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The night before Antonio's gift ceremony the town was celebrating. Some were setting off fireworks, some were singing. And some were out partying in a bar. Now don't get me wrong, I don't actually drink alcohol even though I am of age, I just enjoy the music and social atmosphere.
I sat there, with some ice water and some chips. I was watching the crowd, dancing and yelling to the music blaring from the band on stage. As a people watcher I love to see different kinds of people mingling. So I was incredibly interested when a hooded figure walked in not 10 minutes after I'd arrived. I was watching them out of the corner of my eye as I sipped my drink. They sat down not too far from me and ordered a drink. They pulled down their hood and I recognized who it was immediately. She shook her long hair out and let it rest over her shoulder. She took off her coat and revealed a long lavender dress covered with flowers.
It was Isabela Madrigal. What was Isabela doing in a bar the night before Antonio's gift ceremony? I didn't know the Madrigal family personally, but I didn't think that Abuela Alma would like this… I continued to watch her out of the corner of my eye as she had drink after drink. At one point she got up and talked to some people before they asked for flowers and she came back to the bar. She began to cry and I knew that someone had to step in. She shouldn't have been here. It was late and she had responsibilities.
"Hey," I said. She looked up and immediately cleared the tears from her eyes and put on a smile.
"Hello, I don't think I know you," she said.
"I'm Erin."
"Nice name," she said idly, making a flower in her hand and throwing it away.
"Yeah, um. Are you okay Isabela?" I asked. She looked up at me.
"If you're asking if I'm drunk, the answer is no. I know that I need to be alert tomorrow for Antonio, I just had some lemonade."
I nodded and asked again, "are you okay?"
This time she sighed and gestured for me to sit down, which I did. "I have too many responsibilities and like to come here to unwind sometimes," she explained. I knew that if I asked why she was here tonight I would be going too far into personal territory so I just waited. Isabela was silent for a bit but then she said quickly, "in two days I'm getting engaged to a man I don't want to marry."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "I had no idea. Is it an arranged marriage?" I asked. Isabela nodded glumly and took a sip of her lemonade. "Is there any way that you could decline?"
Isa laughed. "Without upsetting my family? Without angering my Abuela? No way."
"What if you just told them how you felt? That this man isn't right for you?" I suggested.
She sighed, "it's not just the engagement… It's the expectation of being perfect. Perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect figure, perfect man… perfect girl."
That sentence hit home for me. My parents had kicked me out as a teen because of my bad grades and reputation. I was adopted and my new parents didn't care whether I got tattoos or piercings or whatever. They just wanted me to be happy and safe. "I understand how you feel," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.
Isa nodded and smiled at me. "Not many people do, but I believe you… thank you, Erin.
Ba-bump! Ba-bump!
I could feel my heart throb at that sad smile.
"Hey, I should get going but, do you want to come over? I want to talk some more. You're really nice," Isabela said, jabbing her thumb towards the door.
"Y- yeah, sure," I said. I hoped I didn't sound too flustered. She smiled and put her coat back on and pulled up her hood. She walked out the door and beckoned for me to follow.
"Put it on my tab," I said to the bartender as I followed Isa. We walked in the shadows and when we got to the Casita Isabela called on her powers and grew some vines to bring us up onto her balcony. She opened the door and we went in, closing it behind us. She took off her coat and hung it on a hook by the door. I looked around in awe. Isa's room was like a floral paradise. The walls, the floors, the decor, all of it… flowers.
"Wow…," I whispered.
"First time seeing it I guess it's nice, but… after a while?" Isa said. Then she pointed to her mouth and said, "blech." I chuckled and wandered around amazed.
I sat down on the floor and caught Isabela looking at me with a slight smile on her face. When she caught my gaze she looked away quickly and walked around until she plopped down next to me and grew a flower crown. She looked at me and then gently placed it on my head. It had purple and black flowers weaved into it. She smiled at me warmly and I grinned back.
"My room is boring, want to go up to the roof?" Isa asked after a while.
"Sure," I replied.
We went back onto the balcony and the vines that Isabela grew helped us onto the roof of the Casita. The view from up there was beautiful, the fireworks lighting up the night sky with the stars glittering above.
"I come up here to think y'know," Isa said, lying down with her arms at her sides. "I sometimes wonder… what my life would be like if I had a different gift, or no gift at all." I was silent, staring at the sky, listening. "I- I feel this need, this pressure to be…perfect. If I didn't have a gift no one would look at me twice. I would be like Mirabel. Happy with no expectations or looming responsibilities," she continued.
"Mirabel doesn't have any family pressures on her?" I asked. I knew that everyone in my family did. I make dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays, my sisters do the dishes, and my parents take out the garbage. The schedule changes every week to keep it fair.
"Well, not exactly… but she can be herself. Nobody expects her to act a certain way or do certain things. She bursts out into song and dances randomly whenever she wants and everyone joins in without a thought. If I did that people would ask what was wrong with 'perfect Isabela'," she explained.
"I think I might know what you mean," I finally said.
"You do?" Isa sat up to rest on her forearms.
"Yeah, I'm adopted, but my birth family was harsh on me with grades and my reputation. When I told them how I felt I was kicked out. But it made me realize that they didn't love me. And that made me feel terrible for a while, but I eventually found people who loved me."I looked over at Isabela, who was shocked. "Not saying that your family hates you, I'm just saying that communication shows you who really cares, and if people care… they'll change."
She nodded at my advice and layed back down."Thank you, Erin. I feel… a lot better."
Ba-bump! Ba-bump!
"I don't think I have the courage to say anything though. About how I feel, my powers, my engagement, my family. We love each other, but Abuela expects us to be a certain way, and I don't want to break her heart…" Isabela said quietly.
"You'll find the courage when you're ready, whether that be tomorrow, the day after, or even weeks, months, or years after. You'll be ready in time," I encouraged her. I felt her take my hand and give it a squeeze. I thought my heart would explode.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome… and for what it's worth…" I was silent as I took a breath. "You could never break anyone's heart."
Silence. Had I said the wrong thing? Was I too obvious? Had it all gone wrong?
An instant later she had pulled me into a tight hug, crying softly on my shoulder. We stayed like that for a while.
Trying to find what makes you happy is hard with so many expectations on you.
After a while she let go and looked at me, her face gleaming in the moonlight. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs and she smiled at me. My heart leaped and my stomach fluttered. Next thing I knew was that she had leaned forwards and kissed me. I could feel my face completely flushed. Isabela's was too, mostly from crying though.
"I needed to do that. I don't want to go through with this engagement but I might not have a choice. And not kissing you would be my biggest regret," she said, staring me right in the eyes. I nodded and she gave a sad smile. We continued to look at the stars before I left to go home.
I went home feeling warm inside, not just from spending time with Isabela, but from helping her too. The next day at Antonio's gift ceremony I was standing in the crowd, waiting. Antonio had got his gift and everyone was happy. Everyone but Isabela.
The next day the town was gathering for the engagement party. Everyone was excited. Everyone but Isabela.
The engagement went wrong and was off, everyone was upset. Except for Isabela.
A few days later I was at the bar and Isabela walked in wearing a new dress, a darker dress with loud splashes of colour all over it. Her hair had a streak of green through it. She looked much happier. She walked over to me and we talked for a bit before doing karaoke and running to the Casita to watch the stars from the roof. We continued to talk everyday, always ending it with watching the stars on the roof, holding hands.