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Madrigals Read Not While I’m Around.
Casita is not happy with the Madrigals. Especially Alma and Isabela. The way that they have been treating her heart for the last ten years is unacceptable. If it wasn’t for her heart, she would have fallen apart years ago. Now her heart is the one that’s breaking down after years of mistreatment and neglect. And Casita refuses to allow this to go on any longer. It’s time for them to open their eyes.
She rattles her floor tiles and shoves all of the Madrigals into a room with no doors. To say that they are upset with their normally gentle house's rough handling would be an understatement.
“¡Casita!”
“Ow!”
“¡Casita qué haces!?”
“Pepa, you have a cloud!”
“Clear skies!”
"Why did Casita put us in here?"
"To read this short book."
Everyone turns and looks at Mirabel, who had picked up a thin book off of the coffee table.
Mirabel flushes under their stares but relaxes when Antonio runs over and holds his arms out to her. She can’t help but smile at how sweet and adorable her niño is, and she doesn’t hesitate to scoop him up into her arms.
Alma sighs, exasperated with her giftless granddaughter. Isabela scoffs and rolls her eyes, annoyed with her useless sister. Luisa coos at her primo and hermanita and yanks them both into her arms so that they can sit on the sofa with her.
They all take their seats as Agustín grabs the book and starts reading.
“After months of hard work, the Madrigal’s house was finally repaired. It was just about ready for the Madrigals to move in; all that was left was for a door knob to be placed.”
“Repaired!?”
“Casita collapses!?”
“Oh shit.”
“Camilo language!”
“Sorry Mamí.”
Alma crosses herself and nods for Agustín to continue reading.
“We made this one for you," Antonio softly says while carefully holding out a golden door knob that is engraved with an "M" on it.
Mirabel's eyes widen, and she gently takes the door knob, cradling it in her hands. She looks up at the rest of her family, and her large doe eyes well with tears at their soft, encouraging gazes.
Antonio delicately clasps her hand in his and then beams at her when she softly squeezes it, his tooth gap on display.
Her eyes water as her hands ball into fists, but Mirabel refuses to look at any member of her family. She knows that if she does, the tears will fall with no end in sight.
Camilo takes over and shoots his hermana a look to cover her ears before he reads the next part.
Mirabel smiles back at him, and just as she's about to make her way towards the door, when a loud, obnoxious voice calls out, "Hey, four eyes!" "Don't think that you're special or important because your family took pity on you and decided to include your giftless self with something." "You're still a clumsy, ugly, weird, useless perra who only knows how to mess things up."
"¿¡QUÉ!?"
“Who the fuck does that little shit think he is to say those things about mi nube!?”
“Pepa language!”
“To hell with language that pedazo de mierda insulted mi bebé!”
"Julieta, control yourself!”
"Abuela, with all due respect, shut up.”
"Luisa, how dare you!”
“I dare, because my hermanita is being harassed!”
“Can we please just keep reading?”
Almost everyone winces at how broken Mirabel’s voice sounds, but they obey her wishes.
Camilo blinks rapidly to prevent the tears of anger and frustration that desperately want to spill, and he keeps reading.
Just like that, Mirabel's smile disappears as she turns around and faces Javier Alvaro, her childhood bully. From the moment her door vanished, Javier started making her life a living hell. Every day he'd insult and torment her, laughing hysterically whenever his cruel words caused rivers of tears to cascade down her cheeks. As the years passed, his abuse progressed to him hitting and pushing her.
Javier would trip her when no one else was around and grip her arms and wrists so hard they'd bruise. His tall, lanky form would tower over her, and he'd snarl out how ugly, stupid, worthless, and annoying she is. And how no one in the village likes her, and that everyone, including her family, only tolerates her because they need someone to take out their anger and frustration on.
“¡Mentira!”
"That’s it." "I’m going to turn this asshole into my new lightning rod." "When I’m done with him, all that will be left is a pile of ash."
“I’ll gladly help you, mi vida.”
"Mirabel, mi corazón, everything that boy has said to you is a lie." "None of it is true."
"Miraboo, you mean everything to your Mamá and me." "You’re so special."
“Mira, why didn’t you tell us that you were being bullied?”
Mirabel wipes her eyes and laughs darkly. She turns around to face her family and answers, “I did.” “I tried so many times to tell you guys that Javier was making my life hell, and none of you did a thing to help me.” “You were all too busy being the perfect and amazing Madrigals to spare even a few minutes for the giftless mistake.”
The Madrigals gasp as they hear how the youngest girl in the family feels about herself. Mirabel had been bullied for years and had tried to tell them, but they all turned a blind eye to her pain. She was ignored and pushed to the side for years, yet she still smiled and tried her best to help the family. They didn’t deserve someone as kind, loving, and generous as Mirabel.
Teary-eyed Antonio throws his arms around Mirabel and says, “Mamí you aren’t worthless, and you aren’t a mistake.” “You’re my Mamí, and I love you so much.”
Mirabel trembles as she cradles him close to her and replies, “I love you too, Toñito; I love you more than anything in the world.”
Pepa holds a hand against her heart as her cloud rains down on all of them. It hurts that her bebé calls Mirabel his Mamí, but her sobrina was the one who took care of him. She and Félix were too busy to raise Antonio, and Mirabel stepped up to the plate. It’s thanks to her that Toñito is such a sweet and happy boy.
Luisa sniffles as she picks up the book and continues where Camilo left off.
Antonio balls up his small hands into fists, digging his fingernails into his palms, as white-hot rage burns through him at this stupid jerk making fun of his Mira. His beloved prima/mamí who raised him. She taught him how to speak, read, write, and count. Mira was the one who checked under his bed every night for monsters and who would sing him lullabies to help him sleep. The girl who dances and plays with him and who does everything in her power to make him smile when he's sad. Mira is his whole world, his everything, and he can't stand to see her sad or upset.
Everyone except for Alma coos at Mirabel and Antonio’s relationship and at how much he loves her.
He glares at the stupid teen and barks, "Mira is the most special and amazing person in the world." "She's kind, and she's great at singing and sewing." "She's my Mamí, and the best person ever." "You're just a mean cabrón who bullies my Mamí because you're jealous that she has so much to offer and you have nothing."
“Language!”
“ANTONIO LANGUAGE!” Pepa exclaims.
Javier's cheeks flush red, and he sputters as he tries to come up with a response. The Madrigals and the rest of the villagers snicker and laugh at him, thoroughly enjoying the tongue lashing he received from the five-year-old boy. Mirabel can't help but giggle at how easily her hombrecito shut down her bully.
Most people would fall back and leave after being chastised and thoroughly embarrassed by a child, but Javier is a prideful idiota who acts without thinking things through. He clenches his jaw and gazes at Antonio with malice before raising his arm towards him, intending to backhand the niño.
“Oh hell no!”
“I’ll kill that bastard if he touches even one curl on my hermanito’s head.”
SMACK!
Mirabel is sent crashing to the ground from the force of the slap she receives. She had been watching Javier carefully and knew that the bastardo would try to retaliate against her jaguarcito.
“Javier’s ass is grass!”
“I’m going to electrocute him so much that not even his ashes will be left behind!”
“Forget that I’m going to beat him to a bloody pulp with my rolling pin over and over again until he’s on the brink of death.” “And then I’m going to heal him with an arepa just so that I can beat him again.”
Everyone gapes at sweet, gentle Julieta, stunned that she would say something so violent.
"Campanita!"
"Hermanita!"
"Sis!"
"Mira!"
"Mirabel!"
"Miraboo!"
"Mi nube!"
"Kid!"
"Mariposa!"
"MAMÍ!"
Mirabel's family members all cry out when she's hit, but Antonio's scream breaks her heart. Her dulce niño sounds so scared and worried.
Antonio whimpers, and Mirabel kisses him on top of his head in between whispering sweet nothings.
Javier chuckles and snarls out, "¡Maldita perra!" "You had to get involved, and now you're on the ground where you belong."
Antonio runs up, kicks Javier's knee as hard as he can, and yells, "The only perra here is you for hitting my Mamí!"
Javier grows and lunges at Antonio, but before he even lays a finger on him, Mirabel rises, winds her arm back, and punches him hard.
CRACK!
Javier yelps and collapses onto the ground as he clutches his broken nose, unsuccessfully attempting to stem the blood gushing out of it.
“Hell yeah!”
“Go prima!”
“Beat his bitch ass up!”
Mirabel is not an aggressive person, but witnessing this poco hombre try to hurt Antonio makes her blood boil. She scoffs at him and hisses, "You've made my life hell for years, all because I didn't receive a gift when you don't have one either." You're so sad and pathetic that the only way you're able to feel good about yourself is by bringing me down. I've learned not to care or listen to the lies coming out of your mouth, but you crossed the line when you raised your hand at Antonio. Only a cobarde poco hombre like you would try to hurt a child, and not just any child but my child. "If you ever attempt to harm even one hair on my niño's head or come near him again, you'll wish you were in hell after I'm done with you."
Javier holds his broken nose with one hand and flips her the middle finger with the other. Mirabel bares her teeth at him before lifting her leg back and kicking him as hard as she can right in the balls. She smirks at the girlish, high-pitched scream he lets out before he’s dragged away by some of the villagers.
A gentle tug on her skirt draws her attention, and she knows without even looking that it is her hombrecito.
Antonio gazes at her in awe and tearfully says, "Mamí you were so brave!" "You let that estupido jerk hit you so that he wouldn't hit me."
Mirabel kneels and softly replies, "Of course I did; I couldn't let him hurt you, Toñito. "I promise that no one will ever lay a finger on you, jaguarcito, not while I'm around."
Antonio turns, cups Mirabel’s cheeks, and states, “You’re the best Mamí in the world, Mira, and I’m so happy that you’re mine.”
Mirabel smiles from ear to ear and then kisses him all over his face, in between gushing about how sweet he is.
Antonio's lip quivers, and she coos at him as she gently scoops him up into her arms. Mirabel hugs him tightly and then peppers kisses all over his face, making him giggle.
He clings to her and whispers, "Te quiero mucho, Mamí."
Mirabel swallows the lump in her throat and tenderly states, "Yo también te quiero mucho hombrecito, con todo mi corazón."
“I adore you, Toñito; you are the sun in my sky and the reason why my heart beats.”
Antonio tenderly rests his forehead against Mirabel’s and declares, “If I’m your sun, then you’re my moon.” “And just like the sun can’t live without the moon, I can’t live without you, Mamí.”
Mirabel nuzzles her nose against Antonio’s before holding out her pinky and promising, “You won’t ever have to live without me because I will always be with you, tesoro.”
Antonio beams at her as he hooks his pinky around hers, knowing without a doubt that what his Mamí is saying will come true because his Mamí is the most magical person he knows. And she never lies to him.
One by one, the Madrigals apologize to Mirabel for all the years of neglect and mistreatment that they subjected her to. And they all vow to listen to her and to never exclude her from anything ever again.
Isabela’s eyes are red, her cheeks are blotchy, and her hair is in disarray, but none of that matters. All that matters right now is her precious baby sister. She sobs as she begs Mirabel to forgive her for being so cruel and dismissive toward her.
Mirabel is skeptical but decides to give her older sister and the rest of her family the benefit of the doubt. Only time will tell whether or not their actions match their words, but right now she feels better than she’s felt in a long time. As if this is the start of a new beginning for the Madrigals, and she can’t wait to shine as brightly as the rest of her family.