Chapter 17: Miracle
34 years before Encanto
Alma sat at the breakfast table trying to figure out what she could possibly say at today's meeting.
Her weekend had been a mess, townsfolk all gathered at Alma's door in the early hours, complaining of storms and swirling green sand that Pepa and Bruno had terrorised their children with at that night's fiesta. Alma tried to tell them her children weren't at that fiesta, they'd been asleep in bed, but it turned out the triplets had snuck out.
Everyone including Pepa and Bruno insisted that Julieta hadn't been involved, while Julieta insisted it'd been all her idea. Alma didn't know what to believe anymore.
Julieta told Alma they'd gone to watch Agustin play piano at the fiesta, that it had been a date, which just made Alma laugh. Their sweet perfect Julieta Madrigal with clumsy Agustin Rojas? At least Alma knew that part was a lie.
Pepa and Julieta sat together at the breakfast table, talking together and drinking coffee, while Bruno hadn't come down at all.
He'd been staying up in his tower more and more often lately, and it made Alma sad to see her once bright and confident little boy become such an anxious and reclusive young man. The town treating him like a villain really hurt his self esteem.
Alma knew it was her responsibility to fix it, but she had no idea how. Every time she talked to Bruno she seemed to make things worse.
"Let a few of them down." Pepa told Julieta, gently stroking fingers through her sister's bun to let a couple curls fall loose around Julieta's face. "It frames you better. See?" Pepa kissed her sister's forehead, then smiled. "Beautiful."
"Love you." Julieta smiled back, her face glowing a little. Julieta had been in a particularly good mood lately, though Alma couldn't figure out what was causing it.
"Love you too." Pepa agreed with a warm smile, forehead resting against Julieta's as she held her.
Alma felt a familiar tug at her heart at the sight of the sisters so she quickly turned away, going back to her meeting notes. She was writing a speech about how the gifts protected their community, and tried to think up debate points to defend her children's recent behaviour. Alma sighed, because she was running out of excuses.
Hearing the sudden sound of thunder, Alma looked up.
"Pepa!" She scolded automatically. "The cloud."
Her daughter flinched, turning to Alma with sad and apologetic eyes.
"Sorry, Mama." Pepa muttered, stroking her hair as she turned away again.
Alma's expression softened, because her daughter didn't fight back anymore.
It was as if Alma had shouted and slapped Pepa one too many times over the years, and one day the fire in Pepa's heart went out and she gave up, the hopeful shine disappearing from her eyes.
It hurt Alma to see. She'd expected Pepa would always stay defiant, like Alma had. Alma didn't realise her daughter had a breaking point until she pushed her past it.
Julieta whispered softly to Pepa, comforting her and making her smile again.
"What is it?" Alma tried to get involved, but they just glanced at her. Alma felt hurt, because she could see her children were drifting away from her but she didn't know how to stop it.
"It's okay, Mama." Julieta told her with a reassuring smile.
"Would you like me to take you to the fields today, Pepa?" Alma asked, attempting to make peace with her daughter. "I could help you with your rain."
"I'm not a baby, Mama." Pepa's tone was flat. She finished her coffee and the sisters got up, washing their plates together before getting ready to leave.
Julieta fixed Pepa's hair ribbon and fluffed up her fringe, standing on her toes because her sister had grown so much taller than her.
"Did you want help with the food stall today, mija?" Alma tried again, but Julieta just shook her head with a smile.
"I got it, Mama." She came over and kissed Alma's cheek. "Thank you, though."
Alma smiled in relief, because at least she still had Julieta's love, if nothing else.
Julieta took her sister's hand, basket of food under her other arm. "See you at dinner, Mama! Love you."
"Love you too, mija." Alma told Julieta as the girls headed for the door together.
Pepa glanced over her shoulder, eyes searching Alma's. Alma suddenly felt hopeful. She waited for Pepa to say something. There was a moment's silence while Pepa waited too, then frowned, turning away.
Alma exhaled heavily, throwing her head into her hands as the girls left the house. Casita clacked tiles at Alma and she groaned.
"Yes, yes." She sighed. "I tried, okay?"
Casita clacked again, waving it's curtain at Alma.
"Don't you even." Alma came over and closed the shutters, but they opened again, playfully tapping Alma from behind.
"Hey!" She frowned, shutting them again. Casita bounced tiles under Alma, reopening the shutters and tapping her another time, but Alma didn't want to play.
"I'm too old for this, Casita." She muttered, turning and going back to her papers.
Casita drooped for a moment, then perked back up. It rolled a shiny plate over, lifting it to show Alma that she was still young.
"Don't!" Alma shoved the plate away, panicked at the thought of seeing her own reflection. She didn't like it, because she didn't see her sister anymore. She saw her Mama.
Alma's face was ageing, and because she was always so busy, she never had time to use her body anymore, and it was starting to show. Alma had gained weight, which embarrassed her, because being fit and athletic had always been one of the things Alma liked best about herself. She didn't like that her stomach wasn't hard and flat anymore, her jawline not as defined.
Alma put a hand to her forehead and continued to write her speech in silence. Casita's tiles shrugged, and Candle flickered from where it sat at the table, it's glow pulsing as if it were reassuring Casita.
"We were given a miracle." Alma read her words out loud to try and hear if it was working or not. "This magic, these gifts, were a miracle, given to us to protect our community. We must stand together and trust that the magic..."
She tucked her long hair behind her ear as it got in her eyes, trying to figure out the right words. "We must stand together, because the miracle is... the miracle is..."
"The miracle is you."
Alma jumped at the sound of Pedro's voice from behind her.
She turned, then realised it was her son, leaning against the doorway, arepa in his hand as he fed a rat on his shoulder.
Alma was still getting used to Bruno's newer, deeper voice.
"Sorry." Bruno chuckled nervously, putting hands in his pockets. "It's just, ah, you want to inspire them, right? So maybe you should speak to their hearts. Make them feel like they matter too. Otherwise it just sounds like them and us, y'know? Not just... Us." He made a circular motion with his hands. "As one." He smiled, making quotation marks with his fingers. "Community."
Alma's expression softened. Bruno had always been good at writing, like his papa. She felt relieved to see him out of his room and speaking to her again.
"Will you... help me?" Alma asked slowly, the question difficult for her to ask, but Alma felt desperate to reconnect with her son.
Bruno's face lit up a little, then he looked nervous. He nodded, coming over to sit beside her. The rats clambered from his sleeves and hood, crawling over him and the table as he picked up Mama's papers, quietly reading, then he handed them back to her.
"Alright... How about this." Bruno stood up. He pulled up his hood and cleared his throat. When he spoke it came out loud and clear.
"The miracle is not some magic that we've got, the miracle is you." Bruno held out his hands.
"Not some gift, just you. We were protected that day, we were saved and given this magic, so we could continue to live on as a community. To protect our children. To enjoy our miracle. And just as you want to protect your children, to see them grow, so do I. That is why I ask you to give them another chance to grow, to learn. Julieta has given us eleven long years of healing, saving countless lives. Pepa has given us year after year of fruitful harvests. And Bruno-"
He hesitated, chuckling a little as he took off his hood and shrugged, "He's not perfect. But neither are we. And hey, at least he's fun." Bruno grinned. "Together, we work hard to serve our beloved community. Our miracle. All I ask is you give us another shot at it."
Bruno finished, watching anxiously as Alma stared with wide eyes, lost for words.
"Ta-da." Bruno added, putting out his hands and shaking them by his sides.
"Mijo." Alma finally said, watching him in wonder. "That was wonderful."
Bruno scratched the back of his head, unsure how to respond to that.
"You have a talent for this." She told him with a smile, and Bruno gave her an awkward smile back.
"Well, glad you liked the show. I'm here till Friday." He spoke as if he were addressing a crowd.
Alma couldn't help but laugh. "Where are you going on Friday?"
"Me? Oh." He laughed too. "Nowhere. I'll still be here." He pretended to check a book. "Yep, schedule's all cleared up, looks like I'm around. Lucky you."
"Yes." Alma smiled. "Lucky me."
Bruno's expression softened in surprise, and Alma could see he liked hearing that.
"I have to go," Alma took out the pocket watch that hung from her belt, glancing at the time, then back to her son. "Thank you."
"Anytime." He smiled, watching Mama head for the door. "It's what I'm here for. Old Bruno, always here to help."
Alma stopped at the door, turning back to him.
"Would you like to come?"
Bruno hesitated.
"Out there?" Bruno asked quietly, eyeing the door.
Alma nodded.
"Oh, no I couldn't." He held up his hands, waving them a little in protest. "You know, my schedule just filled up. Lots of last minute bookings since last time we looked."
He took out the invisible book again, pacing as he pretended to read it, hands moving with his words.
"4:00, wallow in self-pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger," He glanced at Mama, holding up a finger, "Tell no one."
Alma covered her laugh as she watched him.
"5:30, jazzercize; 6:30, dinner with me," Bruno sighed dramatically, "I can't cancel that again! 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing..."
He pretended to throw the schedule over his shoulder, then shrugged, turning back to Mama. "I'm booked."
Alma laughed, and Bruno couldn't help but grin. He had the same playful and theatrical energy that Pedro had.
"Okay then." Alma sighed. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yep. I mean yes." Bruno gave her a little wave, then put hands in his pockets. "I'll be here."
Alma went to leave but Casita's tiles spun her back around to face him, nudging at her feet in encouragement.
Alma stared at Bruno and he stared back.
She considered what to say, then decided to take a chance.
"I love you." Alma told him, then watched for his response.
Bruno's face lit up. He made a funny little sound and shuffled his feet, then cleared his throat, straightening back up again.
"I ah, love you too Mama." He smiled.
Alma smiled back, then the two of them just stood there, unsure what was supposed to happen next.
"Well. You go get em." Bruno encouraged, doing a little cheering motion. "You show that village."
"Okay." Alma laughed.
Bruno waved to her again and this time Alma left.
He watched Mama go, then turned to his rats who squeaked in approval. Bruno returned to his tower with a spring to his step.