their shared room.

“Right behind you Lola. See you at dinner Mariano”

“I’ll see you then mi amor!”

When the two young women entered the room Dolores started to unpack without saying a word and a minute into her unpacking Isabela asked her-”Okey. What is actually wrong with you now? You are… even more silent that regular and you are only that way when you are mad so…”

You knew I liked him! Was I not obvious enough!? How could you do this? I can’t be happy for you and I hate it! I hate feeling like this! I…

“Bad period. I need to distract myself from the pain so I need my complete atention on other things… Sorry if I seem distant”

Isabela visibly deflated with relief-“Okey. You could have told me that sooner. I could have give you my heater or some pain-killers” With that conversation finished Isabela hugged her cousin and the both of them finished unpacking their travel bags.

*

“Who in the Hell does she think she is!?”

“Your sister?”

Dolores and Isabela were back in their room. They both excused themselves soon after they finished their share of the dinner and now Isabela was rambling about her “entitled-ass-sister” to anyone who heard her, which in this case would be Dolores.

“Ja ja. Not funny Lola. Everytime I come she just has to take all of Mamá and Papá’s attention! Waaa! Look at me am I not pityful! I can’t do anything right! Baby me! And what is worst is that Mom and Dad keep doing it!”

“Well… She is a kid”

“And you and I know that if we were like her at her age we would have been grounded all the time! Who died and gave her a free pass? And another thing! She says she knows stuff about me! How dare she think she knows stuff about me?! She’s doesn’t know anything…”

“Quiero saber que me pasa. Te pregunto que me pasa y no sabés…”

Dolores knows that sometimes the best thing to do is to just let Isabela go on by herself. She’ll tire herself out eventually. In the meantime she has wanted to finish this album for quite a while.

Chapter Text

“¿Hola?”

Mirabel had comeback to her Tio´s apartment, with some of her Mamá’s cooking, as to spend some time with the man (and to find out more about her family’s past). But now she was surprised that the one to open the door was not her odd uncle but a tiny child using a bucket as a hat.

Her greetings were met with silence and she was getting uncomfortable with the odd child, but she has taken care of Antonio during his most difficult times so this should be a piece of cake.

“¿What’s your name pequeñin?”

The kid still would not answer her.

“¿Is Bruno here?”

“¡JOOOOOORGEEE!” A scream that unmistakenly belonged to her Tío went through the small apartment and the kid-presumably Jorge-ran back into the house.

Well that answers that…. Perhaps I should just let myself in… he probably won’t mind… probably.

Mirabel found her Uncle laying under the bathroom sink struggling to hold up the parts he had taken out in order to fix a leak.

“Tio! I’ll help you!”

“Mi-Mira?! What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

Mirabel helped her Tio holding up the sink until he stuck everything back again and could get back up from under the sink.

“Aaah… Jorge let me in?”

“You know you suck at lying right?”

Mirabel facepalmed.

                                                                                         *

“Soooo…”

“Soooo?”

They were now sat at the kitchen/living room/dining room, meaning they were sat at the small round table in the kitchen while Jorge sat on the couch listening to the radio. Bruno managed to take the bucket off from the child’s head and, quickly before the kid threw a fuzz, put on his head a simple hat.

“You never mentioned you had a kid”

Bruno choked on the water he was having and began coughing while explaining his situation.

“cough-He’s-cough-my-cough-neighbor’s-cough”

He works as a nanny?

“You work as a nanny?”

“JA! No no no no- His Dad and him moved here some two-three years ago, Jorge was four then, and he… he is different…” Both uncle and niece stopped for a moment to watch Jorge leaning close to the radio, his ear on it while on the lowest volume setting.

“Roberto- his Dad-works at the docks and you know those poor bast-guys are always called if there is fish, even if they had the day off. Roberto can’t pay for a caretaker for Jorge so one day when we were drin- talking I told him that he could leave Jorge with me if he wanted and so…this happened”

That doesn’t seem like the whole truth

“Is he paying you? He is not taking advantage of you is he?” Mirabel asked her Tio, concern clear on her face.

Bruno once again choked on his drink.

“He would nev-No!”

Jorge was now in front of them becuase of all the noise Bruno was making with his almost dying.

“He doesn’t make enough money bu-but he brings me some stuff from his job to fix this place like- like all the materials I used to fix the bathroom sink!”

*toc toc*

“I believe that’s him. Jorge your Dad is here!”

Bruno and Jorge went to open the door and a barely middle age man with more legs than body and a moustache came in. He was dressed in a dirty overall and was carrying white sack that rustled with a metallic sound.

“-again for taking care of him. They needed the grinders now that they caught tuna and- Bruno why is there a girl in here?

Mirabel waved at him with what she hoped was an indifferent face.

“Roberto meet Mirabel, she is my niece”

The man turned his head to look at Bruno and then turned to look at Mirabel and you could see the moment he saw the resemblance between them.

“¡OH POR DIOS! ¡ES UN PLACER CONOCERTE!”

He offered her his hand but she didn’t shake it becuase…

“You have a cut in your hand” Mirabel tried to deadpan but her worry was evident.

“WHAT!?”

                                                                                                       “Oh yeah...”

Her Tio grabbed the man and made him sit down on the couch next to Jorge while he went back to his medicine cabinet and grabbed a first aid kit.

To Mirabel it seemed kind of funny becuase during all of this she could not help but compare these two men to…

“What am I gonna do with you?” Bruno started to treat Roberto’s cut and he sighed-”Ay Roberto”

…her parents.

Oh…

Chapter Text

After the disastruous day and a half that Mirabel went through she was back at school once again. Her parents wanted her to spend more time not going to school but Abuela said that she still needed to be responsible with her studies, and honestly Mirabel agrees with her this time if only so that she can leave the house, her parents can be somewhat overbearing.

She was now at the school’s entrance having the lunch her Mamá made for her while listening to Antonio talk about his day in class, loners stick together as they say.

“Mister Gallardo said that the most well behaved of us could take Michi home for the weekend. I really want it to be me but I don’t know if Mamá and Papá would-“

“HEY! You are Camilo’s cousin right?” A girls voice came from behind the two youngest Madrigals and Mirabel turned around to see one of her classmates holding an envelope and backpack.”Could you give this to him? Tell him I’m sorry to not give it to him personally but I have a Doctor’s appointment today and I really need to go thank you bye!”

The girl hurriedly pushed the envelope to Mirabel’s hands and ran to where a car was waiting for her outside the school. All of that before Mirabel could even utter any response.

“No, no I can do it. Does not matter that I could have other responsabilities to do today I’ll do this as soon as I see Camilo!” Mirabel sighed

“Why are you talking with that weird tone of voice Mirabel? And why are talking to yourself?”

“That was sarcasmo primito you’ll use it a lot when you grow up”

“I don’t think I get it but ok” Antonio said with an earnest expression and a thumbs up.

“Never change Antonio. Never change”

*

“Sorry Mira but Camilo has Drama Club ‘till five. But why don’t you wait for him inside, it’s been a while since you’ve visited.”

“Tio Felix we see each other almost everyday”

“There’s always room for improvment. Come inside you both. I’ll see if I can make something up for you two to eat”

With that Mirabel and Antonio were corraled inside Felix and Pepa’s apartment.

It was a rather small one with only two rooms, Antonio still slept with his parents, one bathroom and the kitchen served as a dining room, there was a reason why the family spent most days around her Abuela and Mamá’s apartment. The most decorated part of the house was the entrance/living-room where Mirabel could see a bunch of photos hanging on the wall and on top the furniture.

Dolores and Isabela on their first day of school, Camilo’s first performance, Toñito’s birth, her tios Anniversary… There are way less photos than she would have thought, non of her wedding, and there are several patches of less darkened wall and wood, like if something used to be there for a long time and was now gone.

“I’m gonna leave this in Camilo’s room”

“Come to the kitchen when you are done Mira!” Her Tio Felix yelled “Now what do you want to eat Toño?”

“I’m not really hungry Papá” Replied Antonio

And with that Mirabel made her to Camilo’s room.

Now she does not think her cousin is annoying let her make that clear. But she does think he can be a little bit over eager with his like for acting.

Camilo’s room had poster’s of several actresses, singers, models, directors and a lot of other people she would not recognize.

Now where to leave this thing. If I was Camilo where would I leave the letters of people having chrushes on me?

Not with his clothes or anywhere where Tía Pepa or Tío Felix could find it. Not under the bed, too cliche and Camilo does not do cliches… There!

The old poster of that old bolerista! Camilo hates boleros! The poster’s only there becuase the two of them made a hole on the wall and needed something to cover it up! (She will be honest and confess that it was her fault, but Camilo was being an idiot and they were 9 por dios!)

Mirabel took one of the corners of the poster down and saw a bunch of papers stashed inside the hole in the wall but they were not confession letters.

They were answer sheets.

Camilo is cheating at school!

“Mira! I have some fruit salad for us to eat!”

“…”

“Mira?”

“I’m coming Tío!” Mirabel hurriedly put the poster back up and left the envelope inside the hole on the wall.

Well Camilo…

We are gonna have a talk later…

Chapter Text

5:00 AM Wake up/Morning routine

5:15 AM Breakfast

5:30 AM-7:30 AM 2 Kilometer jog and weigh-lifting

7:45 AM-12:30 PM University classes

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Lunch and call Mamá

2:30 PM-6:00 PM Rest of my Classes

6:30 PM-7:00 PM Dinner

7:15 PM-8:15 PM Night routine

8:15 PM- 8:30 PM Shower

9:00 PM Go to bed

Luisa could only sigh at the sight of her itinerary for her next semester. But now was not the time for sulking! She was coming back home for her break and she was gonna spend time with her family! She could sleep for another 30 minutes! She could cut down on some of her exercises!

Well. Maybe not so much if her parents or Abuela needed her help but it’s the thought that counts!

But anyway! She cannot wait for this next month of spending time with her family!

*

What the hell happened?!

Luisa could only look disbelievingly at the atmosphere inside her parents house.

Her Mamá and Papá seem more worried than usual, Isabela looks like she will murder Mirabel if she were to just look at her wrong, Dolores seems mad at Isabela’s boyfriend for some reason and Abuela looks like she is having war flashbacks!

She doesn’t know what to do! Anytime she asks one of the grown ups they just deflect and Isabela won’t talk about it and her Tía and Tío are not around to answer her!

But fear not! She can fix this! She just needs Mirabel to tell her what happened and then she can fix this! Somehow!

Right now Luisa was taking a walk with Mirabel, for some reason her Mamá wouldn’t let Mirabel go by herself, and they were going to the local plaza to window shop.    It was the perfect moment for her to find out what was going on!

“So…. How’s everyone doing?”

“I-I don’t know” The two sisters stopped their perusing as Mirabel directed a knowing look at her sister. “How do you think everyone’s doing”

“C’mon Mira!” Don’t be like that” Luisa sighed as she followed Mirabel to one of the many benches that adorned the plaza. “You spend the most amomunt of time with our Papás and Abuela. You have to know what happened that made them be like… like they are always eating a lemon!”

Analogies were not Luisa’s forte but whatever!

“Do you really wanns know?” Mirabel sighed.

“Yes!” Luisa excitedly said. Honestly what is the worst that could have happened!

One explination later!

Now we could see a visibly shaken Luisa and a tired looking Mirabel sharing a bench.

“You…”

“Yep.”

“And you…”

“Aha…”

“And then!”

“Yeah pretty much.”

 Luisa inhaled one of the biggest breaths she had ever breathed in and then she exhaled in order to compose herself.

“WHAT THE FU-“

*

“Toñito, what are you looking at through the window?” Pepa Madrigal asked her youngest son.

“The pigeons are all agitated Mamá. Something must have happened!”

*

Now several people and groups of people were giving odd looks and were leaving the sorrounding area of where a pair of sisters was sat. But the two girls were not paying attention to that.

“You said you wanted to know what happened…”

“Yeah… I know it just- I don’t know what to do now!” Luisa said as her right eye began twitching.

"..."

"..." More twitching.

"..."

"..." Even more twitching.

“Well… I think I do.”

*

“Yayayayayaya! Auch… ow… Para Mira!”

The door to Luisa and Mirabel’s bedroom opened and in entered Mirabel dragging an annoyed Camilo by the ear.

“You could have just told me to come to your room if you wanted to talk ya know?”

“Yeah… For some reason I don’t believe that”

Inside the room stood Luisa and in front of  her there was a corkboard filled with old photos and sheets of papers connected with Mirabel’s sewing yarn.

“What the… Mamá’s weding, Tía’s job, ask Dolores and Isabela? What’s all this?” Camilo asked in surprise.

“We are gonna find out why our family and Tío Bruno had a falling out.” Mirabel answered “And to get him to come back!” Luisa hastily added.

“Tío Bruno?” Camilo said in shock. ”You saw him!? I thought he was dead!”

“What!? Why would you think that!?” Luisa asked with worry evident on her voice and face.

“Why wouldn’t I? The grown ups don’t wanna talk about him and Mamá and Tía are either sad or mad anytime someone even mentions him.”

“Yeah but…”

“Anyway! We need to gather a lot of info and could really use your help so… You in?

“Not in a million years-“

“I also know you are cheating with your tests and will tell Tía and Abuela if you say no”

“-would I pass on the opportunity to do this!”

Camilo now with an obviously fake smile approached the corkboard and began to rearrange the yarn threads and papers.

“Well… that was surpsrisingly easy”

“Would you wanna be on Tía Pepa’s badside when she is mad at you?”

“…fair enough.”

Chapter Text

And so it began Luisa, Camilo and Mirabel’s adventure to discover what they could about what came between their Tio and the rest of the family…

“¿Bruno Madrigal? Laziest man I’ve ever met. For the life of me I never saw him go to work.”

“He was a know it all. So annoying…”

“…gave the creeps when I was a kid. What with his twitching and his weird looks.”

“Soap. He always smelled like soap for some reason.”

…that didn’t mean that the answers they got were any helpful.

“So our Uncle was weird and not particularly liked by our neighbors." Camilo sighed as he ploped down on the bed back at Mirabel and Luisa's room

“Do you think Luisa got luckier than us?” Mirabel asked him as she did the same.

“Dolores can be really stubborn if she puts her mind on it…” Camilo complained. “…I wouldn’t keep my hop-“

The door to the room loudly and quickly opened and in entered an excited Dolores followed by Luisa, whose eye was twitching and had an obvious fake smile.

Dolores became less and less excited the more she looked around the room.

“The book you said you brought me wasn’t true was it?” She said dejected.

“Yeah… Sorry Prima” Luisa sheepishly answered.

Dolores could only sigh at the revelation of her Prima’s lie.

“Why do you want me here anyway?”

From here Mirabel and Camilo stood up and took Dolores’ shoulders, then they pulled her to the cork-board that was covered up with a bed sheet.

“Behold Hermana!”

Camilo with the spectacle that he always carried with him revealed the cork-board to his sister.

“Now! You must be wondering-“

“When Mira ran away she somehow got to see Tio Bruno again and in doing so her Parents and Abuela also got to see him and that’s why they all seem to be constantly having war flashbacks and stressed to all hell.”

The other three people in the room could only gape and stare at her in surprise.

“Ho-How didja get that!? We didn’t even explain it to you!”

“I got a scholarship for a reason. Also the cork-board is actually really intuitive.”

“Thanks? But still, we could use your help with this you know. Since you and Isabela knew him for longer.” Mirabel said.

Dolores took a hard look at the board and took the post-it note that had the words Tia Pepa’s Wedding in bold letters and circled.

“I remember this…”

*

Dolores was bored.

As bored as a little girl could get a Saturday morning.

Her Mamá and Papá were finally getting married and that meant that the entire family had to spend close to a year in dinner rehearsals, clothes shopping, cake testing and a lot of things that on another time she would welcome but now they were just more responsablities.

Now they had come to this old church at such a early hour she was getting cranky! Oh how she wished she could still be a baby like Luisa so her parents would let her sleep a little more.

From somewhere inside the church an argument could be heard and with nothing more to do Dolores went to eavesdrop in said argument.

“…mean you didn’t get renovations I told you were needed?” Dolores recognized the voice of her Tío and he sounded mad.

“We didn’t have time to do them! It was too expensive for what you said!” A voice she did not recognized said.

“We gave you nine months! I should call my boss and close this place right now god dammit!”

“Both of you shut up! Just shut up!” And there was her Mamá. “Everyone will get here in two hours! It’s too late to do anything!”

“But Pepa!”

“Not now! Let’s just do this and then you can do your job ok!?”

As those words were said both her Tío and her Mamá quickly speed-walked (becuase you don’t run in church) out of there, followed by a sweating man. Dolores thinks she has seen him as part of the choir.

The rest of the day and ceremony went like they had rehearsed it. Abuela was sat on the front pew with a babbling Luisa, Tío Bruno, Tío Agustín and Tía Julieta were at her parents side, Isabela had done her best as flower girl and Dolores is doing her best taking pictures with the camera-man they had ordered.

Her Mamá wanted her to be flower girl but Tío Bruno and Papá convinced her to let Dolores do this. She wanted to have more memories of tonight rather than just walk down the aisle and stay there doing nothing.

It was quite nice all things considered…

…

…

…Sadly it didn’t stay like that.

*Flash, Crack, Clink, Psshhh*

As the last photographs were taken the church’s sprinklers broke, fell and started to spray water down on everyone in attendance.

Dolores can see her Abuela getting up with Luisa on her arms and urging people to take cover and get out and her Tíos and Tía trying to comfort her Mamá alongside her Papá.

Dolores takes a picture of her Mamá crying holding onto her Papá and using her Tío Bruno’s vest to protect herself from the water.

“I think she might be getting fat” Dolores thinks for herself…

*

“At least the reception was being held here so that was not ruined. And the Church had to compensate the guests for the negligence. Mamá used to have the pictures but after Tío Bruno left she took them down.”

A silence was what followed the story and was broken by Camilo.

“Well… that tells us nothing of why they had a falling out. They were both on the same side there.”

“He had a job at least, it seems. Do you know in what he worked on Lola?” Mirabel cut her cousin before he could begin rambling.

“Risk Prevention, I think? I just remember that he worked for the city’s goverment and they would sent him to see if a place was up to date with “Safety Stuff” as Tío liked to say.”

Luisa went to take the note from Dolores hand.

“Well this is a dead end.” She said as she ripped the tiny note.

“Hey don’t trash the room!” Mirabel said to her sister.

“Sorry! But this leaves us back at square one.”

Mirabel approached the cork-board again and took the note that said Mamá Former Job and sighed.

“You are right…”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Tía Juli! I’ve been feeling kinda weird today could you help meeeeee-“ Camilo said as he “fainted” on the living room couch.

“CAMILO!” Julieta screamed and then she called for the rest of the adults.

And while everyone was distracted with Camilo fainting Luisa and Mirabel went into their parents room to search for anything they could that could be a clue.

Back at Mirabel’s room

“I’m never doing that again…” Camilo said as he entered the room. He face was covered completely in vicvaporub and he was carrying several bottles of Powerade. ”I have to spend the rest of the day on bedrest and Tía Juli made me drink her Caldo.”

“Hey! My Mamá’s Caldo is amazing!” Mirabel yelled at him. Luisa noded her head in agreement with her.

“Yeah, but it was hot! And it’s like 30° today!” Camilo responded and touched Mirabel’s arm with his hand. “It gave me the sweats! Feel it!”

“GUACALA! ¡NO ME TOQUES CON TUS MANOS SUDADAS, PENDEJO!”

As Mirabel tried to kill Camilo and Luisa was trying to stop Mirabel from killing him Dolores was meticulously going through the chest her primas had retrieved earlier.

Bills… bills… junkmail…letters…Mirabel’s medical bill from 10 years ago…birth certificates…bil-

Mirabel’s medical bill from 10 years ago!

“Hey, guys!” Dolores yelled. “I think I found something!” With this Luisa stopped restraining Mirabel just as Mirabel stopped trying to get Camilo… who himself was atop one of the tall drawers in the room.

The four Primos now were sat around a small stack of papers filled with medical jargon and a small letter. Dolores started to read them aloud to the group.

“It’s from a week before Tío left.”

“Dear Julieta,

I hope the specialist I recommended to you was kind enough to attend your inquiries. And in a more selfish note I hope that whatever the results were you won’t be leaving us at El Hospital General.

Sincerely, Dra. Pamela Alcayaga.”

“The rest is just a bunch of medical words and the bill of health and check that come with it.”

 “I don’t remember this.” Mirabel said as she took the papers from Dolores and she started to read.

Pediatric Clinic “Los Milagros” – Department of Mental Health and Development.

XX/XX/1995

Subject: Mirabel Valentina Rojas Madrigal

Age: 5 (Five)

Guardians: Agustin Rojas and Julieta Madrigal

Reason of consult: Copying of obsessive behaviour (tics) and developmental problems in speaking.

…

…

…

Diagnosis: Subject appears to exhibit symptoms that could imply some developmental problems. (Ej: Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(O.C.D).) But it is not conclusive as several of her reactions and ways of non-verbal communication do not fit with any of the earlier conditions and actually seem on par with other children who do not experience any of the earlier conditions. It is our team’s informed opinion that the subject appears to only be copying the behaviour that she is more accustomed to.

• Autism: X
• Asperger Syndrome: X
• O.C.D: X
• Bipolar Disorder: X
• Epilepsy: X

“…subject appears to only be copying the behaviour she is more accustomed to”

“Wha-what does this mean?” A now confused Mirabel was visibly worried. “I-I don’t have any of these. Wh-why would I…?” Mirabel didn’t know what to say next.

“Do you guys remember anything from then?” A worried Camilo asked Dolores and Luisa as Mirabel seemed to just stay there contemplating the papers on her hands.

“Mamá… Mamá was still working at the Hospital full time.” Luisa started. ”So it was Papá the one who left me and Isabela at school and then it was Tío Bruno the one to pick us up. Abuela was always busy and our parents arrived after lunch so Tío cooked for us.”

“You were always calmer that your sisters when you were little.” Dolores commented as she took the papers away from Mirabel. “I remember one time that Mamá and Tía Juli were talking about that. I think Mamá said something about Tía Juli not spending so much time working.”

“Didn’t he have a job? How did he had the time to take care of them?” Camilo asked.

“He quit!” Luisa gasped standing up. “I remember now! Abuela and Tía Pepa were so mad!” Luisa was now pacing around the room. “But somehow by next morning everyone was fine! And then… and then Tío Bruno started making us lunch and everything.”

The room was now silent. The four cousins trying independently to make senese of this new information and their earlier discoverings.

“How old were then Luisa?” Camilo asked.

“Sixish, maybe seven?”

“So Mira would’ve been at most three years old.” Dolores mused. “So if Tío Bruno quit his job and then started to take care of the three of you he would’ve had to take extra care of Mirabel. And in return Mirabel would, as most children do, copy the mannerisms of her caretaker.”

“And since we now know that Tío Bruno is kinda…” Camilo spun his finger beside his head as he said this. “then…”

“So then…”

“I made him leave?” Mirabel said with a distraught look on her face.

“No, Mira…” Luisa said as she went to her sister’s aid.

“Of course it had to be me.” Mirabel said while looking beyond their house. “Of course I made him leave…”

“Lola, do something!” Camilo pushed his sister to help. “You always know what to say…”

“Not always…” Dolores made her way towards the two sisters. “Mirabel… Mirabel look at me.”

Mirabel looked up to meet her Prima’s eyes.

“How could it be your fault?” Dolores started. “Logically, I mean. You were a baby and a toddler for most of that time. And Tío… He would sometimes do things like that. Whenever there was conflict, especially if it was family, he would run. He would run and wait. A couple of hours, maybe a day, sometimes a week.” Dolores could see Mirabel calming herself a little bit. “If this thing made him afraid or if the adults fought over it then… his decision is on him. You understand?”

Mirabel only noded.

Chapter Text

Luisa and Camilo took down the corkboard. Dolores went back to her room as if nothing had happened.

And Mirabel?

…

…

She didn’t know how to feel.

The mystery was solved and there was nothing else they could do.

And yet she feels like somehow this is all her fault.

Dolores told her that it wasn’t but she is used to feeling guilty so she might as well do it now. For the next couple of days she just lets the time pass by on it’s own and doesn’t feels like doing her usual hobbies, her melodica is not played and her knitting kit remains in it’s box.

Her parents try to cheer her up but their words fall on deaf ears, them not being able to understand why their daughter is feeling the way she does.

The only one who seems to look happier is Abuela, if only becuase she is spending most of her time with Isabela and Mariano, asking them about their relationship, making sure they go together whenever the family goes out, Mirabel is fairly certain she has heard Abuela mumbling about “future grand-children”, if everything goes right Isabela will be graduating next year so its not that farfetched.

Tiny Isabelas… She muses one day when she just wants to lay down. I’m not babysitting them! Doesn’t matter how cute they could be…

A new day was finishing and she was sitting by herself at her family’s dinner table. The adults and Abuela had gone out and would be coming back any second now and the rest of the people of her generation are either resting in their rooms (Antonio, Dolores, Isabela and Mariano) or out doing chores or hanging out with friends, (Luisa and Camilo) so Mirabel felt compelled to make the preparetions for dinner.

Hot water for tea? Check.

Tea cups, spoons and knifes? Check.

Butter for the bread the adults are getting? Check.

Napkings, honey and sugar? Check.

Tea pot? Check

She sits alone, just thinking, after having finished setting the table when a bunch of things gets dumped on the table making her jump.

“What the hell is this!?”

Mirabel cringes at the sudden yelling and turns to look at her sister Isabela… her irate looking sister.

“Uh-uh… what?” She doesn’t know where or how to begin to answer so Mirabel takes a moment as well as a good look at the things Isabela dumped on the table.

Those are the strings and papers they had put up on the corkboards. Their theories and ideas. Isabela somehow found it… and she doesn’t look happy.

“Well then? Are you gonna explain yourself or is that too difficult for you?”

“I-I think it’s… I think it’s clear enough, don’t you think?”

Isabela had a vein on her forehead that looked like it was about to pop.

“No. No, I don’t think it is. So please! Tell exactly what the fuck were you trying to do with this conspiracy theorist bullshit. The family doesn’t talk about this for a reason!” Isabela spat those last words and any other time Mirabel would flinch, but now she just feels numb.

“I was curious. Nothing wrong with a little bit of curiosity, is there?” She lies easily. Isabela knows her to be “quirky”, if she tells her she’s curious she might just let it go. As Mirabel finishes she tries to stand up and leave.

“There is when you don’t realice the consequences of your actions!” Isabela says as she makes Mirabel go back down on the chair. “You’ve done nothing but stressed our parents out! You’ve done nothing but make Abuela mad! And now, for some idiotic reason, you are thinking of shoving your nose where it shouldn’t! Do you have any idea of the repercussions that this can make!?”

“What’s all this to you? It’s not like it will get you in trouble.”

“It will make Abuela mad, and if Abuela gets mad then my life gets worse!” Isabela was now laying it on Mirabel, all the while Mirabel herself was losing her patience… and neither of them payed attention to the distant footsteps coming from outside.

“As if! Your life is perfect! You could dropout tomorrow and Abuela would not even get mad! Me on the other hand would get sent to my room just for rising my voice!”

A mirthles chuckle came out of Isabela’s mouth and she looked down at her sister with contemp.

“You! Don’t! Know! Anything! Every single time you disappoint Abuela, every single time our parents have to baby you! I have to pick up the slack!” Isabela was now all up on Mirabel’s face and with great fervor she poked at her with every sentence. “I’ve had to be perfect at school! Wear these awful dresses! Go to every single boring event our parents and Abuela want! Get a stupid fake boyfriend so Abuela actually lets me study what I want! They cannot expect anything from you so they have to expect everything from me! You! You…”

With every word she yelled at her Mirabel felt more and more inadequate. Her anger turning to sadness at the implication that her family expects nothing from her.

“You!...”

She should’ve realized earlier…

“Good for nothing!...”

She’s just a burden…

“Retard!”

She’ll end up like…

The sound of something breaking makes the sisters turn their heads back. Behind them stood the rest of the family but Camilo and Luisa. Dolores, Antonio and Mariano are by the stairs, the three of them with surprised looks on their faces. By the entrance of the dinning room were the adults, her Papá and Tío Felix look disappointed, Tía Pepa is bitting her thumb and moving her eyes to look at everyone, at her shoes the bag of broken groceries she let fall, Mamá looks pissed and Abuela…

… Abuela faints.

Chapter Text

Alma Madigal is woken up by the sounds of someone moving in her house and by the sudden light that is pouring through her bedroom’s door.

The kitchen lights are on, at this hour so late at night?

Alma gets up from her bed quickly but silently, worried about what or whom she may find. It may be nothing but if it’s some thief she will run to her children’s room and hunker down with the three of them.

Her hearth is by her throat by the time she gets there and she can listen a quiet tiny voice in the room. She inmediately releases her held breath.

“…closed. Si, lo está.” Her son, her little baby, for some reason is up.

“Brunito?”

“HAAA!” Her son jumps and screams, at least her son’s scream is short and he composes himself quickly after realizing it was her. “Ma-mamá! Wha-qué?” He takes a moment and then sad look crosses his face “Ah… I woke you up… Sorry.”

Alma can only exhale at her son’s hijinks, although he did made her worry a lot.

“Ay, Brunito.” She gives him a hug. “Why are you up this late, hijo?”

“I had to use the bathroom…” He starts with the cadence she has recognized on him as feeling guilty. She hates it. “and-and then after I finished I re-remembered el gas. You always say that it has to be closed or an accident could happen so I-I- I thought- just…” He lets his face fall as the words escape him, his body feeling tense.

“Brunito…” Alma can only hug him more tightly and gives him a kiss on the forehead, trying to make sure he calms back down. “You need to worry less. I love that you care so much but please, for me…” She pulls back from the hug to look him in the eyes as she speaks with him.

The kitchen fades away from her view and she and Bruno are back in her room. There is an old mattres laid on the floor by her bed and her son is holding her hand from where he is laying on it. He is now older, with shoulder length hair and on the edge of becoming a young man. His eyes have bags under them and she can see the path that tears made on his face.

“…please. Please, Brunito. Calm your mind.” She is begging him. She doesn’t know how to help him so she begs. “Just don’t think. Don’t think and you’ll get to sleep.”

“I…” His voice is thick and is cut with his heaving breathing. “Mamá, I don’t think I can do that.”

Alma wakes up.

Chapter Text

Bruno Madrigal was always an odd man, ever since he was a kid…

He loved to read, spending his time in the realms of fiction and fantasy whenever he could…

(He is mostly quiet during the day and he likes it that way, his sisters speak enough for the three of them. And it doesn’t matter if he reads when someone speaks, he can concentrate on both things.)

“Your son is brilliant!” His teachers would say, showing his Mamá his grades. And seeing them his Mamá would say it as well. “I see it now! My son is indeed brilliant!”

(“Your son’s grades are not the reason why I asked you to come Seño…

He stops paying attention at that, if his grades are fine then his Mamá has nothing to worry and if his Mamá has nothing to worry he is doing his part as a son. The door opens and his Mamá storms from the inside.

“Se-señora-“

“I said “good day” Profesor!” She is mad. “We are leaving, Brunito!”)

He hears at church much wonderful things! And the people there are all so nice…

(At least here is quieter, and he doesn’t have to cover his ears to muffle the noise.

The adults are also nicer to him, calling him such a mature and smart boy for his age.

It’s just nice.)

Of simple wants and of simple needs, he feels content with what he has…

(“I don’t think I want to be anything like that, Mamá.”

“Pero Brunito, you could do so many important things with your intellect.”

“I think I’m fine with how I am now.”)

He does things his way and he understands himself…

He does things his way and he understands…

He does things his way… he understands…

He does things… he understands…

He does things he understands.

Bruno Madrigal was always an odd man, ever since he was a kid….

Always dristacted with a book and never focused in other important things. The last of his siblings to learn how to tie his shoelaces and the last to learn how to go to the bathroom by themselves, his Mamá tells him he learnt to speak last and he never remembers the street's names other than the ones near his home…

(Mamá is hysteric. She is sad, mad, relieved. He took the wrong bus and was almost an hour late arriving home, his Mamá bumping into him as he arrived when she was about to go to the police department to get them to look for him.)

Whenever he goes to the bathroom he uses his left hand exclusively, his dominant one, to touch the toilet seat and to clean himself, his right one the one he uses to pull up his pants and touch the soap and faucet. When he washes his hands he cleans the faucet as well, his hands are dry and white from the amount of soap he uses…

(He shook hands with a man that used his hand to rearrange his pants, there was dried dove poop on the rail where he almost put his hand, when his hands touch the faucet they are not yet clean so he has to clean it as well. His hands are so dry and it feels like he sweats soap.)

He doesn’t study, not really. He just pays attention in class and he repeats what he understands…

(“I just don’t get it!” Pepa yells inside their room. Next week’s test are a third of their grade and she is the least prepared of them. “I’m going to fail!”

Julieta is helping her study and rubs a hand on her back.

Bruno is sleeping… or trying to sleep. By the third time he tried to explain a chemistry concept to Pepa they were screaming at each other. Why can’t people be as smart as him?)

People always tend to let their tongues loose if they think they are in good company, and there is always good company in church…

(“Bruno?” He is hiding under a staircase in the building the church uses as storage. He doesn’t want to go back to the service.

“Bruno, what are you doing here?” Julieta asks as he finds him. “Mamá is worried about you.”

He manages to get some words out. “When did they become so…cruel?”

“I think they are just old, hermano.”

“Is that an excuse?” Julieta just shrugs)

When did it start?

(“You sure you don’t wanna come?” Pepa asks as Julieta and her go through their bedroom window. “I’d really like you and Félix to meet.”

“You know I don’t like parties. Just come back before one or else I won’t help you get in.” He smirk at his sister.

“Yeah, right. See you in a bit pendejo.”

Bruno takes a book and reads until his sister come back. “…this particular species of penguin had become blind and albino like. Their apareance and senses having evolved through millenia to live in this dark cave system…”)

When did he change so much that people can’t recongnize him as the clever, young kid he once was?

(“Why didn’t you do anything!? Don’t just stand there!” He gets out of there. He is more hinderance than help.

Dolores fell.

She fell and he did nothing. He didn’t know what to do. She was reaching on a stool for one of his books and she fell. She is still crying now, he can hear her in Pepa’s room and can hear Pepa consoling her. He frooze up and did nothing and now he is hiding and covering his ears, the least he can do now is keep his mouth shut. The last thing they need is Mamá coming back and scream a t them that they don’t know how to raise their kids.

“Bruno?” That’s Julieta knocking at his door. “Bruno.”

“I’m-I’m fine, Juli. Just go away.”)

There was a fire in his youth, an accident that gladly took no lifes, and he used to blame his quirks on it, but whenever he thinks about it maybe he was always like this.

(He dislike his classmates. They are loud, bruttish and annoying. He’d honestly like to just not come. But he can’t make himself to ask his Mamá. She already has too many worries and he doesn’t want to add to them. He loves his Mamá. The least he can do is not worry her.)

Why…

(“Now you don’t want me to talk uh?”

“Not now Bruno.”

“Whatever happened to me being the smart one Mamá? Or do you only say when we agree?”

“You’ll understand when you are older.”

“That’s not an answer!”)

…is he…

(“I’m only saying this becuase I love you Bruno. You do not make those jokes. Pepa and Félix have enough with Mamá not liking them having Dolores before marriage and they don’t need your jokes.”

“It was only a joke…”

“And only you find it funny… Just don’t do it again, ok?”)

…so…

(“Of course you are not like that Brunito. You are not violent.”

Sometimes he gets these thoughts. They make him unable to sleep and flood him with guilt. He hits himself in the head, the stomach, the leg, it’s like he changed washing his hands with imsomnia and a new obssesion. God he just wants to end this, just wants his Mamá or anyone to listen to him, he is not a bum… he thinks-shut up-why doesn’t he just hit them-shut up-he is not violent, he is mad-fuck off-He can’t tell anyone, his sisters-bitchshut up-wont trust him again with anything what time is it anyway?

“Please Brunito. Just don’t think. Don’t think and you’ll get to sleep.”

Where does he fit now? He is not like his family and he is not like the other retarshut up!-He’ll end up alone by himself, not needed, as an afterthought. He doesn’t know, doesn’t understand, Dios mátame como lo hiciste con Judasshut up!…just shup your mind. He wants…

“Please Brunito”

SHUT UP! )

…different?

(“Juli…” His sister finished reading the letter and now is holding her face with her hands. He read it earlier and got a weird feeling in his gut. “Juli, I’m sor…

“Don’t.” She stands up and goes for the door.

“Julieta, please.”

Julieta turns to him and he sees her lips put in a thin line, the door handle creaking under her hand and she cups his face with the other. “I don’t know why I ever thought I could trust you with them, I don’t. Well that’s on me now, thinking you could do something right for once.” She sighs and just like that leaves the room.

He would leave as well a day later. Never to see the face of regret on his sister’s face.)

Chapter Text

“Mamá! Mamá, look what I made!”

“Lo siento Isabela, I’m too tired now but it looks lovely mi amor.”

“Are you coming with us Mami?”

“Lo siento Isabela. Me and your Papá have to look after Mira today. Just go and have fun with Luisa and your Tía ok?

“Isabela, are you having any trouble at your university?”

“No… why would you ask that?”

“Just… You know your Papá and I will always be here for you if you need it right?”

“…”

“Isabela?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m fine… you… you don’t need to worry about anything.”

*

Julieta opens the door and plomps down on a chair the hospital got her. Having connections from her former job feels bitter sweet in this moment.

She has a can of some sugary energy drink on her hand and she opens it and takes a sip. She chuggs it down quickly and then throws the can to the corner of the room where the trash can is.

She sighs and composes herself, wiping her face with his hands and passing them through her hair.

“Okey…” She starts. “Let’s start from the beginning. Why do you hate your sister?”

Isabela Madrigal is opposite to Julieta, the young woman had her arms crossed, her eyes are closed and rather than sitting she is letting her body lay languidly on the chair.

Isabela remains silent.

“Do you really not have anything to say about this? I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt so many times… I should’ve just nipped this in the bud ages ago-“ Julieta is cut by a chuckle from her daugther.

“Yeah… this is funny.” Isabela says flippantly. Now puting her elbows on the table and resting her head on her hands.

“There’s nothing funny about this Isabela.”

“No… Just hear me out. It’s absolutely funny!” Isabela continues as she makes placating gestures with her hands.

“Isabela!”

“It’s fucking hilarious!” Isabela exclaims as she hits the table. ”I try to do my best to not stress you, not worry you, I did everything like you all wanted and this is what I get! It’s not my fault that Mirabel cannot seem to do anything right!”

“Who are you to say that? She tries her best. That’s all we ever asked from all of you!”

“Bullshit!”

Now both Mother and Daughter were yelling at eacht other with the same intensity and cadence, the apple not falling that far from the three and all of that. In any other situation they would be asked to keep their voices down but number one, the room they were in was used for meetings and was fairly away from the patients, and number two… the medical staff knew better than to intervine if Julieta Madrigal was mad.

“Excuse me!?”

“That’s bullshit and you know it! What about the tests you all made me and Dolores do? We had to stay up at night until we got at least 80%! You’d be mad at us if we went under 50%! I haven’t had to use long division in ages and you still were disappointed when I barely passed that one!”

“We got you to the best university we could with a scholarship!”

“Like that was my first choice! “Oh, but the arts don’t pay Isabela! And you are so smart why would you let it go to waste.” That’s what you all said… and yet I still try to make your lifes easier while Mira still makes them harder.”

“Your sister needs more help and you know that!

“No, she doesn’t! I saw the letter, she doesn’t have any of those things! So why do you still baby her!? Her grades are average at best, her hobbies don’t give her any type of advantage unlike Luisa or Camilo and she won’t grow up if you still let her fail without any repercution.”

“How does you getting mad at her help her in any way!? It’s not her fault that-that…”

“That she fails?”

“Yes! Happy!? It’s not her fault that she fails!”

“Then why was it mine then!?”

The two women were now out of breath and their faces were redish from the yelling. Julieta took a moment to recover while Isabela let her head fall on her hands, hiccups and sniffs coming from the younger woman.

“Why couldn’t I just fail? Just once?”

Julieta couldn’t answer that.

                                                                                         *

“…and I love my Mamá but she is really old minded. “Mariano, you need a woman in your life for when I’m not longer here. Please tell me you will look for a nice girl.” And Isabela said she had a similar problem with her Abuela so we came up with this plan.” Mariano continued describing his and Isabela’s plan to the family. It was awkward enough with the complete family listening but it became ten times more awkward as he continued to tell them while they were at the hospital waiting for Alma’s diagnosis. “We would be lovey-dovey for a month and then we would get into this big fight for another month and become depressed with “hearthbreak” so my Mamá and her Abuela would stop annoying us… pero parece qué nos salió el tiro por la culata… Sorry.”

When Mariano finished confessing all of the adults there could only look at him with faces full of astonishment. Pepa and Felix at least were able to look at him becuase Agustin was covering his face with his hands while sighing the longest sigh anyone who knew him could remember him sigh, Antonio sat beside him giving him some pats on the back and saying “There, there” like one would do for a child.

From behind her Pepa can hear someone some whispers of “Mamá! Ey, Mamá!” and so she turns around and manages to clock Camilo at the entrance of the hospital corridor gesturing for her to get closer to him. Pepa tell this to Felix and makes her way to her son.

“Is everyone fine? Did something happened?” Pepa asks Camilo when she gets to him, worry evident on her face.

“No… there’s… nothing wrong just… Please don’t freak out. And if anything it was the girl’s idea!” Camilo quickly starts to ramble on and only stops when his Mother makes him.

“Camilo, stop!” Pepa sighs “Just tell me what is going on with the gir-“ Pepa stops as the doors open and from them her daughter and nieces appear. Dolores looks the same as always, Mirabel still looks downcast and Luisa looks determined but what really stops her is the man that is coming with them. “…Bruno?”

“Where is she?” Her brother asks with an exhaled breath and at her hesitance he asks again. “Pepa, where is she?” Pepa points to where she came from and Bruno hastily makes his way there followed by the girls.

“Are you freaking out, Mamá? Please tell me you are not freaking out.”

“...I’ll freak out later, and I’ll speak with the girls when we get back home. Just come with me, Antonio was worried about you.”

When Pepa got back there everyone sans Antonio and Maraino was evidently moved at Bruno arriving there, and Bruno himself had already gone inside the room where their Mother was still asleep. Felix is being bombarded with questions from Antonio “Who was that? Was that mi Tío? Why is he that small? Why don’t you ever talk about him?” and she is absolutely not jealous of his situation.

Pepa sits herself by her husband and her brother in-law and almost lets gravity make her sit languidly on the chair when on the chair besides her someone else sits.

“Well this is quite the occasion is it?” A man with more legs than body sat by her and on his lap there was a small kid holding a beanie hat full over his ears. “Your girls were very determined to get him to come. Oh, but where are my manners! Roberto Pizarro, and this guy is Jorge pleased to meet you.”

Pepa and the other adults turn t osee the man sat beside them and they all seem surprise to look at him.

“Who are you?”

“He is a friend of Bruno, Mamá.” Dolores tells Pepa.

“So you are his friend then.”

“His plumber.” The man besides her tells her with a smirk. Pepa looks at him and at his phisique, his long limbs and mustache and then turns to Agustin and Felix and takes a good hard look at her brother in law, then looks at the man, then at her brother in law, then at the man…

“I FUCKING KNEW IT!” Pepa yells vindicated. At this yelling Jorge drops from the lap of his Father and runs to open the door to the room where Bruno is.

“Jorge, no!”

Chapter Text

“The room is nice at least” Bruno thinks once he enters where Alma is sleeping. She doesn’t have any cables or other tubes coming from her and the swelling on her face has reduced, the bruising will sadly remain for a while.

He takes a deep breath and moves to take a seat besides Alma but as soon as he sits Jorge runs into the room and goes to him all agitated, soon followed by his Dad.

“Lo siento tanto, he was probably overwhelmed… How is she?” Roberto asks him.

“Don’t know yet. I’ll stay until she wakes up… you two can go back if you want.”

“No seas tontito Bruno, we’ll wait for you. God knows this guy won’t want to leave without you. C’mon Jorge.”

Roberto and Jorge leave and Bruno is once again left by himself. He tries to get himself comfortable and all but let’s himself fall on the chair.

“For how long…” Bruno jumps at the sounds of his Mamá’s voice and turns to look at the bed. “For how long did I bother you to form a family of your own, only for you to return with one?”

“All things considered not that long. You moved on pretty quickly after Pepa and Felix finally tied the knot.” Bruno answers her Mamá’s question. “You don’t… you don’t seem surprised about it.”

Alma answers with a small chuckle. “A Mother knows mijo. A Mother knows.”

The room is silent again and Bruno looks at Alma, and Alma herself is only looking at him.

“You came.”

“Of course I did.” Bruno answers with visible offense. “Did you think I wouldn’t for something like this?”

“Others would.”

“Well I’m not like others, am I not Mamá?”

Their quick chat stops. Alma takes a deep breath and Bruno is bouncing his legs on the chair.

“Why are you here, Bruno?” Alma asks.

“You are my Mom and you got hurt. How could I not?”

“You left. And the last time I saw you, you saw through me. I thought you’d hate me. Or at least not want anything to do with me.”

“I don’t hate you.” Bruno says and Alma looks spectantly at him. “I don’t trust you. It’s different.”

Bruno stands to pace the room.

“I don’t even know if I can hate you. It-It’s not something that comes easy to me.” He moves his hands to his hair and starts to move it and pull. “ I-I can’t help it. I love you all but I don’t trust you. I love you all but it stresses me so much. I love you but… and that’s it.”

Bruno moves to sit once again but changes his mind mid movement.

“It seems you are fine. I-i-if there are complications I could tell the other where to find or-“

“Are you happy?”

“…what?”

The question makes him stop his rambling and Bruno looks at his Mom in confusion.

“Are you happy with how you are now?”

Is he happy? His house could be in better condition. He could have a better paying job. He could see his family again if it werent for…

(“¿Sabes? You are the first person Jorge actually likes to spend time with.” Roberto told him as he handed him a beer. “Thank you. Just thank you, so much.”)

“I’m calm. Content I think. Could be better, could be worse.”

“De acuerdo.”

“Y? You just asked to know?”

“Yes… you can leave now if you want. I look fine like you said. I don’t want to take more of your time.”

Bruno now stands speechless in the middle of the room. He nods with his head and moves to leave. Before he opens the door Alma asks him. “Co-could you tell Mirabel to come here? I’d like to speak with her.”

“I’ll try.”

Outside of the room only his sisters remain. Julieta has her eyes red and puffy, and her face looks clammy while Pepa is visible anxious but approaches him all the same.

“Can we talk?” She asks with a small voice.

“…fine.”

*

“I’m sorry.” Alma starts. Mirabel is sat beside her and Alma maker herself look at her nieta’s eyes. “I don’t know since when to ask for forgiveness but I have to ask for it anyway.”

“The worlds is cruel and it rarely gives us any moment of respite…”

Pedro and her would spend their days and night working the odd jobs they could find. Both of them dreamt of having a place of their own where they could start the family they would eventually have. Somedays they would only step inside their rented place to fall exhausted on their bed and couch.

“…I would worry so much about the future. Worry if would be a good Mother or if I’d need to find a job after the kids came along.”

It is Pedro the one who soothes her fears and anxieties whenever they become too much. Some nights her fears transform and make her believe she is all alone, her burdens unshared and overwhelming her.

“Af-after Pedro died I made a promise. I’d make sure my children, and when their kids came along them aswell, would be strong enough so the world would not break them.”

He is dead and she is alone. He is dead and she is alone and her world feels like it’s crumbling down. Looking at the other people she sees them moving on. Pedro is dead and the world does not care. Her children will never know their father and the world does not care. She is alone and the world does not care.   

“But just look at us now.” Alma says with a mirthless chuckle. “The world didn’t break the family. I did. I made my son leave and when you left aswell I… I saw it again. My mistakes, my fears. I never could help my son and I made you follow on his foot steps-I- I thought he was dead! I had to help him and I couldn’t and when he left I thought he’d get himself killed an-and I thought you’d die aswell.” Alma is now breaking down. Mirabel looks at her like she does not believe this woman to be the same stoic Abuela Alma she is used to.

Mirabel tries to comfort her putting her arms over Alma’s shoulders and Alma return to her senses after a bit.

“I’m sorry. That’s all I can say, I’m so sorry Mirabel.”

The room is silent once again and is Mirabel the one to break it.

“I-I understand… I just-I just don’t I can just move like nothing.” Mirabel gulps as she herself finds her voice weak. “I’m gonna need time.”

“As much time as you need.”

*

The family soon scatters as the medics tell them that Alma will need to spend the next two days being monitored for any future complications.

Mirabel’s Mamá offers to stay at the hospital in case anything were to happen but had to put her foot down when Luisa tried to argue the same to stay with her and so Luisa and Mirabel are going back home with their Papá. Her Papá himself is coming back to the hospital later with a backpack full of a change of clothes and food for both him and her Mamá.

Mariano, Isabela and Dolores were the first to leave. Mariano is aparently gonna spend the night at some cousin’s house and then is picking his things to go back to the Capital were his Mamá lives. There is a rather awkward conversation he has to have with her and Mirabel honestly pities him for it.

Dolores was her usual aloof self when she told everyone that Isabela and her will spend the night at some friend’s house. Her Mamá could only sigh and Mirabel is still torned with wanting to not see her sister again, making her comeback so she can yell at her and just wanting to pass out.

That leaves Luisa, Mirabel her self, her Papá, her Tíos, Camilo and Antonio to be the ones that are actually going back home.

As Mirabel and Luisa make her way out of the entrance of the Hospital they see Bruno talking to their Tía Pepa with their respective kids at their side. Bruno bends his knees to look at Jorge while at the same height.

“You really wanna see him again don’t you?”

Jorge answers with a quick nod and Bruno sighs.

“Can you give me a week? I gotta fix the sink and there is a-“

“Yes! Of course!” Tía Pepa cuts him and her hands are closing and opening like she doesn’t know what to do with them. “It’s just… It’ll be nice to see you hermano.” She ends with a han don her shoulder and Bruno makes to leave after nodding at Tía Pepa´s declaration.

Whit her Papá driving them back to their home Mirabel falls sleep on her seat.

Chapter Text

The rest of the year is odd. Abuela on Doctor mandated bed-rest, Isabela and Dolores cutting their visit short and Luisa going back to university at the end of the month. Her parents try to talk to her about everything and it is weird. She can tell they fell disappointed in themselves but they tell her to not sugarcoat or omit anything or they won’t be able to help her. There is a lot of words that are just hard to pull out of her but she does eventually.

Only Dolores calls home for the remainder of the year and Mirabel cringes everytime she hears her parents talk about it. She leaves any room as soon as she notices her parents sigh to themselves and the house feels as if all of it’s energy has been sucked out of it.

Not everything is bad though. Tia Pepa began to go with Antonio to visit Jorge at Tío Bruno’s house. (The first time Tía Pepa came back Mirabel heard her crying with Mamá. She was telling Mamá of the state of Tío Bruno’s apartment. Mirabel spend just a night there but she had to take a shower to get the feeling of being surrounded by rats off of her.)

Everyone always asks Tía Pepa about how her Tío is doing. Abuela meekishly asking if he seems fine and Mamá making food for Tía Pepa to leave at his house.

“You could tell him to bring Jorge here instead.” Her Papá says absentmindedly in the middle of their conversation and the three woman at the table look at him as if he just said that the sky is pink or that rain falls upwards.

“Honey, he won’t accept that.”

“Do you think I haven’t already!?”

“Brunito is not like that Agustin.”

And as the discussion continues Mirabels leaves as she doesn’t want to get her head hot with all of this.

Birthdays are awkard and that year’s Christmas is rather subdued, only Camilo, Antonio and her there with the adults. Mamá makes a call to, from what Mirabel can tell, Tío Bruno and tells him she is gonna drop by tomorrow and drop a gift for Jorge.

Mirabel chuckles at this. Mamá and Tía Pepa already consider Jorge a nephew, poor kid is gonna get overwhelmed by the walking telenovela that is her family.

Mirabel moves to her room by the end of the night to take a closer look at her gifts before falling sleep. It is well later than midnight and she is tired.

Her Mamá and her Papá got her sewing materials and several cancioneros. She hopes they got them at a discount becuase there’s a lot of them. Violeta Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Chico Buarque, Silvio Rodriguez, Hermosa-Gonzales… ¡Aterciopelados! She loves that band.

Abuela got her money, obviously. There is a note inside the envelope and Mirabel sees a rather long letter on it so she decides to read it tomorrow.

Tía Pepa and Tío Felix got her a nice summer dress. With a cyan, ankle lenght skirt, a cream colored blouse and actually, honest to god pockets, she at least will get to fell comfortable the next two months. Plus she likes to look pretty once in a while! Camilo is not the only one to like to dress up!

Camilo got her nothing and she got him nothing and they are both fine with that. They are teens! They don’t have any money!

Antonio made her a drawing of the two of them and she is gonna hang it on her wall alongside all of the other drawings he has made for her.

There’s still one present she hasn’t open.

Somehow…

For some god-forsaken reason…

Isabela got her a present.

Her parents didn’t want Mirabel and her sisters to spend any of the money thay had for school and other necessary things so Mamá and Papá would write Luisa and Isabela’s name on Mirabel’s gifts and vice-versa. So getting a gift explicitly from Isabela is odd.

It is a rather small bag. Nondescript and with scotch-tape closing it. The only markings of a gift the words “To: Mirabel -Isabela” written on it.

Mirabel just tears it open.

Inside there is a small black box with the logo of a bitten apple on it’s side and there is sticky note on it with the words “text if you want -Isabela” written.

Mirabel lets herself fall on her bed and sleeps over the covers that hot summer night.

“That’s for…” She mumbles as she tries to fall sleep. “that’s for tomorrow’s Mira to worry about…”

Chapter Text

Mirabel waits by herself at her school entrance. A new year means a new school year and a new school year means new class-mates for Mirabel. It is not that she dislikes her class-mates per-se, it just that her likes seem to outdated for them and so they leave her alone with her knitting and she doesn’t interact with them becuase she has nothing in common with them.

“Onwards to a new year of not having friends… yipeee…” She listlessly thinks to herself and moves to enter the school.

When she tries to open the door Mirabel feels the doors push on something as she heard a muffled yell followed by the sound of a thud on the ground. She just pushed a boy with the door and now he is on the ground with some of his things on the floor.

“Miércoles… I’m so- I’m so sorry!” She rambles as she starts to pick up the boy’s stuff but stops as she sees the kid’s leg bent up at an angle that it shouldn’t bend. “Tu-tu you-your-”

“Don’t freak out! Don’t freak out! Just let me…” The teen hastily asks her and proceeds to grab his legs and turn it back to it’s original place leaving Mirabel stunned. “Prótesis. It got uncomfortable on my way here so I stopped by the door to fix it… I should’ve stood somewhere else jaja…” The boy soon explains the situation and is sheepishly rubbing his shoulder where he fell and Mirabel has but a moment to make sense of everything.

“Ok… uhhmm. Ay dios mi-wow…”

“…”

“…”

“Are you ok?”

“Let me just help you get to the nurse’s office.” Mirabel offers after handing him his stuff and after seeing the boy woobling on his feet she grabs his arm and puts it over her shoulder. The boy stiffens his body at that.

“Are you new here? Never seen you before.” She starts as the now duo make their way to the nurses office.

“Yeah… Me and my Dad just moved. Héctor Vasto, I’d say pleased to meet you but this situation is anything but pleasent.”

“Ni que lo digas, Mirabel Madrigal. I’d offer you a handshake but my hands are full.”

“JA! That’s a good one!”

“That wasn’t a joke.”

“Ah… Sorry? It was funny so I thought-”

“No, don’t worry about it! It’s fine, your’s sounded so sincere so I wanted to do it aswell-”

“That was a joke. Didn’t you hear my sarcasm?”

“No.”

“…wow. My Cousin was right. No one can tell when I joke cus’ of my voice.”  

With this rather awkward first meeting moving on inside the school only two individuals remained to have had bare witness to it.

“Why are you making that face Camilo?”

“…I-I… Antonio, I’m so confused at what just happened.”

*

“This is infantilizing.”

“But we are kids.”

“Still.”

“You could’ve just not asked for the ice-cream. You saw them give Antonio a hat to wear when he ordered it. Did you think they’d treat you any different?”

Mirabel and Camilo were seated at the Zoo’s food court and Mirabel was having the time of her life watching Camilo trying and failling at removing a hat with big, red letters spelling “AMO EL ZOO” with animal paws in place of the O’s. It’s hilarious to her.

“Ah, screw it!” Camilo exclames exhasperated and started to inhale the frankly gargantuan amount of ice-cream he ordered.

Mirabel herself decided on a lemonade for the heat. Their outing has just started so she’d rather not have sticky fingers for it’s remainder. Her phone vibrates in her dress so she takes it out and sees a text from Héctor.

H: Sent me a photo of some lizards if you can… Please?

M: Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it u weirdo

H: I resent that.

M: Bye!

As she pockets her phone she notices Antonio coming her way. Her tiny cousin having left the table where his parents are. She can’t help but feel vindicated at her suspicions, with Jorge and their Tío Bruno not being able to come here with them Antonio went and asked her to come along.

“Mira! Mira! There is a show at the sea lion exhibit! We gotta go! C’mon, c’mon.” Antonio starts to pull her by her hand and Mirabel is barely containing her chuckles.

“Ya Antonio, but we have to ask your papás first.” Mirabel moves her head to check if Tía Pepa and Tío Felix are alright with this and when she finds them Tío Felix completely un-bothered by it but her Tía looks uncomfortable, and yet she still motions to let her and Antonio go the show.

The show is fun and informatic as always. The presenter guides the sea lions to walk, bark and show their differences in shape and sizes and soon Antonio and her can come up to them to take a picture.

“How did you get a job here?” Antonio asked with the same lack of tact that little children have.

The presenter sputters a bit but some composes herself and answers. “Well, I always liked animals so I studied a lot. And then when the Zoo offered to expand their wild-life shows and presentations I just couldn’t resist.”

“How long did you study?” Mirabel heard Antonio asked with quite the intense tone.

The presenter quite surprised at the intensity of this tiny kid answered.“I was at my University for five years. But those years were amazing I tell you. So many animals I worked with! You’ll have fun if you choose to study something like that.”

Antonio looks displeased on the picture they took and Mirabel can’t even begin to wonder why.

Later that day, after they had returned home tired from all the walking and excitement of the zoo, Mirabel decides to make herself something to eat. With her papás having taken the opportunity to go out to a restaurant and Abuela going against her Doctor’s orders and going to check with the other tenants if something needs to be fixed or solved, Mirabel can actually cook whatever she’d like for herself.

“Do we not have eggs?” Of course… Her papás expected Tía Pepa to get her something to eat and are probably getting something to bring here from the restaurant, ergo, they have not gone for groceries.

“What to do? What to do? What to do?” She muses until finally deciding on going to her Tíos and borrowing some of their eggs. She can already taste los huevos con tomate she is gonna have.

Mirabel goes out of her apartment and goes to her Tios’. She is almost knocking at their door but finds it half opened and she can hear a voice she recognizes from inside.

“…so anxious? I already apologized for not being able to go out with you. Roberto and Jorge got sick and I-”

“It’s not that! Sorry- It’s not cuz’ of that Bruno. It’s- It’s just… Ay dios.”

“Pepi. Cariño, it’s ok. We can fix this.”

Mirabel can hear her Tíos and Tía inside. From what she can hear Tía Pepa is having quite the moment and Tío Félix is trying to calm her. Mirabel inches closer a focuses on listening to their conversation.

“She shouldn’t have to deal with this-I don’t-No sé why does he not speak to me? We are trying are we not? Sorry-I’m just… Thank for visiting, Bruno. Tengo que-I’ll be in our room. Good night.”

“Pepi, please.”

“Night Pepa.”

The sounds of chair scratching and a door closing can be heard and soon are followed by a deep sigh and a thud.

“She’s not taking it well.”

“She meant for today to be for her and Antonio, and you aswell but after you canceled and Antonio invited Mirabel… well.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Antonio shouldn’t be worrying Mirabel this much and he should be coming to us for those things. Pepa is worried Antonio doesn’t see us as his parents.”

“Antonio knows you are his parents-”

“But he doesn’t talk to us! He doesn’t ask us for things, tells us nothing about school and when he went away on his birthday he only let Mira take him. This is not healthy for him and is absolutely not fair to Mira.”

From where she is by the door Mirabel can only cover hold her face in confussion. She can understand where her Tío is coming from but she honestly never saw this as anything weird.

Sure, Antonio likes to spend a lot of time with her and yes, Antonio may ask her things she shouldn’t have to answer at her age and maybe she has noticed that Antonio always mellows out a lot when he is with his parents and…

…ok. Now she sees how weird that actually is. As she has this realization her Tíos continue their conversation.

“…said he asked you something odd?”

“Si, asked me about “Short University Carrers”. What is he worrying about University? He is barely six.”

“How short? The carrers I mean.”

“Two years. He asked about carrers that last two years. If he wants to go to a trade school we are obviously fine with it, but he is too young to be thinking this much ahead.”

Two years? Why that specific? Mirabel muses by the door.

There is a heavy sigh and Mirabel hears the muffled voice of her Tío Bruno, as if he has his face covered with his hands, coming from inside the apartment.

“Dios… let me be wrong about this. Félix?”

“¿Si?”

“How old are you?”

“What? Why do you-”

“Please. Just entertain me. How old are you?”

“Fifty.”

“…and Pepa is the same. Antonio is five…”

“Bruno. You know that if you want us to follow you, you gotta tell us what you’re thinking.”

“Antonio will get out of high-school at eighteen. Plus the two years from trade school those are fifteen years from now… What is fifty plus fifteen?”

“…ay dios mío. You really think he is doing all of becuase of that?”

“It’s a start.”

Is at this moment that Mirabel decides to wait for her parents to have herself something to eat. Too much theorizing about her family on an empty stomach and honestly she is getting sad from all of this.

Antonio is putting himself on a time limit… until his parents turn retirement age… How did he ever come up with that?! 

*

The next day Camilo asks her for help in studying for a test so she goes to his apartment after lunch.

Mirabel is almost a hundred percent certain Camilo managed to forget about it in the few hours that have passed becuase she has been waiting for an hour in his room and he’s still not coming.

As another quarter of an hour passes Mirabel decides to leave and just let Camilo study by himself. As she makes her way out of her Tíos apartment she finds herself intruding on a conversation between Antonio and his parents.

Mirabel firstly sighs becuase she is tired of finding herself in this type of situations, but still makes no noise and stays still as to not make her location known.

“You two are old…” Mirabel hears Antonio talk. He sounds meek as if he was found doing some mischief. “Old people get tired and… and have to worry about grandkids and… and they should not-not be stressed out by kids…”

Mirabel can hear Tía Pepa sniffling while Antonio continues talking and she can picture her Tío Félix just behind her Tía rubbing circles on her back.

“If I don’t worry you, you don’t get stressed and you can just think about more important things… like retiring or grandkids or something like that…”

Ay Antonio… Mirabel can barely conprehend how Antonio came to that conclusion and it seems she is not alone in that thought.

“Toñito, mi vida…” Her Tía Pepa starts. Her voice strained and watery. “You and your siblings are the most important thing in our lives. We are your parents, it is our job to worry about you.”

“She is right Antonio. Doesn’t matter if we are fifty, sixty, seventy. We’re always gonna worry ‘bout you. That’s what parents do.”

“Well you shouldn’t!” Antonio shouts incredibly out of character for him. “You shouldn’t! I can-I-I can cope. I have Mira and-”

“Toñito, that’s not healthy.”

“I don’t… I just… I don’t want to burden you…”

The conversation ends and she can hear Antonio whimpering and his parents doing shushing and cooing noises as to comfort him.

Mirabel just gets out of there and back to Camilo’s room she just can’t bare to hear what transpires there.

*

“So? Any idea of what Cortes will have us do for the test?”

“Ni idea.”

Mirabel was once again eating her lunch by the schools entrance, only that now Héctor was with her. Tía Pepa took Antonio out off school for a bit. Apparently they are gonna get him to attend therapy. At least Héctor seems like an adequate replacement.

“So my Dad started dating again.”

“Ah… How do old people even date like that?”

“Beats me. Honestly I pity those women. My Father can be quite the character.”

Mirabel was taken out of the conversation by her phone ringing in her pocket and so she took it out. Annoyingly the screen read “Isabela” so she just declined the call.

“Well that’s seems like enough of my Dad’s dating life so… How have you been? Something exciting going on with your family?”

“God, I hope not!”

“Bo-ring!”

“Look, it’s been quite the week! Only one major event per week that’s all I ask!”

Her phone started to ring again and she declined the call again.

“Honestly I’d rather school be the most stressful thing in my life right now.”

“Fair. Sadly, I’m a genious so I gotta have my intake of stress somewhere else.” Héctor said before taking a bite of the sandwich he had for lunch.

“Your grades are barely better than mine, pendejo.” Mirabel said in mock outrage.

“Eeacly. An dats wit nu stuuing. Ai’d be unstopuble if a did.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full! It’s gross!”

“Mirabel!” The shool doors opened and from them Camilo came out and grabbed Mirabel by the arm. “Sorry string bean. But I gotta take Mirabel back home! Bye!”

The two cousins made their way back inside the school and make their way towards Mirabel’s locker.

“Why do you have a phone if you are not answering it? They had to call me to get you!”

“¿Qué? What heppened?”

“…Luisa passed out while training.”

*

Mirabel is honestly tired of the ammount of time she has had to spend inside a hospital. Her Mamá and Papá are inside the room where Luisa is and Mirabel herself is just outside of it. The experience would be at least somewhat bearable if it weren’t that she has to sit besides Isabela.

Mirabel looks at her oldest sister and sees her rather frazzled, bouncing her leg up and down and her face on her hands.

“Why… didn’t you answer the phone?” Isabela asks through her hands.

“Sorry, I just…” Mirabel tries to articulate her answer but leaves it at that. Isabela and her know why she didn’t answer and yet Mirabel feels awful for not answering for obvious reasons.

As Mirabel let’s the silence between herself and Isabela hang she can hear some mumbling from her sister.

“What are you doing?”

“Counting to ten.” Isabela says through gritted teeth.

The door to Luisa’s room opens and her Papá comes out with his eyes red.

“You girls can come in now.”

*

I: I’m doing my practice in the city so if anything happens to Luisa I want you to text me. Please answer.

M: …

I: Mirabel

M: …

I: Answer me. Please

M: Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it.

*

Luisa comes to stay with them for the rest of the year. Her Mamá, Papá and Abuela make prepare her room for her and she is not going to any of her sporting events. Luisa looks absolutely ghastly as she is demanded to rest. Her parents and Abuela having to make sure chores are almost always done so Luisa doesn’t spend all her resting time doing them. Mirabel even offers Luisa to bunk with her one night so Mamá and Papá can do Luisa’s room.

The sisters spend a lot more time than usual up so Mirabel starts to ask Luisa about anything and everything to pass the time and fall sleep.

“Is there anyone you like? As in to date?”

“Yeah… but I don’t have the time.” Luisa answer is in a drone like voice.

“Do you ever like… get tired of eating that much food? It looks tiring.”

“Yeah… actually yeah.” Luisa is still droning with the same cadence and her eyes still looking alert.

“Good thing is the weekend tomorrow. It looks like you and I are not falling sleep any time soon.” Mirabel tries to mellow out her tiredness but Luisa is still the same.

“I guess… The thing I took was supposed to give energy so…”

“Pe-perdón what?” Mirabel asks astonished at what her sister just implied.

“Everyone in the team used it at some point so I…” Luisa starts but soon stops as when she starts to sniffle. “I had to tell Papá and Mamá and I-I had to ask them to tell Abuela for me cuz’-cuz’ it would’ve killed me to see her…”

Mirabel moves to hug her sister as Luisa starts to whimper.

“You were all so proud of me so I just… I just couldn’t stop.” Luisa falls asleep soon after that and Mirabel follows suit soon after. Although not before sending her other sister a text.

Next morning Isabela shows up and all but forces Luisa to go out with her. Isabela gives a quick nod to Mirabel and mouths “Thank you” to her even if her face looks quite intense.

*

M: Did u have Cortés for mate 2?

I: My god what is with that spelling?

I: But yes… why?

M: Was he also a pendejo back then?

I: You are texting me for this?

M: Well excuse me for wanting to talk to you!

I: …

I: …

I: Yes I had him. No one in my year liked him… or in any of the other years I think.

M: I’m gonna die

M: gonna die of boredom

I: …

I: …

I: …

I: Pity

*

Mirabel almost lets herself fall on her school desk as the school day ends a tired groan coming out of her.

“So I guess school is not the most stressful thing on your mind at the moment.”

“Why can’t my family just have average problems?!” Mirabel yelled as hard as she could but the sound was muffled as she had laid her head on top of her arms as one does when one is exhausted.

“Well, you aren’t average so…” Héctor said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Mirabel lift up her head and just took the meanest look she could muster towards Héctor.

“I-I meant it as a compliment.” He hastily added.

“You’ll live for now.”

“Your threats don’t work against me any more.” Héctor said as he put on his backpack and went through the class door. “With whomelse you gonna complain about everyone else?”

Mirabel only snorts at that and makes her preparations to leave aswell until she notices a notebook that is not hers on the floor. It has a black snake on its cover so it most be Héctor’s.  Sadly he has already left so she’ll take it with her and give it back tomorrow. A sheet of paper falls from it and Mirabel bends to pick it up but stops as she notices what’s on it.

It’s a drawing. A drawing of her.

Mirabel picks up the drawing and opens the notebook to put it back in but inside of it there are more drawings. Amongst drawings of lizarsds and snakes there is the comparatively odd sight of her.

There is her eating her lunch. Her bored out off her mind in class. Just her smiling. Each one with the same amount of detail.

“Oh…” Mirabel thinks to herself as she closes the notebook. “…so thats how that feels like.”

She would get back home with it tightly held to her chest and would hunker down in her room until her Papá called her for dinner.

*

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come with us Mirabel?” Her Papá asks her as the adults of her family are preparing to travel to the capital. Her parents are taking Luisa out off her sports team and school. Her Mamá and Abuela specially are going there to scream at whomever offered their daughther and grandaugther drugs.

“Si, Papá. As much as I’d like to see Mamá and Abuela kill a person, I still have to go to school.”

“Well I’m still worried about leaving you all alone here mija.”

“Ay Papá! I’m almost sixteen, I can be by myself for a weekend!”

“It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Her Papá mutter not unlike a child would.

“Well… It is the responsable decision on her part Agustín.” Her Abuela interjects after finishing taking her bag out of their apartment. “I-I trust that if anything serious were to happen you will call us.” Abuela says looking at her.

“Ye-yeah, thank you, Abuela.” It still feels odd to see her Abuela this mellowed out, but baby steps as they say.

“Well come back on Tuesday. You’ll see us when you get home from school.” Her Mamá says as she bids her goodbye. “There’s money for food on the fridge. If you need anything else just go and ask your Tiós.”

“Bye Mirabel, we love you!” The family collectively as they started to depart.

“Love you too guys.” Mirabel responded.

As she entered to the now almost empty apartment Mirabel sent a text to one of her only contacts.

*

M: u free this weekend?

H: Si, dont have anything… Why?

M: i have the house for myself… Wanna hangout?

H: yeah… why not?

*

There is a knock on her apartment’s door and Mirabel hurries to open it, hoping for the night to go well.

We are just hanging out! How could we mess this up? This is gonna be fine!

“Héctor! Hi! What brings you here?” Mirabel says as she opens the door and almost as soon she cringes at her choice of words.

“Yo-you invited me?”

“Yes! Yeah I did… come in.”

The two teens make their way inside and are soon left to their own awkward devices.

“I wanted to bring something bu-but it would’ve been weird to order delivery to another place with my Dad listening.” Héctor starts as he takes a plastic bag from his backpack. “So I just went to a store on my way here and I bought a ton of frozen junk food.”

“Ah, thank you!” Mirabel says as she takes the bag from him, taking out a packet of frozen empanadas from the bag. “Since you are the guest, I’ll put these in the oven.”

“I can help you if you want.”

“I insist! I’m the host now as the only Madrigal here!” She says in mock seriousness and to this Héctor snorts.

“Fine… Can I use your bathroom?”

“I’ll allow it!” Mirabel yell’s at Héctor as she puts the empanadas in the oven. She can hear Héctor laughing as he walks away calling her “Such a strict matriarch.”

What do I even see in him? Mirabel taunts herself in her mind and yet she wears a smile as she does.

Mirabel finishes setting up the oven and moves to prepare the living room for the rest of the night.

“What… the fuck!?”

After a sharp intake of breath Mirabel quickly turns around and is met with the absolutely flabbergasted face of Isabela.

“¡¿Qué-qué- qué haces aquí?!”

“Papá asked me come check on you!”

“I told him I could be fine for a weekend!”

“And you thought he’d believe it!?”

At this Mirabel sputters and tries to argue but as she thinks back to how her Papá is with her, and herself being his youngest daughter, she can only let a weak “…maybe.” out of her.

“Who was that kid?” Isabela asks her no longer surprised but looking exhasperated. She is pinching the bridge of her nose.

“He’s a friend, ok?” Mirabel says, resigned at the situation. Ans she lets he reyes wander to the floor until she hears Isabela mumbling. “What are you doing?”

“…counting to fifty.” Isabela finishes counting and after that mumbles some words that Mirabel can almost make out “too late” and “can’t believe I’m doing this” amongst those words.

“Here what’s gonna happen.” Isabela starts and Mirabel lets her face fall on her arms and lets the inevitable telling to her parents and a rant wash over her.

“I’m gonna go to my room and I’m gonna listen to some very loud music on my headphones. If something bad happens, look at me!” At that Isabela snapped her fingers to get Mirabel to look at her instead of just letting her keep her face on her arms. “I mean it. If something bad happens I hope my younger sister goes ands tells me. Goodnight.” Isabela said through her gritted teeth.

Mirabel is left surprised and by herself. Not thinking this the outcome of Isabela being here. She can listen Isabela’s steps going further down the apartment to where her room is but almost as instantly as she does she hears them coming back and with them her sister looking for something in her pockets.

“Give me your hand.”

“What?”

“Just gIve me your hand!”

Mirabel does and she can faintly see some sort of plastic wrap in her sister’s hands before Isabela puts it on her’s.

“Don’t be stupid.” Is the last thing her sister says to her before going to her room.

When Mirabel is certain that she is alone again in the room she takes a peek at what’s in her hand and as soon as she does she chucks it across the room.

She feels like washing her hands after having touched the item she recognized from Sex-Ed.

“Nope” Mirabel finally says after composing herself. “Don’t think about it. You are not ready for that. Not yet! Just… bleugh…”

Héctor arrived back from his bathroom break to a very red-faced Mirabel and some almsot burnt empanadas, but he doesn’t say anything about becuase if his friend is feeling that stressed about tonighs the least he can do is not stress her more.

*

The next morning Mirabel wakes up from the slumber party Héctor and her had in the living room to a note on her face.

Went out for mi práctica.

Coming back at seven.

Make sure the thing is in order! - Isabela

Mirabel heats up some more of the frozen food Héctor brought and after that bids him goodbye. And becuase she is a good host she walks him to the gates of the apartment compound where she lives.

“I had fun last night.”

“Yeah… I did aswell.”

“Maybe I could… invite you over some other time?”

“I can always tell my Dad I’m at my cousin’s.”

“So… we have a-”

This riveting back and fort is abruptly ended at the entrance to the building when a girl, out of nowhere, sprints through the two of them making the two teens almost fall.

“Dios! What is her problem?” Héctor asks her with obvious sarcasm. “She looks like she just ran a marathon but she wants to keep running? Ay… how I pity addicts…”

“Ni idea… although she seems familiar to me.”

“A neighbor?”

“No. I think I’ve seen her somewhere else bef-”

A cry that would make the bravests of warriors and the dumbests of idiots shake on their boots makes Mirabel stop speaking and Héctor shake on his feet.

Tía Pepa is angry.  

“¡Camilo Madrigal! I swear that if you made me a grandmother before Dolores I’ll cut you off my will and then I’ll cut your-!”

The sound of a window closing makes the two teens look up at where her Tíos apartment is, in particular where the fire escape stairs are, and they can see Camilo runing down those stairs with an equally dishevelled look to the girl that just run past them.

Mirabel and Héctor are speechless.

“Mira?”

“I guess that was really a love letter…”

Camilo almost trips at the last step of the fire escape Ladder and Tía Pepa can still be heard yelling.

“¡Camiiilooo!”

*

Her Mamá y Tía managed to convince Tío Bruno to go out with them for their shared birthday. Mirabel’s Papá tells her that Roberto actually coaxed her Tío to accept the invitation.

As it is the triplets birthday that left everyone else at the Madrigal house to take care of both Antonio and Jorge. Abuela is taking care of the food while the in-laws of the family, her Tío Félix got a kick when he told Roberto he was an in-law aswell, entertained the two small children until getting them in bed.

All in all it was a quiet night for the house. Mirabel even able to do her homework in the same room as them, even if she is almost falling sleep while doing it. But all of that calm and quiet was soon shattered as her Mamá and Tíos arrived clearly having drunk quite a bit.

Or at least Tía Pepa has, as she is being drag by both Julieta and Bruno.

“I take it you three had a good evening?” Roberto asks the trio rather awkwardly, not being used to the family shenanigans.

“Roberto! C’here I needa hugh you…” Pepa says with no hesitancy, ner brother and sister only Rolling their eyes at her. It seems the other two triplet have drunk aswell, but not as much as the redhead.

Roberto makes way for Pepa to basically hang on him and the rest of the room chuckles at that. “I always knew. But now I can actually brag about it.” Pepa slurs while hanging on Roberto.

“Knew what, Pepa?” The man follows along to her drunk ramblings.

“That I’m the only triplet with good taste in men!”

At this outburst there are two different reactions. Bruno, Julieta, Alma and Roberto are cringing at the admitedly rude comment, while Agustin and Félix just burst out laughing at it.

“You and I dated first. What does that say about your taste in men then?” Agustin manages after wiping a tear off his face and Félix gives him a pat on the back at that.

“That my taste has only grown up with me. Worst 3 months of my life, cuñado.” Pepa let´s go of Roberto as she says that and goes to hang herself on Félix’s broad shoulders. The robyst man can only laugh at the apparently common antics of his drunk wife.

“But I was the one to brake up with you.” Agustin fires back with no ill intent. Julieta watches on with her hands covering her face.

“Whatever makes you feel better, Agustin. Whatever makes you feel better…”

Honestly this type of conversation would have either traumatized Mirabel, made her cringe at her Tía’s sense of humor or she would’ve just laugh at her Mamá feeling embarrassed for the first time in her life.

Good for Mirabel that she fell asleep while doing her homework before the triplets arrived.

*

Mirabel wakes up to a chat being had. She is still laid where she fell asleep earlier. Too grown up to keep getting picked up and left at her room would do that to her. At least someone put a cushion under her head and a blanket over her. She is still drowsy

“He still” Mirabel hears her Abuela speaking. “He still has those nights I see.”

“I don’t think he’ll ever stop having them.” Mirabel hears Roberto of all people answers back.

Mirabel can infer from that that they are talknig about Tío Bruno.

“What was it this time? The last one I rember him having was…”

“Death?” At this there is a small pause. A small intake of breath can be heard and Mirabel knows it was her Abuela the one to do it.

“Even after all this time he’s still…”

“Yeah…”

There is the faint sound of glass hitting wood and of two sips, or rather gulps, being taken.

“How do you do it?” Her Abuela starts again and she doesn’t sound anything like Mirabel is used.

“Do what?”

“Help him with his mind.” Abuela says and soon chokes a bit. “I never figured out how.”

There is a bit of silence before she hears a big gulp and the glass hits the table with more intensity.

“Most of times I don’t know if I’m actually helping him. I just do what I can.” Roberto answer with evident uncertainty.

“Thank you… for being there for him when I couldn’t.”

“There’s no thanks to give, but you’re welcome anyway.”

Mirabel falls sleep to her Abuela and un-official Tío’s middle of the night chat. Soothed by the whispered words they share.

“Does he still check the stove? The oven?”

“Ay dios… Yes! Yes he does! Sometimes I’ve thought about buying one of those camaras and just have him keep a picture of the stove being off before he goes to bed.”

“Oh, that’s smart… He stopped cracking his neck. Was that you?”

“That was all Jorge! When the boy first heard him crack his neck he wouldn’t stop crying and wouldn’t leave him alone. My baby thought Bruno would kill himself by doing that and so Bruno had to cut that one out.”

“He was always like that! When he was young he had trouble to go to the bathroom, he would keep himself from going. How something that big could come out of a 7 year old beat me and I didn’t know how to convince him that he had to go more regularly.”

“So what happened?”

“Julieta brought home an old medicine book one of the neighbours gave her.” “The two of them read so much of it they stopped doing anything it deemed unhealthy in fear of having those frankly ghastly procedures done to them. They wouldn’t eat anything with oil or sugar or touch their eyes. They spent a week checking their teeth for cavities.”

“They did?”

“They eventually stopped doing that too… But I think the mental picture of having a pop bag sew to him stuck to Bruno and from then he never went a day without going to the bathroom at least once.”

“I just had an idea for the meanest birthday gift…”

At least, with the change of topics, her dreams turn to a more fun side and Mirabel falls asleep with a small smile on her face.

*

This year was honestly not what Mirabel expected it to be.

Antonio is learning to be open with his parents.

Luisa is not doing anything sporty and is actually relaxing.

She can kinda talk with Isabela, if only via text and for only a few minutes, without wanting to strangle her.

She herself is more honest with her parents.

Abuela is calmer even if sometimes Mirabel sees her biting her tongue to not say something.

She has a new un-official Uncle and Cousin, and her Tío Bruno is at least hanging out with his sisters.

She has a friend!... or a first crush… How unexpected was that?

But even then her relationships are not perfect.

Her parents still tend to see her as their baby and nothing else.

Isabela still has her outburts.

Luisa has her times where she feel useless and in return makes everyone feel useless.

Abuela looks incredibly sad some days.

Tío Bruno has bad days and bad nights regularly.

And Mirabel herself sometimes closes herself to her parents efforts.

Her life isn’t perfect. Her family isn’t perfect. But that is fine, she thinks. If they were perfect then all their mistakes would’ve never be considered as such and would’ve just been left to fester.

Her family is not how she used to think they were. They are not puzzle pieces looking to be put together but a bundle of wire with raggedy bits and sharp edges. They are stuck together and they make each other jolt and they prick one another, but if one were to leave or be cut then the bundle would crumble and stop working.

She does not have a perfect family and yet she has one.

A family.