Mirabel smiled softly as she watched Luisa collapse onto the couch, a fantasy novel in her hand. It was so good to see her older sister finally relaxing.
Sofia looked up from where she was playing with some toys that Abuelo had pulled out of a closet, saw Luisa and climbed up onto her with a giggle. Mirabel stifled a laugh, the ninita was very open with her love of Luisa, and it was easy to tell that she was going to fit right in with the family. Well, maybe not Abuela, but that was Abuela's fault.
"I 'ungry," Sofia announced, grabbing hold of her stomach.
Luisa smiled softly, "So am I Zafirita," she insisted, "Let's see what Abuelo has for snacks around here, shall we?" she asked, placing her book down and scooping Sofia up onto her hip.
"But we aren't allowed to have snacks," Mirabel insisted, "Abuela get's mad when we do."
Luisa reached out, cupping Mirabel's shoulder with a large hand, "Abuela isn't here, remember, it's just us and Abuelo. Certain rules that we grew up with no longer apply. Besides, I need to eat before I get sick again."
"Right," Mirabel insisted, "I forgot about that. You really think we can go into the kitchen and get a snack without getting in trouble?"
"There's only really one way to find out," Luisa said, getting back up with a groan, she had after all just sat down, "Come on, Mira, let's check out the kitchen."
Mirabel shrugged and made her way slowly towards the kitchen, unsure about what to expect.
"Anyway," Abuelo was saying as they entered the kitchen to find him with two middle age women that looked a lot like their father, "Agustin and his family are staying with me for a while well they figure out what to do."
"They're lucky that you haven't sold the farm yet," the older of the two women insisted, "Because as much as I would love to help out there is no way I can fit their family in my house as well as you."
"I still can't believe that you're letting Bruno Madrigal stay at your house, Papi, he's nothing but bad luck. I mean look at what he did to Julio," the younger one insisted.
"Bruno told him if he went to the mountain, that he would be killed in a landslide. I told him not to go. Bruno told him not to go. His parents told him not to go. Mama and Papa told him not to go, that finding away out of the Encanto wasn't worth it. He still went, even with the knowledge that there would be a landslide. As much as a miss him, Julio's death was his own fault. He had plenty of opportunities to choose to not go, and he didn't," The older of the two insisted.
"How can you say that about your own husband, Maria?"
"It's the truth, isn't it," Maria demanded, "Blaming Bruno for it would be like… blaming Noah for the great flood. Have you ever thought about that, huh, Carla, besides, the good bible says…"
"Enough with your bible," Carla groaned, "I get it, love thy enemy, bless those that curse thee. I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."
Luisa shifted uncomfortably, she had forgotten how religious her Tia Maria was. The Madrigal family were not church goers, but that does not mean that she didn't know a bit about religion. She read enough Christian Literature to know that Tia Maria would be just as opposed to her situation as Abuela would be.
"Well, maybe if you'd actually attend church once in a while and pray to learn forgiveness, God can…"
"Stop telling me what to do Maria, I'm forty years old, stop acting like you're the boss of me."
"I'm just trying to…"
"I don't need your so called 'Help'."
"Girls," Abuelo snapped, "Stop this fighting at once, you are both grown adults, try to act like it."
Their tias grumbled and looked like they were about to start fighting again when they noticed the three new people in the room.
"Hola Ninas," Abuelo said brightly, acting as if he hadn't just been forced to break up a fight between his two living daughters, "Do you need something?"
Mirabel fidgeted a little, ducking behind Luisa as she rubbed the back of her neck, "I was just wondering… um… when's lunch?"
"Not for a little while Luisa," Abuelo confessed, "If you need something to hold you over, or if Sofia needs a snack, I believe that I have some arepas in that cupboard over there, help yourself. That goes for you as well Mirabel, okay?"
Mirabel poked out from behind her older sister, "You aren't mad? Abuela hates it when I go into the kitchen without permission."
"Well, Mirabel, in case you haven't noticed, I am not, and never will be Senora Madrigal, and should I ever start acting like her, just kill me on the spot," Abuelo insisted, wrinkling his nose in amusement.
Mirabel wrinkled her nose back at him, smiling up at her Abuelo, "Okay," she said.
Luisa helped herself to the leftover arepas, giving one to Sofia, before eating a couple herself, "I think that I'm going to go find someplace to read and just enjoy not having a list of chores a mile long."
"I go you," Sofia insisted.
"Of course," Luisa said, taking a deep breath, "You know how much I love spending time with you. It's so nice, being able to spend time with you without worrying about what anybody says," Luisa turned to head out of the kitchen, before pausing, "Mirabel…?" there was no denying the question there.
"I'm with Abuelo, Tia Maria, and Tia Carla," she pointed out, "I'm pretty sure that covers Papa's requirement that I not be left alone."
"Okay Mira," Luisa said, "But if you need anything, come find me okay."
"Sure Luisa."
No sooner had Luisa left with Sofia did Maria asked, "Isn't that Tomas Rivera's little girl?"
"Si," MIrabel confessed, "Luisa and Tomas are getting married."
"They are?" Carla asked, "You know, with how much the town loves to gossip about the Madrigal family that I would have heard that Luisa was engaged."
"Well, nothing's official yet, but Dolores told me that he's planning on making it official tonight when he comes to dinner, and everyone knows that if you hear it from Dolores it's the honest truth."
"Good for him," Maria insisted, "It can't be easy, raising that little girl without the proper woman influence, although I doubt that Luisa could be called a proper young lady in the traditional sense of the Term."
"Maria," Abuelo growled.
"What's that suppose to mean, Tia?" Mirabel demanded.
"Well, she doesn't really care about her appearance and she's always lifting things. I get that her gift is super strength, but she still uses it way to much. Then again, Sofia would have Isabela as a Tia, so not everything will be lost."
Carla snorted along with Mirabel, "Ay, if you want Sofia to grow up as a proper young lady, you should keep her away from Isabela," Carla insisted, "That girl is wild."
"Tia Carla is right, Tia Maria," Mirabel pipped up, "Isabela is actually very much a tomboy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's not out in the fields right now, jumping in mud puddles."
"Oh, she is," Carla confirmed, "I gave her an old pair of overalls to wear first, so you don't have to worry about mud on her dress."
"What, but she's always so put together?" Maria protested.
"Abuela forced Isabela and Luisa to wear masks. Isabela had to be a perfect princess that grew perfect flowers, and Luisa couldn't be anything but the strong one, that's how the whole village saw them. I kind of expected you, as our Tia, to see past the masks, but I guess that was expecting too much from you huh Tia."
Maria looked red, obviously not expecting to be called out for not knowing her sobrinas, as well as she, had thought she had.
Mirabel suddenly felt nervous, Tia Maria looked just like Abuela right before a beating, and she didn't like that at all.
Abuelo looked at his hija and then at his neita, "Maria, Mirabel has a point, you obviously don't know Agustin's hijas that well, luckily for you, this is a great opportunity to get to know them better. Tonight's going to be hectic, what with Tomas coming to discuss the wedding plans, so why don't you come over… oh let's say Friday night, get them a chance to get settled. Join us for cena. Take the time that you need to actually get to know your sobrinas."
"Well, I don't have anything planned on Friday," Maria muttered.
"You should also apologize to Luisa for calling her unladylike," Mirabel insisted, "Don't think that she won't hear about it. Don't forget who our Prima is."
"Oh yes, the little tattle tale," Maria said grumpily.
"Seriously?" Mirabel asked, "You get after Tia Carla for talking bad about mi Tio Bruno, but then you talk bad not only about my hermana, your sobrina, but my prima as well? We left Casita, our home, to get away from the abuse, not to find it somewhere else."
"Mirabel is right Maria," Abuelo spoke up, "Your Madre and I rose you better than that," he insisted, "If I hear you talking bad about anyone, ever again, and don't think I won't check with Dolores, there will be trouble."
"Honestly Papa, I'm a grown…" Maria trailed off as the door to outside swung open and her sister-in-law stormed inside.
"I get it that Mama founded the Encanto and been in charge of everything for the last fifty years, but I still don't understand why she gets an exemption card for all the laws she passed," she growled, glancing first at her daughter, then her father in law and sister in laws, "Sorry, I'm just frustrated. They pretty much told me that they would be happy to issue me a restraining order, but they have no guarantee that they would be able to enforce it because they don't want to get on Alma's bad side."
"To be fair, Senora Madrigal is in charge of their paychecks. She handles all the taxes which pay for the schools, guards, roads, and Madrigals. She could defund them," Carla pointed out, "What we need to do is find a way to take some of her power away."
"And how do we do that Carla?" Julieta asked, "Everyone is scared of getting on her bad side."
"Well, they're going to have to choose who's bad side they want to be on less, because I can attest that being on your bad side just once was once too many."
