Chapter 8: Casita
50 years before Encanto
"Hola Alma!" One of the older townsfolk smiled, carrying her bag of groceries from the market.
"Hola Señora Alvez." Alma promptly took the grocery bag for the woman, helping her carry it to her house. "How are your boys? Did Gabriel decide on a colour for the baby's room?"
"Ay, by the time he chooses, the babies will be grown and painting his rocking chair." The woman chuckled, linking arms with Alma as they walked.
"Well, let me know if you need any help with the casita." Alma offered with a smile. "I love to paint."
"You sure do." Señora Alvez chuckled, glancing at one of the town murals Alma had made as they passed by. It read "to love at all is to love entirely." And was surrounded by paintings of swirling lights and butterflies.
"Alma, Alma!" A group of kids called out as she passed. Alma smiled at them.
"Hola hombrecitos!" She grinned at them. "Keep out of trouble, mm?"
They giggled, calling after her playfully, because everyone knew it was Alma who was the trouble, though not in a bad way. They all liked her because she was fun. Alma glanced over her shoulder with a wink and the kids giggled.
The old woman stumbled a little and Alma turned back, steadying her.
"Careful, Señora." Alma said gently, then grinned. "Did you have too many drinks at the market?"
Señora Alvez gasped softly, playfully tapping Alma's arm.
"Cheeky girl." She chuckled. "Just you wait. The years will catch up on you too. When you get to my age, those long legs won't be what they once were."
"Hm." Alma frowned, trying to imagine a world where she wasn't strong enough to run, or climb, or even walk home from the market. She went to make a joke that maybe it'd be better if she just died young, but then she didn't. Alma politely bit her tongue, a skill Pedro had been helping her hone over the years.
As they reached the Alvez' casita, Alma leaned closer, eyes bright with excitement.
"Maybe we will have a baby room in our casita soon too." She said quietly, then gave Señora a knowing smile as she headed off.
"Oh?" Señora's face lit up. "Really, Alma?"
Alma turned back with a grin. "What, did you think I was just getting fat?"
"No!" She laughed after her. "No, you're hardly showing, cosa linda... For now." The woman smiled proudly. "Good for you!"
Alma patted her little belly and smiled, waving goodbye as she headed home.
Later
Pedro came home to a suspiciously empty casita.
"Mariposa, I know you're here." He chuckled, knowing his wife too well.
Alma jumped up from behind him, covering his eyes. Pedro made a dramatic sound and pretended to be afraid while Alma giggled. He then scooped Alma up, lifting her in his arms while she squealed in excitement.
Pedro covered Alma's face with kisses, playful as he attempted to to throw her onto the bed.
"No no!" Alma clung on for dear life, tucking her legs up to protect her tummy. "Don't toss me. Please."
Pedro stopped, recognising the serious tone in Alma's voice. He kissed her face, but in a more protective way now.
"You okay?"
She opened one eye and smiled.
"What is it?" He prompted.
Alma gave Pedro a quick kiss, a sparkle in her eyes as she wriggled out of his embrace to stand up.
"Sit down." Alma instructed, and he did. "Now, close your eyes."
"So bossy." Pedro teased as he reached for her. Alma swatted his hands away.
"Shoo!" She laughed. "Listen to me. This is important."
"Okay." He smiled, on his best behaviour now.
Alma turned to the dresser, taking an excited breath as she picked up the paper she'd prepared, bringing it over and sitting beside him on the bed.
"Now Iook." She smiled.
Pedro opened his eyes and his face lit up as he saw the baby Alma had cut out into the paper.
He gasped softly, then was met with a cheeky smile from Alma. Before he could ask why, she unfolded the paper to reveal two more babies.
Pedro's eyes rolled back and he made a show of fainting in shock, falling back onto the bed.
Alma grinned, climbing on top and playfully tapping his chest. Pedro opened his eyes and grabbed her, the two of them laughing as they held eachother.
"How do you know there's three?" Pedro asked, his hand on her little belly now as Alma lay with him. He felt the bump and his eyes sparkled in wonder.
"You want to tell Mona she's wrong?" Alma teased. "She said I'm getting bigger faster than a normal pregnancy. And Mama had triplets, and her mama before her, so." Alma beamed. "You will have three girls. Or three boys."
"Dios." Pedro chuckled. "Four little mariposas, fluttering around the casita, bossing me around."
"Hm." Alma cuddled up to him, smiling as he traced fingers along her tummy.
"Can I see?" He asked in an excited voice.
Alma nodded, her eyes bright, then laughed as he covered the bump with kisses.
8 months later
Alma felt a kiss against her sweaty forehead and she moaned, slowly opening her eyes. Her blurred vision cleared enough to see Pedro smiling down at her.
"You alive?" He chuckled.
"Only on the outside." Alma smiled weakly, then laughed. It was a lie. Alma had never felt more alive and happy than she did in this moment. Suddenly, everything in the world felt different. It was brighter, more hopeful. Gravity didn't hold Alma to the earth anymore. They did.
Alma gazed down at the three tiny babies in her arms, unable to believe they had all come from her. It was easily the most painful experience of her life, but Alma would do it all again, just to hold them in her arms.
The babies had different coloured blankets so they could tell them apart, but it hadn't been necessary. Alma and Pedro had been shocked to discover all three triplets looked completely different.
The one in blue rested quietly against Alma's chest, her expression gentle, though her sleepy eyes looked a little done as the other two squabbled next to her. She'd come out first and Alma had called her Angel.
Alma had panicked when the next one had come, because of course Alma had expected them to all look the same. When she saw her baby's pale skin Alma started to cry, begging her sister to help, because their baby was sick. Ramona had just laughed, telling Alma she had some explaining to do.
Pedro had taken the baby with eager arms, unable to stop kissing her red hair, bright eyes looking over her little face as he wrapped her in yellow and called her Sunshine.
Alma thought she knew what to expect then, that the next girl would look different again. But then the last baby didn't come. Mona had to help Alma a lot to get it to come out, while her sister sobbed. When the tiny baby finally came out, Alma was surprised to find that she was a boy.
"He really wanted to stay in there." Pedro chuckled, wrapping their little son up in green. "Our little Oruguita."
"I love them." Was all Alma could say as they sat by the window, Alma watching as Pedro cuddled and kissed the babies.
"What will we call them?" Pedro bounced a little in joy, watching their little faces.
"They already have names." Alma reminded him.
Pedro chuckled. "Yes, just like you are Mariposa. But what names will we tell the church?"
Alma looked them over, thinking about it.
"We could name them after your sisters." Pedro suggested gently.
Alma quickly shook her head, her smile fading at the thought of replacing Cora. Pedro kissed her forehead.
"As their second names." Pedro tried again, and this time Alma agreed.
"We can name them after your parents." Alma suggested, knowing Pedro would like that.
His face lit up. "Really?"
Alma nodded, the warmth of her smile reaching her eyes. "Because they love us. And then we can remember them when they are dead."
Pedro couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. "Dios."
"Sorry." Alma muttered, then grinned as he kissed her.
"Always thinking ahead, hm?" He chuckled, finding it endearing when Alma made mistakes. "Okay Mariposa. What about the third name?"
"I pick that one."
Pedro laughed. "So bossy."
"For my hard work." Alma reminded him, and with that he surrendered.
Alma carefully reached for Angel. Pedro made an exaggerated sound of defeat as she took the baby from his arms.
"You'll get lots of turns to hold them!" Alma teased, "Let me have a turn." Then her expression softened as she looked at their sweet little girl. "This one is Julieta."
"And her second name?"
"Ramona." Alma told him. "Because I know this one will be her favourite."
Pedro frowned at that, and Alma hesitated. He didn't frown often, so when he did it held a lot of weight.
"We shouldn't have favourites, Mariposa." He said gently. "They're all special in their own way. Three miracles."
Alma nodded. "Sorry."
She felt grateful that Pedro was here to guide her. Every time she copied something she thought was normal from her own childhood, Pedro taught her a better way.
Pedro kissed Alma with a smile, then turned to Oruguita, who was pushing a hand into his sister's face while she whined. Pedro chuckled, handing Oruguita over to Alma to separate them.
"So this is our little José?" Pedro grinned.
Alma cuddled their little boy close, looking down at his big dark eyes and eyelashes. She stroked his fluffy hair and admired his soft face. He was just so perfect she could melt.
"No." She decided. "This one is Bruni."
Pedro exhaled in a puff, then laughed. "The donkey? Dios, Mariposa."
"You said I can choose!" Alma insisted, then turned back to their son with a loving expression. "It suits him."
Pedro playfully shook his head.
"What about Bruno?" He offered. "Let him be his own man."
Alma sighed. "Okay."
Pedro lifted Sunshine and she smiled. He kissed her face, his eyes sparkling as he looked her over.
"That's José." Alma told him in a matter of fact tone. "Josefa."
"Josefa Corazona?" Pedro asked, and Alma nodded. He turned back to Sunshine, rubbing his nose against hers. Sunshine reached for Pedro's face, little hands grabbing his hair as she smiled. "Hm. Doesn't suit her."
Alma raised eyebrows. "But you said-"
"I like Pepa." He turned to her with a grin. "It sounds happier. And look at her, Mariposa. She shines so bright. Let's call her Pepa Corazona."
Alma relaxed and nodded, smiling as Pedro placed the third little baby into her arms.
Later
Alma watched Pedro's parents as they interacted with the new babies.
"We love them, mija." Pedro's mama beamed, kissing Alma's forehead as she sat down on the bed beside her, little Bruno in her arms. Alma cuddled up close to her. She loved when Pedro's parents called her mija.
"We're so proud of you." His papa agreed, eyes on Alma and Pedro as he cuddled Pepa.
There was a knock at the door and the older woman who led the nurses at Mona's hospital came in.
"Checking I'm doing my job right, Señora?" Mona teased, little Julieta in her arms.
The woman's smile was just a little strained. She seemed bothered by something.
"Sorry to interrupt." The woman smiled briefly at Pedro and Alma, then turned to her sister with a sense of urgency. "Ramona. Something's happened the next town over. A lot of people injured. They're calling all medics."
Mona sighed, glancing at her sister.
"Lucky you." She told Alma, handing over Julieta. "You get to hold them again, for now. But once I'm back, it's Tia's turn again, and I'm not letting go until they're so big they break my back."
Alma shook her head with a smile, kissing her sister's cheek and watching as she followed the woman out.
"We should go too." Pedro's papa agreed, gently handing Pepa back to Alma. "Alma needs to rest."
"That's right." His mama smiled to her. "Take it easy over the next few days, okay? We'll come around tomorrow with breakfast, so you don't worry about getting up. Your body needs to recover."
Alma nodded, forehead resting against hers as Pedro's mama hugged her. The moment the triplets were reunited they snuggled up together in Alma's arms, Pepa touching Bruno's face while Julieta watched quietly.
Later
They gazed down proudly as the three babies snuggled eachother as they slept. Pedro reached forward, stroking their hair.
Alma looked up at Pedro and his eyes met hers. She felt overcome with love for him. She was tired, but her heart glowed at the idea of snuggling up into bed tonight with these three miracles in their arms.
There was a sudden scream from outside.
Alma turned to the window with wide eyes, and froze at what she saw.
People rode into the village carrying flaming torches, tossing them onto casita roofs and smashing windows, throwing flames inside. More people screamed as they ran from their burning homes, but the horse riders were fast, cutting them down with the swish of swords, hooves running over fallen bodies and splashing through bloody puddles as the townsfolk screamed and panicked.
Alma couldn't understand. It was as if it were happening in a dream. Why were they doing this? Alma knew these people, they were kind. They'd done nothing wrong.
Pedro helped Alma to stand and she winced, her body still tender from the birth. Pedro put his arm around her waist, helping her to leave their casita while Alma carried their new babies.
As they went out the bedroom door the window smashed behind them, flames spreading through the room. Alma turned with a whimper, seeing Pedro's guitar become alight, flames spreading up the curtains and across the desk, burning his books and writing.
"Only take what we can't replace." Pedro whispered, eyes gesturing to their children. He put a hand to her back, leading her out. "Come on, Mariposa. You're okay."
The smashing and screaming became louder as they came out their front door. A horse raced past and Alma gasped, stepping back and clutching the babies tight. The night was alive with the glow of fire and people screaming
Behind them flames continued to spread, engulfing their casita. Pedro led Alma into the street, their feet splashing in blood. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, a tear running down her cheek as the first real home she'd ever known burned to the ground, people smashing the glass and kicking it in as they rode past.
"Bye, casita." She whispered, before hurrying off with Pedro into the night.