[Chapter 4]
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Mirabel gave Bruno a tray with a headache pill and a glass of water, and he placed it on the nightstand next to his bed. His dad looked pathetic in his pajamas while he sat on the bed with his sunglasses on. She turned around and started to leave.
"Mariposita" said Bruno when she had already turned around. "Come here," said Bruno who asked her to sit next to him. "Mirabel, is something wrong?" Bruno asked, she felt as if that question made her lose control. Everything she had held back in the last couple of days hit her hard, and she began to cry uncontrollably.
"Everything is wrong, this is all wrong" Mirabel started sobbing. "I don't want to spend another second in this town, but it's impossible to leave, there's no way to communicate with the outside world, I'm so hungry all the time, people look down on me, Grandma thinks I'm useless, my sister terrifies me and now that woman wants to kill you" as she continued.
"That woman is your mom, Mirabel" Bruno replied. Mirabel rarely got mad at her dad, but she was furious. He never objected to the idea of coming to Encanto, and now that she wanted to leave, he didn't help her either. Bruno couldn't pretend to force her to love a stranger who had nearly killed the only father she had ever known.
"She is not my mother, my mother does not exist. I don't know any of these people who want to call themselves my family. They are complete strangers. The only thing I have seen in this house is rejection and hatred. Grandma says I'm useless, the town hates me. I do not want to be here". Mirabel said furious. "Why do you defend them? Do you feel that they are right? Do you feel that you are guilty of this disaster? she asked him. Bruno stared at her, he took off his glasses and looked into her eyes.
"Mirabel" Bruno started as he took her hands "I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, you are my girl, and always will be. I know we're not supposed to have favorites, but since you were born I knew I had a connection to you, but I...
"Mom made me bring you this, uncle," Isabela said reluctantly, as she placed a tray of meat broth on the nightstand. Mirabel and Bruno looked at the plate carefully. Surely, since his close encounter with death, her dad had started to distrust his sister's food. Isabela must have sensed it, as she rolled her eyes and snorted. "Do you really think Mom would be dumb enough to do something like that, in full view of everyone? she asked her.
"Of course not. She would never do something so stupid, much less in front of mom's eyes" said Bruno as he took the spoon and started to eat. "Julieta was always the best of us, the most intelligent, the most patient, the one who loved me the most," he continued. Isabela crossed her arms. "Only one of those has changed, I can assure you of that" Isabela answered. Then, she gave Mirabel a look. "Are you planning to have breakfast?," Isabela asked.
"No," Mirabel answered aggressively, while feeling that her patience was reaching a limit. "Why not?" Isabela asked angrily. "Because I don't want to, because I'm sick of all of you and I want to get out of here" Mirabel yelled at her, who went through the hall to her room. Mirabel locked herself in and went out again until past noon, surely lunch was already over and she wouldn't have to attend.
Mirabel returned to her father's room with the day's newspaper to read him the news and spend some time, but she didn't want to bring up the subject of Julieta again, because she wasn't in the mood.
"Mirabel" said Luisa who approached her in the hallway as she returned to her room. She looked at her carefully, and realized that she was holding a heavy bag with only one hand, as if it weighed little more than a pillow. "How can I help you?" asked Mirabel, who barely could remember her name, since she had hardly said a couple of words to her in the three days she had been in that house .
"I have something for you" said Luisa in a very low voice "but I would like us to be discreet" she continued. Mirabel led her to her room, where her sister placed the bag on the bed. She looked at it, the bag contained dozens of books. "My grandmother doesn't really like that I waste my time with this, but dad buys them for me every time he goes to Manizales," she said. Mirabel smiled at the books.
"They're very cute, thank you" replied Mirabel. She couldn't believe that this kind girl was related to someone as cold as Isabela. "I'm very sorry that we haven't had time to walk around," said Luisa, who approached Mirabel's desk and opened one of the drawers. Luisa took out some sheets of paper and put them on the looked at the images one by one. They were children's drawings. Mirabel recognized Julieta, Agustín and Isabela among the doodles, and even a boy who seemed to be Camilo, but there were a lot of Luisa. She knew right away who her favorite sister used to be.
"I don't remember any of this," Mirabel said as she continued flipping through the pages. Suddenly she noticed the image of a little girl holding the hand of an adult, it was Bruno. The most surprising thing about that image was the clumsy letters that accompanied it: "Uncle Bruno" Mirabel read. That was very disturbing, because there was a moment in her life when she knew that he was her uncle, not her father.
"Luisa" her grandmother shouted from the patio "if you don't hurry up you'll be late, and you still have a lot of work to do" she said. Luisa got up from the bed with a bittersweet expression on her face and she left. Mirabel looked at those drawings wondering many things, especially, how her life would have been if she had grown up in that magical house.
Two weeks passed, in which she did nothing but work, have lunch at Doctor Calle's house, or in a nearby restaurant, and return to an empty home. The only thing that changed during those weeks was her relationship with Antonio, who still did not receive as many jobs as the other members of her family, since he was a child. The two of them enjoyed walking around in the same forest that Bruno had shown her.
Antonio was a very quiet boy. Truth be told, he seemed to prefer the company of animals to people. However, something told her that he was growing very fond of her. Mirabel felt guilty for not being able to fully reciprocate his feelings, since she had already decided to hate everything around her, and her cousin was among them. Despite the above. She couldn't complain at all about the treatment she received from her family. Certainly, she was not the most liked member, but the relations were at least civilized.
"Tomorrow there will be a party, do you have clothes to attend? if not, I can lend you something, "Dolores asked as the two spent one of the few free moments of her cousin, walking through the coffee plantations. "I think I have a blouse and skirt set. I made them from some outfits I saw on a vacation with dad, but it's too cold in Tocama to wear them there" Mirabel replied as she watched the sun go down through the coffee plantations .
"I see you smiling, is it possible that you are slightly less unhappy than you were when you arrived?" Dolores asked, smiling. "I don't know, Dolores, I would like to say that I am. The truth is that this place is beautiful, but I grew up in a completely different way, I had a life far from here. I have…" Mirabel began as she took the heart pendant.
"I imagine you have a boyfriend, or something," said Dolores. "Grandma shouldn't find out about it, if she does, she won't leave you alone until you find someone." Dolores continued. "Why?" Mirabel asked. "I don't want to be cruel to you, Mirabel. Believe me, that is something for Isabela not for me, but you do not have a gift, and you cannot work as a man would, so you only have one way out" her cousin commented. Mirabel understood, but it didn't hurt any less. "If things are like this, you should let me go home, I used to have a future there, and people who really love me" said Mirabel who couldn't help feeling that her voice was cracking.
"Mirabel..." began Dolores, who must have felt that she was fighting back tears. Her cousin put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Nobody wants you to go, seeing you has been a miracle, a true miracle, even more surprising than the one in this house. Just a little over three weeks ago, we gave our thoughts to that poor little girl who died at the bottom of the river, and Aunt Julieta was grieving after ten years, but now you are here, alive, it is almost a dream" her cousin said, and now it was her turn to have her voice break. Mirabel pulled away from her in surprise.
"What?" asked Mirabel, shocked, "dead? Everyone told me that Bruno had kidnapped me,"said Mirabel, who tried to remember the conversation between her parents and her grandmother in the capital, for some clue. Dolores cleared her throat and looked at her in surprise.
"Didn't your parents tell you?" asked Dolores "everyone here gave you up for dead when you disappeared, we even had a funeral. Everything was so sudden, in an instant, we were going to have dinner with the mayor, and suddenly, Uncle Agustín arrived with a note for Mom, and the news that you were alive, and they had found you. No wonder mom hadn't remembered to clean your room, we were all shocked, busy, and this news…"
"I don't understand," said Mirabel, confused, "nothing makes sense, if things are like this, what was Camilo doing there? Did he never write to you?" she asked. "He did, but he never told us anything about what was going on. Aunt Julieta and Agustín had scheduled a trip to the capital. They told us that they were going to visit Agustín's mother. Our grandmother did not allow Luisa and Isabela to go, as we needed them here"
Mirabel tried to remember the conversation between her grandmother from the capital and her parents, and she remembered that the old woman never really let them talk, she always interrupted them when they were about to explain. The only information she heard from her parents was that the town was afraid that she might harm the magic, and that the police had searched for her for a long time, but no one had talked about her death.
"It is surprising that Agustín, Julieta and Bruno had not told you anything about this. Dad and mom forbade us to talk about this with you, since they think it's too sensitive, but it's been a little less than a month, I thought you knew, "said Dolores. "Please don't tell anyone I told you," Dolores asked nervously. "I promise, if you promise to do the same," Mirabel replied.
The next day, Mirabel got ready for the party that would take place at the Madrigal house for the successful sale of the harvest. Mirabel took out of her suitcase an ensemble of a white peasant blouse that left her shoulders visible and a long white skirt with innumerable flower appliqués, which was a smaller version of those that she had seen the typical dancers,at the south from the capital. However, there was no place for such a bright and colorful wardrobe in her town.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door of her room. "Hey, Mirabel" said Luisa "Do you want to do your hair with us?" her sister asked. Mirabel could not repress a groan when she thought that with "us" she was referring to Isabela and liked Luisa, but Isabela...
Despite this, she opened the door. Luisa led her to Isabela's room. It was a huge place, completely covered in flowers of her favorite color. Mirabel tried not to fight with her again, and let her eldest do her hair as she pleased. Mirabel had to admit that when Isabela wanted to make beautiful things, she really did, as the flower ornament she made to hold her hair up was one of the prettiest she had ever seen.
"I have a question," said Mirabel suddenly, who felt that it was the right moment. "Someone in town told me that you thought I was dead," Mirabel began. Isabela snorted, and ran to close the door.
"And by someone you mean Dolores, that gossip," Isabela complained, returning to her chair. Isabela and Luisa looked at each other for a few seconds, until finally Luisa was the one who had the courage to speak first. "Dolores is right, until three weeks ago, you were officially dead, and we all thought that Bruno was a murderer," Luisa commented. Mirabel felt pale.
"How did you find out it wasn't like that?" asked Mirabel who felt dizzy. "We don't know," answered Isabela. "Nobody knows. Dad had suggested going to the capital to visit his mom, but our grandmother told them it wasn't a good time, so Camilo offered to go. Next thing we know, Dad came back from the trip with the news that you and Bruno were coming with them."
"I know it's wrong to admit it, but I overheard a private conversation between our parents and Grandma Julia. She didn't seem to know that I was dead. To tell the truth she was furious with mom and dad as she blamed them for starting looking for me just six months ago" said Mirabel. "Six months!" Isabela exclaimed in alarm. "Mom and dad never gave any sign that something was happening, they just left and came back with you. We don't know why they hid the truth from us, I suspect they didn't tell Grandma Julia because of something related to her health, but I am not sure". Dad and mom have been very mysterious about this matter" said Isabela.
"Mom even asked us not to tell you anything. She says this is too much for you, and since you love Bruno very much, this could change your perception of him. She says she doesn't want to break your heart." Luisa said. "Nothing you say can change how I feel about papi," Mirabel replied with a broken voice. "Thank you very much for the hairstyle, I'll go get a glass of water" she replied before leaving the room.
Mirabel came out of that room, dressed and groomed towards Bruno's tower. She knocked on the door a couple of times until finally he let her in." Come in" said Bruno "How do I look, papi?" Mirabel asked as she walked around to show him her dress and her new hairstyle. "Pretty, as always," he said, who got up from his bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Mirabel watched him with anticipation. She wondered if it would be okay for her to accept his affection after Dolores' revelation. After all, the Madrigals must have had reason to believe that she was dead. However, Mirabel decided that she didn't want to know anything right now. For once, her sisters made her feel included, and so did her family. Tonight she wanted to be at peace and not think about all those mysteries and secrets that were hidden in that family.
"Truly beautiful" repeated Bruno before she finally decided to go down to dinner. Mirabel had spent the last few weeks barely speaking to her parents and this time she was no exception. "Mirabel" Agustín called her. "I have excellent news for you, you have three letters" he said as he handed them to her with a smile. Mirabel looked at the three envelopes, they were responses from her friend Miriam, Miss María and Alberto. Those news almost made her forget the disturbing revelations.
The music started playing downstairs. Mirabel decided that the truth would have to wait another day. If there was one thing she liked, it was parties. She never missed an opportunity to go out dancing with her friends, so she strongly hoped that this celebration would help improve her attitude towards the family that was supposed to be hers. Unfortunately, the food was off the menu, as she had seen her own mother preparing it with help from everyone in the family.
Mirabel headed downstairs, feeling hungry, as usual, but ready for some fun. "Hello Mirabel," said Antonio who approached her. "I brought you this, so you won't be hungry tonight," the boy said as he handed her a bag from the bakery with the same yuca bread from a couple of weeks ago. "That's very sweet, thanks Antonio, I'll leave them for later when I'm hungry" she said. "I brought you this too" he said as he handed her a large heliconia. "Oh, thank you, Antonio" replied Mirabel.
Mirabel went up to her room again, and left Antonio's gifts on her bed. She went downstairs as the first guests entered. Suddenly, one of the laces on her espadrilles came undone, so she bent down to tie it. "Grandpa thinks it's a great idea, and the old Madrigal too. They both want to set me up with the new granddaughter who came to town a couple of weeks ago. Great, just great. Mariano Guzmán is going to marry one of them, and I would have to settle for the leftovers, the waste of this family, just the one that has no powers" complained a boy who passed through the door. Mirabel hid against the wall and watched him closely. He was a boy of her age, handsome and dressed in white. She wasn't easily offended, but no one had ever called her leftover or waste.
She didn't know who this guy was, but her grandmother's plans could go straight to hell. Mirabel arrived at the central patio, where several couples were dancing. The music was good, and she was itching to go out dancing with someone. However, the same look of fear that was given to her in the town, was directed by many of the guests. No one wanted to dance with her.
"Adored cousin of mine," Camilo joked, "I'm dying for a dance, please," he said as he offered her his hand. Mirabel smiled at him. It was lucky her cousin had saved her from the public humiliation of being the only one without a dance partner. "She knows how to dance, '' Camilo commented when he saw that Mirabel followed his steps without any difficulty. "You don't think I like sitting up all night," Mirabel replied. "Of course not, as I heard in your town, Mirabel is the life of the party" said Camilo.
They danced together for another couple of songs. Mirabel was going to sit down, when Antonio appeared next to her. "Do you want to dance with me?" her cousin asked. Mirabel scooped him up into her arms and headed straight out onto the dance floor with him. She felt watched, but she no longer felt the same aggressiveness that she did at first.
"Do you want to dance, Miss Madrigal?" asked Eduardo, the other assistant who worked with her at the pharmacy. She danced a couple of songs with him, and others with a boy she didn't know. Suddenly, while she was catching her breath in a corner, her grandmother sent for her. Mirabel met the mayor of the town, and her grandson.
"Tomás Carranza, Miss Madrigal, nice to meet you," said the boy. Mirabel immediately recognized the boy. It was the jerk who had offended her at the beginning of the night, who happened to be the mayor's grandson.
"Nice to meet you" Mirabel answered with a forced smile. "Do you want to dance with me? he asked. "No, thank you very much, I want to rest a bit, I have danced enough already "she replied. The mayor's grandson seemed to receive that rejection like a slap in the face. Unfortunately, this boy wasn't the first guy she'd met spoiled enough to never have heard the word no. Her grandmother and the mayor shared an uncomfortable look, but no one dared say anything to her.
Mirabel moved away from there, and she danced again with Eduardo and Isabela's fiancé who invited her to dance. "Hey, I thought you were tired," said the mayor's grandson whose name she hadn't even bothered to learn. He walked over to her as Mirabel poured herself a glass of water at the buffet table. "I'm tired, that's why I'm resting now" she answered. "But you accepted the pharmacy guy and danced with your sister's fiancé"
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to dance with you," Mirabel replied. "Come on, don't be difficult. No one had been as rude as you are to me "the boy insisted while he tried to take her by the waist and pull her to the dance floor" I don't want to "Mirabel answered while she did her best to get away from him."Oops,my friend, I think you lost this" said Camilo, who took the hand of the mayor's grandson from her waist and showed it to him. "Be careful, lest you leave it in the wrong place" her cousin commented as he stepped between the two.
"Let's dance, Mirabel" said Camilo who, despite everything, had a smile on his face. "What happened there?" her cousin asked as they danced. "Nothing. he's just a spoiled kid who doesn't like to be told no," complained Mirabel. "You're right, but I want to know why you said no, it's obvious you like to dance, you've barely missed a song all night. I was sure you would dance with him" said Camilo. Mirabel hesitated to tell him, but if there was anyone who had gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable, it was him. "I heard him talk as I was coming down the stairs, he said I was the waste of this family," she said. Camilo's smile disappeared immediately, and his cheeks reddened. "Don't pay attention to him, he's a conceited jerk, and don't even think about dancing with him," Camilo replied, annoyed.
Mirabel returned to the water table after dancing two songs with Camilo, and another couple with some of her cousin's friends. "Now, do you have a little time for me?" asked the mayor's grandson who had the nerve to get even closer to her while he took her arm tightly. "Let go of me, I'm not going anywhere" Mirabel murmured who looked over her shoulder looking for help with her gaze. "What's happening?" asked Isabela who came arm in arm with her fiancé. He looked huge compared to the idiotic teen who was stalking her.
"Nothing, Miss Isabela, I just wanted to invite your sister to dance," replied the mayor's grandson. "If you can't behave, we'll ask you to leave," said Isabela. "your grandmother won't allow it," said the mayor's grandson smugly. "Maybe not, but it's always better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, and if you continue annoying my sister, I assure you that I won't care what my grandmother says, I'll get you out with my own hands" answered Isabela. Mirabel looked at her in surprise. Her sister could be very unpleasant, but no one could deny that she really wanted to protect her.
"Thank you, Isabela, thank you Mariano," said Mirabel. "Mariano, could you invite her to dance again? I don't want that guy to take advantage of this opportunity to make her feel uncomfortable" said Isabela, who seemed delighted by the possibility of getting rid of her fiancé, judging by her speed. Mariano could barely stammer out a brief "ok", before her sister ran away from him.
"How are things going, Mirabel?" Mariano asked kindly. "It has been difficult for me to adapt," answered Mirabel. "That is understandable. The Madrigals are not an easy family. I always saw them from a distance, and I imagined they were the perfect family, but since I've been with Isabela I've noticed that things are not usually what they seem" said Mariano who looked up at Dolores who was passing by them, "And even so, I can't help but feel attracted to the Madrigals".
"The Madrigals are the kind of family I never wanted to belong to," Mirabel said. Mariano was surprised at her frankness. "That's quite a statement, Mirabel," he said. "I never had to worry about being different, not fitting in, pleasing an overly demanding grandmother. My dad loved me just the way I was, my friends, my neighbors. I don't think anyone wants me here.
"You're wrong, Mirabel," answered Mariano, "you may not see it that way, but there are many people here who really appreciate you very much" he said. "I want you to understand that this is a place that was literally born out of fear, out of tragedy," Mariano continued. "Like so many others," Mirabel replied. "It could be," Mariano said, "however, everything here is very recent. Our grandparents arrived fifty years ago escaping from the war at the beginning of the century. Around here everything is very quiet, but the fear persists, and there are many who believe that the only thing that keeps us safe are the gifts".
Mirabel knew what he meant. She had also heard stories of the War at the beginning of the century from Miss Maria. Alberto had told her on many occasions about the real juggling that people like his father used to do in the town to prevent it from becoming like one of those difficult places in her department. Fear was a constant in everyone, in some places more than others, with gifts or without them, Mirabel already thought that it was in the nature of everyone there. She thanked Mariano for being one of the few people who treated her kindly in that place, but that didn't ease her pain. She wanted to get back into her life as quickly as possible.
Mirabel continued dancing with new people. Apparently their fear was slowly dissipating, or at least, it seemed that way in the guys of her age, since others invited her to dance every time. Despite the above. Mirabel was completely hungry, and it was not so much fun to spend a party without something to eat.
"Mirabel, come here" her grandmother said as she looked for a place to rest. She sat in the company of the mayor, Alma Madrigal, Isabela, her fiancé, and another group of older people from the town who conversed quietly. "Mirabel, I want to introduce you to some of the most respected family members in town," said her grandmother, who went on to tell her the names of everyone there, one by one. Mirabel barely paid attention. Some asked her how she had felt in the village and how she spent her days, to which she replied with polite hypocrisy, until the question came.
"You really don't remember anything about the village?" Mariano's mother asked. "No," Mirabel answered, upon some disappointed looks. "Although... I think I've seen it in a dream, I don't know if it's a memory or something," she said. "What are you talking about? Mariano's mom asked. "It all started on the day of the candles last year, six months ago. I had a very strange dream. At first, I feared that it was a consequence of the heavy food during the party of that day" Mirabel began, "but it was the most vivid dream I have ever had. I remember that I was right in the center of this same patio, and suddenly, one of the tiles fell to the ground and cut my hand. Afterwards, the light in those doors extinguished and cracks from inside the house began to devour it, until it completely collapsed. The strangest thing about the dream was the true terror and despair I felt, even though I had never set foot in this house, I couldn't help but feel sad," said Mirabel. Suddenly, she realized that everyone was staring at her, and even some of the dancers had stopped moving around the dance floor.
"A truly terrifying dream," said Mariano's mother, who was the first to have the courage to speak. "It's a pretty disturbing dream, especially since you couldn't remember this house," the mayor said. "I thought it might be a memory," Mirabel replied. "Impossible" said her grandmother. "That is nonsense, my friends, do not believe this girl, she has been saying for weeks that she does not remember anything about this house and now it turns out that she does remember us. Mirabel, darling, you don't have to do all this to get attention. Magic is strong in the Madrigal house, "said her grandmother.
Those present shared a couple of nervous smiles, as she felt herself blush. Mirabel felt completely humiliated. Her grandmother had called her a liar in front of everyone, Bruno had probably already told her about her mysterious dreams, and still, she denied it. The worst thing was the look of pity on Julieta's face, the expression of exasperation on Isabela's.
Mirabel left without even bothering to apologize. She simply left the house and went out into the garden to get some fresh air.
"Hello, here we are again," said the mayor's grandson, whose name she still didn't remember. Mirabel rolled her eyes, desperate to get rid of him quickly. "I already told you that I don't want to dance with you, actually, I just want to be alone. Also, look, I don't want to be rude, but I have a boyfriend, and I'm not interested in anyone else" she said.
"Boyfriend?" He asked laughing "for sure to be an imaginary boyfriend" he replied as he got closer to her. Mirabel pushed him hard, but what she didn't expect was that he would respond to her. Mirabel looked at him in surprise.
"I'd better go," said Mirabel. She didn't want to argue with him. "Wait" he replied as he stepped in her way. "I'm serious, go away, I don't want to have anything to do with you" said Mirabel who was about to avoid him by taking a step to the side, but he got in her way.
"What's your problem, don't you know who I am? he asked her. "Yes, I do know who you are, you're a jerk, so step aside, please" asked Mirabel. But he took her arms. Mirabel instinctively screamed. However, her scream was silenced by a roar, and another scream. "Leave Mirabel alone" Antonio said in his childish voice, as his pet jaguar lunged at the mayor's grandson's leg.
Mirabel nearly lost consciousness at the sight of all the blood on the floor. However, before she fell, she felt Dolores surrounding her and asking her how she felt. Mirabel could barely hear her. Her cousin left her in her room. She felt starving, she hadn't eaten anything all day and Antonio's bread smelled very good. Mirabel was very grateful to her younger cousin, after all, the mayor's grandson had no intention of getting away from her. Mirabel took the first loaf from the bag, took a leap of faith and put the loaf into her mouth. It was completely delicious.
"Are you alright, Mirabel?" asked her grandmother who entered frantically without even knocking on the door. Mirabel stood up. "Yes ma'am" she replied. "Your dress is splattered with blood. Please tell me that is not yours "continued her grandmother. "No ma'am" Mirabel answered again. Her grandmother seemed to relax immediately, as she looked around her room, staring everything. "I haven't set foot in this room since that night," she commented.
"Which one?" Mirabel asked. "The night you disappeared," her grandmother answered, "that night your door didn't show up, and we had to take you to Julieta immediately so she could give you something for your nerves. I tucked you in myself that night before bed. I never wanted to set foot in this room ever since, even though it was also Antonio's room." explained her grandmother. Mirabel found no words to answer her. After all, she had never imagined that this seemingly cold woman had such feelings. Suddenly, her grandmother came to the door and closed it. Afterward, she sat down next to Mirabel.
"Mirabel" her grandmother began, "I have noticed that you are not happy here. The change of life must have been quite abrupt for you," she said. "It is true. I haven't been able to adapt, I think anyone likes me". Her grandmother gave him a smile. "I know, dear, but you know very well that Julieta and Agustín have been very determined for you to be in this place. But I think it's cruel to have you here, against your will" she continued. Suddenly, her grandmother reached into her pocket and pulled out a bunch of bills.
"I don't want you to think I don't have a heart," she started again. "Here are two thousand pesos, it would be enough for you and Bruno to make the entire trip back to your house. Of course, Julieta and Agustín will be very upset, but you will make it clear to them that you want to return to your normal life" she said. Mirabel looked at the money, and she looked at her grandmother's face. This was just what Mirabel had wanted since she came to Encanto.
However, there was something that gave her a bad taste. This situation was absurd. Her grandmother had been very clear in saying that she would not return to her town, but she said those words in front of the whole family, while in private she gave her a large amount of money to go away.
Mirabel remembered the guilt Bruno seemed to feel, as well as his promise to return of the first night, her parents' secrets, Dolores's story, and she knew immediately that she really wanted to stay in Encanto a little longer, enough to find out the truth of what had happened that night ten years ago when his father decided to run away from that house.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I can't accept this. You're right, I don't like the Encanto, and I'd like to get out of it as quickly as possible. I'm not interested in your magic either, and I want nothing to do with it," Mirabel said as her grandmother seemed stunned to discover that she had no interest in what she considered so valuable. "However, before I do, I would like to spend a little more time with my parents and my sisters." Mirabel lied, as what she really wanted was the truth.
"Okay, as you wish" her grandmother replied before she took the bills and left her room. Mirabel just hoped that she wasn't making a big mistake.
Hello everyone, My headcanon is that Mariano, despite being Maluma, is actually a very decent person. Thanks for reading, commenting and everything else.